Jackson, Rest in Peace

It was with tremendous loss and sadness that we laid our beautiful Angel, Jackson, to rest on Friday evening.

Jackson came to us underweight, with severe and chronic founder and abscesses, as well as a club foot from incorrect shoeing. X-rays and veterinary assessments presented a horse with very serious issues, but one who was borderline. There was enough damage to warrant euthanasia, yet there were also signs that he may be able to improve. Knowing that it would be a long and difficult journey for Jackson, we thought long and hard about what to do. But Jackson’s spirit was so strong, and he was only ten years old, and he was gentle and stoic and there was enough life in him to let us know that we had to at least give him a chance.

For the first few weeks, Jackson was stable, and we poured as much healing into him as we could. He received massage and aromatherapy, cranio-sacral therapy, homeopathy, herbs, Reiki and essences (as well as expert farrier work and veterinary care). But then he began a spiral downwards. His devoted foster carer, Jo Miller, gave every spare minute of her life to Jackson. She fed him six times a day, got up in the middle of the night, and tended to his every need, including carrying water to him when he simply could not walk even a couple of steps to drink. His ‘good’ foot, which had been carrying all the extra weight for so long, became another ‘bad’ foot. Both feet were dressed and booted. His legs swelled with the immobility and the infections in his feet kept coming thick and fast.

Despite courses of strong antibiotics, Jackson simply couldn’t fight the infections. And despite having access to food 24 hours a day, he kept losing weight. On Friday, he lay down, got into an awkward position, and simply did not have the strength to get up again. A vet was called and he was euthanased and laid to rest in Jo’s backyard, near the other horses and near the yard where he had lived for the past seven weeks.

We are so very sad. Jackson is the first rescue horse that we have lost. But it is the nature of horse rescue and rehabilitation that, on occasion, we will receive a horse that is simply too far gone to be able to heal. Yet, we are certain that he did heal, if not physically, then emotionally and spiritually. Jackson died knowing that he was surrounded by a team of Angels who loved him and would do everything in their power to help him.

We want to thank the team of healers and specialists who worked with Jackson in the past couple of months, bringing him relief, sometimes progress, and peace. And we especially want to acknowledge Jo’s work, and Jo’s family, who all re-arranged their lives to care for this special horse. You were his Angels, and now he is yours.

While the final bills for Jackson are yet to be tallied, we estimate that they are between $2,500 and $3,000. If you would like to contribute to Jackson’s bills and help us to open the door to another soul in need, you can do so by going to our Donations page. Thank you.