Help Reunite Me and My Horse Mango!

by Louise Squires in Guildford, England, United Kingdom

Help Reunite Me and My Horse Mango!
We did it
On 22nd April 2021 we successfully raised £10,010 with 104 supporters in 56 days

By donating, you will help Mango reach his forever home. To date, he has had 4 homes so far, please help and let this be his last

by Louise Squires in Guildford, England, United Kingdom

 New stretch target

All additional donations will be given to the Racehorse Sanctuary


1614606747_82a95daf-0544-4e32-a266-d4a235b7d94f.jpg 

I found Mango by sheer miracle. I had lost my horse Whispa in a tragic accident, in June 2019, I was heartbroken. Little did I know, there was a horse named Mango waiting for me.

Mango was taken in by The Racehorse Sanctuary at 3 years old, due to a fall whilst out training, resulting in injury.

He was passed onto two other owners; a horse with a kind nature but certainly a handful as he was prone to rearing, wouldn't go into a trailer and potentially misunderstood. The previous owner, sadly, could no longer afford him or had the time; he hadn't been ridden for over 6 months. Mango would be returned to the Sanctuary, again.

I rescued him in July 2019 and Mango has come on leaps and bounds with regards to his behavior, he now travels well and we have even won rosettes. For his sake, going back to the sanctuary for rehoming, would likely have a negative impact on the progress made. It will be proven challenging to rehome Mango, due to his lack of trust, nervous behavior but also now recovering from a rare condition in his fetlock (ankle).

Mango gives the best cuddles and loves a scratch under his back leg, even lifting it for me like a dog to ensure I get the best spot. 

I am looking to raise the following:

Public donation £10,000 (equivalent to $20,000 SG)

My donation £5,000 (equivalent to $10,000 SG)

All donations above £15,000 will be given to The Racehorse Sanctuary*

 What your contributions/donations will be paying for:

  • Mango’s flight from UK to Singapore and personal groom
  • Mango’s vaccinations, blood tests and U.K quarantine
  • Mango’s 2 week quarantine in Singapore

What my contribution will be paying for:

  • Stabling deposit
  • Membership for the Equine Club (which is required to have a horse stabled in Singapore)

The Racehorse Sanctuary are continuing to do their best in raising funds but due to Covid-19, and the thought of giving Mango back to them would not only be hard for me and for Mango but also for them in these tough times.

I thank you all for your support in assisting us in this campaign.

(Read full story below)

1615707212_89109563-64f5-4901-9ded-5ca95c7306b9.jpeg

1614606893_550a6e88-860a-4d2b-bb67-2c47e67cce94.jpg

1614607933_screenshot_2021-03-01_at_22.10.58.png

Full Story

I had my first and  previous horse Whispa for 19 years  and we travelled the country together, wherever I went, Whispa went, Uni, College, everywhere. Everyone who met him, loved him, he was so kind, a rescue thoroughbred and my absolute best friend. 

 However, in June 2019, whilst on holiday, I received a phone call every horse owner dreads, Whispa was involved in a freak accident. The winds were high and somehow when he was being brought in from the field, he bolted and became caught between the gate and the fence; the gate handle impaling into his side. Unfortunately, the wounds he sustained were so severe he died within 15 minutes. I had never felt pain like it; I had lost my best friend!

The girl who was leading him was devastated and traumatised too. So visiting her, I wanted to reassure that it was not her fault! We met at her yard and as we reminisced, I looked out over  the adjoining fields and I saw Mango, he looked exactly like Whispa! 

I asked ‘What’s his story?’ 

Mango was taken in by The Racehorse Sanctuary at 3 years old, due to a fall whilst out training, resulting in injury,

He was passed onto two other owners; a horse with a kind nature but certainly a handful as  he was prone to rearing and potentially misunderstood. The current owner, sadly, could no longer afford him or had the time; he hadn't been ridden for 6 months. Mango would be returned to the Sanctuary that coming week. Something tugged at my heartstrings, I had to have him!

