Where do I start to tell you about my beautiful girl Holli. I only got her in November 2011 but she stole my heart from the first time I set eyes on her picture on the internet.  I couldn’t believe I was lucky enough to own such a gorgeous, funny, caring horse. 

I’m in my late 40’s and was getting back into riding after giving it up in my teens.  Holli was my ideal horse.  She really looked after me and was so safe and sensible.  She had a heart of gold and will be missed by so many people.

Holli was stabled overnight and turned out with other mares during the day.  On 11 March 2013 I noticed that she hadn’t eaten much of her hay from the Sunday night.  She still looked great though and was in great condition and had eaten her breakfast and evening feeds.  Her coat was gleaming and so were her lovely big kind eyes.

 

Although it was unusual for her not to eat her hay I had only just recently changed her from haylage – which was proving to be a bit rich for her – onto soaked hay.  I initially put her lack of appetite down to the change and wasn’t unduly worried as she looked so good.  There had also been an early, if temporary bloom of spring grass.

During the course of the week she continued to eat a bit less at night and when I went up to the yard on Thursday 14 March 2013 every dropping in her stable was loose.  I called the vet and explained her decreasing appetite and described her droppings.  He was not unduly worried and said to keep an eye on her as he thought maybe she had eaten something in the field that hadn’t agreed with her.

The next day her droppings were normal although she still wasn’t eating much hay, she was still eating her feeds. 

On the Saturday morning, friends who were at the yard in the morning reported that she hadn’t touched her breakfast but that she was happy enough to go out and seemed to be grazing with the other mares.  I called into the vet’s surgery and had a chat with my vet and stressed how worried I was that Holli was now not eating her feeds.  He said he would call up after surgery.  I went to the yard and saw Holli grazing in the field – still looking great.  I brought her in and she seemed her normal self.  A friend had arranged with me to have a lesson on her in the afternoon and I watched the lesson having informed the instructor that the vet was due to call out and see her and if at any point she felt Holli didn’t look up to it, the lesson was to be stopped.

Holli looked great, performed great and my friend really enjoyed the lesson.  I was heartened and reassured to see Holli going so well and enjoying herself.

The vet arrived after the lesson and examined Holli.  He still thought that her loss of appetite was due to her eating something in the field.  I gave her some haylage which she seemed happy enough to eat.

The next day I arrived at the yard around 7.30 am and Holli looked as though she was starting to colic.  I called the vet out and walked her round until he arrived.  It was a cold morning windy with a touch of snow in the air.  He gave her a pain killing injection and said that once that took effect she should start to eat again.  I called him back out at 7 pm as she had hardly touched anything all day and wasn’t even interested in her favourite treat – extra strong mints – she was looking miserable, just standing her stable with her head hanging down.  He came out again and gave her antibiotics and anti inflammatory injections.  He mentioned grass sickness but said he didn’t think it was that.  I had lost my first pony to grass sickness when I was 10 – a lovely mare called Karla who I only had for a few months.

I told him I would be up to see Holli in the morning and he asked me to call him with an update and said he would call out to see her in the afternoon.  At this stage I still thought the injections were going to work.

I couldn’t believe what I found when I went up on the Monday morning.  Holli was down in her box and in a lot of pain.  I could see it in those beautiful eyes.  She had kicked over 2 buckets of water during the night and her stable was saturated.  I phoned the vet out straight away and waited with her.  Talking to her, reassuring her and giving that great, gorgeous head of hers cuddles.  She stood up a few times and then lay back down again.  Each time she was up, scraped back the wet bedding put dry bedding down to try and make her more comfortable.

I think I already knew what he was going to say but he confirmed by worst fears.  I couldn’t bear to see her in such pain.  It broke my heart. 

I will never forget Holli she was my beautiful girl.  Funny and kind and caring.  She used to play with the hose pipe in her mouth and manage to work her way along to the end and get a drink or move her head about and soak me with the water.  She would also clown around her stable with a feed bucket in her mouth – as if to say “come on… when are you going to fill this up?”.  There will never be another like her and I am so grateful that she was part of my life.  She has taught me so much and for that I will be forever grateful.

In the 30 plus years since I lost Karla to the dreadful disease there has been a lot of research.  However there is still no clear cause nor any treatment for acute and subacute grass sickness.  The Equine Grass Sickness Fund are raising money for more research into grass sickness and also to trial a vaccination against it.  Your funds are much needed and will be put to good use by the charity.  Please give what you can afford.  Every £1 counts.  Thank you for reading Holli’s story and for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

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So please dig deep and donate now.