Finnigan, a 41-year-old horse rescued and cared for by Helping Hearts Equine Rescue after his owners abandoned him when they moved, had to be put down Sept. 23. MILLSTONE — Finnigan had an unusually long life for a horse. Some of his last years were difficult ones, but he received tender love and care in his final two months.
The 41-year-old horse, abandoned in a township backyard when his owner moved away, was humanely euthanized Sept. 23 at Helping Hearts Equine Rescue (HHER) in Perrineville.
Finnigan came to HHER in late July. At that time, the owner called HHER founder Lisa Post and offered to give HHER the horse she had for 25 years and kept in the same field for over 10 years.
“We discussed the option of putting the horse down rather than putting him through the stress of moving and she agreed,” Post said. “Well, after all that, they moved and left the horse.”
When the horse was found, he was being eaten by flies, covered in blood and full of welts.
The owners who had him for decades never gave him a name, so Post’s friend’s daughter, Hanna, called him Finnigan, an Irish name that means fair, white and blessed.
Post said Finnigan had a very strong personality — bright, active and chipper.
“He took interest in everything around him, and truly enjoyed being around the other horses,” Post said. “He went through
period where every time a horse walked into the barn he would whiney out this huge greeting, even if they’d just been out of the building for 20 minutes.”
Although Finnigan’s spirit was strong and mind was active, he had a weakening body, according to Post.
Finnigan fell down at noon Sept. 23 and had a very difficult time getting back up, she said. A farm worker had to steady Finnigan so the horse would get up without falling again, according to Post.
Although Finnigan got up, he listed to one side when attempting to walk and could barely support himself, according to Post.
HHER called veterinarian Eli Perris to put the horse to sleep.
“We can comfort ourselves in knowing that Finnigan spent the last two months of his life loved, totally spoiled with a best friend to spend his time with,” Post said. “He stayed quite chipper ’til the end, but ultimately was ready for the transition.”
His best friend Gulliver, another old, grey gelding (though not nearly as old as Finnigan), is available for adoption through HHER.
HHER has many horses for adoption. For more information, visit www.freewebs.com/hher. Tax-deductible donations for the horses in HHER’s care may be mailed to P.O. Box 342, Perrineville, NJ 08535.