The Mafia Boss

What is hairy, sometimes white, bossy and full of fun? It’s Gus Gus!

Gus is one of the silliest characters at the Sanctuary, and we have known him for quite a while. Gus Gus was one of Rhonda’s hoof trimming clients, and has bit her butt many times while she was trimming his hooves. Gus was born a brown and white pinto pony and found a very loving home with his mom where he bossed around her big horses and entertained everyone. He quickly greyed out and is now mostly white. Gussy even learned how to drive and was a very quick study at it.

Unfortunately in early summer of 2019, Gus developed a sensitivity to sugar in the grass, which is very common in ponies. His mom separated him from the other horses so he could be on hay only, but Gus was lonely and unhappy on the dry lot. So she contacted the sanctuary and asked us if he could come live here where he would receive regular hoof care and be on a dry lot while still having friends. Since Gus Gus is one of our favourite clients, we couldn’t say no!

As soon as Gus arrived, he upset the apple cart of life at the sanctuary. He has such a big personality that everyone noticed him right away! He loves to boss the other ponies around and loves to play. We were able to get his feet under control again and he will be living in the dry lot with Echo, Willy and Peanut during the summer. Gus spends most of his time running around and getting into trouble with Frosty and Derby, his partners in crime. Together the three of them are known affectionately as the sanctuary mafia because they are always ganging up on the other ponies.

Gussy is one of the first ponies to the fence to look for attention and will be going with us to the Red Barn this summer to see kids and represent the sanctuary. He is rarely clean, and loves to roll in the dirt. He also loves carrots but won’t touch apples.

And he still tries to bite Rhonda in the butt every time she trims his feet.

A Romance Made in Heaven (Happy Little Hooves)

Once upon a time in a land far away there lived a princess named Peanut. Princess Peanut was well-loved in her kingdom where she ruled with an iron-free hoof. During the warm months, Peanut devoted herself to helping people in need of therapy, and in the winter, she retired to her castle where she spent her days feasting on hay and following her friends around as they carried their humans on adventures.

However, Princess Peanut had one problem. Her feet had been cursed by an evil witch named laminitis. Because of the curse, Peanut could not eat green grass without hurting herself. Her subjects did their best to care for the princess, making sure she had plenty of hay during her time as a therapy helper. As long as she only ate hay, her feet felt good.

Then one day, Princess Peanut found out that the therapy place was closing and she wouldn’t be able to stay there in the summer any more. Her subjects in her kingdom didn’t have a place for her where she didn’t have grass to eat, and her feet began to get sore. But since her people loved her so much, they searched high and low and found a wonderful place where Princess Peanut could go where she would be grass-free and still loved and cared for – the Happy Little Hooves Pony and Donkey Sanctuary.

Princess Peanut climbed into her carriage, and after a tearful goodbye, she left her kingdom for her new home. On the way, the carriage stopped at another kingdom, and the door opened. There before her was the most handsome man she had ever seen with long black hair blowing in the wind and brown eyes that were deep enough for her to get lost in.

He whinnied hello and introduced himself as Sir William, Knight of the Lands of Arcola, also known to his adoring followers as Willy the Welsh. Princess Peanut was instantly smitten by this tall, dark, handsome knight, and they began to talk as the carriage carried them onward. She was saddened to hear that Willy suffered from the same foot curse as she did, but at the same time, she thanked her lucky stars that he was heading for the same place as she was.

The Princess and the Knight stepped out of the carriage together in their new home and were inseparable. And they lived happily ever after.

Okay, okay … Peanut is our wonderful little appaloosa miniature mare who arrived on the same day as Willy, our welsh/quarter horse cross gelding. In spite of their size difference, Willy and Peanut became best friends and love to hang out together whenever possible. Both came from very good homes, but due to their hoof issues, they came to the sanctuary where they can be kept off grass and have very frequent hoof trims. They are our much-loved odd couple!

Half Donkey, Half Horse, All Attitude

I have 63 chromosomes, a horse’s tail, a donkey’s body, and ears somewhere in between. What am I?

If you guessed “Mule,” you’d be right! Mules are a very unique combination of a donkey and a horse. Technically, they are known as mules if the father is the donkey and hinnies if the father is the horse. These wonderful animals are some of the strongest and smartest creatures on the planet.

We have one mule here at the sanctuary, and he joined us in April of 2019. Derby Doo is a mini-mule, which means that both his parents were likely miniatures. He is small but full of attitude and excitement. At only 4 years old, he loves to play and annoy his herd mates.

Derby had a checkered past in his short life so far. We don’t know where he started out, but he was purchased at an auction where he had been drugged to appear more docile. Once the drugs wore off, he couldn’t be caught and was very scared of humans. He was sold to a nice family to be a herd mate for a horse, but his fear issues were getting the better of him. It was obvious to his new owner that he had been abused in the past. She wasn’t able to keep him, but didn’t want him being passed around and ending up at auction again, so she contacted the sanctuary.

Derby is a sweet little guy and loves attention as long as you don’t have a halter in your hand. We are slowly working with him on being handled and realizing that people aren’t going to hurt him. He is especially afraid of men, but has made major progress as he actually came up to a man during our summer open house last year and let him pet him! Derby also was terrified to have his feet handled, but with Rhonda’s special blend of patience and a gentle spirit, he has gotten comfortable with hoof trimming. As Derby has settled in to life at the sanctuary, his playful personality has really come out. He can always be found making trouble with his friends. His best pals are Frosty and Gus Gus, and we call them the three musketeers (or the mafia depending on the day).

Donkeys and mules are some of the most abused and neglected animals in the world, sadly. They are thought of as stubborn and stupid. This could not be further from the truth. Mules, like their donkey counterparts, are self-preservationists. They won’t do anything they think is dangerous. They also like to consider a situation before deciding what to do about it. As humans, we need to accept this and learn to work with the long-eared cousins of the horse instead of fighting with them. They are incredibly intelligent and extremely loyal to people who are kind to them.

Derby is one of the most entertaining additions to the sanctuary, and we look forward to seeing his personality continue to grow as we work with him and teach him to trust people again. We are so glad that his mom decided to call the sanctuary so he could have a forever home where he will not ever find himself at auction again.

Happy World Donkey Week!

Happy World Donkey Week! This is a week to celebrate the beautiful longeared creatures in our lives. May 8 is officially World Donkey Day, so make sure you hug an ass if you have one!

In celebration of World Donkey Week, I decided to share some fun donkey trivia with you.

DID YOU KNOW …

·         Donkeys were domesticated around 6000 years ago.

·         A female donkey is called a jennet, and a male donkey is called a jack.

·         A cross between a male donkey and a female horse is called a mule. A cross between a female donkey and a male horse is a hinny.

·         Donkeys have 62 chromosomes. Horses have 64. Mules, due to the cross-breeding, only have 63, which is why they are sterile in all but a very few cases.

·         In the wild, a donkey’s bray can be heard by other donkeys over a mile away.

·         The oldest donkey on record was named Flower, and she was over 70 years old when she died. Donkeys often live into their 30s and 40s if they are properly cared for.

·         The world’s oldest mule was named Tootsie and lived to the age of 56.

·         Donkeys are incredibly intelligent animals who learn quickly, but get bored of repetition easily. Donkeys need to be trained differently than horses for this reason.

·         Donkeys developed their long ears because they were originally desert animals. The size of their ears help both with hearing and with keeping the animal cooler. Their white points (nose, belly, etc.) also help with cooling.

·         Although there are different breeds of donkeys in Europe and Asia, most North American donkeys are divided into groups by size, not breed. Miniature donkeys are 36” or less at the shoulder. Standard donkeys are 36” – 54” tall. Mammoth Jackstock, the largest North American donkeys, are over 54” in height for females and 56” for males.

·         A donkey with spots is not called a Paint or a Pinto like a horse. They are known as “Spotted Donkeys.”

