Summer (Impromptu)

age: 23 (YOB: 1987)
sex: mare
breed: Saddlebred
color: chestnut
height: 16.3 hh

Seized by Snohomish County Animal Control on Feb 23, 2008, Adopted to SAFE on Nov 12, 2008

Status: Available For Adoption

Located in Auburn, WA
Adoption Fee: $1

Summer is one of the Jean Elledge horses from Snohomish County that SAFE has been caring for since March 2008. Now that the case has ended and all the horses have been signed over to SAFE, it is time for her story to be told.

Summer, whose registered name is Impromptu DHF is a mare whose history we would love to know. Extremely well bred, sired by a famous Saddlebred stallion named Chairman of the Board, she is a striking rich chestnut mare with a flaxen mane and tail. Tall and regal, she stands 16.3 hands. But her body has been ravaged from years of neglect from Jean Elledge and being used as a "palomino foal machine" for years. We've been told that Summer's babies were quite prized, and sold well. The mark of her quality is quite evident on Kokomo, her last foal, and the first Elledge horse from the seizure to find a home. It is easy to imagine that she might have once been a fancy show horse.

When we first met Summer she had been at the Enumclaw auction for 2 weeks and had not fared well. She refused to load, and we had to use panels to squeeze her into the trailer. She was a pitiful sight, with bald patches and chunks of hair falling out all over her, and areas where her skin was open and bleeding. She was crawling with lice, and so miserably itchy that she was rubbing herself raw on anything she could find. She was skin and bones, and at some recent point must have been wearing a blanket that did not fit, and had dug a wound into her withers that was still open and oozing. Her feet were horrible, not just long and chipped but with cracks that ran vertically to the coronet band all around them. She walked slowly and painfully. But her eye was so soft, and so sweet, and she seemed to know we were there to help her. Unlike the other horses, most of whom were unhandled and untrusting, Summer was a horse that had known a kind hand at some point in her life. And in fact, in the weeks after the seizure, several people contacted us and it was Impromptu that everyone asked about." Tutu" had been ridden by many a young girl on the trails, being one of the few horses that was broke and one that Jean frequently lent out for riding in exchange for work. Was she still alive? At first, not even we knew...and because of her age, and the fact that all the older horses on the Carnation property had died, we assumed she could not be. But Summer is a tough mare, and she knew how to protect her food and herself, and somehow she survived.

True to her name, when Summer arrived so to did the real Summer emerge. Her weight came back, and her coat grew in over the bald areas and the old, fungus and lice encrusted hair gave way to a gleaming, beautiful chestnut coat. However, she still moved slowly and stiffly, and most concerning was the fact that she labored to bring her head down to graze or eat her hay, her neck popping and cracking as she slowly lowered it in stages. Valerie started donating Chondroprotect injections for her and Dr. Hannah donated her time for bodywork and chiropractic injections, all with the hope of easing her painful cervical arthritis.

This August we noticed that Summer was growing a winter coat, long before the other horses had, and we began to suspect Cushings. A recent test confirmed that she has the disease, and she just started Pergolide. She is still getting her monthly injections and bodywork, and whitewolf (Crystal), has kindly donated some joint supplements for her. She still moves stiffly, but she is holding her own, and is a tough horse for sure.

One thing is for sure about Summer - she has captured all of our hearts. Summer is available for adoption to a very special home and her adoption fee has been waived. She has had her shots, a dental (and her teeth are still in good condition), and is microchipped. She's on a daily wormer and will require Pergolide for the rest of her life, and comes with a 3 month supply. She will need to be blanketed in the winter, and be kept on a low-carb diet as she is a founder risk with the Cushings, although she bears no signs of previous founder. If the right home cannot be found, she will stay with SAFE until she is ready to leave this world. Currently, she resides in Monroe.

Update (12/2/08):
Summer is doing really well, and she is feeling much better now that she is on the Cushings medications. Her weight is great and she's a great babysitter to the weanlings. I've also seen her gallop across the pasture a couple of times, so she is bright and perky. Her manure is still soft, but we switched her to Timothy hay and the most of her diarrhea has cleared up.

Update (6/18/09):
Summer has made a huge amount of progress since our last update. She has a new foster home where she is a companion to another older mare, as well as a friend to two young boys. Her Cushings is much improved since she has been on Pergoglide (see above photos of a shiny, short-haired Summer) and her overall health is excellent. She has had plenty of opportunity to take the members of her foster family for a ride, and she obviously has lots of training under saddle. She makes an excellent leadline horse and is great with small kids.

Click here to see a video of Summer being ridden!

Click here to see a video of Summer and her good friend Figi!

Send email to adopt@safehorses.org if you are interested in adopting Summer.

Click here to check on Summer's progress on the SAFE Message Board.

If you are interested in sponsoring Summer, please click here to learn more about our sponsorship program.

Please read SAFE's adoption policies prior to submitting an adoption application for any SAFE horses listed on this site. SAFE Adoption Policies can be found HERE. SAFE has a strict no-breeding policy.