Murphy

by Paty Quin for Hudson Valley Country November 13, 2020

Contributed by Penny Loeb

Every so often you come across a story that you just have to share. This is what happened to me when I read all about Old Man Murphy on the Facebook page for Equine Rescue Resource Inc. Being a horse lover and knowing that a lot of you are too, I couldn't help but share this sweet story which has a generous twist no one saw coming including Murphy.

Murphy like most horses who live to his age, he is 36, comes with a story. You can read his tale on the Facebook link below. It seems that Murphy in his 36 years has seen a few homes and unfortunately lost a lot of people who loved him over the years. Once again he has found himself in the care of a Hudson Valley horse rescue located in Pine Bush, New York.

According to the story that Equine Rescue Resource shared Murphy has been in their care before but he didn't settle in well this time. If you aren't aware horses Murphy's age are rare. The adjustment to a new home at his age is tough even if it is a great place and he's been there before. Apparently, they noticed that Murphy was not settling in well and he seemed depressed.

So in order to help Murphy feel more at home his new care givers asked around for some tips on what might make the senior horse feel better and believe it or not two different source told them about beer, Guinness to be exact. According to the research I found online, it turns out beer can be good for a horse. The Practical Horseman online published an article this past March which was an update from 2014 that explains how horse can digest the alcohol and that the vitamins and minerals in the beer can be good for a horse.

Guinness beer in particular was written up in a blog by Bio Star US in 2012 as a way to help horses recover from stress. And before you go thinking it's about the alcohol, I should let you know it's about the yeast and the vitamin B. Horses also like the taste of beer because it often contains similar ingredients to their grain, therefore, beer tastes like their grain mix.

So a big shout out to Manhattan Beer Distributors who came to the rescue and are helping Murphy with their generous donation of Guinness Stout. This will certainly contribute to Murphy and his well being. If you would like to help Murphy or any of the horses at Equine Rescue Resource Inc I am sure they would love to here from you. Who knows Murphy might even invite you over for a socially distant happy hour.