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!

Comanche - Formerly "Duke"

Our first Before and After feature is Comanche, a 7 year old Tennessee Walker gelding. When Comanche first came to Horse Haven his name was Duke. He came in with a group of other Tennessee Walkers. These horses were all in various stages of emaciation and had horrible feet. The saddest thing about them was that their former owners were actually riding them while they were this skinny! Comanche was shod on all four feet, but it had been so long since his feet had been trimmed that he had thrown one of the shoes. These weren't good shoes either, they were the wrong size and stuck off the back of his hooves. They had also been put on with roofing nails.

Here's Comanche during his first week at Horse Haven:

Luckily for Comanche, Candice, one of the Horse Haven volunteers, brought her husband with her that morning in February to help with barn chores. As soon as Joe laid eyes on Comanche, it was true love! Candice had just gotten a horse for herself and they were looking for a horse for Joe. Comanche was the perfect height, had a sweet personality and being gaited was a plus for beginner-rider Joe. So Candice and Joe filled out the application, went through the adoption process and took Comanche home.

Comanche on his first day at his new home:

It would be a month or so of lots of grain and hay before Comanche had enough weight on him to start working. Nothing much was known about his history except for that his owners had been riding him and there had been an incident where he was hitched to a cart and took off with the driver, breaking the cart. For a few weeks, ground work was the name of the game. There was lots of lunging, round-penning, grooming and teaching manners. Comanche seemed to enjoy working and had a very eager-to-please attitude and plenty of enthusiasm!

Comanche lunging for the first time:

Finally, after months of groceries and patience, the time came to tack him up and ride for the first time. Fellow volunteer Kelly tried him out first and he did great! His steering was rusty and we knew we needed a new bit, but there was no hesitation, balking, or fear from Comanche! He just wanted to ride!

Kelly and Comanche's first ride:

In fact, Comanche did so well that we all felt safe and comfortable enough to let Joe have his first ride too!

Now Joe and Comanche go trail riding every weekend. Comanche has shed out beautifully and has gained all of his weight back. He's even developing some nice muscle!

Comanche is just one example of an awesome horse adopted from Horse Haven. There are so many more horses just like Comanche, so stay tuned to meet even more of our success stories! And take a peek at www.horsehaven.net, and maybe you'll see your next dream horse!!