·         Donkeys are NOT stubborn! They are self-preservationists, and will not put themselves into danger, which is why they are thought to be stubborn. Often we have to show the donkey that it is safe to go into a place by doing it ourselves first.

·         Donkeys are the lifeblood of families in third world countries where they are used to carry water, food, and other materials as well as carrying people. Associations like The Donkey Sanctuary work with local people to teach them proper care of their donkeys and provide medical assistance.

·         The Asiatic Wild Ass can run up to 43 mph!

·         Being desert animals, donkeys can go up to three days without water, but they should always be provided with clean water to drink to keep them safe.

I hope you have enjoyed some fun donkey facts! These gentle, sweet creatures deserve to be honoured. Happy World Donkey Week!

A Fresh Start

A fresh start. Sometimes no matter how old you are, that’s just what you need.

At the tender young age of twenty-three, three ponies came into our care, and with their fresh start, we decided they needed new names. Growing up in the 80’s meant we had watched a lot of Mr. Dress-up as kids, so it was an easy choice for the two larger ponies. We decided to call them Casey and Finnegan (if you grew up in the 80’s too, you’ll know what that means). But we couldn’t decide on the perfect name for the smallest pony. We needed to get to know his personality first. Within a couple days though, a new name stuck. Otis.

When the three boys arrived at the farm, Finnegan was the only one in good condition. His feet were in poor shape, but otherwise he was relatively healthy, even a little on the overweight side. His only big issue is a persistent cough, which we will be treating him for. Finn is the friendliest of the group and the easiest to catch.

Casey, the tallest of the three, was looking pretty rough. He had been losing patches of hair and was a bit underweight. His feet were in very poor condition, and his coat was lacklustre. It was obvious that he had been scratching a lot, but he was generally losing hair all over in patches, not normal spring shedding behaviour. Anticipating something like lice, we quarantined the boys until the vet could take a look at them. Her assessment was that Casey’s issues were caused by malnourishment, anemia, and likely a heavy worm load, so he was put on antibiotics, hemostam for iron, and a deworming protocol. Casey was quite shy, but has been quick to warm up to us, especially to Amber.

Otis, the smallest, was in the worst shape of the three. He was very thin with ribs, backbone and hipbones protruding even under his winter hair. His hair was dry and rough-looking, and he was incredibly shy. His feet were also in very poor shape. The vet again though malnourishment, anemia and worms were the likely culprits affecting him. We also want to get his teeth done once he is more comfortable with handling. He is still very shy, but doesn’t run away when we come out to the pen now, and he even came up to Amber of his own accord recently. With proper feed, he has been putting weight back on, but that is a slow process as we want to make sure he doesn’t founder.

Taking in animals in rough condition requires a great deal of work and dedication, but we are very grateful to have been there to help these three boys. Casey and Finnegan are loving all the attention, and we are happy to say that Casey is no longer losing hair, but growing it in along with a much healthier coat. Otis has been slowly gaining weight, but still needs a lot of groceries. Otis is very slowly starting to trust us, but it will require a lot more work gentling him. We know he (and the other two) are broke to drive, so at one point, he wasn’t as scared as he is now. But we are willing to take all the time they need. It has been wonderful seeing his confidence slowly begin to blossom, and he now is looking out at the world with curiosity instead of having a very internal look in his eyes.

The day they arrived.

Two days later.

A fresh start has begun for these three sweet old gentlemen, and we look forward to many more years in their company.

Just Geld It

“Three mini horses for sale. Cheap. Stallions.”

“I’m having trouble with my mini. He’s rearing and biting. He’s not gelded.”

“Free to a good home. Pony stallion. He’s causing trouble with my other horses.”

“Can you take in any more stallions? I’ve got a couple that I need to get rid of and I can’t seem to sell them.”

Have you seen the above statements in ads or comments on Facebook? I see them all the time, and the harsh reality is that these little guys are hard to sell and rarely go to a good home. In the first month of Sanctuary operation, we took in two intact males and were offered three or four more if we had room for them.

