Mira, a member of our Morgan Horse Ranch equine ensemble, is on the road to recovery! 🐴
In November, 22-year old Mira experienced an episode of colic, which is another term for severe abdominal pain in horses. As any horse owner will tell you, horses can colic for many reasons; the cause of the pain can be as simple as gas buildup or a small intestinal blockage, or as severe as a twist in the intestines.
As soon as rangers noticed that Mira was acting sick, they began walking her around the pasture to prevent her from laying down and rolling, which can cause further complications. A vet came out immediately to run some tests and help rangers determine a plan of action for her continued care into the night.
With the help of pain medication to ease her discomfort, Mira made it through the night! As she continued to improve the following morning, she had another quick check-in with the vet and received an IV to help replenish her fluids. Sometimes the cause of the colic is clear, and unfortunately other times like this one, it remains a mystery. Regardless, much of the care remains the same: a carefully managed diet, small amounts of exercise, monitoring for new symptoms and—Mira’s least favorite part—rest! After a week on stall-rest, her bloodwork and temperament showed vast signs of improvement. She’s on the road to recovery!
“Mira has been a beloved patrol horse here for over five years,” says Morgan Horse Ranch Manager Julie Byerly. “She’s getting older, but telling us that she’s still not quite ready for retirement. She still has so much spunk! We’re just grateful for any more time that we get to work with this amazing horse.”
Our Morgan Horses are critical to caring for our Seashore, carrying out many wilderness packing operations in support of wildlife conservation, invasive species eradication, resource protection, wildfire recovery monitoring, and trail safety assessments.
“We’re just so grateful that we have support from Point Reyes National Seashore Association because it takes one less variable out of our decision-making matrix when we’re creating care plans for the horses—to know that we have some funds available to accommodate sicknesses and injuries,” says Julie. “Like any living creature, they’re totally unpredictable. There are months where they’re healthy and self-sufficient and there are other times where they need a lot of TLC. It’s nice to have that buffer.”
Learn more about the Morgan Horse Ranch or make a donation that covers veterinary visits, feed, and shoeing for all five horses at the ranch.