I was afraid I was moving on too soon; I had only lost Whispa 48 hours earlier. I rode Mango a week later and it was as if I was riding a young Whispa. Mango also had Whispa’s eyes; kind, caring and a little bit cheeky. It was all agreed by The Racehorse Sanctuary and Mango came home the following week. Mango would never be my horse on paper, as The Racehorse Sanctuary legally own Ex-Racers to prevent miss-selling but from this day, I vowed he would stay with me for life. 

He gives the best cuddles and loves a scratch under his back leg, even lifting it for me like a dog to ensure I get the best spot.

In November 2019, coming out of nowhere I was posted to a role in Singapore with Allianz Insurance.  I couldn’t turn it down but it was on one condition, that Mango had to come with me. We were planning to leave the U.K. in March. The Committee of The Racehorse Sanctuary approved his trip to Singapore in December. All was looking so promising.

At the start of February mango went lame. Investigations began; X-rays, ultra sounds, injections, shockwave therapy but unfortunately he wasn’t getting any better. We hit our maximum limit of insurance and the rest had to be found from my personal purse. 

Due to Covid 19, I eventually moved  to Singapore in July 2020. 

I could not give up on Mango! I had to feel I had done all I could by this horse. Therefore, I sent him to ‘Jody Sole Equestrian’ on full livery, an expert in ex-racers. We tried laser therapy, arc equine, everything - nothing worked. There was one lifeline left, an operation.

Mango was taken to the hospital; the vets assessed and proposed the cartilage was likely to be extremely damaged. If this was the case, there is very little more to do, other than put him to sleep! They asked me ‘Do you want to go ahead with the op?’ I of course said yes, I needed to know for sure.

Upon incision, they found the bone structure to be near enough perfect and the cartilage had minor damage. What they found was a rare condition in the back of his fetlock (ankle), liquid calcification - which only occurs when a horse is suffering from sepsis! The vet explained; if he had sepsis, his leg would have fallen off by now or he would have died. They removed the matter and they sent it off for testing to see if it was likely to regrow. The outcome and reason concluded was ‘unknown’. 

The vets said ‘It’ll either go two ways, it’ll grow back or never grow back again’ - prognosis being ‘unlikely to be ridden again.’ 

I said to myself - I will give it until March 2021 (6 months), if we see no progress, I have no other option than to put Mango to sleep, but at least I knew I would have  done all I could for him.

However joy of joy has come! Jody Sole Equestrian; provides regular updates on how Mango is getting on. Since December, Mango is on the road to recovery; he is now trotting 3 times per week and making good progress. 

The plan now is to get Mango as fit as possible in the UK and fly him out to Singapore at the end of May 2021 to continue his rehab with me here.

Mango has been passed from pillar to post and has been misunderstood in the past, he wouldn't be an easy horse to rehome and I am both emotionally and financially invested in Mango  and we belong together. He is my world. I rescued him and he rescued me.

7 months have passed and I miss Mango every day. 

The Racehorse Sanctuary are continuing to do their best in raising funds but due to Covid-19, and the thought of giving Mango back to them would not only be hard for me and for Mango but also for them in these tough times.

I thank you all for your support in assisting us in this campaign.

 *If we do not hit the £10,000 mark by 22nd April Crowdfund will either ask if you would like your donation to be given to The Racehorse Sanctuary or to be returned.

If Mango goes lame again during rehab and is unable to fly, nearing to the closing date and prior to paying any deposits, Crowdfund will either ask if you would like your donation to be given to The Racehorse Sanctuary or to be returned

1614258111_c557f93f-82f1-4865-95b2-27867b223457.jpg

Rewards

This project offers rewards in return for your donation. Please select a reward below.

£20 or more

Singapore donators: Meet Mango

If you are based in Singapore and donate £20/ $40 or more you are more than welcome to organise a visit via me and come to the stables to meet Mango; once he has settled into his new home, here in Singapore.

Got an idea like this?

Over £200 million has been raised from our crowd to support the projects they love! Plus tens of millions more unlocked by our partners.