By Sarah Hall
Editor
Willow Grace hasn’t had it easy.
Once a carousel pony, when she arrived at Purpose Farm in Baldwinsville, she was in bad shape, according to farm founder Sandra Seabrook.
“She ended up being infested with lice and worms,” Seabrook said. “Her teeth were so bad that they had created ulcers on the insides of her cheeks. She also had a bad respiratory infection that hindered her breathing in and out. She was also diagnosed with Cushing’s disease.”
Willow also had founder, also known as laminitis, a painful condition in horses affecting the folds of tissue connecting the pedal bone to the hoof. Within a month, the pony couldn’t walk.
Fortunately, Purpose Farm was the perfect place for her. The farm, located on the Seneca River, is a rescue farm. Seabrook and her family, who run the farm largely on their own income, take in animals in need and rehab them.
But Purpose Farm doesn’t just focus on saving animals. The Seabrook family pairs youth ages 6 to 18 who have experienced neglect or abuse with animals who have come from similar backgrounds.
“It’s not about the horses. It’s not about the animals. It truly is about the relationship that they’re getting from my kids and myself, and eventually, other mentors that will be able to be trained to do it,” Seabrook told The Messenger last December. “They are looking for somebody to walk around the farm with, and just talk… The animal is the bridge. They want to know that they have a place to go, that they’re loved.”
Willow is one of those animal mentors. However, at the moment, she’s not able to help the kids at Purpose Farm. Last week, she was diagnosed with colitis, an inflammation of the large intestine that causes pain and severe diarrhea. The condition can be fatal. While the farm’s local vet has recommended that Willow be transported to Cornell for around-the-clock care, the cost has proven prohibitive; Seabrook instead has had the local vet come out to the farm daily to provide the pony with daily meds.
Fortunately, Willow’s condition is improving. Unfortunately, the farm, which operates on a shoestring budget funded almost entirely by the Seabrooks themselves, can’t bear the burden of her care alone. So they have started a GoFundMe page to help cover her medical expenses.
“Willow has so much to offer the youth that come out to the farm to be mentored, and we are hopeful that she will be able to continue to be an animal mentor at Purpose Farm,” Seabrook wrote on the GoFundMe page. “We want to do everything we can do to insure that Willow Grace has a full recovery, but… it can get extremely expensive. If you can find it in your heart, please donate to help her. Just $1 can make a difference.”
To donate to help cover the costs of Willow Grace’s care, visit.gofundme.com/savewillowgrace. You can also donate directly to the vet; for information, email [email protected].
Provided photo
Willow Grace, an animal mentor at Purpose Farm in Baldwinsville, is suffering from colitis, an inflammatory condition that can be fatal in horses. The farm has started a GoFundMe to help pay for her care.
