Basia

Basia is fourteen years old and has been part of our herd for five years. The unique one, without whom it truly wouldn’t be complete. When she walks along the fence, the horses come out to greet her. Over the years, she has taken in those rejected, lost, and struggling in the group. She also raised four foals. Not as their biological mother, but as a mommy who taught them how to live among other horses. Three of them are already adopted, and their current caregivers also owe Basia more than they can see. It was she who gave them the feeling that they belong to the herd.

Today, the roles have reversed. Basia has been diagnosed with an early stage hoof tumor in her left hind leg. A lesion developing within the hoof doesn’t have much space. It can press on sensitive tissues, cause pain and lameness, deform the hoof capsule, and over time reach deeper and deeper. That’s why now is the most crucial moment. Not in a month, not when Basia stops walking freely, but today, when the tumor was noticed at an early stage and we can still do a lot.

Basia faces thorough diagnostic imaging, which will allow veterinarians to determine the location and extent of the lesion, and then plan the removal of the altered tissues. Depending on the results, treatment may involve intervention in the sole or hoof wall, securing and stabilizing the hoof capsule, painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs, infection control, and many subsequent dressing changes. After the procedure, the hoof will not rebuild in one day. Its regrowth can take about a year. Basia faces months of treatment, protecting the affected leg, regular veterinary check-ups, and farrier work until the tissues heal and the hoof horn begins to grow back correctly.

That’s why help is needed now. We are not collecting for one visit or one dressing. We are collecting for the entire process: examinations, procedure, medications, veterinary care, farrier work, dressing materials, and everything Basia will need in the coming months. Each subsequent stage will depend on the results of the previous one, but we cannot postpone any of them just because the treatment turns out to be long and costly.

Fourteen years is not a death sentence. This is not an age at which a horse so loved by the entire herd can be written off. Basia still has many good years ahead of her. She can still walk along her fence, raise more equine orphans, and take in those whom other horses cannot yet accept. But first, we must stop what is developing in her hoof and give her the best possible chance for health.

For years, horses could count on Basia. Today, Basia must be able to count on us. And on you. Help us guide her through diagnostics, the procedure, and all the months of treatment that will follow. The entire herd is waiting to come out and meet her for many more years. ❤️