Buddy (III) (RETIRED)
Buddy (III) was rescued in March 2021 after a local animal control service issued an email to various rescue organizations. His owner was unable to care for him any longer, but the truth was that he was not in appropriate living conditions for a horse. Sadly he had been kept for years without any other horses, not even in the neighborhood where he was located.
Buddy (III) was thin, had been fed junk food as part of his diet (although it was reported he was fed coastal hay), and he lacked any regular farrier care. If he ever had dental care it had not been in the 17 years he was reported to have been with this owner. Buddy (III) also had some pieces of wire caught up in his tail (for who knows how long) and the hair was extremely tightly wound in a heavy, solid knot. It took two weeks to carefully try to untangle and save what hair possible so he would have some tail length to swat flies with. The knots in his long mane came out more easily.
Coming to the rescue meant Buddy (III) had a lot of new sights, smells and sounds to get used to. He was very active and somewhat flighty at first, but his natural curiosity and friendly nature allowed him to take it all in stride in his own time. He even ventured into his stall the first night as the run he was in gave him free access to use it or not. Within a few days, he loved the cooling fan outside his stall as the weather began to heat up. We’re sure this lovely senior horse never experienced a fan before.
In addition to the type of care Buddy (III) should have been given, he lacked any formal training except for what he likely had when very young. He is smart as a whip and began picking up some basic ground training needed before we could get him ready for a vet and farrier. Once he had farrier care, he was able to turn out with the other horses in larger pastures. Before that, the minis kept him company in smaller turn out areas.
To date, he’s now received initial vaccines and his first dental. He will be done again in a few months as his teeth were “horrendous”. In early May 2021, he continued learning new things like wearing a fly mask and being fly sprayed. Shortly he will learn about getting hosed off and bathed when needed as the hot summer months require horses to be kept as cool as possible. Buddy (III) does have some arthritis as you can hear joints “pop” when he moves but that doesn’t seem to slow him down. He might need a supplement in future to help manage this condition. The scarring on his face from an incorrectly worn halter is a reminder of his past life.
He has been retired to live out his life with the rescue.
UPDATE (Dec 2021): Buddy (III) has thrived at the rescue as he has herd mates to play with daily during turnout, good quality feed (no more “junk” food like the prior home gave to him) and some basic training on halter/leading, wearing a fly mask, being treated for cuts/scrapes, dental care, learning how to pick up and hold feet for farrier care, grooming and more. While he does have issues making him un-adoptable, he tends to be bright and energetic with a keen interest in his surroundings.
UPDATE: Buddy has been living up to his name as he likes to be friends (a buddy) to all of the retired herd at the FL location. He also likes to check in with neighbors’ horses when they are close to their fence line and he to ours. Buddy has significant dental issues, some of which can be fixed, others cannot. His arthritis and dental comfort are being managed with available treatments.
More About Buddy (III) (RETIRED)
- Retired
- Chestnut
- Gelding
- 2001
- Arabian
- Florida