The fact of the matter is that miniature horse and pony stallions are just that. Stallions. And stallions need to be handled differently, or they will develop behavioural issues. Stallions come full of testosterone and they know they are intact males on a mission. Just because they are small and cute doesn’t mean they aren’t stallions, with all the accompanying issues. Imagine putting horse-sized testosterone into a 30 – 40” tall body!

Many people don’t geld their minis because they think they are too small to breed the big mares, so why put out the cost of gelding. (News Flash! A mini stallion can still breed a big mare – they are experts at batting their eyelashes and getting the mares to lay down for them!) But effective stallion management requires that they be kept separate from the mares (and often geldings as well, depending on how aggressive the stallion is), that they be trained to control their hormones and that they not be allowed to develop bad habits that quickly move from just bad to dangerous.

Please, if you are not a professional breeder of miniature horses and ponies, GELD YOUR BOYS!

The only reason to keep a male horse intact is for the purpose of breeding, and with the market flooded with unwanted miniatures, there is really no reason to have a breeding stallion unless you are a professional with good bloodlines or are trying to preserve a rare breed. The backyard pet does not need to keep his balls.

Trust me, they will be far easier to sell if you geld them. You will have less behavioural issues if you geld them. You will be able to keep them with other animals without worrying about them injuring the other animals if you geld them. They will be less bitey and will rear less if you geld them.

We have had two stallions on our property since February, and believe me, the testosterone was thick enough to cut with a knife. Rocky and Pinky had to be separated from each other and the other horses. We had to be constantly vigilant when in their enclosures because they could go from sweet and cuddly to testosterone monsters in mere seconds. Stallions are aggressive by nature because that is how they survive in the wild. Just because they are small does not mean they don’t have that instinct. At the Sanctuary for the last couple months, all it took was a call from Pinky across the yard to set Rocky to running around his pen, kicking. Pinky is young, but he has already started trying to take his sexual frustration out on the goats. And heaven forbid a mare should walk by! A rearing mini is only cute until you take a hoof somewhere.

Because we know how to read their body language and provide necessary discipline as well as location management, it has not been a problem having these little guys at the Sanctuary. However, we scheduled their gelding as soon as possible, and were looking forward to the much more peaceful life that would come after gelding. Once they are gelded, they can be slowly introduced to each other and to other friends, so their life will no longer be solitary, and we will be able to include them in the fun activities at our open house days and petting zoos.

The boys were gelded over the Easter weekend by Dr. Carman Langevin, our Sanctuary vet, and already we have noticed a difference. They still have to stay separated for ten days as they can breed during this time, but after the ten days is up, we will be starting the process of introducing them to each other.

If you take nothing else away from this blog post, please take away this important message: Geld your boys. You will find geldings to be much more fun to have around your farm, and if you ever are in a situation that requires you to sell one of them, you will find far more people interested in buying your baby and giving him a good home. For his sake and yours, he does not need his balls.

The Littlest Herd Boss

Making the decision to give an animal to a sanctuary can be a very hard one. Sometimes it is because you want them to have a safe home after a loss, sometimes you have to move and can’t take them with you, sometimes they have behavioural issues that you can’t handle on your own, and sometimes they need more specialized care than you know you are able to provide. Understanding what you can handle on your own and being willing to put the animal’s welfare above anything else is a vital part of owning animals. They put their trust in us, and we owe it to them to provide them the best possible care.

I first met Pancakes in the early part of 2019 when his owner called me to see if I could come trim the feet on her minis. It is not easy to find a farrier willing to trim mini horses, and especially foundered minis. My love of minis has led me in that direction, though, instead of away from it.

Pancakes was a sweetheart from the very beginning. His feet were sore, but he still tried his hardest to stand well for his trim. His owner put him on a frequent schedule so we could fix his feet, and we made great progress.

