Basia

Basia is fourteen, and for five years she has been part of our herd. She’s one of those horses the herd simply wouldn’t feel complete without. When she walks along the fence, the other horses come over to greet her. Over the years she has taken in the ones who were rejected, lost or struggling to fit in with the group. She has also raised four foals. Not as their birth mother, but as the foster mum who taught them how to live among other horses. Three of them have since been adopted, and the people who care for them today owe Basia more than they may realise. She is the one who made those foals feel they belonged to a herd.

Now the roles are reversed. Basia has been diagnosed with early-stage cancer in the hoof of her left hind leg. A tumour growing inside the hoof has very little room. It can press on sensitive tissue, cause pain and lameness, deform the hoof capsule and, over time, reach deeper and deeper. That is why this moment matters more than any other. Not in a month, not once Basia can no longer walk freely, but today, while the cancer has been caught early and there is still so much we can do.

First, Basia needs detailed diagnostic imaging so the vets can see exactly where the tumour sits and how far it reaches, and then plan how to remove the affected tissue. Depending on the results, treatment may mean surgery on the sole or the wall of the hoof, protecting and stabilising the hoof capsule, pain relief and anti-inflammatory medication, infection control and many rounds of dressing changes. After surgery, the hoof won’t rebuild itself overnight. Growing back can take around a year. Ahead of Basia are months of treatment, protecting her sore leg, regular vet check-ups and farrier work, until the tissue heals and the hoof horn starts growing back properly.

That is why we need help now. We are not raising money for one vet visit or one dressing. We are raising it for the whole journey: diagnostics, surgery, medication, veterinary care, farrier work, dressings and everything else Basia will need in the months ahead. Each stage will depend on the results of the one before, but we can’t put any of them off just because the treatment turns out to be long and expensive.

Fourteen is no age to give up on a horse. Least of all a horse the whole herd loves this much. Basia still has many good years ahead of her. She can keep walking along her fence, raising more orphaned foals and taking in the ones the other horses aren’t ready to accept yet. But first we have to stop what is growing in her hoof and give her the best possible chance to get well.

For years, the horses could count on Basia. Now Basia needs to be able to count on us. And on you. Help us see her through the diagnostics, the surgery and all the months of treatment that will follow. The whole herd is hoping to keep meeting her at the fence for many years more.