Beautiful Buddy

It is with a heavy heart that I share the news of the loss of one of our original equine partners, Buddy.

As many of you may know, our equine team has cared for Buddy through many health issues over the last few years. Specifically, since August, he has been struggling with a condition called Degenerative Suspensory Ligament Disease (DSLD), which is common in older quarter horses (Buddy is 30 years old).

There is no cure for DSLD, and our team worked tirelessly to manage his pain so that he could enjoy a good quality of life.

When our vet came to see Buddy late last week, she indicated that he was not doing well and recommended to us that we make the very difficult decision to euthanize Buddy with peace and dignity.

This week, our kids and volunteers have had the opportunity to say goodbye to Buddy.

Buddy’s friendship and affable nature helped many of our kids heal. Comments like “I can trust again because of Buddy” or “My bond with Buddy gave me the will to live” have touched all of our hearts during this difficult time.  He lived a wonderful life here at Hope Reins. 

I want to thank God for sending Buddy to us 12 years ago and giving the hurting kids a magnificent horse that embodied the love, compassion, and grace of Jesus.

And, I want to thank you—for your financial support of not only this very special boy, but all of the members of the Hope Reins herd.

In Hope,

Kim Tschirret
Founder & CEO
Hope Reins