HSES Roh 

Some horses arrive at Horse Shepherd and, before you know anything about their history, you can see they have been through far too much.

HSES Roh was one of those horses.

He came to us after living with a notorious hoarder. In 2016 we had already taken in 100 horses, stallions, mares and foals from this woman. Arriving in late December 2023 – HSES Roh was incredibly malnourished, but perhaps the most confronting part of his condition was his wither. It was severely infected and had clearly been causing him significant pain. It required two surgeries at Ballarat Vet Practice to remove all of the infected bone along with long term after-care. 

The first job was simply to get him well

There was no quick transformation for HSES Roh.

When horses arrive in such poor condition, rehabilitation has to be slow and carefully managed. Putting weight back on is only one part of it. There are feet, teeth, veterinary issues often including surgery, nutrition and often years of neglect to work through. And in HSES Roh’s case major surgery! 

Those changes don’t happen overnight. They come from hundreds of ordinary days—feeds, hay, medications, treatments, farrier visits, paddock checks and people noticing the little things. And your donations help to provide the funding.

The horse behind the photographs

Before-and-after photographs can make rescue look wonderfully simple. You see the horse on arrival and then the healthy horse months or years later. What the photographs don’t show is everything that happened in between.

HSES Roh’s transformation represents an enormous amount of care, but it also represents something much bigger. Once we take a horse like HSES Roh in, our responsibility doesn’t finish when he looks better. The team from HSP Advanced Equine (the other half of Horse Shepherd Park) provided all the post op care, antibiotics, would flsuhing and bathing. As well as keeping his box especially clean. 

Then getting them healthy is only the beginning.

The next question is always: what does the rest of this horse’s life look like?

For some horses that means adoption and a new home. With a promise they can always return to Horse Shepherd. For others, particularly those whose history or physical issues make rehoming difficult, Horse Shepherd becomes home. And this is where our wonderful sponsorship family help with the financial support to keep the likes of HSES Roh happy and healthy.

Today, Roh is simply HSES Roh

These days, HSES Roh shares a paddock with his friends.

He has food, shelter, veterinary care when he needs it and people keeping an eye on him. He doesn’t know that his before-and-after photographs tell a remarkable story.

And that’s probably the nicest part.

He isn’t the terribly thin horse with the infected wither anymore.

He’s just HSES Roh.

A horse hanging out with his mates, enjoying his paddock and getting on with life.

Why sanctuary matters

Rescue is often associated with the dramatic moment a horse is removed from a bad situation.

But sanctuary is what happens afterwards.

For a horse like HSES Roh, the commitment can be measured in years. Feed, hay, hoof care, veterinary treatment and everyday management continue long after the original rescue has been forgotten. HSES Roh’s story could have ended very differently.

Instead, he got another chance.

And sometimes the best outcome isn’t particularly dramatic at all.

It’s a healthy horse standing quietly in a paddock with his friends, with absolutely no idea how far he’s come.