In The Rough

01/16/2022

10/13/2021

In case anyone is struggling with veterinary costs for their own horse, or is looking to help save one, please check this out!

Contact Colorado Horse Rescue Network for more details. And please share!

10/04/2021

I know we have been quiet here lately. Busy times!

But here is a quick update of Barney. For those who don't know, Barney is with us for training from Colorado Horse Rescue Network. He is 7 years old, and comes with some serious mental issues that will take some extended rehab. BUT! Physically, he is a completely different horse! So proud of his progress. His coat is so thick and soft now, and he looks like a proper horse again! He was so thin before 😕 But he bulked up and turned out to be pretty sticky (as I thought he would be!).

And though he is a longer-term work in progress, he is still coming along. He is still learning to trust, but he is exceptionally smart and willing. He will get there 😊 and he is still so young.

Today, he learned how to wear a blanket, because, well...WINTER IS COMING! Lol but he acted like he has work one his whole life. He was so calm. Super proud of him! ❤️

I will keep posting updates as I can. With daylight reduced and working more hours, our training time has suffered, but he doesn't backslide between sessions. He will be one to watch, for sure! He will be available for adoption after he completed his training, in case anyone is interested.

08/13/2021

This is so true! 🤣 Anyone else fit any of these? 😆

08/05/2021

Wow! I honestly don't have the words to express how proud I am of this guy! He has really turned a corner lately, and I really think I can day that he is no longer dangerous 😀

His feet and legs have been his biggest issue from the start. He had to be double sedated to get his feet trimmed before, and had such severe reactions to his legs just being touched b

Today, he let both Vicky and myself pick BOTH of his front feet, without any issue! This is such a huge step for him, and a tremendous sign of trust on his part.

We are still working on those back legs, but he will get there.

He has also graduated to not having to wear the halter 24/7 so he could be easily caught! He can now only get haltered to be worked with. And I have desensitized him to the lead rope being thrown over his neck and body, so we can just throw it over his neck and get the halter on. This is also a BIG step for him! We can walk right up to him and pet him almost everywhere without a halter, too.

He is doing so well, and almost surpassing my expectations. But it is just further evidence of how making an effort to build trust at the beginning can help with everything down the line.

08/03/2021

Oh Barney...

When you first came to us, you were a terrified, dangerous shell of a horse. And today, you let someone brush your tail, and LIKED it! 😀

Thank you so much to Vicky, who took a chance and went in to brush his tail. Until now, he has put much of his faith and trust in just me, and still been wary of other people. But Vicky is finally starting to break down that barrier. He needs to realize that other people are nice, too!

All it takes is some kind ess and trust, and horses that seem like lost causes can really turn around. Even if they are "dangerous", they usually have a good reason for being that way. We try to use as much information about horse behavior and psychology as we can, to change their patterns of thought into something more positive.

With Barney, when he got afraid, he would throw a tantrum - backing and rearing. It is an avoidance tactic that has obviously worked on people before. We needed to correct this behavior so that instead of instantly moving into a defensive state, he took a second to think about the situation and give it a try. The more he realizes that we aren't hurting him, the more he tried and trusts.

I am so proud of the progress he has made! I think he will turn out to be a great horse. Just needs more time.

08/02/2021

Came across this today, and just wanted to encourage everyone to do their part! Get your horses vaccinated if possible, and if not, you must have a rigorous mosquito prevention program, as they are the primary carriers.

Let's all do our part to keep our horses healthy!

https://www.thefencepost.com/news/state-vet-confirms-first-equine-west-nile-virus-case-of-2021/

BROOMFIELD, Colo. — A horse residing in Weld County has been diagnosed with West Nile Virus, marking Colorado’s first confirmed equine WNV case in 2021. The horse, which had not been vaccinated against WNV, developed…

08/02/2021

Here is a bit of what we are dealing with Barney. And this is an improvement compared to when we met him at the rescue, because this would have elicited a kick from him.

But we have spent a lot of time so far building trust and confidence. He has made tremendous strides in the trust department; still working on the confidence. He is at the bottom of the pecking order if horses at the moment.

We are working on just touching him everywhere. When you get near his flanks and back knees, this is the response. It obviously really irritated him, but I think now he is at least trying not to kick. I touched him with my hands, too, and he had the same reaction. But no kicking! Which is progress!

He is just going to be a longer term mental rehab case. It's really obvious that he hasn't had a good life until now. But hopefully we can change his future for him!

07/31/2021

Mr. Barney had an AMAZING day today!

First, he somehow wound up outside of his paddock, and into the pasture with the rest of the horses. Not a huge deal, but I am still working on gaining his trust and catching him easily, so I was a bit worried. But when I drove up, him and his best friend Brego came right up and got pets! I was easily able to lead him right back to his paddock for dinner! So incredibly proud of har far his trust has come b

And, even better...HE GOT A BATH!! 😀 Poor guy has had it rough before he got to the rescue. Malnutrition, lice, probably some fungal stuff. His skin and coat are in bad shape. He gets great nutrition now, so that will help from the inside out, but I can't even imagine how itchy he must have been. He has bee sloughing off tons of skin and coat. So I wanted to give him a bath with some good therapeutic soap. He tolerated it amazingly well! Way better than I expected.

He has already proven to be super smart, but I think he will turn out really sweet, too. Keep an eye on this boy! ❤️

07/27/2021

Every once in a while, a horse in training will have a huge breakthrough suddenly.

Barney had one today.

He came to us terrified of people, with some pretty bad learned habits he used to escape fearful situations, instead of staying in the moment and working through it.

He was scared of being touched in many places, scared of being brushed (mostly because grooming tools were new to him, and they make noise). Scared of being caught.

Today, he came up to me to be caught, and just let me grab his halter. He came out and enjoyed some horse popsicles with the other horses, and had some mutual grooming time with Toro.

And when I brought out the curry, I let him sniff it, and then he proceeded to enjoy every minute of his grooming! He even had spots that felt extra good (super itchy!), so he would line himself up with me so I would brush that certain spot. His poor coat is in horrible shape after being starved and heavily infested with lice. So a lot of that dead coat and skin are sloughing off to make way for new, healthy growth.

But there was no fear. No worry. Just a horse figuring out that being around people can actually be a good, positive experience. I am so incredibly proud of this guy, and can't wait for his next major success.

07/27/2021

If horse popsicles aren't in your horse's life this summer, they should be! 😆 They are a HUGE hit around here, and super easy to make! Water, molasses, oats/grain, and carrots/apples/whatever. Our horses say they are definitely worth slurping!

07/10/2021

Today we welcome Barnabas to the In The Rough Program! Formerly known as Parker, Barnabas came to us from Colorado Horse Rescue Network, and is a more difficult case.

He was found at an auction, very thin, and scooped up by CHRN. Being only 7 years old, he is still pretty young.

He is quite terrified of people, and especially of having his legs touched at all. He blows up and will kick to maim. It is sad, and makes us wonder how a horse can get to this point.

From our limited interactions, he seems willing and wants to try, but that just gets overcome by fear. Hopefully our kindness and work with trust building will help him become a great addition to a loving family in the future.

Stay tuned for updates. I think he is going to be great!

06/14/2021

We had an amazing training session with Koja yesterday! She is doing so well, and will be an incredible partner for someone!

When I first got her, I was told that she was used as a broodmare most of her life and hadn't been broke to ride get. Because of this and her age (early twenties), her chances of being adopted from the rescue were much lower than other horses.

However, as our relationship progressed, I found out that she doesn't mind having kids or adults on her back. At all. No cares or stress about it. So it seems like she has been broke to ride at some point.

Her steering and riding cues are extremely rusty, but we can get that fixed fairly easily, then she will be ready for adoption!

I am so proud of her, and how far she has progressed since day 1. She has definitely won our hearts - she is so sweet and personable.

Keep an eye on this one - she is going to be great!

(And don't mind Toro in the background lol he is a professional photo-bomber 😆 He LOVES Koja, and insists on being involved in her training too. He was my first rescue training project, but I like him so much I kept him 😊 He makes a great companion to all of the other rescue projects I take on).

05/27/2021

Koja had a great training day yesterday! This sweet girl acted like she had worn a saddle her whole life! I am so proud of her ❤️

When I first got her from the rescue, I was told that she wasn't broke to ride, and had been used as a broodmare her whole life. But she took the saddle like a pro! It is possible that she did receive some training at some point, but that is the thing with rescue horses - there is never a guarantee! Frequently, their entire history isn't known, and the older they are, the more that history seems to get lost.

She still has some things to work through, but she is so fun to work with, and will make a great addition to someone's family eventually!

Stay tuned for more updates as this girl comes along!

05/26/2021

This ol' gal is looking pretty good for her age! She is almost completely shed out, and is doing great! Hopefully we can get back to her training soon!

05/12/2021

Well, Miss Koja got her feet trimmed today! So did Quennie 😊 Quennie is an old pro, and has no issue with the farrier. Quennie is in the picture.

Koja did pretty well too...she was antsy more than anything. Like " I don't wanna stand here any more!" Lol but she wasn't fearful. I was pretty proud of her, actually! Last time a farrier trimmed her hooves was right after I got her, and she was sedated (for her teeth, but we just did her feet too).

04/25/2021

I really have to share this.

I have had Quennie for almost a year. She is an off the track pacer, who raced when she was very young, retired early, then left sitting at an overloaded "rescue", until she found herself at Safe Landing.

When I first met her, she was anxious, shy, and lacked trust and confidence. She was generally well behaved, but had such severe anxiety when taken away from her decade-long pasture mate, that it was difficult to manage her.

Now, after spending lots of time with her, building trust, working on her confidence, letting her show her personality, she is turning into such an amazing girl.

Recently, I met Becca. She wanted to help me with the rescues in my care, and she was immediately drawn to Quennie. They bonded quickly, and Quennie, who has trouble trusting people, took to her right away. It is almost a match made in heaven! Quennie still has some things to work on, but Becca is amazing with her, and plans to continue working with her (and might possibly adopt her in the future! 🤞🤞).

Yesterday, Becca brought her daughter Paislee out to the barn to meet Quennie, and Quennie was so good with her! Like she knew she was carrying precious cargo ❤️ Horses can be amazingly intuitive and sensitive, and Quennie is a great example of this.

My biggest wish for Quennie is that she finds the right person for her. One that she trusts and respects, and that treats her well. She is an incredibly smart, sensitive horse with tons of potential. But, like many of us and other rescue horses, she has a couple of issues she is still working through. But with Becca's help, I know she can become her best self! (And maybe, if we are all lucky, Becca will decide to adopt her 😜)

04/19/2021

In The Rough has been created to do everything we can to help rescue horses. There are many horse rescues in the area, but many of them don't have enough manpower to train and rehab all of the horses they take in. Our goal at the moment is to provide assistance and support to local horse rescues by taking in horses, training them, and getting them adopted out. The hope is to make this an official 501(c)(3) in the future, but we are just getting started.

To help us pay for supplies for the horses in our care, we will accept donations of anything horse-related. Even if you have blankets that are ripped, faded, or filthy, we will take them! Every little bit helps!

03/10/2021

Sometimes, a horse just calls to our hearts, and it is nearly impossible to resist the urge to help. Everyone meet Jasmine! She was saved from a Texas kill pen by my friend and neighbor. She has gone through one quarantine, and is now is a secondary one at a local rescue ran by my good friend. Soon she will be able to go home, and her journey towards recovery will continue. She looks loads better just getting all of those cockle burrs out of her mane and tail! Poor thing 😕

This mare is still fairly young, around 10 years old. But she has a kind eye. She can still have a long, productive life if given the chance. Her life didn't have to end at a slaughterhouse at such a young age. Horses like her are the reason that I do what I do. Sometimes there isn't much sense to it. Horses are my passion, and have been my whole life. I like to say that it is in my blood, as I have generations of horse lovers in my family. I can only help a couple at a time right now, but I hope that can change in the future.

03/09/2021

A couple of our success stories! I loved Toro so much I kept him 😊