So when it came time to sell her minis, she contacted us first to ask if we would be willing to take Pancakes to the sanctuary where he could be cared for and his foot rehabilitation could continue. I jumped at the chance, since Pancakes was one of my favourite little clients (I know, I know … I say that about all of them …)

When Pancakes (or Caker, as we like to call him) first arrived, he was afraid to jump out of the trailer. He is our smallest mini at only 32” at the withers, and the others were somewhat intimidating. Horton is about the same size as him, but otherwise, the others are all larger. We put him in with his new friends, and there was some fighting. But before long, Pancakes, the smallest mini in the herd, was the boss. He walks into the herd, and everyone scatters, and they are very careful of his back end. He knows how to use it!

Caker is 32” full of attitude!

His best friend quickly became Pokie, mainly because Pokie refused to quit following him around and wasn’t scared of him. Their favourite activity is mutual grooming. Pancakes also loves to go over to the fence by the horse pen and hang around with Rainy, our 16 hand pinto horse. Rainy reaches over the fence to groom Caker’s shoulders, and Caker reaches through the fence to groom Rainy’s knee (which is about as high as he can reach).

Given his foundered feet, his owner made a wonderful choice for Pancake’s health. He is now able to lope around the pasture and has frequent trims to keep his feet healthy. He is also on supplements to help him put on a little weight and keep his feet and joints healthy. He is a wonderful addition to the pasture, and we love his deep whinny that comes from the big horse within, not the tiny horse on the outside.

Helping Lacey Grieve

“Grief can be a terrible weight for any creature to endure, and at the same time, it telegraphs to the world the power of a love once shared.” – Barbara J. King, author of How Animals Grieve

I am a firm believer that animals feel strong connections and feel grief when they lose a loved one. I’ve seen it enough times to know it is true. That is why I felt such a strong connection to Lacey and wanted to help her right away.

Lacey, the seventeen year old miniature horse, had lived for the last four years with her donkey friend, Bert. When Bert died suddenly, Lacey’s parents contacted the Sanctuary and asked if we would help. Lacey was alone, and they were worried that she would be lonely and grieving. We knew right away that we needed to help her.

We picked Lacey up and introduced her to the other sanctuary animals the same day. She was interested in the other minis, but immediately was drawn to the donkeys. Lacey needed donkey friends, and the sanctuary was the perfect place for her to find them. Puddy, our chocolate standard donkey, took a special liking to her and the two of them are never far apart now.

Lacey went through a grieving process that included going and standing by herself a lot. Puddy was such a sweet donkey, going to check on her regularly and stand with her. After about a week, Lacey began to come out of her grief and interact more with the other animals, although Puddy is still her favourite. We monitored her closely to make sure she was still eating, and we spent a lot of time with her too, just sitting with her and petting her.

We are so happy that Lacey is one of our lovely ladies now. She has a sweet personality and loves kisses. She not only gets a lot of them, but she also gives kisses too. She will wiggle her lips on your cheek to kiss you back. She is a gentle soul, but has her own brand of pony attitude. She likes to be a bit bossy with the other ponies, but watches herself around Pancakes because he won’t let her push him around. But 90% of her time is spent with “her donkeys” as we call them now. She just loves the longears. They can even get her playing sometimes, although she isn’t overly keen on playing rough with the boys.

Lacey loves her special supplements that she gets and likes to hang out with Echo when the donkey boys get too boisterous. She can often be seen sunning herself in the pasture and likes to lay flat out in the hay with Echo. We are so happy we were there to help Lacey get through her grief and return to being a happy little lady.

The Welcome Wagon

“Oh my god, they have ponies!”

As I began my hoof trimming career, I heard stories about how difficult it was to trim hooves on miniature horses and ponies, how they had tons of attitude, were hard on the back and liked to bite. So I was understandably a bit wary when I trimmed my first pony. By the end of the first hoof, I was in love. Sure, I have been bit by ponies and they can be a little hard on the back, but I adore them.

One of the first things you’ll hear me say when I pull up to a new client’s place and see Littles there is the line above. So it was only natural that I would end up with a mini of my own before long.

