After an already incredibly challenging year with a forced relocation and repeated flooding since February, Sunshine Coast mental health charity, Hoofbeats Sanctuary is now in a desperate battle to save the life of one of their amazing equine therapy horses.
Mack became quite ill with colic on Monday afternoon and despite vet visits from local vets at 6pm, 1am and again at 9am on Tuesday, he was not improving and so surgical intervention was needed.
Mack was taken to University of Queensland Equine Specialists Hospital in Gatton on Tuesday and had abdominal surgery with an hour or arrival.
Despite the surgery going well, make had some complications post-surgery and required a second surgery.
The vet costs estimate is $25,000 and could go higher depending on his recovery from the second surgery. A cost that is just not manageable for such a small charity.
Hoofbeats Sanctuary is a community-based, peer-led mental health charity, delivering life-changing results for clients, specialising in supporting women and girls impacted by trauma for whom traditional forms of therapy have been ineffective.
With a wholly lived-experience team consisting of two full-time-equivalent staff and over 35 local volunteers – many of whom are previous clients – they are small but mighty and do their incredible work without any ongoing government funding, relying on public donations to survive.
An independent service evaluation conducted by University of Sunshine Coast in 2024 found that their equine therapy programs resulted in “a substantial improvement in the participants’ wellbeing post intervention, with a magnitude of difference that is exceptionally significant.”
CEO Barb Blashki said, “Mack is such a key part of our team – a big, beautiful ex-racehorse with a goofy personality that has been part of the Sanctuary’s team for almost eight years and is a firm favourite with staff, volunteers and clients alike. Our Sanctuary family has not yet recovered from the loss of our beautiful Brumby mare, Indiana, last year and so our hearts are broken to find ourselves in this situation with Mack. We will be forever grateful for any financial support that members of our community can provide.”
Donors can donate online on the charity’s website hoofbeats.org.au/news/campaigns/macks-appeal/ or can make a bank transfer to BSB 633000, Account #140908930. All donations of $2 or more are tax deductible. For more information regarding this issue, or to offer additional support, interested parties can contact Ms Blashki by email to ceo@hoofbeats.org.au
