The Equihab Foundation

Donor gives Shoeing Stocks

Equihab — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 17:00:51 +0000

Thanks the generosity of a Maryland donor, Equihab is now the proud owner of nice, pre-owned horse shoeing stocks!

Stocks are a tool used to help some horses be trimmed and/or shod. The horse is led into the stocks. One at a time, each foot is lifted and gently tied into position. This would allow, for example, a horse weakened by starvation to lean on the stocks and balance while being trimmed. Trimming this was is easier on a debilitated horse, and when used properly it can also be safer for the farrier. Stocks are not a replacement for training though. It’s important that any horse put into stocks is trained to accept this different method of hoof care.

Thanks also goes out to Scott (our hay farmer) for loan of a special hydraulic trailer used to lift and move such an extremely heavy item. May was kind enough to use her own truck & gas to do the trip. And Equihab also thanks Stephen (our farrier) and Brian (a volunteer) for coming along on the 3 hour drive out to go pick up the stocks today.

Jed The Horse speaks

Jed the Horse — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 14:19:16 +0000

Hi, my name is Jed the Horse.

At least that’s my new name. Nobody knows my real name. I was dropped off at a New York auction and nobody bothered to share my information.

I don’t know why my former family didn’t want me anymore. I just ended up on day being put on a trailer. When it stopped, I stepped off into a big crowded horse auction. There were horses everywhere. I was scared! The horses around me sure looked scared, too. I heard this was one of those sales where the less lucky horses left for on one last trailer ride. I heard it called the Ugly Truck. Not sure where it goes, but it sound scary. No horses come back from that ride to ever tell other horses about what really happens there.

I was so very lucky : a nice lady in Pennsylvania heard about my situation. She asked a local rescue, Pony Tales, to pull me to safety for her. I went to the lady’s farm, but once they got to know me, they realized I wasn’t what they needed in a riding horse. Pony Tales took me in — I’d have no place to go otherwise. But I’m scared, and sometimes I act up when I don’t know what else to do. Laurie at PonyTales would like to send me to a very-draft-experienced horse rescue for rehab. Equihab in Maryland would like to help. Equihab always has drafts, so I’ll have friends of my own size to play with. Equihab’s farrier is very good with big ones like me, and he is so patient when a horse makes a mistake and “misbehaves”. And Equihab works with a really good professional trainer, who has a lifetime of experience helping everything from little ponies to big drafts like me understand what I need to know to live in harmony with the humans around me.

Trouble is the nice people who want to help me can’t what I need given to me for free. I will need vaccinations, dental care, farrier care, de-worming, and possibly professional training. They think it may cost at least $500.00. Vaccinations will protect me from getting very sick or dying. De-worming will keep yucky bugs from taking residence inside me and stealing my nutrition. Farrier care keeps me comfortable, so I’m not tripping over my own feet. I’ll also need a ride to get from the Pocono mountains of Pennsylvania to Cecil County, Maryland – but gas is over $2.50 a gallon! What do I do??

I really want to come to the new home, get the help I need, and get that new lease on life. I’m really a good boy! But I can’t do it without a little help from caring people like you… I’m sorry to ask, but can you chip in today so I can get the medical and training care I so urgently need??

Love ya,

~~ Jed the Belgian

P.S. I made a short video for you so you can see me & see what a good boy I am.

Rescues helping Rescues: Equihab assists CFA

admin — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 18:11:28 +0000

Today Equihab lent its trailer to Chesapeake Feline Association. CFA is a 501(c)3 non-profit cat rescue program also based here in Cecil County, Maryland. A pet food company in Bloomsburg, PA, had over 4,100 lbs of dog & cat food for CFA. CFA had no way to easily get it. Equihab’s trailer was not needed today, so why not lend a helping hand?

The trailer easily fit the two tons of donated food on three big pallets, with room to spare!

The image to the right is a view inside the loaded Equihab trailer. The cat food will feed the shelter’s cats as well as ferals in need. The dog food is being transferred to CFA’s sister organization, A Buddy For Life, to feed rescued dogs.

Sharing our resources with other animal-rescue organizations is part of Equihab’s ongoing commitment to helping to end animal cruelty in our area. By working with other local non-profit animal shelters/rescues, collectively more can be done to help animals in need.

