Quest’s Story

In September 2023 we were contacted by another rescue about a paint study pony that needed a safe home. He was purchased by a farmer in the Strathmore area as a 5 year old with the intention of him being a project pony for his grandchildren. However, they never did anything with him, and so he sat alone in a field for several years with only cattle as his friends. Two years ago, the farmer sold his cattle, and so ‘Thunder’ found himself completely alone in a field with no one to keep him company. Could you imagine being completely abandoned and forgotten about, alone with no one checking in on you for two long years? Luckily, he had a guardian angel watching over him, because when it became news that the farmer was planning on sending our boy to the cattle auction (a fate that would have most likely led to death via a feedlot), a friendly neighbor stepped in to intervene. The neighbor contacted a fellow rescue in the Sherwood Park area for support but unfortunately, they did not have room for him and so that rescue reached out to us.  

The only information we originally received was that he was a paint stud pony who was friendly and just needed to be gelded (for those who are not aware, gelded in the horse equivalent to being neutered). However, when our temporary foster home showed up to pick him up, it became very clear to us that he required a lot more than a simple castration. Though currently undiagnosed, we believe ‘Thunder’ is living with a condition called ‘Wobblers Syndrome’. Wobblers is a neurological condition that has varying degrees of severity and involves malformation or compression of the bones within the cervical vertebrae (within the horse’s neck). It can originate from birth as a result of a horse growing too large too quickly, or can also be the result of physical trauma and/or injury. In minor cases, symptoms are very hard to recognize. However, in more severe cases symptoms include abnormal walking, lack of stability and balance and essentially ‘wobbling’ or falling over at a simple walk or stand. In minor cases, horses can continue to function and perform at a normal level. But with severe cases, often humane euthanasia is the only option.  

In order to determine the best outcome for him we first had to bring him home to the sanctuary. And though we were not properly set up to house a stud, we couldn’t say no to helping him out. So, we adjusted our quarantine pens, purchased a few extra pieces of equipment, and finally set up a safe and stable paddock for him to go in to. On December 11th, we finally brought our boy home, and though he originally came with the name ‘Thunder’, we lovingly started addressing him as ‘Quest’! We were very anxious to finally get started on diagnosing and hopefully rehabbing our sweet gentle giant, but unfortunately our excitement was short lived. A few days after settling into the sanctuary it became clear to us that, Quest was not feeling well at all. Running a fever of 102.3 and struggling to breathe, our vet diagnosed him with a bacterium that resulted in severe pneumonia. His lymph nodes were quite swollen and he was unable to swallow anything that wasn’t properly watered down. For two weeks we monitored him daily, providing penicillin, clean water, consistent food intake, warm bedding, and a small shelter for protection. For two weeks we fought hard for him to get better, as we slowly watched his spirit break and his level of energy dwindle. It broke our hearts as we watched our gentle man slowly give up on life. He had been abandoned and ignored, shuffled around, and now he was struggling to fight off an illness. Our poor man just had one obstacle after another stacked against him and couldn’t seem to catch a break.  

It was touch and go for about 5 days, but finally he started to show improvement, and after a rough few weeks, he was finally able to kick the pneumonia and finally regain some his strength.

Where he’s at right now …  

At the end of January, after receiving a clear from the vet on his overall health, we moved forward with further diagnostics. A body assessment was completed and x rays were taken on his neck with results confirming our original hunch. Quest does, in fact, has a significant case of Wobblers Syndrome within his C5 and 6. Wobblers is a neurological condition as a result of damage or malformation within the Spinal Column and cases often occur from either a birth/growth malformation, an infection, or a traumatic injury. Though we can’t say for sure, In Quest’s case, due to the scars throughout his body and the appearance of his x rays, we suspect his results stemmed from blunt force trauma to the base of his neck. You can read up more on Wobblers Syndrome HERE.

So where do we go from here? In our opinion, Quest has progressed beautifully in the 8 weeks he has been with us. His stability has improved, his weight has increased, and his overall demeanor has brightened. And so our plan moving forward is to continue with his handling, support his muscle development, and hopefully set him up as successfully as we can for his castration. The healthier he is going in to his surgery, the better the chance he has at a smooth recovery. From there, our hope is to eventually safely integrate him into the herd as a permanent member of our sanctuary.

Every time we check on him, we make sure to tell him he’s a good boy. That he’s loved and that he matters. We don’t know what his future holds exactly, but we do know that every single day of the rest of his life will be filled with love, affection and so much gratitude and appreciation for his existence and presence at our sanctuary. He’s a very special horse and we are so excited to continue sharing updates on his journey.