https://www.youcaring.com/fundraiser-widget.aspx?frid=540528
Please help one of our favorite therapy horses stay on his feet! Meet Blueberry. He is a therapy horse like no other. In fact, search for “Therapeutic Riding” and you’re bound to see this 14.3 hand Appaloosa gelding’s picture on the first page! Blueberry works at Hoofbeats Therapeutic Riding Center in Lexington, Virginia, where his calm strength and playful personality charm everyone who meets him. He seems to have magical powers when it comes to helping his riders, and specializes in riders with ADHD and anger issues. He is also the instructors’ “go to” horse for a beginner’s first lesson, as he is so adept at helping timid students overcome their anxieties. He regularly takes his riders to the Equestrian Special Olympics, and is always game for whatever his riders and handlers throw at him. (Just for fun, here’s a video of Blueberry participating in a spooky musical number at the 2015 Virginia Therapeutic Horse Show!)
Recently, however, Blueberry was diagnosed with fast-growing tumors in the tissue of both front feet. While Blueberry’s incredible strength of will and personality have so far kept him on his feet despite the painful condition, he risks lameness or worse without immediate treatment. Due to the invasive nature and location of the growths, he will require specialist treatment and surgery under anesthesia, which is incredibly costly. Current estimates are that the surgery will cost 4-5 thousand dollars, and require months of aftercare and rehabilitation.
As Hoofbeats is a small non-profit with a very limited veterinary budget, we can’t make this work without help from our community–but for everyone who knows Blueberry, we know that we have to do everything we can give this miraculous horse a fighting chance, so he can keep working his magic with his riders, and bringing joy into every space he enters. Follow the YouCaring website for updates!
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