Say Hello to Viva

In the fall of 2023 we went to visit a friend and her horse at a local boarding barn. We happened to notice a Friesian in a stall that appeared to have a leg injury. This poor horse seemed so sad and broken. She wouldn’t respond to anyone and kept her head in the corner of her stall with one of her rear legs extremely swollen. We left the barn that day and kept thinking about this poor horse and how bad we felt for her. Little did we know, this would not be our last encounter with this horse.

In the spring of 2024, we were contacted by the owner of the horse. She asked if we could take the horse we met several months prior, and learned her name is Viva. Viva has mega esophagus, which is a chronic and progressive condition where her esophagus will continue to enlarge and will eventually be fatal. She also has lymphedema which is also a chronic and progressive condition, which is why her rear leg is so swollen. Viva’s owner had also fallen on some tough times health wise and was no longer able to care for Viva. Since Viva was in a boarding barn that also charged for riding lessons, they wanted Viva removed immediately in order to bring in a new owner and horse that would pay for riding lessons.

Viva’s owner was able to secure another location for her in Wisconsin where they would vet her out and find a permanent home for her. However, when Viva arrived to that location, they tested her for mega esophagus and because she tested positive, they told her owner that they could not adopt her out and were going to euthanize her.

They gave Viva’s owner 20 minutes to secure another location for her or she was going to be put down. Viva’s owner contacted us immediately and asked if we could give her a loving home for whatever time she has left. We said yes without hesitation even though we were financially at capacity with our existing animals. Viva arrived to Elsa’s Acres in May of 2024 and while her mega esophagus appears to be non-symptomatic, we continue to keep a close eye on it. She also gets several supplements a day in an attempt to slow down/manage her chronic lymphedema as best as we can.

Our plan is to continue to love and care for Viva until her quality of live becomes compromised. Since Viva’s arrival, we have watched her learn critical thinking and she has bonded with our other horses, including her new best friend Kizmet. Every morning, Viva runs out her pasture but makes sure to stop for her cookies along the way. She has quickly become a fan favorite around here and we are so grateful her owner found us.