Sarge in training: follow-up visit

Equihab — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 18:11:57 +0000

Two members of Equihab went to see Sarge today, to see how his training is progressing. He arrived two days ago and is scheduled to stay 30 days. Sarge is being professionally started under saddle by Sam Smucker at Sam’s farm in Quarryville, PA.

He is doing very well. The trainer says he “tries really hard”. Sarge is willing and eager to please. He just doesn’t know much about the world and needs alot of education.

Sam started out today by doing some exercises with Sarge in the round pen at liberty. In a short time, he is tacked up and taught at the end of a long lead rope. Then Sam does one of the training exercises with the mounting block: teaching the horse to want to line up and stand still when the horse sees the mounting block. Sam then got on, but because Sarge is so new to riding, Sam just kept him going at an easy quiet walk. He kept the ride short and pleasant for Sarge. The very last step is untacking and hosing him off. While he didn’t really get sweaty, the hosing off process gets him used to baths and it’s a consistent sign for Sarge that “work is done now”.

Photos from today….

Sarge-> off to the trainer’s for a month

admin — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 13:28:56 +0000

Sarge the Belgian left today for a month stay with the professional trainer. He was green and needed an intensive program to springboard him into being an awesome riding horse. He will be with Sam Smucker until the end of September.

Thanks go to Virginia who fostered him just before he left: working with him daily to teach him ground manners, voice commands, desensitization, and the feel of wearing tack. She had him to where he was ready to be ridden — and that’s when it was time for Sarge to graduate to under-saddle work.

Another thanks goes to Equihab’s farrier, Stephen King, who had Sarge for several weeks before Virginia. Stephen taught this big 17hh fellow not to worry when his feet were held. At Stephen’s he also got used to round pen work, “scary” things, and looking to the human for direction.

Sarge is AVAILABLE for adoption at this time. You are welcome to see him being worked/ridden at the trainer’s farm in Quarryville by appointment. He’s a very willing guy and would make for a fun trail horse. Despite his large size he trots nicely and responds quickly to requests. He will be ready to go to a new home on 9/23. Or you may opt to keep him at Sam’s for additional time, if you want him to train Sarge for specific goals. Sam charges $24/day for training-board services.

Day 1 at the trainer’s: Sam the trainer gets to know Sarge

Gertie gets a vet exam

admin — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 18:11:04 +0000

Gertie the older belgian mare has been very slow to gain weight. She arrived during the winter, and she was just skin-and-bones. She’s an old girl. Since arriving: her teeth were done by a different vet, she was dewormed several times, she get unlimited hay & turn-out, and she’s getting huge servings of senior feed — yet she’s still thin.

So, Dr Carrol came out today to give her opinion. She drew Gertie’s blood and did a full blood panel including Lymes. The results came back with no huge abnormalities. She’s borderline slightly anemic, but for being so thin, this finding is not unexpected. No illness or obvious cause of her difficulty to gain weight was found. The vet examined her feed & hay and asked about Gertie’s feeding routine. Gertie’s feed & hay will be adjusted again, taking into account Dr Carrol’s suggestions. Her weight will continue to be monitored.

The vet bill for this visit was about $200. Equihab is seeking donations towards Gertie’s outstanding bill and her ongoing care.

Gertie is a very well behaved and good natured girl. Equihab will consider Foster or Adoption applications on her, but at this time only to a home with a lot of experience getting weight on hard-keeping older horses.

Donation of wonderful Horsekeeping videos & books just in

admin — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 02:05:33 +0000

Cherry Hill’s Horsekeeping showed their support of the Equihab Bookmobile by sending a nice box of new books & videos to stock the shelves. The box just arrived. Included are great titles such as:

A big think you goes out to our friends at HORSEKEEPING !

Update #2 since Gypsy’s adoption

admin — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 00:59:46 +0000

Gipper meets new friends

Gypsy (now renamed Gipper) is doing GREAT at his new home. It’s a horsey paradise for him! They emailed me today. She writes:

Hard to believe it has only been a little over two weeks since Gipper (Gypsy) came to live with us. He continues to be a wonderful addition to our barn. I think he really is enjoying his daily groom, the barn fan, and treats throughout the day. After a week of solitary turnout, we introduced him to Delancey, my chestnut thoroughbred, and they have been buddies ever since. Delancey is his bodyguard and you can catch them grooming each other every once in awhile. He is now turned out with all the boys – Delancey, Euro and Becker and doing great.

