‘This makes our hearts sing’: badly burned stallion unites with orphaned foal after devastating fire
(Image credit: Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust)
Sometimes, even the impossible is possible.
This is the message from a charity that has nursed two badly burned stallions and an orphaned foal back to full health “against all the odds”, after a devastating fire.
“As a thank you for everyone’s kind support, we wanted to provide our followers with an update on these two miraculous horses who are thriving, against all the odds,” a spokesman for the charity said.
“Two of the horses were stallions, Hakuna and Matata. Hakuna suffered significant burns to his back and Matata suffered significant burns over most of his body and face. Although his appearance on arrival was not too bad, the extent of his injuries became more apparent over time as the damaged skin sloughed off during his treatment.”
The mare, Mathilde, was the most badly burned and although she made significant improvements, she contracted tetanus and had to be put down, leaving her foal at foot, Zazu, an orphan.
“Matata is a very gentle stallion who immediately took Zazu under his wing, and the pair of them have been stabled together since the loss of Mathilde to ensure that Zazu has appropriate equine company in his formative months,” the spokesman said.
“If there is one thing that the GHDT is good at, it’s making the impossible, possible.
“Hakuna and Matata are examples of just two more miracles to add to the GHDT’s list and are now through the worst of their recovery process.
“Matata lost a considerable amount of his coat during recovery but is now regrowing hair over most parts of his body. His face and tail injuries are still healing but his fighting spirit shines through. Hakuna is full of mischief and loves nothing more than a flat-out blast around the paddock and he keeps his handlers on their toes!”
Recently, Matata has been well enough to join Hakuna and Zazu, for an “absolute blast in the paddock”.
“Not only can Matata move pretty fast but he has also been enjoying jumping over anything he can find too,” the spokesman said. “Not bad for a horse who just a couple of months ago had such severe burn injuries that no one was sure it was even possible for him to survive.
“Some animals seem to have a really strong will to live and fight on, regardless of the odds stacked against them. To see the pure joy in their faces as they race around the paddock together is the reason we do the work that we do, and we cannot do it without the generous donations from our supporters. These images really make our hearts sing and we wanted to share them with everyone. Sometimes, even the impossible is possible.
“Thank you to each and every person who donated towards the care of these beautiful horses – we couldn’t have done it without your support.”
You might also be interested in:
Mare dies leaving orphaned foal, with other horses badly burnt in stable fire
The effects of fire on horses: what are the implications and can they return to health? *H&H Plus*
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