Arizona Equine Rescue Organization (AERO) was founded in April, 2001 and is a highly specialized health center for rescue horses that require intensive medical care. AERO provides a productive life for unwanted horses and provides a community resource for youth who find solace in spending time with the horses. AERO operates from volunteer hours and relies on charitable contributions from the community.
On Sunday, August 11th, 2013, Phoenix PD were called out to recover a stolen car in the Gila River bottom. They stumbled across a very frail mini horse barely alive. He had been abandoned near the river bottom and unable to find food or water. Volunteers from AERO hurried to help the miniature gelding. The vets named him Shiny Chevy in honor of the stolen car that saved his life.
Upon arriving at AERO’s facility in New River, he collapsed to the ground, simply unable to go any further from extreme starvation. The fight to save Shiny Chevy was on! Soleil Dolce, VP of AERO, physically lifted him back to his feet. He weighed less than 100 pounds, at 9 years old; he was considered a -1 on the body chart used to evaluate a horse’s physical condition. His prognosis wasn’t good, he was in such poor condition, extreme care had to be used to not over-feed him. But Shiny Chevy had the will to survive and he just found a friend and an extremely knowledgeable horsewoman in Soleil. An exam by the Vet dentist determined that he had terrible teeth problems. The sharp edges on his teeth had actually cut a hole in his tongue and his mouth was full of ulcers. After 3 sessions with the dentist, his mouth has healed and he can eat properly. Over the next few weeks he received specialized food and lots of probiotics.
On September 20th, Shiny Chevy was healthy enough to visit the employees of Roadrunner Pharmacy; their employees took up a collection and donated to AERO. On October 11th, Chevy visited the Az Agribusiness Equine Center in Mesa, where aspiring Vet students learning about equine anatomy painted the bone structure on him and other AERO horses so they could see how the bones moved when the horses moved. On October 12th, at the Large Animal Rescue Training in New River, AZ, Chevy was the live anatomy model and participated in live horse scenarios. On October 23rd, Chevy made his first visit to a bed ridden person and proved to be excellent at therapy. He nudged for more petting and gently enjoyed a carrot. The only challenge he had was the slippery tile floor.
As of November 11th, Chevy is nearly 200 pounds and will need 50-60 more pounds to be at his optimal weight. Shiny Chevy is making great progress is now up for adoption. www.azequinerescue.org
