The beautiful Appaloosa was very easy to train to the RDA standard and would be hard to replace.

So when Bluey got sick in November, the RDA members were worried.  His fetlock became swollen and infected and the vet couldn’t find any reason for it.

“She tried her hardest, but it kept on swelling,” said RDA volunteer John Smith.

“She couldn’t operate because it was too close to the joint and she asked whether we could get Bluey to a professor who visits Coffs Harbour hospital.  We got him up there on the 13^th of December.”

They operated on Bluey’s fetlock and put a cut just above the joint and drained all the fluid, cleaned it all up and a found a mass which they cut out. The vets cleaned up the wound and stitched him up.

“We brought him home and kept him in the stable for two weeks, then put him in a small yard and he has progressed and is nearly as good as new again,” said John.

When school starts, and Riding for the Disabled sessions resume on Tuesday mornings at Wauchope Showground, Bluey should be ready to go.

But the treatment has not been cheap.  The operation cost $3,000, plus the charity had to transport him to Coffs Harbour and back, and feed him differently from when he’s in the paddock and the vet bills are close to $1,000.

“We rely on donations and we run fundraisers and work on gates and wherever we can make some money for Riding for the Disabled,” said John.

“Bluey was given to us and is one of our best and most used horses.  To replace him with another horse would take a year.” 

“We owe a special thanks to John Smith and Sorell Masters because they worked all through Christmas and the New Year attending to Bluey’s wounds and to Warren Baird for the transport,” said Cathy Wagstaffe from the RDA.

If you would like to help Bluey and the RDA, go to the RDA Wauchope Port Macquarie Holiday Coast Credit Union account number 100030123 BSB 721 000.