Kelly
20(ish) bay Clydesdale mare
Type of Rescue: Animal Control Surrender
Intake Date: 11/28/23
Adoption Date: 5/1/23
Length of Time with SAFE: 6 months
ADOPTED!! by Steven’s Animal Sanctuary
Kelly came to SAFE in December of 2022 as part of a seizure of 27 horses from Pierce County (who we called The Graham 27).
Kelly is a gentle giant of a mare, the last of the Graham horses to arrive at SAFE. She is a real sweetie, and has became a fast favorite amongst staff and volunteers. Kelly was gentle to groom and handle on the ground, and would make a wonderful companion horse for some lucky person.
Today
It just so happened that the wonderful humans at Stevens Animal Sanctuary were looking for a horse who matched Kelly’s description nearly to a T. You see, they had recently lost their draft resident, and were looking to fill a very large hole in their hearts. Lucky for all parties involved, Kelly was more than ready to move on to her forever home.
Because of the nature of their mission, Kelly’s home at Steven’s will be for the rest of her life. She will spend it surrounded by the other diverse residents of the sanctuary – horses, yes, but cows and goats and sheep and other four-legged friends as well. We could not have envisioned a more perfect future for Kelly, surrounded by love and great care from all sides.
Alumni Update: Kelly
SAFE Volunteers, Debbie M and Anne H, had the pleasure of visiting with Kelly and her extended family during a recent alumni check at her Steven’s Animal Sanctuary home in Enumclaw, WA. This is what Debbie had to say about Kelly and their visit: “I never saw Miss Kelly look healthier or happier! Her eyes had a contented glow; her coat and weight were great; and no more nasty bug bites on those awesome big legs of hers! She obviously is well cared for and loved, as are all her mixed herd mates that we met of other horses (including a couple in their 30’s!), mini horses, a mini donkey, cows, goats, sheep, llamas, dogs and at least one cat … oh my!
Steven’s Animal Sanctuary is a non-profit, 501(c) 3 organization located on 10 acres and run by Dr. Heather Stewart, a mobile large and small animal vet, Laura Thompson, and a small group of dedicated volunteers. One of those volunteers is an engineer who devised their manure management system to store and regularly turn the manure in prep for selling it as mulch! It was difficult for me to focus on the alumni visit checklist because it was so much fun to see Kelly again and meet her new herd mates, including a 2,000 lb. Jersey steer named Leroy who enjoyed pets and Mrs. Pasture’s horse cookies! FYI … Laura confessed (out of ear shot of the other critters) that Kelly is her favorite! Thank you, Dr. Heather and Laura, for doing what you do for all the residents of Steven’s Animal Sanctuary and for giving Miss Kelly the wonderful home and life that she deserves!
Photo above: Kelly with some of her extended family from right to left — Asher (family dog) in front of Dr. Heather, Laura (next to Kelly), Krisana (long-time volunteer) and head shot of Mo (one of the resident 30-year-olds!)
Kelly with her mini donkey friend, Sheldon!
Kelly — posing prettily for a glamor shot!
Kelly is Adopted!
Kelly was the last of the Graham horses to arrive at SAFE, but no less loved. Actually, she quickly cemented herself as a volunteer favorite (we all know size doesn’t matter, but it’s hard not to instantly love the really big and really small ones). It was really her gentle demeanor and kind eyes that drew people to Kelly. She had a sweetness about her that was undeniable. And a patience too — as we battled to find out just what was going on with her itchy legs, she let us salve and spray and bathe her to high heavens, even when it was clear she would really rather not. She was, by all accounts, a very special horse.
It just so happened that the wonderful humans at Stevens Animal Sanctuary were looking for a horse who matched Kelly’s description nearly to a T. You see, they had recently lost their draft resident, and were looking to fill a very large hole in their hearts. Lucky for all parties involved, Kelly was more than ready to move on to her forever home.
The lovely people from Steven’s came out to meet Kelly and found her just as delightful as we did. We made quick plans to get her to greener pastures, literally, as soon as possible, and it was not long before she was loading up into the trailer to make the drive over to the Enumclaw area to her new home.
Because of the nature of their mission, Kelly’s home at Steven’s will be for the rest of her life. She will spend it surrounded by the other diverse residents of the sanctuary – horses, yes, but cows and goats and sheep and other four-legged friends as well. We could not have envisioned a more perfect future for Kelly, surrounded by love and great care from all sides.
You can follow Steven’s Animal Sanctuary for updates on Kelly and the rest of their herd.
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- Welcome home Kelly!
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- Kelly is dropped off at her new home by volunteers, Amy and Jackie
New Friends: Barb & Kelly
Since her stint on stall rest after her houdini moment, Barb has been occupying a one bedroom paddock. If her escapades don’t allude to it, I will tell you directly that Barb is a playful and mischievous creature. If she were written into a novel, the genre would most certainly be adventure, and she would be the main character who trouble cannot help but find. But the one thing currently missing from Barb’s story is a sidekick.
As far as interpersonal relationships go, Barb has not historically been everyone’s cup of tea. She can play a bit rough at times, and does not always know when to call it quits. Her friend Jill – who has since found her forever home – was Barb’s second pea in her pod, but even their close relationship had its ups and downs, requiring stints of separation akin to breaking up a bar fight. Ultimately, Barb is a tough cookie, in every sense of the term – mostly sweet, but liable to break a tooth if you’re not careful.
All this to say, Barb has been overdue for a friend. It has become a kind of Goldilocks scenario at this point, trying to find the perfect place to slot Barb in. This herd already too big, this mare too aggressive. Finding the ‘just right’ is easier said than done.
And then Kelly arrived at SAFE. Sweet Kelly, a gentle giant of a mare who had plenty of experience living in a varied and diverse herd environment. Kelly, who we had no reason to believe would be anything but mellow with mostly anyone we put her out with. Kelly, who we felt could be Barb’s ‘just right.’
Introducing the pair on halter ropes was primarily uneventful. Barb can come in a bit hot, but paired with Kelly’s aloof nature, there was no big drama in their initial interaction. If anything, Kelly just seemed rather bored with Barb, who was practically foaming at the mouth for a chance to have a new buddy. Once we let them loose together, we waited with bated breath to see what would happen. Would Barb drive Kelly crazy, wanting to play? Would Kelly in turn show Barb the underside of one of her dinner-plate hooves? Would both girls make it out alive? (Ok, that last one was dramatic — we weren’t actually thinking along those lines.) But we were pleasantly surprised when.. Well, nothing really happened. Kelly gave Barb the lukewarm shoulder, and Barb quickly fell into her best impression of Kelly’s little shadow, following the bigger mare around at a distance that Kelly OK’d.
It has been a good exercise for Barb, being out with a mare who doesn’t necessarily want to play, but who isn’t going to get either of them into too much trouble. And while Kelly isn’t the most expressive of horses, she doesn’t seem to dislike the company. Since their initial meeting, the pair exist in a nice harmony of tandem walks and the occasional nap together – not too close, not too far. It has been wonderful to watch a new friendship blossom, and to witness two single ladies come together.
Kelly’s Legs
Kelly arrived at SAFE with some significant dermatitis on her legs, with her hind limbs being the most severely affected. She had rubbed patches completely raw from itching, and had developed some sore spots on her fetlocks underneath all those lovely draft horse feathers. We had our vet out to look at her and do an intake exam, where she developed a treatment plan for Kelly that involved daily application of Quadritop on the affected areas around her fetlocks, and Equiderma lotion on the sore areas on her hocks. Weekly, we were to bathe her legs with a special soap the vet gave us.
The results after beginning the treatment were quick. Kelly was visibly less itchy, and her sores began to heal. At a follow-up appointment, our vet agreed she was making good progress. We will continue with the treatment until the dermatitis is completely gone, but it sure feels great to see such a notable difference already!
Getting to Know Kelly
Kelly is a gentle mare and been fairly easy to work with so far. Her biggest trouble has come around picking up and treating her hooves. She was fairly naughty for the first farrier visit last month and we are hopeful with the care and work we have started she is feeling better about letting us help her. Her second farrier visit at SAFE went quite well, and though she is reluctant to lift her hooves very high or very long, she was quite cooperative all things considered. She is currently still slightly off on her front, and we are waiting to see if consistent regular trims and treatment for thrush can help eliminate the soreness or if more investigation is needed into the cause of pain. Right now, most of the Graham horse’s hooves are in such bad shape, it’s hard to know if there is more going on than proper hoof care will clear up. More time is needed to determine, and we will make them available for adoption when we can let perspective adopters know if there are any chronic soundness issues.
