Time to meet the other three new horses, but first you’ll need to follow me in the name game…
Jaime ended up liking the “Red” theme for the chestnuts & decided to keep Ruby & chose Rose & Scarlett for the other two…but it gets tricky here…
Because Fairy became Rose & Ruby became Scarlett and the third mare (whom Monica had called Garnet, keeping in a “Gem” theme w/Ruby) became Ruby. I suppose it’s only confusing if you’d been there the first day and had photo files with names on them like Monica & I did…but apparently even then we both walked away with a different set…anyway…probably the easiest way to tell who’s who…
Scarlett – 15 yrs old, Large Blaze, 15 hands, BCS 2
Rose – 20+ yrs old, Thin Blaze, 15 hands, BCS 1.5
Ruby - 11 yr old, Medium Blaze, 15 hands, BCS 2
(1/29/2010 edit: Jaime let me know I actually STILL had it wrong as of this morning so I've updated and hope I have it right now!)
When I told Jean about the story of Ruby (now Rose) & Fairy (now Ruby) we both got a little laugh out of it and then she informed me that there had been another sister in the human Ruby/Fairy family & her name was…”Rose”! So it’s an interesting name story, I think, that ends with an unexpected twist!
And, as posted yesterday, Delilah remained Delilah! It’s a popular opinion that should her foal be a colt we should name it Sampson! We have a few months before we’ll know what that outcome will be.
Space at SAFE is limited and we barely have the budget to take care of the horses we have so the Board of Directors decided that it was only feasible to accept two more horses into the program. The decision to keep the pregnant horse, Delilah, actually means we’ve agreed to take three. It’s difficult enough to place healthy rehabilitated horses and a pregnant mare is twice as hard so Delilah will stay with us. The other horse that was chosen to stay was Scarlett. King County Animal Control, it’s hoped, will place Ruby & Rose, soon. SAFE continues to care for all four but County funds will run out next week. It’s hard to think about what will happen…but we’ll cross that bridge when we get there I suppose.
In the last post I mostly introduced, Rose (for confusion sake, we’ve officially changed over to the new names…sorry!) and since I didn’t really get to spend a lot of time with the others I’ll give you a quick run down on their current status/condition.
They’ve had a vet check and none but Delilah appear to be in foal (Yay!)
Today was their farrier visit:
Ruby – got her feet all trimmed up but has a very active case of scratches/mud fever & apparently is having pain in her left hind & right front legs.
Rose – also got her feet trimmed and was apparently better than Ruby but has suffered a great deal of hoof issues with evidence of an apparent history of multiple abscesses that were not treated as well as dropped heels on her front feet & a probably rotated coffin bone.
Scarlett – her feet showed prior and currently active abscesses and pus pockets. She also has scratches/mud fever but seemed comfortable to have her feet handled.
Delilah – like all the rest, has evidence of prior abscesses and pus pockets.
All of the mares are getting noticed on the SAFE message board but Delilah seems to be stealing hearts left & right. I’m not sure if it’s her maternal status or the fact that she looks like a giant teddy bear. Her photos don’t necessarily show her ravaged body. The pregnant body and long winter fur (or long parasitical evidence?) disguise her neglect at first glance but when you get up close to her the protruding bones and lack of conditioning tell a very different story. In fact, Monica first brought to my attention what appeared to be some kind of growth on her shoulder, until we determined it was actually her shoulder bone. For those of us who have fairly normal horses, you can’t just wrap your fingers around their shoulder bones and hold on to it like you can with this mare.
I’m not sure anything prepares you for this, no matter how many times you see it in different cases. This particular case has it’s own distinctive set of moments that just make you question, “What was that person thinking?” …The only answer we’ll probably ever get is that they weren’t thinking at all! Unfortunately it’s history repeating itself. We see this over and over….
The story of Dexter & Baxter, the most recent inductees to the SAFE Hall of Shameful Treatment of Horses, is another case in point.
Dexter is a black & white paint that was starved by his owner, seized my animal control and placed in foster care prior to SAFE taking him. At the time of his seizure he was 698 lbs and had a BCS of 1.5. Even though he was emaciated & not properly cared for, he was apparently being saddled and ridden. In foster care he was returned to a healthy state.
But while Dexter was in foster care, his original owner apparently replaced him with another black & white paint, Baxter, and proceeded to starve and neglect him the very same way. At the time of Baxter’s seizure he was 834 lbs & a BCS of 1, the lowest possible body condition score and usually considered near-death. Both Dexter & Baxter are currently at SAFE. Dexter is actually pending adoption & it has been determined that he’s just amazingly calm. He’s referred to as “unflappable” under saddle so it’s no wonder there’s actually a line of folks hoping to be his new home. Baxter’s having some difficultly putting on weight but he’s got a team of people keeping up on him and we all hope he makes a turn for the better soon.
Their owner is being charged for the neglect of these two horses and another mare but still doesn’t seem to own up to what he did or understand the damage he caused.
Our most prolific neglector, Jean Elledge, as of today appears to be missing in the jail system. It’s being speculated that she may have earned an early release or is on home monitoring. I hope to have an answer to that very soon because she’s someone I wish to let everyone around know that under no uncertain terms, should she be anywhere near horses again. My next post in the Coconut Chronicles is in the works and happens to be about the Elledge sentencing hearings. What appropriate timing!
So, as with most neglected horses I know…you can follow the links I’ve provided to find out more about them and please check out Save A Forgotten Equine (S.A.F.E.) if this is your first visit to my blog. I am the volunteer coordinator for SAFE and truly admire the work they/we do to help horses. It was their connection to the Elledge herd that drew me in originally but it was their ethical practices & financial transparency that keeps me here. I’ve met some truly incredible people through the organizations Board of Directors, extensive volunteer force and incredibly supportive and diverse message board.
There are a million different ways to help…and I’m sure there will be a post on that some day but for now, SAFE needs donations of supplies & money.
Here’s a list of items we’re always in need of:
- Hay (Orchard, Timothy, or an alfalfa/grass mix are good).
- **Allegra Cadence
- **Senior feed (Prefer Allegra or LMF brand)
- **LMF Development G
- **LMF Super Supplement
- Beet pulp
- **Rice bran pellets
- **Cool Calories
- **Joint Supplements (Cosequin, Corta-Flx, Next Level, etc.)
- **MSM
- **Biotin supplements
- **Alfalfa Pellets
- MicroTek anti-fungal spray
- Lice Powder
- No Chew or McNasty
- Thrushbuster
- Wormers (Ivermectin, Pyrantel Pamoate, Safeguard/Panacur and Zimectrin Gold/Equimax)
Also remember that rescues generally have a network of professionals who either donate services or give a discount so a non-profit 501 ( c ) (3) can stretch a dollar very efficiently.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions about our needs or making a donation.
…And on the ADVENTURE front…Les & I are exploring the possibility of attending the Old Friends & Bourbon Trail Fund Raising Dinner in Louisville on February 20th. I’d like to combine that w/a visit to the Kentucky Equine Humane Center to finally accept their invitation to check out what they do there. Check back and I’ll update the progress on that trip as it happens!! Cross your fingers...
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