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ARRIVED November 07
ADOPTABILITY available 
SPONSORED BY
  • Feed: Needs a sponsor (former owners sponsoring hay for winter 07, thank you!)
  • Medical: needs a sponsor!
BREED/AGE 4  yo ( '03 model) Mustang/Quarter Horse mare, approx 15hh

  Nico (Nee-koh)  nicohome.jpg (124277 bytes)

Summary:

The family who donated Caydee and Nico met them both in very poor conditions, and purchased them to save them from abuse and the threat of 'killing the useless animals'. They did their best to care for the 2 of them, despite limited horse experience. Then, health issues intervened, and she could no longer provide for them. They donated them both to CWER, with hopes we can put their lives on the right track and give them meaningful futures as more than just lawn ornaments.

Nico appears fit and in very good health, simply in need of some basic medical updates and needing significant farrier care. Despite the abuse, Nico seems level headed and managable. We can't wait to get her confidence and then start her on a formal training program to determine what this girl's nitch might be.

History:  

Intake Notes: Nico arrived a little timid of people, and mildly herd bound to Caydee. She willingly leaves, and we don't believe it will take much to break her of the attachment behaviors. Nico challenged AnnMarie the first evening mildly, seeming to test if she was going to get abused, and when she saw she needed to obey the rules but would not be beaten for defiance, seemed to attach very quickly and settle down almost immediately. Her former family tell us that she will rear when upset.

She needs significant farrier care, but otherwise, Nico seems healthy and fit. Her hooves are in very poor condition -- we cannot tell yet if they are just severely overgrown and split, or if she has foundered at some time in her life. In the next several weeks, we hope to get her trimmed and determine the status of her hooves, earn her confidence, and start basic ground training with riding training on her schedule once we're sure we understand her history, the triggers that cause her to rear, and that she tells us she is ready.

 

March 08: We believe the info we were given previously was confused. Nico is clearly the abuse case, although not nearly so bad as many we've met. She remains defensive and ready to use either flight or fight to protect herself, but she is making good progress. She comes to and from the barn with ease now, and is no longer attached to Caydee at all.

 

She still makes 'angry faces' when you bring her feed, but will step away from her tub and allow you to feed her respectfully. Most of the rest of the time, her ears are forward and she finds our human world interesting. We have done only minor work on her feet thus far, and will keep taking small steps forward with this formerly abused beautiful little darling mare.

 

Recently, Nico rushed into a partially opened stall, thinking another horse was going to bite her. She caught her side on the door latch and gashed into the muscle bank. We had to rush her to Dr King's office on a Sunday morning, sedate, clean and stitch both muscle and skin layer. She is healing nicely and has been very good about allowing us to treat her injury. It will likely be 60 days or more before we could consider even an untightened saddle on this little girl due to her new injury.

Sponsorship: HAY: Nico's former family have agreed to provide funds for hay or provide hay for her for the winter 2007 (this year the hay shortage has reached critical proportions here, and prices are approximately $6 per bale for basic grass hay!) 

GRAIN: She needs a feed sponsor, to cover monthly feed expenses. Her feed costs are $35/month.

MED: She also needs a medical sponsor. 

Nico/Caydee's former Aunt generously donated the $150 it cost us to transport these two girls home.

Nico injured herself seriously trying to rush through a partially opened stall door recently, and had to have internal and external stitches, at a total cost of just under $300 plus at least $20 in gas to rush her to the Vet on a Sunday morning.

Your help with these expenses means the world to us. Even if you cannot be a permanent med sponsor for Nico or Caydee, please consider making a one-time donation to help us to help these horses.