A Summer of Thoroughbreds. Colby: One Month Later

Colby: July 6, 2013

 In June, I shared the story of Colby, a 4-year-old Thoroughbred gelding (click here to see intake photos and read about him) in the care of Helping Hearts Equine Rescue. My "summer of Thoroughbreds" has been so busy that I am just now finding time to share updated photos of Colby, taken on July 6.

Colby: May 25, 2013

What a difference a month makes!

Colby: July 6, 2013

Colby: May 25, 2013

Colby: July 6, 2013

As Colby get the nutrition he needs, he gains weight and muscle and his coat blooms. Gone are the long winter guard hairs, abscessed feet, and patchy coat. His rainrot and skin issues are under control with the help of medicated baths and daily grooming. He is fed supplements to help him maintain a healthy coat and hooves and support his young joints during his rehabilitation.

Colby: July 6, 2013

After Colby completed his quarantine, he was turned out with some equine friends. He is handled daily and receives training in hand, but his training under saddle will not begin until he is fully rehabilitated. In the meantime, he was quite happy to show off for me during a quick photo session.

Colby: July 6, 2013

Colby: July 6, 2013

He even showed off his potential when he cut across the arena and did an impromptu jump over the arena gate.

Colby: July 6, 2013

Colby looks great in July, but just wait until you see how he looks now. Stay tuned for more updates on this spirited youngster.

If you're interested in donating to the rescue for Colby's care, you can send a Paypal donation to hheartsequine@optonline.net, or visit the HHER website for other donation options. HHER is a 501(c)(3) charity, and horses like Colby are nursed back to health through the generosity of donations and the commitment of dedicated volunteers.

Please check back for new photos and updates about Colby, as well as other Thoroughbreds I meet this summer.

- Sarah Andrew
 

A Summer of Thoroughbreds... Colby's Story

I wish the month of May was 57 days long. There are not enough hours in the day to attend all the horse shows, races, and events that I want to see each year. On Memorial Day weekend, I visited Helping Hearts Equine Rescue in Perrineville, NJ and took some photos of the rescue's newest intake, an off-the-track Thoroughbred named Colby.

With a quick glance, you might guess that Colby is older than he really is. Although he is turning 4 in mid-June, his thin frame and the long guard hairs in his coat give him the look of a horse many times his actual age. Under his patchy coat lies a case of rainrot. His left knee is swollen, and he's recovering from a whopping hoof abscess.

As a newcomer to the rescue, Colby will spend 30 days in a quarantine stall and paddock. While he acclimates to the farm, his treatments and medical evaluations will begin. He will be evaluated by a veterinarian, dewormed, his rainrot will be treated, and he will be put into a specialized feeding program.

After quarantine ends, Colby will meet his fellow rescues, and spend time grazing, playing, and de-stressing in the farm's large pastures. When he's ready, his training evaluations will begin, and he will prepare to become an adoptable horse.

 Colby's body tells the story of a difficult winter, but the sparkle in his eye and his baby-faced expression tell the story of his bright future. In the capable hands of Lisa Post and the rest of the Helping Hearts team, Colby will receive the rehabilitation and training that he needs to start his new life.

If you're interested in donating to the rescue for Colby's care, you can send a Paypal donation to hheartsequine@optonline.net, or visit the HHER website for other donation options. HHER is a 501(c)(3) charity, and horses like Colby are nursed back to health through the generosity of donations and the commitment of dedicated volunteers.

Please check back for new photos and updates about Colby, as well as other Thoroughbreds I meet this summer.

- Sarah Andrew

Horses and Hope: Sunny's Story

Part 5 in Sarah Andrew's Horses and Hope series, an uplifting look at how the equine community helps local horses in need. 

No two horse rescue stories are the same. The story of Sunny is a story of matchmaking, and a story of how one of my favorite horses arrived at one of my favorite rescues, and was adopted by one of my favorite people. 

Lisa Post of Helping Hearts Equine Rescue (HHER) remembers how Sunny, an American Mustang mare from the Twin Peaks herd in northern California, arrived at her New Jersey rescue:

"I first met Sunny as a fresh-from-the-BLM youngster. Her owner was a client who would trailer her over on occasion to get her out to see the world. When Sunny turned 3, she came to me to be started under saddle and thereafter for several years trailered in for weekly sessions with her owner and her friends. During the first year Helping Hearts was in existence, her owner contacted me asking for help placing Sunny. She'd been trying without success and was considering putting her down rather than sending her into questionable circumstances. There was no way I would let that happen. Sunny had always been a favorite 'student' of mine. Sunny was relinquished to Helping Hearts."

I first learned about Sunny when she was added to Lisa's list of HHER's adoptable horses. Although Sunny was not the perfect match for her previous owners, she sounded like the ideal horse for my friend Kris. Kris and I have been friends since college, and she was looking for her first horse. For a few years, she took riding lessons and leased a mare, and was ready to look for a horse of her own. The stout Mustang mare with the cat-shaped star on her forehead turned out to be just what she was looking for. 

 The intelligence of the Mustang is celebrated by horsemen, and Sunny had a clever plan for sealing the adoption deal when Kris met her at the horse rescue:

"When I read Sunny’s adoption posting, I thought she was a good age, a good size, and had some good experience.  I was intrigued by the fact that she was a Mustang, not a very common breed here in New Jersey.  I tried not to be too excited, because this was the first horse I was going to see in my search for a horse of my own.  My trainer and I went to meet Sunny, and we were both impressed, she had a beautiful trot and was generally pleasant to handle. As I stood next to Sunny discussing the adoption, she sealed the deal by putting her chin on my shoulder and licking my face. Clearly, this mare was coming home with me!"  

Trainer Carole Davison (also the trainer of TDN Blog star Thewifedoesntknow) accompanied Kris when she evaluated Sunny and rode her for the first time. 

 Although Carole's clients usually ride Thoroughbreds and warmbloods, Carole liked Sunny right away:

"When Kris asked me to take a look at a Mustang that she was interested in adopting as her first horse, I was a bit hesitant. However, the first thing I noted was her kind eye. Although she wasn't sure what was expected of her, she remained calm throughout the entire ride. Sunny is a very sweet mare, with a calm, confident demeanor. She is a comfortable ride with steady consistent gaits. Her canter has improved significantly. When Kris first brought her home she had a difficult time getting into as well as staying in the canter. She now steps into the canter easily, well balanced, and maintains a nice forward pace."

Two times a week, every week, Kris and Sunny train with Carole. Through the lessons primarily focus on dressage, they also school for judged trail rides, and are beginning a little work with cavaletti and small jumps.  

Their dedication and commitment was rewarded handsomely in 2012, when Kris and Sunny competed in their first two dressage shows, and scored in the high 60s (for those who are unfamiliar with dressage, those are great scores!). Sunny shows under the name Sunshine Daydream, as a nod to her California roots.

Kris is a true student of the horse, and always works hard to improve her communication with Sunny:

"Over the next year, I discovered that Sunny was all that I had hoped she would be – patient, smart, willing, and calm.  She is tolerant of my rookie mistakes in the saddle and my occasional bouts of fear, gamely trying her best to decipher my sometimes murky aids. Sunny is helping me to become a more confident rider, and already we have tried our hand at intro-level dressage and a judged trail ride."   

A judged trail ride is a very different type of competition from a dressage show.  A dressage show requires a horse to be intensely focused during a dressage test, which lasts less than ten minutes.  A judged trail ride is a test of a horse's willingness, bravery, and patience.

These rides can last over an hour, and horses are introduced to obstacles that they have never seen before, like the life-sized model horse pictured below. Sunny, in true Sunny fashion, tried to make friends with the "horse".

Don't let Sunny's primitive wild bay coloring fool you- she is built to MOVE. Her lovely conformation enables her to collect like a dressage horse, and also run and corner like a barrel racer. Genetic markers in the Twin Peaks herd have been linked to Spanish ancestry, and perhaps this is why she can move with such agility and grace.    

Descendants of US Army Cavalry and historic ranch stock are also part of the herd's genetic makeup, which might explain Sunny's amenable disposition.

This spring, Sunny was diagnosed with Equine Cushing's Disease, but with careful management and excellent veterinary care, it does not slow Sunny down at all. Kris and I board our horses at the same barn, and we've spent many, many hours enjoying trail rides together. I think Kris and Sunny are great riding buddies, and my horse Wizard agrees- he's quite fond of Sunny. 

