Before and After Monday - Kip!

Kip came in from a rescue case in which there were 10 horses and 3 owners. One of the horses had to be put down because of starvation and other problems coming from that sort of situation. Horse Haven knew Kip had been ridden previously because according to the owner he was the best riding horse ever. Only one horse of the group had a good weight. Kip was very underweight.

Here is Kip when he was first brought to Horse Haven:

Kip struggled to stay alive. There were many days at the barn that the volunteers would come in and find him laying down, refusing to get up. Horse Haven came so close to making "that call" many times, but every time Kip would find the will to live and bounce back. After the many trials Kip went through when his owner surrendered him and he came to HHT, Kip was also found to have navicular disease and cannot ever be ridden. Pasture pets are hard to adopt out and Kip's future looked bleak.

One of Horse Haven's board members decided to foster a horse as a companion for her horse. This is Kip when he first came to his new home almost a year ago. Look how sad his eyes are and the way he stands.

A couple of months later in September, look how shiny his coat was! After much thought about Kip's future, he was adopted by the foster home.

Kip receives acupuncture every 6 weeks. He had a little problem with acting sore for a couple of weeks, so his vet and farrier decided to put shoes with wedges to keep his heel elevated. Kip is running around again and is not acting sore.

This is with his pasture mate, Mandy. She cannot be ridden either and enjoys quite a good retirement with Kip.

Here is a picture of Kip receiving his acupuncture treatment. Think he enjoys it?

Kip is a shining example of a horse that almost didn't make it, but because of Horse Haven and its caring volunteers and supporters he got a second chance. Horse Haven has no shortage of horses in need of someone to show them that not all humans are abusive and that they too can have a great, happy, satisfying life!