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.