Sundae
1996 brown and white Pony mare
Registered Name: None
Type of Rescue: Animal Control Surrender
Intake Date: 1/5/21
Adoption Date: 1/28/22
Length of Time with SAFE: 1 year
ADOPTED!! by Cheryl
Sundae and three other horses were seized by Animal Control after a 5th horse on the property died due to neglect. The survivors all suffered from overgrown hooves, lice, malnutrition, enormous worm loads, and lack of dental care, causing painful ulcerations in their mouths. Sundae is a brown and white pinto pony with two blue eyes. She is estimated to be 25 years old and when she first arrived at SAFE we didn’t realize she was pregnant! In April 2021 she gave birth to a beautiful, independent foal, Coco. Sundae was an excellent mother and most likely she had been having babies her whole life. After 6 months, Coco was weaned and we started the search for Sundae’s forever home. A place where she can live out a cushy retirement and never need to go through the stresses of motherhood again.
Today
Sundae, now Neapolitan, is living a great retired life with Cheryl and a few horse buddies. Cheryl says she is a pistol and acts like a 4 year old! We are beyond thrilled Neapolitan is living a care free life and over 20 years later she gets to be her 4 year old self again.
Alumni Update: Sundae (Neapolitan)
October 2023
Update from Cheryl: Neapolitan is sooo sweet! She follows me like a kitten, no longer chasing me like a shark!
Sundae is Adopted!
We are over the moon excited for our little momma, Sundae, who officially has her own forever home, where she will only be expected to eat, run and be happy! Gone are the days of her constant motherhood. Sundae, now named Neapolitan, moved to Tacoma in February to live with Cheryl and become friends with her two riding mares. When one goes out for a ride, Sundae will be there to comfort the other!
Miss Sundae arrived at SAFE in January 2021, along with two other ponies and a horse after a 5th horse on the property died due to neglect. Shortly after, we found out the previous owner had 4 more ponies they had kept secret when Animal Control came to seize the first group. Luckily, we still had space available and were able to rescue the entire group who were all suffering from overgrown hooves, lice, malnutrition, enormous worm loads, and lack of dental care, causing painful ulcerations in their mouths. It was incredible to see their individual transformations and all but one still remain at SAFE. A couple months later, we noticed Sundae seemed to be a little rounder than the others and it wasn’t much longer before we announced this spunky 25 year old mare was pregnant!
Because of her age, we were a little worried about the pregnancy, trying not to get our hopes up and also extra concerned for our momma, who had most likely been a mother countless times in her previous situation. To our delighted surprise everything went off without a hitch and on April 21st, 2021 at 10:37PM Coco entered the world! Sundae was a fantastic mother who was a fierce guardian to her newborn, but also didn’t seem to mind too much that Coco was independent from day one. It’s been magical having a baby pony on the farm, watching the two at turn out was the best part of everyone’s day, but now we are happy Sundae gets to have her own plush, easy life. Cheryl has shared videos of Sundae running around her paddock happy as can be and told us Sundae is quite the pistol, who acts like a 4 year old. We absolutely love that this momma is reliving her youth with her new family.
Sundae left on Sunday
But not necessarily forever. Sundae headed to a foster home where she will providing comfort to another
horse and loving family. The family had to make the hard decision to euthanize their companion pony and wanted to have another four legged friend to help their other horse, Lawrence, through the sad transition. We’ve already heard that Lawrence is smitten with Sundae and how could you not with those blue eyes and long flowing mane?
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- Juniper, the cat, comes up to meet Sundae
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- Sundae with the new family
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- Lawrence is smitten, Sundae says where’s dinner
Coco is Weaned
Coco blew out the candles on her 6 month cake at the end of last month, ushering in a new era of her young adulthood. Coco: the baby, is still visible — those high-pitched whinnies and acrobatic feats that come especially easy to young things remain front and center — but there is also Coco: the pony, who has stood to have her feet trimmed and has been haltered to have her mane (no longer just a wisp) brushed. It is becoming increasingly apparent that while Coco will always be our baby, one day soon she will no longer be a baby.
