Rescuer Searches For Owner Of Injured Horse Found Running Loose

GREEN GARDEN TOWNSHIP, IL — The owner of a theraputic riding center found herself in a rescue role Monday, May 13, when a neighbor spotted an injured horse on the loose near her property. Sandy Michalewicz tracked down the bay mare—or female horse—and brought her into her care at Victory Reins Theraputic Riding Center. The horse was suffering from a severe wound to her shoulder and lacerations on her legs.

The horse was spotted around 6:30 p.m. Monday, when one of Michalewicz's neighbors alerted her that one of her horses might have gotten off the property, near Offner and Scheer roads. It wasn't one of hers, but Michalewicz and her husband jumped to catch the horse and get it to safety.

"She’s big, she was hurting, and she was cut up in many places," she said. "I tried to cold-hose her to try to get some of the blood off of her and make the swelling go down. Then I put her in a stall and prayed."

The mare—which Michalewicz estimates is 16.1 or 16.2 hands tall—has a white star on her forehead. She was sweet, but pushy, she noted, and seemed to be a good weight. She kept her overnight at Victory Reins.

"I just felt so bad for her," Michalewicz said. "I gave her some Bute (short for phenylbutazone, a widely used drug used to treat inflammation and pain in horses). I tried to pack the gash on the shoulder. ... She made it through the night."

Michalewicz posted about the horse on area Facebook pages, in hopes of tracking down the owner. She reached out to veterinarians in the surrounding area, but none would treat a horse without the owner's permission. She called the Will County Sheriff's Department, Illinois Horse Rescue, and other outlets for assistance, to no avail.

"I felt so hopeless last night, no one would help," she said. "... She was just trembling and in so much pain."

Ultimately, Will County Animal Control arrived Tuesday morning to take the horse. The officer said the horse would be taken to a local veterinarian's facility for treatment.

She was unsure of the horse's breed, and was not able to check for a lip tattoo that may appear on many thoroughbreds and can help track the owner. She hopes to be in contact with Animal Country to check on the horse's status and progress for finding the owner. She thinks the horse must be loved and well-cared for, and missed.

"That’s no one’s backyard pony," she said of the horse's health and obvious level of care.

Anyone with information on the horse or its owner should call Will County Animal Control at (815) 462-5633.