Billie Jean...3/24/13-12/21/13

We will leave her story and her page up in her memory.  After six months, Billie jean started to decline, losing muscle tone and beginning to look like a young foal in appearance.  She finally succumbed to seizures caused by what we believe to have been a brain abscess, started in utero due to lack of proper care and nutrition of her dam who was just a filly herself when she became pregnant.  The brain abscess likely put pressure on the part of her brain that would have allowed the release of growth hormone, accounting for her dwarf-like appearance in the end.  Rest in peace, little princess.  Thank you to Dr. Mirza and the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Jessica Duncan, Dr. Natalie Montgomery, and Dr. Brad Boutte for your care and advice. 

Billie Jean, the surprise filly

On Sunday march 24th, LHRA President Patrick Richmond and his wife Victoria, weary from three months of caring for and trying to place the Ryder horses, awoke to a surprise…..Ryder filly 69, not suspected to be in foal, delivered a tiny filly. Victoria had tried several times to match filly 69 with an adoptive home as she is a flashy filly with a good nature. Adoption evaded filly 69, and it may have been divine intervention. Her surprise foaling may have been more than an adoptive home could handle. The tiny filly she foaled on march 24th not only battled odds due to months of undernourishment in the womb, she also battled a mother who rejected her. Both foal and dam were confused, frustrated and in need of immediate care which they received from the two amazing people at Richmond Plantation. We hope you enjoy the photos of this gorgeous filly, who as of March 25, 2013 is bottle feeding and reportedly doing very well.

UPDATE: Billie Jean battled an allergy to milk replacer, possible limb deformities and a massive hernia to become a beautiful six month old filly.  She will have surgery to repair her hernia very soon and will need corrective trimming as her legs develop.  Her fetlocks have been collapsing forward during growth spurts, and then evening out so we are watching this closely.  She is learning to be a horse, aided by her best friend and protector, Yearling 37 "Amigo," who never takes his eyes off of her.  Billie Jean needs a home that can continue her socialization and train her to be a horse and not a pushy pet.  It is difficult for bottle babies to learn boundaries, but she is doing far better with this now that she has made friends with Amigo. She stands for the farrier and leads very well, picks up her feet, and stands for grooming.  You may sponsor her care below with a recurring, monthly payment plan.

Please click through her photo gallery to see her progress.