Cover girl -to back yard breeder - to happily ever after
BENDUKI’S STORY By Suzanne
Griffin
A few years ago, I picked up an HQ magazine which had this gorgeous paint mare with her foal on the front cover. The mare’s name was Benduki.
I have always wanted to own a big paint horse, and to have preferably bred it myself.
In July 2012, I happened to see an advert on the web for a paint mare for sale in East London. Attached was an indistinct photo of a thin paint horse. The mare’s name was Benduki!
I rang and was told that she was 16 years old, so said that I would take her. She was being sold to raise funds for her owner to study. And I was really worried by how she looked in the photo.
I contacted Charne of Midas Touch Stud who put me in touch with Caroline de Bruin of Camden Stud in East London.
My idea was to place Benduki with her, get into breeding condition and at last breed my paint foal!
Caroline set off early on a Friday morning to collect Benduki. She was collected out of a paddock that had no grass or shade, and no hay or any other feed. When Caroline phoned and said that she was much thinner than I had thought, and that possibly she would not survive, I was devastated.
Luckily for Benduki and I, Caroline agreed to try to help her. She dewormed her; got her feet and teeth done; bought her a nice waterproof blanket; put her in a paddock of green grass; and fed and talked to her. But best of all she loved her!
Caroline said that Benduki nickered when she took her food, as if she couldn’t believe that it was for her! And that she could see her putting on weight daily.
During this time I got daily sms’s and weekly photos of my brave mare.
Within 3 months Benduki was in good enough condition to be AI’d. She unfortunately did not hold the foal, and as I now know that she is 20 (not 16), I won’t be putting her back in foal.
I eventually traced her back to her second owner in Natal, who promptly offered to have her back to retire.
Benduki is now at home with me - happy, fat and seems really well. She has the most loving personality in a horse that I have ever come across.
Sadly in all of this Benduki had what seemed to be a sore under her tail. She has now had two operations to remove this sore which turned into a growth. The girl who I bought her from said that when she bought Benduki, she already had the sore.
The lab tests have shown it to be the most malignant cancer that a horse can get, and our vet does not think that Benduki will be with us for another year because it had been allowed to get so large before anyone did anything about it.
People should take better care of their old broodmares once they have passed their breeding age, and should they not have the time or the means to look after them properly, should put them down instead of passing them on to be slowly starved, and not properly looked after.
I would wholeheartedly recommend Caroline de Bruin to look after horses. She did such an amazing job with getting Benduki back from the awful space that she was in. She really cares for horses, and they flourish wonderfully under her care.
N.B * For the record Bendukie was not sold to the backyard breeder from the above mentioned stud.
Thank you to Suzanne for rescuing this special girl. There are very few people in the world who would have gone to all the trouble and expense . There is not doubt in my mind that this girl has earned and deserved to live her last days out in peace and comfort.
Thank you for giving her that!
A few years ago, I picked up an HQ magazine which had this gorgeous paint mare with her foal on the front cover. The mare’s name was Benduki.
I have always wanted to own a big paint horse, and to have preferably bred it myself.
In July 2012, I happened to see an advert on the web for a paint mare for sale in East London. Attached was an indistinct photo of a thin paint horse. The mare’s name was Benduki!
I rang and was told that she was 16 years old, so said that I would take her. She was being sold to raise funds for her owner to study. And I was really worried by how she looked in the photo.
I contacted Charne of Midas Touch Stud who put me in touch with Caroline de Bruin of Camden Stud in East London.
My idea was to place Benduki with her, get into breeding condition and at last breed my paint foal!
Caroline set off early on a Friday morning to collect Benduki. She was collected out of a paddock that had no grass or shade, and no hay or any other feed. When Caroline phoned and said that she was much thinner than I had thought, and that possibly she would not survive, I was devastated.
Luckily for Benduki and I, Caroline agreed to try to help her. She dewormed her; got her feet and teeth done; bought her a nice waterproof blanket; put her in a paddock of green grass; and fed and talked to her. But best of all she loved her!
Caroline said that Benduki nickered when she took her food, as if she couldn’t believe that it was for her! And that she could see her putting on weight daily.
During this time I got daily sms’s and weekly photos of my brave mare.
Within 3 months Benduki was in good enough condition to be AI’d. She unfortunately did not hold the foal, and as I now know that she is 20 (not 16), I won’t be putting her back in foal.
I eventually traced her back to her second owner in Natal, who promptly offered to have her back to retire.
Benduki is now at home with me - happy, fat and seems really well. She has the most loving personality in a horse that I have ever come across.
Sadly in all of this Benduki had what seemed to be a sore under her tail. She has now had two operations to remove this sore which turned into a growth. The girl who I bought her from said that when she bought Benduki, she already had the sore.
The lab tests have shown it to be the most malignant cancer that a horse can get, and our vet does not think that Benduki will be with us for another year because it had been allowed to get so large before anyone did anything about it.
People should take better care of their old broodmares once they have passed their breeding age, and should they not have the time or the means to look after them properly, should put them down instead of passing them on to be slowly starved, and not properly looked after.
I would wholeheartedly recommend Caroline de Bruin to look after horses. She did such an amazing job with getting Benduki back from the awful space that she was in. She really cares for horses, and they flourish wonderfully under her care.
N.B * For the record Bendukie was not sold to the backyard breeder from the above mentioned stud.
Thank you to Suzanne for rescuing this special girl. There are very few people in the world who would have gone to all the trouble and expense . There is not doubt in my mind that this girl has earned and deserved to live her last days out in peace and comfort.
Thank you for giving her that!
Some of Benduki's foals over the years
Jongintaba Belle Bijou
Jongintaba Belle Bijou is a 16hh, Chestnut by Beau Veneur out of Holly Springs xx(Fair Season xx/Silly Seasonxx/Tom Fool xx)
Bijou came to us in very poor condition and in her last 3 months of pregnancy.She miraculously managed to produce a live healthy foal.
Thank you to Karin Bowen for all you did to help this special girl.
Bijou came to us in very poor condition and in her last 3 months of pregnancy.She miraculously managed to produce a live healthy foal.
Thank you to Karin Bowen for all you did to help this special girl.
Mighty Smile
Mighty Smile is by Centenary and was born in 1997. Subsequent to ending her racing career, Mighty was a broodmare at stud and in 2012 when Karen Lapham-Fourie bought her.
Mighty is licensed and registered with the South African Warmblood Horse Society.