Pyrrha

Pyrrha’s past life is a mystery: she was perhaps a ranch horse, a 4H mount, or a western movie star fallen on hard times. Whatever her past may be, we know one thing for certain: her future is very bright! She has found a home with Sandra and her family to be a much-needed companion to a gentleman gelding named West.

Sandra called SAFE looking for a foster buddy for her lonely gelding. Unfortunately, she lived too far away to be a foster for SAFE and the hard part with foster horses is once they find a home, West would be alone again. After talking to Sandra, we realized the hesitation to adopt was in making sure the horse they brought home would be a match for West. Problem easily solved since SAFE adoptions always come with a 30-day trial period! After talking about the possible companions in our herd, Pyrrha sounded like the type of mare that would get along with West.

Py had come a long way from the skinny, shaggy, sad-looking mare that we met at Animal Control early in 2018. When Sandra came out to meet her the transformation was very evident. Before us now, even in the cold winter, Py has a shiny soft coat, a vigorous appetite and her “wise soul” looked up at us through kind eyes.

We are so happy that Sandra trusted us and was willing to take a chance on this girl. Here is what she had to say about Py:

“We love her of course, and she was a treat with the snow. I’m not a blanket-all-the-time owner, so I would take them off on warm days, and put them back on at night and she was very easy to work with. I led them up and down the road this weekend, with me in the middle and she was great. She doesn’t let West boss her around, that’s good for him…They feel calm with each other. She comes right in with him after morning turnout, and sure likes the peppermint candy.…she is here to stay.”

SAFE Horsemanship Volunteer Phoebe is helping sharpen up some of Pyrrah’s groundwork. Phoebe worked with Pyrrah this week and here is what she had to say:

It’s pretty clear that in Pyrrah’s past she was allowed to plow through her handler. During our work together we walked the arena and when I asked her to to stop she would move ahead despite my bumping the lead rope. I used a one rein stop technique, which really made her work. After a number of repetitions on each side she was staying with me at the walk, stop & back up. This work made her a different horse. Pyrrah is smart and quickly caught on to what I asked her to do. I was able to lift both front feet on the lead rope. It took a bit for the first one, she kept trying to put it down. She will need repetition of this exercise with her feet.

Pyrrha a bit of a mystery. We have had a few conversations around the barn as to what breed she might be but nothing really fits. But no matter what type of horse she is, this mare is strong as a brick house! She’s most likely been around the block and seen many people and horses come and go in her many years. We still are uncertain her age but given her swayed back and body condition, she’s probably getting up there in age, so it does not make sense for us to attempt to restart her and put her through the stress of being a riding horse.

She is healthy, seems to have good vision, and is a steady as they come. She and Sage could probably tell the younger horses a thing or two about life. Pyrrha is pretty bonded to Sage and seeing them together is pretty darn cute. If you visit them in their turnout paddock you will often find Pyrrha hanging her neck over little Sage who is content resting in the shadow of her wise friend. Recently the volunteers have noticed that Pyrrha has been quite interested in Asha and the commotion around the barn in preparation for the imminent  foal. She has been seen staring at Asha and calling to her if she is not in her stall. Maybe she can tell something exciting and wonderful is about to happen or maybe she just wants Melinda to go to bed and spying on the pregnant Asha during the night on foal watch!

Pyrrha may not have youth on her side but she does still have a lot to offer a family. It would be wonderful to place her with someone who has time to dote on her and love her these last few years of life. She is a confident mare and makes a steady addition to a small herd. We have kept her off of the rich green grass to help maintain a good weight but she would probably be fine on some pasture most months of the year. She requires no medication at this time, chews her hay well, and does not require large amounts of senior to maintain weight. Overall she is a very easy mare to get along with and would make a nice quiet addition to a family looking for a buddy horse.

Below, Pyrrha prefers the hay at the bottom of the feeder!

Sage and Pyrrha were seized by Animal Control due to neglect and lack of care. The two mares had essentially been abandoned in a field and left to fend for themselves for quite some time. They were both in poor weight with massive amounts of dirty, matted fur all over their bodies. Pyrrha was believed to be in her early 30s, and Sage, a pony mare, was closer to 23 years of age. Unsurprisingly neither horse had much in the way of ground manners, but both responded well to kind and patient handling.

Our best guess is that Pyrrha is a TB/QH cross, and she seems to be a lot younger than 30. She has a brand on her left hip that appears to be a 773, which leads us to believe that she was a ranch horse at one point in her life. Once she was trimmed by a farrier, she began to display a lot of energy, and she appears completely sound.

Here are a series of photos taken by Pyrrha’s foster mom: