no, the horse needing a home is another horse at the farm, a mare. she was boarded there, but not long after she arrived, her owner ran out of money to pay her board. she offered the mare to the barn owner, who agreed, not that she really needs another horse. the mare cribs and refuses to load into a trailer. but the real problem is that she has a big swelling on her face -- a tumor maybe -- and 2 bad teeth, which probably have caused an infection, so her nose runs constantly. the barn owner was told that $1000 would fix the mare up. but when the barn owner got an estimate, it was about $4000. the mare is in her teens, gentle to ride, a nice horse, but the barn owner can't afford the surgery. the mare probably couldn't be sold for more than about $1000 if she didn't need expensive medical attention. so no one is likely to take her, and i think it's quite possible that the $4000 may be just the beginning of medical expenses. things are never as cheap or simple as they could be. the barn owner consulted the vet who said for $100 she could do some dentistry and see if that helps. i haven't heard more since, but the barn owner was in one breath saying she might try the cheap stopgap measure, which may,imho, do nothing worthwhile, and in the next breath wondering if she should just put the horse down. i suggested asking equine rescues if they'd take her. the barn owner said she didn't think any of them would want to spend the money, either. i think some vets donate their services to rescues, though. but then, who wants a cribber who won't load? the horses are out 24/7 with shelters, but the horse is destroying the barn and shelters. maybe she cribs from the pain of the infection, but if that is cleared up, there's no guarantee she would stop cribbing.
the ideal situation would be if someone took the mare and invested in the medical care/operation she needs. no one wants to, of course, so she may be put down.
Hope you feel better soon.
