In the fight to save two Kaimanawa horses facing life-threatening injuries, sadly one has died

Tori and Mangu have both developed infections in their tendon sheaths and are requiring very expensive medical treatment.

Nearly 150 supporters have so far pitched in to help two Kaimanawa wild horses saved in the last two musters, who were both facing life threatening injuries.

In the past seven days more than $11,000 has been raised to help with vet bills, but sadly the youngest of the pair, Mangu, a yearling, had to be put down as his pain was just too much.

The older Kaimanawa, Tori, which was saved from the 2021 muster and cull, has made it through surgery and is continuing to recover.

Kaimanawa Krazy, a non-profit private venture helping to save the wild horses, asked for help to fund life-saving treatment and vet bills for Tori and Mangu after both horses developed infections in their tendon sheaths and needed expensive medical treatment.

Tracey Thompson and her daughter Tanesha Thompson have been rescuing Kaimanawa horses from culls since 2012, training and rehoming them through their non-profit rescue on their farm between Takapau and Norsewood in 2014.

Over the past 10 years, 150 Kaimanawa horses have been through Kaimanawa Krazy's purpose-built yards.

Tori was saved from the 2021 Kaimanawa muster and cull by Hawke's Bay non-profit Kaimanawa Krazy.

Tracey accepts all horses from the muster, including those deemed unsuitable for rehoming due to injury of some sort, taking on as many as they could.

Because of this, Kaimanawa Krazy is used to dealing with hefty vet bills most years.

"This year, our truck was the last to leave the muster yards, so it just got filled up with leftover horses," Tracey said.

Tori was mustered last year and was deemed unsuitable for rehoming due to a large lump on his jaw.

He was sent to Tracey as it is well-known she will do what is needed to provide appropriate care for the injured horses.

His lump turned out to be an abscessed tooth that had been there for some time.

Tori was in pain, but Kaimanawa Krazy handled him, got the tooth seen to and was given the required medication to deal with his infection.

Mangu was a yearling from the 2022 muster and had only been out of the wild for two months.

"He is the sweetest-natured young horse that deserves a chance at life," Tracey said at the time.

Both horses developing infections in their tendon sheaths was not something the mother-daughter duo saw coming.

Mangu, a yearling was rescued from this year's (2022) Kaimanawa muster and cull by non-profit Kaimanawa Krazy.

Infections generally come from injuries or wounds, and Tori and Mangu had neither.

On Sunday, June 26, Tori came up lame, he had no injuries, and it presented itself as maybe an abscess in his hind hoof.

Tori was given painkillers and improved to the point of not being lame. But his leg swelled up the next day, so the vet was called on Tuesday last week, and was scheduled to come back the following Wednesday to scan the tendon just to be sure.

On that Wednesday, Mangu was on three legs in his paddock and brought home in the horse float as he could not walk.

"The vet was called immediately and came and gave him painkillers, and he was seen again later that day by the vet coming to scan Tori," Tracey said.

Between the two horses, the vet visited every day for the next 10 days before the decision was made to send Mangu to Massey Equine Vets on July 7.

Tori looked to be improving, so he stayed home.

However, the following Sunday, his leg started slightly swelling and he was going lame again.

By Monday, the horse was getting worse; it was decided he would be taken to Massey as well.

Tori went into surgery on Tuesday for a tenoscopy, which is the same surgery Mangu had on July 11.

Tracey explained, "for one horse to get a tendon infection without any injury is very uncommon; for two horses within days to get it is unheard of".

"We don't have the answer as to why this has happened."

Both cases may have been caused by old infections in their body turning up in their tendon sheaths.

The outcome for Mangu hung in the balance until the next day when the horse had to be put down as "his pain was too great and it seemed his infection wasn't going to give up".

"He has only been out of the wild for two months but had already won us over as such a sweet-natured young horse, I so wish I could have saved him," Tracey said.

"It is heartbreaking."

Tori went into surgery the day after Mangu, and Tracey was told he only has a 50 per cent chance of recovering.

She said the older horse was doing okay after his surgery with his pain levels under control.

So far Tracey has heard that Tori has been doing great and the vets took his pain meds down to once a day and he was coping well.

The horse has been walking well and not being grumpy at those handling him.

"He was well and truly over our vet when he left to go to Massey," she said.

There is hope that this week Kaimanawa Krazy can work with Massey vets on a plan for Tori to come home.

The pair have set up a Givealittle page to raise funds.

In less than two days, 99 people had seen the page and donated $7374 to the cause.

And in less than a week, 149 people had donated $11,410 to the page.

The Massey vets have quoted between $6000-$8000 for each Kaimanawa horse,
plus before and aftercare.

"And while I will happily pay the entire account to give them both a
chance, I can't keep going if that is the case," Tracey said.

If you are interested in finding out more or donating, you can do so: Tori and Mangu Give-a-little.