Right around the time of Coco’s 6‑month, Teddi’s Daycare opened its gates to its newest student. It was time for Coco to be weaned.
The process was gradual. On a Tuesday afternoon, Sundae was temporarily relieved of her responsibilities as a mother, which is just a fancy way of saying that we haltered her and let her graze outside of the paddock. Coco was left ‘home alone’ with snacks (a pile of alfalfa) for only about 10 minutes, and still within eyesight of her mother. This experiment with independence went extremely well — when we brought Sundae back, Coco barely lifted her head from her meal. Wednesday we made official introductions between Coco and her neighbors, who had previously only been able to interact through the safety of the fence. Minnie was first up to shake hooves with Coco, and the two broke bread (again, just two piles of alfalfa) without much incident. Minnie showed that she is also still a young creature, performing several floppy displays of dominance in Coco’s general direction, but never with any mal intent. Then, it was Teddi’s turn to meet with Coco.
If you were anticipating anything dramatic, snorts and kicks and stomps, then I’m afraid you will be disappointed. It was a wholly mellow affair — Teddi was drawn immediately in by an unexpected happy hour (that same alfalfa the kids were munching on), and Coco, given free reign of her next door neighbor’s place, was drawn by the thrill of exploration. It was actually quite a few minutes that passed before the two were even properly introduced, and that too was without incident. Coco, who had been accustomed to being a pushy young lady around her mother, was a quick study when it came to taking cues from both Teddi and Minnie — at the slightest tilt of their hindquarters or flattening of their ears, Coco zipped away. The three spent an hour together, and after a fair bit of zooming around their new expanded space (with a highlight being Coco and Minnie using Teddi as a kind of maypole, running circles around her), settled right into what would soon become their herd dynamic.
The next day, Thursday, was when Coco officially flew the coop. Sundae was taken to her child-free paddock, and the panels that once separated Coco from her neighbors were removed. An ubershelter was created, giving all three enough room to comfortably be under cover, and Coco: the weanling, was born.
Since then, the three have settled into an easy routine with each other. They all eat side-by-side like nesting dolls, big to smaller to smallest. Both Minnie and Teddi even allow Coco to scrounge for hay scraps, a true kindness. Coco and Minnie oftentimes kick up their heels together as mother hen Teddi observes from the sidelines, and sightings of Teddi grooming Coco have even been reported. All-in-all, everyone seems quite content with the new living situation, and in the days and weeks to come, we fully expect to see Teddi, Minnie, and Coco grow into a little family.
More than Just a Mom
Sundae continues to be a great mom for her foal, Coco. She remains attentive to Coco but no longer gets panicky when her baby ventures a little distance away, which is good because Coco is pretty independent. She is well behaved for grooming, though exhibits typical pony behavior with the farrier – good at times, but also a bit cheeky. Coco will be weaned at 6 months, and then Sundae will be available for adoption. Sundae is not aggressive or mean, but she can nip and may kick when cornered. For a little horse, she can be bossy toward other horses. At times, Sundae shows soft eyes and seems content, but she is not a pony for beginners. Her ideal adoptive home will be with a horse-savvy family who can enjoy her while keeping good boundaries.
Coco’s First Day Out
Our Newest Addition: Coco!
We have a new horse to introduce. She joined our herd Wednesday, April 21st at 10:37pm. Welcome to the world, Coco!
Sundae delivered her filly quickly and easily without a hitch. Less than two minutes passed between the time her water broke and her foal was born. The filly was on her feet within the next hour and nursing about an hour after that. Coco is a strong little filly, and Sundae is such a good mama. The two greeted each other with nickers and whinnies, and Sundae was gently encouraging as Coco struggled to figure out her long legs and then find her way to the milk dispensers. And it all went perfectly.
We are so relieved that everything went so smoothly, and we can’t wait to share Coco’s journey with you. Special thanks to Melinda C for helping us through another successful pregnancy and birth. It was great to have the old gang back together!!
