Meet Mahina (pronounced muh-hee-na), which means “moon” in Hawaiian. She’s a striking mare with exceptionally long legs, almost jet black in color, adorned with a white star, two matching white ankle socks on her hind legs, and a white front right pastern. Based on the photos of her teeth, she appears to be under ten years old, possibly between 7–8 years.
Mahina is quite the fancy mover and loves to stay active. If we put a Fitbit on her, she’d probably have the highest step count of any horse on the property!
Mahina came to us from a large animal seizure in Mason County, where over sixty dogs were living in different pens with two to three females and one intact male each. All the dogs were in poor condition, with body scores ranging from 1–2. Tragically, there were two dead horses on the property, along with the remains of several others. Mahina was the only surviving horse, and she was barely clinging to life.
Since her intake in April, a dedicated foster from the Humane Society of Mason County has been caring for her. This volunteer did a tremendous job refeeding her, and as Mahina grew healthier and stronger, her energy levels soared. Initially, she allowed some handling, but as she regained her strength, she became more challenging to touch. The Humane Society of Mason County reached out to SAFE for assistance in helping Mahina become more comfortable with people.
Fortunately, we were able to open a spot in our herd and bring Mahina into our program. At SAFE, we can offer her the best care and nutrition, while also helping her find purpose and value in the world. Through our education program, she will learn all the basics needed to be a good equine citizen, but most importantly, she will find the trust in humans that she needs to thrive.
We are honored to have the opportunity to help Mahina on her journey and look forward to seeing her transform in our program.
