A local horse that was near the brink of death is now on the long road to recovery in Snohomish, Washington. WASART teams were called out to a farm twice in early December when weakness and wet ground prevented Anakin, a former research horse, from standing back up after lying down to rest. The horse was incredibly weak and the fear of him having a stroke or dying was very real.
Rescuing Anakin - Former research horse
According to Bonnie Hammond, the Executive Director of Save a Forgotten Equine Horse Rescue, it's pretty tough to look at Anakin, a 20-year-old Thoroughbred gelding. He's painfully thin. His hips and all of his ribs are exposed.
"It's pretty tough to look at Anakin, a 20-year-old Thoroughbred gelding. He's painfully thin. His hips and all of his ribs are exposed. No horse should ever look the way he does, said Bonnie Hammond, the Executive Director of Save a Forgotten Equine Horse Rescue.
"I've never seen a horse as thin as Anakin is right now," said Hammond. "It's so hard to express how painful it is to see a lovely animal like this whose been starved to the brink of death."
Hammond and her team had Anakin brought to Cedarbrook Veterinary Care in Snohomish after two recent rescue efforts at a small farm in Lewis County involving the Washington State Animal Response Team.
"The whole procedure really didn't freak him out like most horses would. He was pretty calm about the whole thing," said Hammond. "And it wasn't until we found out about his history with (California State Polytechnic University) that all of a sudden it made sense."
Anakin spent 12 years at the Cal Poly Equine Research Center in Pomona, California, which was established in 1980 to study horse health, reproductive physiology, behavior, parasitology, and immunology, Hammond said.
Anakin was one of a group of horses that participated in locomotion studies and high altitude studies. It was valuable research spent around lots of people and equipment, Hammond said.
"He's just got this amazing kindness and sort of wizeness about him," said Hammond. "When I found out where he came from and what he did in his life, I was hooked. This is a really special horse." Hammond believes Anakin's amazing spirit is a large reason why he's still alive.
He's not out of the woods yet, but tests performed this week show there's no permanent damage to his liver or kidneys, Hammond said. He's being kept in a clean, warm stall and eating a carefully controlled diet to prevent re-feeding syndrome, she added.
If things continue to go well for Anakin, the plan is to eventually find him a good home to live out the rest of his life, Hammond added.
"According to Hammond, "I've never seen a horse so thin who has so much light in his eyes. He's decided that he's not done yet. And he's fought for his life as hard as he can."