Sundae Surprise
Sundae was one of a group of seven ponies seized from their owner by Animal Control. Two of the male ponies were stallions, and one was cryptorchid…so naturally we were concerned that some unplanned breeding might have taken place prior to their rescue. As it turns out, we were right to be worried. There’s a baby on the way!
We’re on Foal Watch here at Safe Harbor Stables, because Sundae could be giving birth at any moment. As you can see in these recent photos, our 25 year old pony mare is very very pregnant.
Because we have no idea when the breeding took place, it’s difficult to estimate when Sundae will have her foal. But she’s showing several physical signs that indicate the birth is not far off. We’ve been monitoring the pH levels of her milk, and as of earlier yesterday afternoon, the pH levels have dropped pretty close to the level that indicates a baby is on the way. That said, it could be several more days or even weeks before the foal is born, so we’re keeping a close eye on her through our foaling cam.
We’ve known about this pregnancy for about a month, and we initially hesitated to make a public announcement due to our concern about Sundae’s age and neglect. But we’re fully prepared for the foal’s arrival and we have the best veterinary care standing by to help us if we need them. Sundae will have her foal in a comfortable stall bedded deeply with straw, and with any luck, we’ll have some good news to share with everyone very soon!
The Three Little Horses
Razin, Sundae, and Breve have been doing wonderfully at SAFE. All three have progressed greatly and are learning what it is like to be loved and to have human friends. Their haltering skills are continuously improving, and they even did well for their first farrier appointment! Breve only got two of the four feet done, but it is a great start. We were impressed with how well Sundae and Razin did!
Razin has been an excellent patient for the vet recently. During a recent vet visit we had a blood sample taken to help determine if he was a gelding or not. Surprisingly, the results came back inconclusive! After a second vet visit and an ultrasound, it was determined Razin had NOT been gelded and his testes had not descended. This is a unique condition, making Razin a cryptorchid. This condition can be treated with surgery which is only slightly more invasive than a traditional gelding. Now that we know Razin is not a gelding, he has been separated from the mares. He has a nice little set up right next door to his friends.
Four new faces (or 16 new hooves) at SAFE
On January 5, 2021, we welcomed four new horses to SAFE. These three ponies and one full sized mare had been seized by Animal Control after a 5th horse on the property died due to neglect. The survivors all suffered from overgrown hooves, lice, malnutrition, and lack of dental care, causing painful ulcerations in their mouths. They also have enormous worm loads, which we are treating careful to rid them of while avoiding an overload of toxins to their systems. The four horses seized are:
Valentine, a 16 year old grade mare, who suffered a laceration over her right eye during transport. Our vet was able to stitch the wound cleanly, and Valentine won our hearts right there and then with her kind and calm demeanor during the process. She is a good-sized mare who seems quite gentle, but we can’t tell for sure if she was a riding horses in the past or not. She’s very cute, with a huge blaze and a bright chestnut coat. Getting to know her will be an enjoyable process!
Sundae is a brown and white pinto pony with two blue eyes. She is estimated to be 25 years old. She’s reluctant to be touched, but she’s curious, so it probably won’t be too long before she comes around. Sundae will be offered as a companion. She’s a small pony, standing 11.0hh.
Breve is also a small pony (11.0hh). She’s a lovely chocolate palomino with a pretty blaze and one white foot. She’s estimated to be 4.5 years old, so she may have a future ahead as a riding pony. She’s also pretty shy, a little more so than Breve, but she’s getting accustomed to being caught and handled.
Razin is the smallest of the group at 10hh and he looks very much like a baby, but his teeth show that he’s at least 4 years old. He looks like he might be a cross between a pony and a mini horses. He’s very dark bay with a bleached mane and tail, a star and snip, and two socks on his hinds. Razin is not down with being caught or touched, but he’s already learning to be haltered and led. He’s got a lot of energy. He may be suitable for carrying a small child at some point, but he might do better as a cart pony.
Our new charges are settling in well. We were informed by Animal Control that their old owner had 4 more ponies hidden on his property, including two pony stallions, a pony mare, and a 6 month old. He has surrendered these to Animal Control, so they are likely to be arriving at SAFE by the end of this month.
