Bring Joy Back to Eli with a New Horse

For those of you who don't know me, my name is Lora Meins and I had the honor and privilege of putting the first 60 days under saddle on the sweetest little gelding ever, affectionately named "Drifter", for a little boy's (Eli) first horse.

He and his mother pinched and saved for this kiddo to have his dream come true. Sadly, due to what the vet said was "bad luck," sweet Drifter died suddenly at Kansas State University on Tuesday, July 16th from dead tissue of his intestine in what the vets are calling "bad luck" and symptoms very similar to colic.

I was so impressed with this young man for working for his own money, saving it, and making his goal a reality. How many 12-year-olds can do that? I could also see how much he loved his colt when they came to visit him halfway through his training as his shy face just beamed with joy.

I asked his mother if she would be okay with me setting up a GoFundMe to not only help pay for the immense veterinary bill, but also to help this young man find a new equine partner.

If you've ever been in love with a horse then you know how much this would mean to Eli. Please consider blessing this kiddo in any amount possible! Prayers for Eli are also appreciated. Thank you so much!

About Eli and Drifter. (A note from his mother on 7/16/24):

Eli (currently 12 years old) bought Drifter in the fall of 2021. He had been saving his money for years in order to buy his own horse. Drifter was almost 3 weeks old when we chose him. He was the youngest foal in the herd, but by far the prettiest one, we were just drawn to him. With his breeding we knew he’d have a great mind and be a wonderful horse for Eli. Drifter came home after weaning and had been almost completely unhandled, so Eli had his work cut out for him, or so we thought. It turned out that Drifter was a dream to train, quickly accepting a halter and learning to lead. From there Eli with help from his Mom continued to train him on all his ground manners like tying, grooming, picking up his feet and loading in a trailer. They spent countless hours desensitizing Drifter to anything and everything in preparation to show him at the county fair. As Drifter grew and was ready to start riding, Eli was able to put the first official ride on his horse, and Drifter was a true gentleman and didn’t bat an eye at having a saddle or kid on his back. He truly was cut out to be a kid horse and partner for Eli.

Fast forward to current day, we had decided to give him the very best start by sending him to a trusted trainer. She was amazing with him and we are very thankful for all her work with him.

Drifter had returned home from training and was doing very well. Saturday morning he had a short ride and was his normal self, however, by late Saturday evening, it was clear that something wasn’t right. After consulting with our local veterinarian, he was rushed to Kansas State University Veterinary Hospital in the middle of the night.

At the time it was thought that he had colitis and immune mediated hemolytic anemia, he was given a blood transfusion along with several other treatments, which he responded positively to. He was deemed very critical but his doctors were hopeful that he would recover, even starting to discuss a return home date. Sadly, early Tuesday morning Drifter unexpectedly passed away, his doctors said it happened very quickly and they were not sure why, but would be trying to figure it out. Obviously, Eli is devastated as he did not even get a chance to say goodbye.

While we will never be able to replace Drifter, it’s my hope that we can find another great partner for Eli when he is ready for one.