Equihab rep attends MVFA legislative “Scorecard for Animals” event

admin — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 06:00:12 +0000

May Snyder from Equihab attended the Maryland Votes for Animals (MVFA) legislative awards party to represent Equihab. This was held at a restaurant near Annapolis, Maryland at 5:30 Monday evening. The MVFA group tracks all politicians in Maryland to report if they’re voting in favor of or against laws that protect animals. The findings were put into a summary scorecard (available online as a PDF).

May reports:

Many “celebrities” on the side of animal protection were in attendance. There were reps from more than a dozen pet rescues, and I’m sorry I didn’t get all their names. Gene Baur from Farm Sanctuary, a trailblazer for protecting larger animals, sat next to me! Also attending were several state Senators, Delegates, and two judges. Awards were presented to some of the top politicians in Maryland. The audience heard about each award winner’s groundbreaking new Maryland laws, such as criminal penalties for spectators at dog & cock fights, the fur labeling bill, the status of the mute swan, puppy mill controls, and other relevant issues. One of the guest speakers was Mike Markarian, president of the HSLF, the backing org that made the Maryland Scorecard report possible.

The event was a great chance to mingle with others who are also in the trenches working hard for the animals of Maryland. Many Equihab cards were given out, as others’ cards were collected. At one point in the evening during speeches, the host asked for the horse organizations to speak up. While there were plenty of dog & cat groups represented, Equihab was the only horse org there. The whole room heard about Equihab’s efforts: including the focus on education to prevent cruelty and the new bookmobile program.

Found Dog – Annapolis Area 8/9/10

May Snyder — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 03:51:40 +0000

TODAY I took the dog to the vet for rabies, other vaccinations, full health exam, heart-worm test…. and was be Microchipped. Total bill $220 including heart-worm pills and dewormer.

The vet felt he was young, perhaps 3-4. Her assistant was guessing 3-5 yrs old. So he’s somewhere between 3 to 5.
He is healthy except for a hard lump on his right side, near his front leg.
He is underweight. I’ll be giving him de-wormer once a day for the next 5 days. He’ll also get extra food. He weighs slightly over 80 lbs now, but his hips stick out a bit.

From there, I plan to keep working on his walking & housebreaking skills. If you might like to adopt him, drop me a line. He’s a really nice guy, and I could keep him — but as long as I know he’s in a great home, I’ll be happy.

Please call May at 443-466-4087 or email may@equihab.com if you are missing a black dog in the Annapolis area near YellowFin restaurant.

He does not appear to be housebroken at all. Even when he’s walked, he’ll come right back in and immediately poo right in front of you as you watch. Walking many many times a day + long walks don’t help. He’s not what I called leash trained. Doesn’t have the fur damage you might see on a dog who’s chained outside. So with no signs he was regulated when he goes bathroom, maybe he’s been a stray for awhile?????

Update for Thurs 8/12: One possible owner has contacted but with follow up, this is not their dog.

Update for Thurs: 8/19: So far nobody has come to see if he is their dog. I guess he is homeless.

Overview:
Stray running through parking lot of YellowFin Restaurant. Restaurant management and wait-staff questioned, and nobody could tell me who might own the dog or where he might live. Calls were made to adjacent marina owners and animal control. We spent over an hour asking around, with no luck. I could not release him in a busy parking lot alongside a busy 4-lane highway, so I had no choice but to take him with me @ 9:30pm Monday.

No tags of any kind on the well-weathered collar. No microchip detected.

I am hesitant to give too much information because I need to feel sure this is YOUR DOG. Please contact me with description of the dog and some sort of proof he is yours. Sorry to place conditions on pick-up, but due to strange behavior by someone in the parking lot, I really don’t know if a stranger will claim him and turn him back loose? Now the Rescue line is getting strange (crank?) phone calls about the dog in a funny voice with no name or number left. Requiring some proof that the dog is yours is done for his protection and for yours.

The dog is SAFE! He is now enjoying life inside with my other dogs — given food (hungry!), treats, and a bath. He is not nervous or pacing. He is relaxed and spends his time lounging around. He watched TV with us on the sofa.

He will NOT be put down, even if an owner does not come forward. If nobody comes to claim the dog soon, he’ll be vetted, vaccinated, and a good home found for him. (Equihab supporters – just so you know – we will not be using the horse money for this. May Snyder will pay for it personally)

PLEASE call or email asap if this might be your dog! 443-466-4087 or may@equihab.com

Thank you!