Mr. Darcy is sexy and he knows it.
It’s not his fault- just look at how majestic this beautiful boy is! He is the fairytale horse of every childhood dream.
Darcy is a Friesian, which are known for their beautiful black coats, long mane and tails, and lush feathers (long hair on their legs). Friesians are considered light drafts, and have been used both for riding and driving.
Darcy at Hanaeleh
We rescued Darcy in December in 2024. His owner no longer wanted to keep him and we were expecting to adopt Darcy out pretty quickly. Unfortunately, when he came to Hanaeleh we discovered that Darcy has something called chronic progressive lymphedema (CPL), which affects the legs of horses and can be quite painful and even lead to death. Darcy had been kept in a stall quite a bit and fed straight alfalfa, and the lack of exercise and too-rich of a diet led to this condition. There is no cure for CPL, and can only be managed through a low-sugar diet and plenty of exercise. We also had to shave off the thick feathers off of his hind legs in order to get more air to the affected area- this will prevent sores from being created. There are some supplements such as marigold and cleavers that we also feed him that help prevent the progression of the disease.
Darcy is neighbors with Ollie, and they enjoy taking each other’s fly masks off and giving each other dirty looks during feeding time. Otherwise, they get along well and we turn them out together in the arena quite a bit to play- they are both big boys so neither horse can really intimidate the other.
Darcy is a bit of a scaredy-cat and does NOT like the back fence of the arena because it is scary, but he has been better in getting closer to that area (sometimes we have to walk him back there on a halter because he’s so afraid of going back there on his own!). We also ride him on the street, which has a LOT of sensory input, but he tries his best to be brave, and is a good boy.
Darcy is Diagnosed with Ulcers
While Darcy has a fairly relaxed and chill life at Hanaeleh, we were concerned a few months ago when he started to go off of his feed. He was not exhibiting any signs of colic, so we had the vet out to scope his stomach to make sure he didn’t have ulcers- Friesians often have ulcers, and they also suffer from a condition called gastroparesis, which is a condition in which there is a delay in the stomach emptying, which can lead to a rupture or even death. A scope was able to rule this condition out, but did note a few ulcers that were probably what were causing his discomfort.
For the next two months, we put Darcy on a medication that he took twice a day, and he also was given a full tube of UlcerGuard. UlcerGuard is about $40/tube, and this would have been very difficult for us financially afford to keep him on this medication for so long, but we were very grateful for the fact that we had received several months of UlcerGuard due to a grant by Greater Good Charities. This allowed us to put Darcy on a very aggressive treatment to help heal his ulcers as completely as possible in the shortest amount of time possible.
Indeed, we had the vets out again recently to do a rescope and ensure he was ulcer free! Our wonderful vets at OCEVS were able to determine that his ulcers had completely healed and he was able to resume his regular work (we turned him out and lightly worked him at liberty while he was getting treatment- we know that no one wants to exercise much when their stomach hurts!). The vets did recommend that Darcy stay on a maintenance dose of UlcerGuard (1/4 of the dose he had been on previously) in order to prevent any future ulcers from forming.
Every horse deserves a best friend. Ollie and Darcy found theirs.
Darcy is Sanctuaried at Hanaeleh
We love our beautiful Mr. Darcy, and he is sanctuaried at Hanaeleh due to his diagnosis of CPL as well as his issue with a propensity for ulcers. We know that anyone who adopted Darcy would love him, but both of these conditions lead us to believe that Darcy is safer here at Hanaeleh. He will live out his life next to his BFF Ollie and surrounded by all of the adoring volunteers who think he’s the most beautiful thing they’ve ever seen. It’s true, though- he is beautiful! He’s also a very sweet boy, too- so he is gorgeous inside and out!
It takes a village to care for rescued horses. Join Mr. Darcy’s circle of supporters by sponsoring him for as little as $10 a month. Together, we can make sure this sweet boy never has to wonder where his next meal or veterinary care will come from. Click here to sponsor Mr. Darcy.