 To know Sunny is to love her. Lisa Post worked hard to find the perfect home for her, and she couldn't be happier with Sunny's partnership with Kris, "I always considered Sunny a great example of what Mustangs have to offer. Now, partnered with Kris, she has become a great success story- a wonderful representative of both rescue horses and the American Mustang."

Kris is excited about a bright future with her lovely mare: 

"Sunny is an excellent ambassador for her breed; she is eminently practical with a steady and even temperament. It amazes me every day that a horse born in the wild could be so accepting of all the things we ask of our domesticated horses. We are daily becoming a better team, and I can’t wait to find out what we will accomplish together over the years. I am eternally grateful to Lisa Post at Helping Hearts Equine Rescue for allowing me the chance to become Sunny’s rider and caretaker, and to Sarah Andrew for pointing out the adoption posting (and countless hours of advice giving, commiserating, and encouraging!)."

 I'm sure Sunny agrees, Kris!

 

 -Sarah Andrew

 

Click here to read Horses and Hope: Tristan's Story

Click here to read Horses and Hope: Rosebud's Story 

Click here to read Horses and Hope: Georgia's Story 

 Click here to read Horses and Hope: Mimi's Story

 

IN OTHER NEWS

Horses and Hope 2013 Calendar

With the help of Gina Keesling of HoofPrints, my 2012 debut calendar contained over 100 photos of auction horses. Thanks to the support of horse lovers all over, it raised nearly $40,000 for One Horse At A Time, helping hundreds of horses in need directly, and untold others indirectly through increased public awareness. Now that we have one calendar's worth of experience to draw upon, the 2013 version promises to be even more exciting, even more creative, and as always, inspirational and positive.  

 

Please click here to order calendars- they make GREAT gifts!

Horses and Hope: Georgia's Story

-Sarah Andrew

Since January 2010, I've photographed well over 3,000 horses in need at rescues, private farms, and the auction. All the horses, donkeys, and mules are special, but some of them have that extra-special "something". Georgia is one of those extra-special horses.

In February of 2012, I took a ride to a farm with Lisa Post, Co-Founder and President of Helping Hearts Equine Rescue. Lisa remembers the day and our trailer ride home very well:

"Sarah and I picked up Georgia on Feb 2, 2012. She was an NJ SPCA neglect case that needed direct intake. The lack of sufficient feed and hay at the premises was quite evident and I was happy that we could help this girl. 

The defining moment of the situation was watching Georgia's eyes light up when she saw my straw-bedded trailer. I quietly told her that there was better than that in the hay net inside. I doubt my words meant anything to her, but she loaded right up and dove into the net. 

We didn't hear a peep during the hour-plus ride until we were almost home, when she started pawing. Upon arrival, we noted that the net was nearly empty, except for the last bit that she couldn't reach. The pawing was explained. 

All Georgia needed for the next several weeks was frequent feedings and affection. She received both from all who met her. Georgia, even severely emaciated, had a "shine" to her- a glimmer of what she was and would be again, and despite the neglect she had endured, she was a happy and personable mare. 

Kathy, who had previously adopted another mare, Sweetie, from Helping Hearts, saw that shine as well. She came and spent time and groomed her and soon offered to foster Georgia, subsequently adopting her. Under Kathy's fantastic care, Georgia has come into her full glory and I wish these two ladies a long and pleasurable partnership.

Georgia is just one example of what rescue can accomplish. But rescue can't happen in a vacuum. It really does take a village. Working together, we can accomplish a lot for horses in need."

Over the next few weeks, I took a series of photos of Georgia's progress. The dates are on the photos so you can follow the time lapse.

This August, I visited Georgia in her new home. The horse who stood before me was a gorgeous, glorious, picture-perfect Quarter Horse. She was her same friendly self that she was the day I met her, but her body finally matched her bright expression.

These photos tell the story better than I can...   

   

 Horses and Hope 2013 Calendar

 

Georgia is one of the many horses featured in my 2013 Horses and Hope calendar. With the help of Gina Keesling of HoofPrints, my 2012 debut calendar contained over 100 photos of auction horses. Thanks to the support of horse lovers all over, it raised nearly $40,000 for One Horse At A Time, helping hundreds of horses in need directly, and untold others indirectly through increased public awareness. Now that we have one calendar's worth of experience to draw upon, the 2013 version promises to be even more exciting, even more creative, and as always, inspirational and positive. 

 

Please click here to reserve your copy now for mid-October delivery