Takoda Is Home For The Holidays! |
Where shall I begin in telling the story of Takoda? This dreamy Quarter Horse gelding (formerly known as Taj) endured much fear and pain from abusive training in his early years but was saved from that life by the love of the wonderful Susie Crippen. After many healing years together, Susie's destiny drew her to move to Kenya, Africa. Her deep love for Taj prompted Susie to place him into the safety net of Pegasus to find him his forever home. She transported Taj from California to Texas so that we could begin our efforts to match him with the perfect partner. We found Taj's dream home with Jennifer & Adam Wiggins.
Jennifer, already a two time Pegasus adopter, met and fell in love with Taj and re-named him “Takoda,” which means "friend of all." The name suits him because he is an amazing and beautiful horse, who despite his past, has the biggest heart full of love, kindness and joy. Around the time of his adoption, we noticed that Takoda was having some urinary issues, and we asked Jennifer to have him evaluated by our mutual veterinarian, Dr. Adam Byrd. Through ultrasound, we discovered that Takoda was living in pain from a huge bladder stone hidden away deep inside him. The stone had to be removed. We knew we had to provide him with whatever care was necessary to allow him to live his best life.
Dr. Byrd arranged for Takoda to go to Texas A&M Equine Veterinary Hospital in October. The surgery was complicated due to the enormous size of the stone. Three days following the surgery, Takoda unexpectedly suffered a massive herniation due to a tear to his abdominal wall. A second life-saving surgery was required. Following this surgery, he developed a MRSA infection in his incision that was resistant to many antibiotics and difficult to treat.
The complications Takoda experienced were not ones that we anticipated. He fought through every challenge and defied the odds. After his body wall healed sufficiently, a third and final surgery was performed to remove the mesh that was inserted during the emergency hernia surgery. Once the mesh was removed and his incision healed enough to be stable, Takoda was finally able to come home in December to continue his rehab with Jennifer. (Check out the video below of Takoda leaving A&M.)
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Throughout this ordeal, Takoda has shown us what a survivor he is. As with all our horses, we are fully committed to him. This young, fabulous horse deserves the chance to live a full, productive, happy life free of pain. ❤️
What we expected to be a two-week hospitalization and a single surgery, turned into a 6+ week stay with 3 weeks in ICU and three surgeries. The anticipated cost of less than $5000 turned into $9900. Since Pegasus is a nonprofit, A&M discounted his bill by $990, and his prior owner, Susie, graciously sent us $2000. Various caring individuals have sent in donations, and we started a Facebook fundraiser that has brought in almost $5000. As of today (12/30/20), we have raised all but $795 of the total bill!
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Takoda is now at home with Jennifer, and his rehabilitation is going great. He is still on stall confinement, but he gets to hand graze outside every day. We are hopeful for a full recovery and a normal life for this beauty.
If you are so inclined to make a holiday contribution to Takoda, we would welcome the gift! You can do so by clicking the following link and donating through the Facebook page: Takoda
If you prefer, you can mail a check, donate through the Pegasus website or contact Allyson DeCanio (allyson@mypegasusproject.org) for instructions on how to donate through Venmo or credit card.
Thank you in advance, and Happy Holidays!!
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Where do I start when talking about 2020? Whew! As I'm sure is true for all of you, this year has been a rough one. COVID has wreaked havoc on everyone across the globe. Health fears and financial uncertainty are a common theme for all.
Nonprofits throughout the nation have felt the impact due to the financial insecurity of so many regular givers. We so appreciate all of you who were able to stick with us in these tough times. We realize that doing so is a sacrifice. But we also understand and have compassion for those who had to cease their usual donations. All we can do is keep loving each other, believe in this mission, and get through it together!
Here at Pegasus, we just put our heads down and kept doing the work. We were able to maintain our full staff and provide the same quality care and training we always give to the horses. We had to cancel all of our in-person events, fundraisers, happy hours, open houses and parties. We also limited the number of non-staff members allowed on the ranch.
Despite the limits placed on us in 2020 by the pandemic, we brought in 8 new horses in need of rescue and managed to adopt 16 to forever homes. We also assisted many other horses and their families through our safety net program, which included providing funds for hay, feed, veterinary care, farrier care, euthanasia and castration of stallions. Pegasus also had some colossal veterinary bills for two horses in need of surgeries, Cassidy and Takoda, but our donors saw us through those crises as well. We were able to do all of this because of YOU! We are so grateful to our supporters because you allow us to keep doing the hard work and provide the 5-star care all horses deserve.
We are pleased to say that all of our sponsors stuck with us for Wings Over Pegasus REIMAGINED this April, and we raised more than $60,000 despite cancelling the live event. Our sponsors and donors also came through for us again on North Texas Giving Day, allowing us to raise almost $65,000 in connection with that event. Throughout the year we received a few unexpected "extra" gifts from donors who were blessed with the ability to give more. Their amazing generosity made up for other shortfalls. All told, 2020 was a good year financially despite all the challenges.
We anticipate that 2021 will present its own difficulties, but we expect the year will improve each coming month. I hope to get back to this "monthly" newsletter actually being monthly, but only time will tell! The need for Pegasus' services in the community has been great due to the pandemic's impact, and so some of our routine practices have taken a back seat. Our pledge to always put the horses first can affect our ability to communicate with you as often as we would like.
Here's what we do know - because of the lingering virus, the ranch will essentially remain closed to outside visits for the time being. We will be able to conduct small, limited clinics, and we can schedule visits for potential adopters. In doing so, we take precautions to keep everyone healthy and safe. Unfortunately, Wings Over Pegasus will be virtual again this April. We shall do our best to get imaginative! Stay tuned for how that's going to go. :)
We hope to be able to open the ranch up a bit more as the year moves forward. We will count on you guys to bear with us and keep an eye on any new developments. Once again, THANK YOU for all your support over the years. Pegasus is still going strong, and we are feeling GREAT about 2021.
Allyson DeCanio
allyson@mypegasusproject.org
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Purchase your 2021 Pegasus Project calendar by clicking HERE! |
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Meet Bullet!! On December 23rd, we picked up this little pony from an owner who wished to relinquish him so that he could get the care he needed. Her children grew up riding him. When they outgrew Bullet, she re-homed him and later learned he was being neglected. His feet had become terribly overgrown. She took Bullet back but could not afford to keep his feet in shape. Pegasus to the rescue!
Bullet has now been fully vaccinated, de-wormed and had his Coggins drawn. His teeth are in good shape, and we have started trimming his feet. He should be good to go in a very short while. Bullet is the SWEETEST pony. He follows us everywhere and loves to be scratched and fed low-carb treats! Per his prior owner, he is rideable.
If you are interested in adopting Bullet, please review our Adoption Process and submit your application. |
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Do you love what we do?
Become a Pegasus Partner
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Did you know Pegasus relies entirely on private donations? Our regular monthly donors, known as Pegasus Partners, are our most treasured assets. For as little as $10/month you can help provide us with a predictable source of income at a much lower cost than any other fundraising method.
While we are very appreciative of one-time donations, the monthly donations of our Pegasus Partners allow us to plan ahead.
Our ability to save these helpless horses, donkeys and mules depends on YOUR donations!
We cannot do this without you! Please consider making a monthly donation so we may continue to rescue horses that have no future without us.
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