Two new equines arrived at SAFE last week, both from Animal Control seizures. Welcome Ezra and Sparky!
Ezra is a very handsome grey 20 year old Arabian gelding. He can be haltered and led but has never been ridden. Ezra is a sweet guy who enjoys the finer things in life…like his haystack/senior mashes and getting those good scratches (beneath his mane is real sweet spot!). He basically has no grinding surface on his teeth, so like our other Arabian beau Cameron, Ezra is on a grain-only diet. He also has Cushing’s, which he is being treated for. He’s pretty thin, and his hooves are in rough shape, but it’s going to be a pleasure watching this regal man blossom.
SAFE’s first miniature donkey, “El Burro Esparkalo,” or Sparky for short, is an 11 year old gelding. He has a body condition score of 9, which is the highest on the scale, so he will be on a diet and exercise regime for the foreseeable future. His hooves are also very overgrown, and a previous founder left him with some significant rotation (11%), so we’ll also be working on getting him back on properly cared for feet. Sparky is a gentle and sweet soul who has captured the hearts of everyone who has met him. The other horses at SAFE are not quite sure about him, and as he is walked around the property, a lot of staring, snorting, and speeding away takes place in the paddocks as he passes. Eventually they will get used to seeing him, but for now, he causes quite a lot of excitement around the farm.
Here is a video of Sparky and Ezra arriving at SAFE:
