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Fueled by Hope: The Comeback Story of Diesel the Horse

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Fueled by Hope: The Comeback Story of Diesel the Horse

This page details the road to recovery for Diesel, a horse who was rescued from starvation in February of 2026.

We share everything: the happy updates and the heartbreaks, in order to educate others about equine rescue and rehabilitation.

08/31/2026

Diesel had a big day on Saturday—he went for his first ride around the block, ponied of course. He was such a smart boy, learning how to stay back on the line and hardly blinking at cars and motorcycles! This is an important step in exposing him to the outside world and preparing him to be a riding horse some day.

07/27/2026

Hey guys… it’s been a while! 64 days to be exact!

Diesel has been busy being a normal baby horse. He is fully acclimated into the big group with other horses of all ages. He has recovered perfectly from his gelding and shows very few signs of his rough start besides perhaps his summer coat bleaching a bit more than expected.

He has grown 1.5 inches since his last update. He has excellent manners, he stands for bathing, brushing and hoof trimming like a champ. It’s truly incredible watching him do the “normal” horse things knowing that just under 6 months ago we weren’t certain if he would be able to pull through from his neglect. We are so proud of him and happy he is here!

05/25/2026

Time for progress pics!

Diesel continues to grow, slowly but surely. He has gained over 4 inches at the wither since arriving, and many more at the hip! His hip is about 2 inches higher than his wither now. 😅 He is really gaining a lot of feathering on his pasterns, a hint of the draft cross coming out!

05/23/2026

Diesel says “I have been working hard on my smile plz rate 1 - 10” 🥹 🙏🏻

05/18/2026

It’s progress picture day! And who is this handsome hunk of a horse?!

Diesel did a lot of growing this week! He actually gained about 1/2” at the withers and even more at his hip. We did increase his grain a little bit when we noticed he had stalled in his growth—it looks like that did the trick! It feels like his head has really gotten bigger and longer—maybe a hint towards his future height? No matter what, we are happy with this progress!

05/12/2026

HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY DIESEL!!

Diesel turns one year old today, according to his Coggins and the only record we have on him. To be honest… we weren’t sure if he would make it this far. When he arrived at the farm his condition was so much worse than what the photos showed, a skeleton hidden under a winter coat. We gave him everything we had to help him recover, our hearts guarded knowing that emaciated horses can crash at any time. He has shown so much resilience—and so much heart, loving and trusting humans despite his rough start.

Diesel, we would take the chance on you over and over again. Happy first birthday, and many more to come!

05/11/2026

Happy Mother’s Day and check-in day!

We had another week with no gains in height. In fact, after a hoof trim, he shrunk a little bit. 🤣 still, it feels like he is continuing to fill out, especially looking down over his back. We did increase his grain a little bit to help him over this slump, though it is pretty typical for colts to alternate growing up and out.

He still has some stubborn winter coat that doesn’t want to shed out—including a Mohawk down his back, check the last photo to see it in all its glory! He is still the best behaved baby, even tolerating a spray bottle for the first time today without batting an eye!

05/04/2026

It’s progress day!

Diesel had his first bath ever today! While he wasn’t the biggest fan 😅😂 he shined up nice and it helped him lose a bit more of his winter coat. He continues to round out and get more and more grown up. All of his pressure sores have healed besides the stubborn one on his left knee—fingers crossed that one heals with time, as well.

04/26/2026

It’s progress day with Diesel!

He had a hard week—he was introduced to the other yearlings and had an adjustment to the rough and tumble play that little boys their age do. As far as we can tell, he has been in isolation since September, when he was purchased at auction by his previous owner. He had to be in isolation while he recovered from starvation with us, but that’s tough on a herd animal! It was exciting to give him some friends his own age so he can start to live a more normal life as a horse.

He was also gelded this week, which is an important milestone for him to live a long and happy life. More on that later. 🙂

Despite these challenges, he grew another 1/2 inch at the hip. 😅 He is shedding his old winter coat and his coat underneath looks much healthier and shinier. He seems to be filling out through the chest and he is getting big and tall enough that it’s becoming difficult to capture his topline and back in a single shot!

04/20/2026

His first night home and 70 days later…

To see him in the same stall and in the same position is striking! We are so proud of all the try he has given us and how far he has come.

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Durand, WI
5473

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