Handsome Jack

There are just some stories that are hard to write, but they need to be told, for so many reasons. The story of Handsome Jack is one of those, because his life mattered.

In August, Freedom's Gate Equine Rescue Society was contacted by their local Stockyard about a horse who had been dumped there over the weekend. They told them that if they could come and get him he was free, but warned that he was a skeleton. They hooked up the trailer and headed out. He was in such poor shape that Freedom's Gate called the vet on their way back to to see if they could see him that day.

They arrived at clinic and the vet couldn't believe his condition. They tended to his teeth, several were missing and several were rotten and fell out of his mouth as they were examining him. They floated his remaining teeth which left him with only 3 that could grind food. They also cleaned his sheath revealing the biggest bean any of them had ever seen. The vet even said "another one for the record book". Then he went home to the rescue where they would love and care for him. They named him Handsome Jack.

Jack was fed approximately 80lbs of feed spread over 5-10 feedings per day. Over the next 9 weeks he amazingly gained 275 lbs. Sadly, he had a hind end injury that made life difficult and painful. When the weather started getting cooler, they saw how it affected Jack, and came to the difficult realization that it wouldn't be safe, or fair to force him through the winter. Handsome Jack was lovingly given the Last Act of Kindness. We were honoured to have provided them with out Humane Euthanasia Grant.

We are so grateful to Freedom's Gate for everything they did for Handsome Jack. In his final days he knew the fierce love of people who cared enough about him to do right by him.