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Saving the Minis

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Saving the Minis

Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Saving the Minis, Horse Trainer, West Oak Highway, Seneca, Oakway, SC.

07/20/2021

Gomer learning to lead and have legs handled

07/20/2021

Elmer learning to be handled all over!

07/17/2021

Dutchess and Stewart are settling in nicely at our farm. After a major hoof trim, there is always concern that there will be lameness, but Stewart is walking great and even trotting!

07/17/2021

From not even looking like a foot at all to a recognizable hoof! Stewart was so brave during all this - he was definitely nervous but seemed relieved that his slippers were coming off finally.

07/17/2021

It turns out Stewart isn’t quite as comfortable with his hind feet being handled and he needed a little sedation for that part. We also took X-rays because his hoof overgrowth was so severe that we weren’t sure how to trim without them. The X-rays showed rotation of P3 in all four feet. Our vet is hopeful that there will be improvement over time as he will get regular hoof care now.

07/17/2021

Great news! Stewart knows how to pick up his front feet so we were able to do an initial trim! We will have our regular farrier out soon to put on some finishing touches, but we got started on the founder and thrust today with him.

07/17/2021

Next we haltered Stewart. He’s the most nervous of the group and won’t even approach people for treats. We aren’t sure what human experiences he’s had, but it hasn’t been all positive. He does his best to cooperate once he’s haltered though! His poor hooves are the most overgrown of the whole group - he has severe founder on both front and rear legs.

07/17/2021

Close up of Gomer’s hoof.

07/17/2021

Next up is Gomer! He’s so sweet and his ears are so soft! He decided the halter was okay, but was very nervous about his feet being handled. Our best guess is that he has never had a hoof trim. We didn’t want to scare him and make him think people will hurt him, so he just got some petting today. He will stay with our trainer for now, so she can teach him to allow hoof handling, leading, and other things every donkey should know. Once he’s good with everything, we will be able to fix his overgrown hooves.

07/17/2021

Back at our office, we got the trailer parked in the shade and our trainer started assessing how much training these ponies and mini donkeys have had. First up was the calmest, Dutchess. She knows how to lead but is very unsure about her hooves being picked up.
We gave her some petting, put some topical anesthetic on so we could draw blood for her pregnancy test, and got her vaccines ready.
The two donkeys are both intact males so there’s a good chance Dutchess is pregnant with a mini mule. While a mini mule foal would be adorable, this is scary for her as this would be a high risk pregnancy. She’s been grazing fescue, which is toxic to pregnant mares and their foals in the last part of the pregnancy. She’s also only three years old, so barely more than a baby herself!

07/17/2021

A quick video of their hoof condition. These overgrown hooves stress the tendons and cause significant discomfort. It’s amazing how tough these minis are, that they are still walking and even running with feet like this. They will be so relieved when we can get their hooves fixed!

07/17/2021

Success! Finally Elmer is in the catch pen and can be loaded with his friends!

07/17/2021

Looks like it’s going to work! Elmer is headed calmly towards the catch pen until…. Nope, that space is too claustrophobic!

07/17/2021

Check out those adorable ears! Elmer is getting a little more comfortable near us at this point.

07/17/2021

Elmer is very unsure about people and catch pens. Even after the others were loaded, he wasn’t coming near! Thankfully our trainer and Blue are faster and have more stamina than little Elmer, so they were able to catch up with him and get him pointed towards the catch pen.

07/17/2021

After a few minutes, Dutchess and Gomer went in the pen. Stewart had been hanging back, but when he saw Dutchess was in the trailer, he started running back and forth calling for her! Despite his uncertainty with people and the catch pen, he loves Dutchess, so he headed into the pen and jumped on the trailer. At that point, we could better see just how severe his founder is - he looks like he is wearing slippers!

07/17/2021

Stewart was really curious about Blue but still not confident enough to go into the pen. Elmer is not sure what’s going on, so he decided to let Stewart go first.

07/17/2021

We learned a few weeks ago about these sweet minis who had severely neglected hooves. They had been left when property was sold, so no one knew when if ever they had been haltered or had hoof care. We at CARE - Crossroads Animal Rescue just knew they needed help.

But they were too afraid to let us halter them to bring them home, so we hired a horse trainer to come help. Today was the day for their rescue and the start of the rest of their lives!

We arrived early this morning, bringing panels and a horse, Blue, that we could rope them with if needed. We set up the panels near the trailer and first checked if they might just follow Blue into the panels. Stewart and Dutchess were curious at first but their donkey friends were a bit more standoffish.

Address

West Oak Highway, Seneca
Oakway, SC
29678

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