JANUARY 1, 2007
QUARTER HORSE
BUCKSKIN
GELDING
TAME, TRUSTING & LOVES PEOPLE
Meet Buck!
The 4 photos below show his body condition when he arrived at the kill pen in Bastrop, Louisianna.
Bucks bail was $1000 and was paid from our private funds as well as $800 in transportation to get him from Arkansas to his new home in Nevada.
Kill pens and auctions are highly contagious germ factories, many germs like strangles run rampant and like many others horses Buck was infected. Depression, confusion, internal parasites and illness all took their toll on Buck and his body condition dropped badly.
He was seen by a vet in Arkansas and then again by one of our wonderful vets in Las Vegas, NV. His vet bills to date are $2500. The vet approximated Buck’s age to be 14-16 yrs old.
We think that Buck may have previously been a working cow horse because he has a freeze brand on his left hip.
Buck is a grade quarter horse buckskin gelding. Anyone remember Lauren Green on Bonanza? The patriarch of the family and ranch. In the show he road a buckskin horse much like Buck!
Don’t let Buck’s name fool ya! Theres NO buck in his mind or bones, only in his color. He is a very easy going, laid back, broke to death chill kinda guy. He loves to close his eyes as you quietly scratch his cheeks, chin and forehead.
Upon his arrival in Nevada he was started on a diet to carefully improve his condition and weight.
He had cracks in his hoof walls and his heels were worn too thin for our farrier to put shoes on him during his first visit.
With love, care, groceries and the grace of God Buck is a much healthier with a beautiful rich color. He has gained a good portion of his body weight back and he is a barn favorite.
Buck now! He is currently in need of having his teeth floated and a chiropractic adjustment. He will need front shoes as soon as he grows a little more heel. Buck is solid and only has a few scars on his lower legs. Not all animals that end up in the slaughter pipeline are there for a reason.
Buck never belonged on a slaughter truck headed to Mexico. Unfortunately, with the increase in hay prices there are more and more animals headed to auctions and slaughter.
The rise in animals needing rescued and the increase in hay prices has also put a strain on rescues but we try to help as many as we can.
No one person can save them all, but if we can save one at a time we are making a difference and YOU can help in many ways.
Kim
Horses are “obligate nose breathers” meaning that they can only breathe through their nose, not through their mouth as humans can.
Horses have what’s called a “stay-apparatus” which is a system of tendons and ligaments that allows the horse to lock their legs in position so they can relax without falling over. When not sleeping, horses also use this apparatus to rest while standing for long periods of time so they don’t fatigue. This allows them to conserve energy while standing so they are ready to take flight if needed. But it is a myth that horses never lay down – they do spend a short amount of time each day laying down for deeper sleep.
Since horses are prey species, they find safety in a herd and form strong social relationships with each other. They use their senses to recognize familiar horses and spend time with those they have formed friendships with. In the wild, one horse will stand guard to keep watch while the other horses in the herd take time to eat, rest and sleep.
