Island Horses
Care for Island horses
Yes we treat horses. The Esther Honey Foundation's mission is to offer affordable care for small companion animals but we have been providing compassionate care and service to horses and any animal who is suffering since our arrival.
Yesterday, Esther Honey received a large donation to help improve the health of island horses from Fiona Fredrickson, a New Zealand tourist and frequent visitor to the Cook Islands. During her most recent visit, she and her partner visited the horses on the back roads near the Rarotongan Beach Hotel and dewormed each of them for us. Fiona was concerned about the on-going care for the horses after she left. She returned home and generously shipped more than $1400 worth of horse supplies, including shampoo’s and medications to Esther Honey.
To my knowledge, there are twelve horses living on the island. Five belong to the riding stables, including one who is retired. Three are munching down at the prison paddock keeping the grass down and not doing much else. The remaining four are scattered around the island; a stunning white horse in Muri, a black pony by the palace in town and two in hidden fields, one by the Queens Representative and the other in Matavera. All need basic care and these supplies will go a long way in providing it for them.
Just last month a horse dentist came to visit his family and he generously offered his expertise examining most of the horses on the island and grinding down their teeth and hooves. He definitely found himself a big job as I kept finding more horses for him to look at. He has since returned home and said he might be able to send some good rasps for the horses teeth as ours are pretty blunt.
This island has a fairly rich history in the use of horses for transportation and races on the beach which has nearly been forgotten. There used to be hundreds of horses. Now those that remain are all getting up there in age and there are not any mating pairs left. It seems that the horses may disappear from Rarotonga unless additional horses are imported. In the mean time, Esther Honey will be glad to look after the few that Rarotonga does have.
Yes we treat horses. The Esther Honey Foundation's mission is to offer affordable care for small companion animals but we have been providing compassionate care and service to horses and any animal who is suffering since our arrival.
Yesterday, Esther Honey received a large donation to help improve the health of island horses from Fiona Fredrickson, a New Zealand tourist and frequent visitor to the Cook Islands. During her most recent visit, she and her partner visited the horses on the back roads near the Rarotongan Beach Hotel and dewormed each of them for us. Fiona was concerned about the on-going care for the horses after she left. She returned home and generously shipped more than $1400 worth of horse supplies, including shampoo’s and medications to Esther Honey.
To my knowledge, there are twelve horses living on the island. Five belong to the riding stables, including one who is retired. Three are munching down at the prison paddock keeping the grass down and not doing much else. The remaining four are scattered around the island; a stunning white horse in Muri, a black pony by the palace in town and two in hidden fields, one by the Queens Representative and the other in Matavera. All need basic care and these supplies will go a long way in providing it for them.
Just last month a horse dentist came to visit his family and he generously offered his expertise examining most of the horses on the island and grinding down their teeth and hooves. He definitely found himself a big job as I kept finding more horses for him to look at. He has since returned home and said he might be able to send some good rasps for the horses teeth as ours are pretty blunt.
This island has a fairly rich history in the use of horses for transportation and races on the beach which has nearly been forgotten. There used to be hundreds of horses. Now those that remain are all getting up there in age and there are not any mating pairs left. It seems that the horses may disappear from Rarotonga unless additional horses are imported. In the mean time, Esther Honey will be glad to look after the few that Rarotonga does have.
posted by tumbleweed at
7:53 PM
