Below are our rescues. All with different stories. Young and old, abused, neglected, scared…now safe, restored, and most of all LOVED.
You’ll see their words below their names, what once was and what they are now. The difference is not just in the words. You can see it in their eyes, they know they are loved.
Atlas
Abused / Rescued
Atlas is said to have been a police horse for the Mardi Gras. There are signs that would agree, but we probably will never know. What we do know… He is one amazing horse with an equally amazing story. Follow him on Instagram to see the before and after photos and learn all that this great guy went through. @Atlas_theStrong
Atlas arrived to us hundreds of pounds underweight. But that was the least of our worries. He was missing nearly 1/3 of his front right hoof. And his front left pad was totally filleted. Both a vet and a farrier told us to put him down. But we saw a will to live and as long as he would fight, we would fight along side him. It was nearly a year to get him back on his feet, but now there is no greater sight than to see him run.
Algo (Buddy)
Abandoned / Noble
Our 15’3 hh gaited mule. This boy has been through a lot, and was definitely abused somewhere in his past. It took over a month before we could even touch his ears. He’s still not a fan, unless it’s on his terms. This boy is a cross between a TWH and a F’jord donkey. He carries the F’jord stripes on his legs.
Alle-luia (Alle or Lou)
Timid / Loving
Sweetest girl ever, loves everyone. Although I call her Alle, most call her Lou. She is a 2017 model with an old soul. She believes she should be able to sit in your lap. With her amazing personality, she is going to be the most perfect therapy donkey. We have big plans for this pint sized peanut. PS… Alle absolutely loves my father! She follows him, cries for him when he leaves and she steals his bananas out of his work bucket when he is fixing things on the farm. Now dad doesn’t visit without bringing her a banana of her own.
Anna (AnnaGrace)
Scared / Courageous
Anna (Ah-na)
Anna came from a bad place, and has had trust issues because of it. Anna had a baby in May 2020, but the foal was born premature and as a first time mama, Anna didn’t know what to do. Even with our help and coaxing, she abandoned the baby. Happily, we were able to save the baby and raise her on a bottle. Anna is Addie’s mom.
Aurora (Sissy)
Frail / Fit
Saved from a bad situation. This little girl was just 6 months old upon arrival. She came to us with her brother, both of whom were very underweight and in poor health. Sissy, as she is called, had suffered structurally, from the malnutrition. She has locking patellas (knee caps). Thankfully, with corrective farrier work and daily exercise, she is growing stronger and her patella issues are rarely noticeable any more. And now, she has grown taller than her brother Bubba.
Alice
Frumpy / Fancy
She is pretty and she knows it. This girl came in with the group of 7 who had not been taken care of. She, thankfully, was in decent shape. Just needed some good farrier work and better nutrition. Alice is the boss mare of the mini heard with Abu, Anna, Achilles & Aurora. She is gentle with people, but pushy with the minis. She does her job well. We are blessed to have found a farrier that enjoys these little guys and spends quality time tending to years of hoof issues. Alice clearly foundered in her past, but Farrier Ken is taking good care of this middle-aged girls feet.
Abu (BooBoo)
Broken / Whole
Sweet Abu has come a very long way. Saved as a 6 month old from a bad situation, landing in a new, equally bad situation, arriving to us at about a year old only knowing neglect and starvation. He was a body score of 2 when he got to us. He was weak, and broken, both in body and spirit. Now he is in great shape both mentally and physically. This boy has such kind eyes. Being a Gruella, his color is ever changing from season too season. He’s one cool little guy. Abu has recently transitioned into the Beta of the herd.
Achilles (Bubba)
Weak / Strong
Don’t let the small size fool you. He is all stud-muffin. This little guy was so weak when he arrived. At a body score of 1 – 2, he could not even stand on his own. We spent our first 2 nights together with me sleeping in his stall and holding him up to eat and drink. Thank God, he has made a full recovery and doesn’t hold a grudge. Just another testament to how these sweet creatures are so forgiving. Bubba is spunky and healthy. His stout little body is the shortest of all the mini horses. This little guy makes my heart smile.
Ariel
Forgotten / Remembered
This girl. She is amazing, determined, strong and has a zest for life. This girl, somehow, was forgotten. The kill pen where she was living (in deplorable conditions), forgot she was there. I happened to stumble across an old post (over 2 months old) and inquired as to where she went. They said they didn’t know who it was…then upon further inspection, they ‘found’ her. When she arrived here, she had mud from hoof to mid belly. Her hoofs were 3-4 inches overgrown and she was in bad shape. Let me say, even with her horrible feet, she was a gem for the farrier just 2 days after arriving. Amazing how forgiving these creatures can be. Ariel followed the new pony AraBella around for about 3 days, much to AraBella’s dismay. And then something amazing happened… AraBella accepted Ariel as her sidekick. (One might say Ariel wore her down! LOL) Now the 2 are inseparable. Update… Ariel had a foal! A MULE!!! Angel was foaled on May 20th, 2020. We were told, 7 months earlier, that Ariel was due any day…well it was 7 months later, but that’s ok. She is a great mom and has a beautiful baby girl by her side.
AraBella (Bella)
Mistake / Wanted
AraBella was mistakingly delivered by a kill pen instead of a 16 hh gelding. They were going to ‘correct their mistake’ by bringing the other horse and taking Bella back to the kill pen. NO WAY! No way we were going to let her get her freedom ride and go back to that place! We had a home lined up, fundraised in less than a day, and saved this beautiful girl. But…as it sometimes happens…her new home fell through. Bella now lives with the big guys, Atlas and Algo, and they are a happy little family.
Aladdin (Bubbie)
This gorgeous little guy was out of place when he arrived. He was purchased as an Auction Intercept as the breeding farm he came from decided to downsize and dropped off half a dozen studs to the kill pen. He was on the smaller size, but the kindest of them all. We were happy to save him and bring him back to the farm. He is the only male in his little herd of 5. He stands watch and seems to be proud of his little group. He shares his space with Ariel, Angel, AlleLuia & Adelaide (Addie the bottle fed baby).
Amen
Our little chocolate colored mini donkey. Amen was foaled in the Summer of 2019. Just over a year old now and is such a cute little guy.
Abraham (Abe)
Our little grey mini donkey. Saved from a kill pen in September 2020, he will be in QT until October. He was pretty skinny and covered in lice when picked up by our transporter. She is taking great care of him (and Abi) though and we have no doubt he will be super excited to join the herd. Sadly, Abi was not as old as we were told, and she had major health issues, we have lost this sweet girl and Abe isn’t taking it so well. We are putting him in with a few unusual critters to keep him company. Stay tuned for updates.
Angel
Angel was born to Ariel, a kill pen rescue. We are so grateful that she was born healthy and that her mama has taken amazing care of her. Her mother was in really bad shape when she arrived, leaving us to wonder if the baby would be healthy. Angel is a little spit fire. Always spunky and always bossy. She thinks I am her pet and gets herself in trouble from her little sassitude.
Adelaide (Addie)
Our girl Addie. Where to begin? Addie was born to one of our KP rescues, Anna. Anna gave birth several weeks early and Addie was quite frail and had many health issues. Anna, being a first time mom, and with a sick foal, just didn’t know what to do and we couldn’t convince her otherwise. So, against all odds, from day 1, we have bottle fed Addie. I am so proud to say, today we have a thriving little girl who is sassy and quite the Diva. She is loving and very attached to me as she definitely thinks I am her Mama. You should follow her on Instagram @Addie_themini as well as all of our critters.