Friesian horse in Cartmel on long way to full recovery after surgery

Bear, a nine year old horse at The Friesian Experience in Cartmel, is on the long road to full recovery after undertaking an 'extremely risky' and costly surgery to save his life.

The sanctuary was able to raise most of the funds to cover the £10,000 cost of the surgery.

Bear will have to be in the veterinary centre for at least six weeks. To ensure the horse has a safe return to the sanctuary grounds, the fundraising page has been extended to raise more money to improve the facilities.

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"It is an incredibly invasive surgery and there is risk of infection but they are a really good team over in Yorkshire," said owner Tracey Alexander.

"Because he is going to have a plate in his leg with 18 pins there is work that we are going to need to do back at the farm to make a safer area for him to be in because being all built-in rock it is all rocky and uneven."

Tracey explained he had a 'very unusual' bone cysts and had a biopsy done. At the sanctuary they tried to manage his comfort levels but once they were unmanageable she had to take action.

"It was the case of we either let him go or there was this surgery that they were able to do but obviously it was extremely risky and very expensive but we have got a fabulous community of people who have pulled together and raised enough for the initial stages," she said.

Bear was given to the sanctuary two years ago and is characterised as a 'laid back' horse.

"He just wonders around the yard meeting and greeting everybody and he actually was the main horse in the Cartmel village Medieval event last September. He is got a big fan club and he is incredibly sweet," she said.

The vets have taken further samples from deeper within his bone. They told Tracey they were not 'unduly worried' that the lab would find anything 'more sinister'. 

To make a donation visit the GoFundMe page here.