I had already started to specialize in helping foundered minis and ponies by the time I attended a hoof trimming clinic in early 2018. At the clinic, I was able to trim a beautiful little mini mare with founder issues. After I was done, I was approached by another clinic participant who asked me if I would be interested in doing a case study on a foundered mini. A friend of hers was trying to find a home for her little gelding with bad feet, and if I wanted him, I could have him for free.

That was how I met Poker, our little blond boy. Of course, I loved him from the moment I saw him. He hadn’t trotted in at least two years and was very slow on his feet but was the sweetest little guy I had ever met. He loved attention and snuggles.

It took a couple months of trimming on a two-week schedule before we got the chance to see him trotting around the pasture and playing with his donkey buddies. A couple months after that, he loped for the first time in years.

But Pokey did something else, too, by coming to the farm. He opened up our hearts to minis. Prior to Pokey, we had planned on starting a donkey sanctuary. With Pokey, we decided that minis and ponies needed us too.

Pokey is a genuinely special guy. When we brought home Echo, Pokey was the first one to greet her and accept her (and fall in love with her). When Lacey arrived, Pokey welcomed her and made her feel like part of the herd. And when Pancakes arrived, Pokey was the one who never gave up on becoming his friend even when he was overwhelmed and kicking at everyone. Now he and Pokey are attached, groom each other and are rarely apart. Pokey is the Sanctuary Welcomer now. He just loves all the new minis and ponies that arrive and makes them feel like they belong.

If you come to visit the sanctuary, I can guarantee that Poker will be one of the first ponies to come to the fence to meet you and introduce you to his friends!

You Can't Have Just One

Donkeys are like potato chips. You can’t have just one … or two … or three …

About three months after we added Horton to our donkey family, we received a message from his previous owner. She had seen all our pictures of Horton and how much time we spent with the donkeys and wanted to know if we would be interested in taking in one more. It wasn’t a hard decision this time. Donkeys bond extremely closely with each other, and since Jackie and Puddy were already very closely bonded, we were worrying about Horton not having his own donkey friend.

That was how me met Mama Donkey, who we renamed Mrs. Henrietta Donkey. Henrietta (or Henny the Jenny as we like to call her) was rescued from a neglect situation where she had been a brood jennet but had not been handled much. She had one foot that was extremely long, making it difficult to walk, and she was very shy. When her new owner saw how much time we spent with the donkeys, she thought it would be the perfect place for Henny where she could receive more attention and learn to trust people.

We picked Henny up in early February 2013 and brought her home where she was immediately accepted by the boy donkeys. They followed her everywhere, annoying her. But, just as we had hoped, she and Horton bonded quickly. The two are never far apart now.

We began to slowly work on getting close to Henny and showing her that we weren’t going to hurt her. This was before I started trimming hooves, so we called on our farrier at the time to come and help with her foot. What he discovered was that she had severe white line disease in that foot. White line disease is a fungal infection that eats away the connection between the hoof wall and the inner structures. To solve the problem, he did a “hoof resection.” Basically, he cut away all the infected hoof wall to expose it to the air and kill the fungus. Following the resection, we were supposed to soak her foot regularly to help make sure the fungus was killed.

That was good in theory. In reality, once Henny’s foot wasn’t extra-long any more, we couldn’t catch her! She ran and played and wouldn’t let us near her. Thankfully, her foot was fine without the soaking, and when the wall grew back, it was healthy.

Henny has been a real challenge when it comes to gaining her trust. We don’t know how old she is, but we are assuming late twenties or early thirties. That is a lot of years of mistrust to overcome. Slowly, Henny has come to love bum scratches and now lets us halter her without much trouble. She likes to stand near us, but doesn’t necessarily like to be touched much. We continue to give her lots of attention and hope that she will eventually overcome her fears.

Henny is a sweet girl and is very healthy for her age. Her favourite thing in the world is her buddy, Horton. Henny has the loudest bray on the farm, even louder than Jackie, who is twice her size. She loves to greet my dad as soon as he comes home from work with a loud bray in hopes he will bring her some more hay. She also loves carrots and apples! Stay tuned for more updates on Henny as we continue to work with her and help her gain trust.