126 SIDELINESMAY 2014
FORHORSEPEOPLE • ABOUTHORSEPEOPLE
e
SecondChances
ByDani Moritz
H
e looked as though hewas a
mere 2 years old: completely
emaciated, withprominent bones
in his face and sunken, saddenedeyes.
His tail barely reachedhis hocks. Every
bone in his spine, ribs, hips and neck
jutted from his sickly body. His chest was
sonarrow you could hardly fit ahand
between his legs.
Thiswas not the 6-year-old off-the-
trackThoroughbredAnnaFrensemeyer
had found online. Hewas advertisedas
anOTTBwith a littleweight to gain, but
thiswas a horseon the doorstep of death.
Formany, hewould have been a hopeless
case.
Luckily for CryptoAero, he had fallen
into the perfect home.Anna, whowas no
stranger to helping those in need, quickly
becameAero’s angel – andAerobecame
hers.
“All of my animals are adopted,”
Annaexplains. “I’vehad emaciated and
aggressive dogs. I’ve alwaysworked
through it. I’mnot the kind of personwho
would give an animal back [because they
are too difficult tohandle]. Because I’ve
been a registered nurse for 10 years,
that’s just what I do. I take care of people
andanimals. I make them better. I’m a
firm believer that if the love is there and
the care is there, it’ll work out.”
But in the beginning, hopewas difficult
for evenAero’s angel to find.
Anna brought himhome and the very
next day,Aero colicked. Hewould stand
in short segments but he struggled to find
the stamina to hoist himself up. The vet
was less thanhopeful. HediagnosedAero
with severe stomach ulcers, which had
been untreated for some time, aswell as
parasites.
Still,Annadidn’t give up. She treated
Aero for everything she could and he
appeared to get better.
But after puttingonapproximately 100
pounds, hisweight plateauedwhile still
300pounds underweight and he colicked
oncemore.
AnAngel
Takes Flight
AnnaFrensemeyer and herAngel, CryptoAero.
Photo byMarcoEsteves
