Krabask

age: 24 years old, born May 2, 1985
sex: gelding
breed: Arab
color: chestnut
height: 15.2hh

Status: Available for Adoption!
Adoption fee: $500

Located in Arlington, WA

by STARBASK out of DANA-ROSALIA (by SILVER DANE)

Krabask was surrendered to SAFE on November 16, 2008. We were told that he had been abandoned at a local boarding stable, and was in danger of being sent to auction. He arrived in very thin condition, but perky and sound, and quite happy to have a bowl of warm mush and a large pile of hay to eat.

A member of the SAFE bulletin board, thinking his name sounded familiar, looked Krabask up in the Arab registry, and found the names of several of his previous owners. These people were contacted, and a different story about Krabask's origins emerged. Krabask was a dressage horse with an extensive show record. In 2004, he was retired due to arthritis, and sold into a good home as a trail horse. His new owner moved to California, but left him in the care of a boarding stable. Both owners were shocked and dismayed to find out that the boarding stable not only had threatened to send him to auction, but that he had been terribly neglected in their care.

Krabask is a very lucky horse, as the stars were aligned to make his rescue happen. We hope that his story will inspire others who have older, retired horses to be very careful when selling or rehoming these horses.

Update (11/24/08):
Dr. Hannah saw Krabask on Nov 21. She put him at a BCS of 2-2.5. His teeth need to be done, but they're not horrible and not the cause of his condition. She wants to wait until he gains some weight before doing his teeth and getting his shots done. She took blood to run bloodwork and also took a sample from the hairless lump that he has on the side of his neck (it does not appear to be a sarcoid but so she wants to rule out melanoma or other cancers - it does not feel like that melanoma though, it is sort of squishy). I guess that it has showed up in the last four years and has grown some, although the previous owner said her vet didn't think it was anything to worry about.

We got the results back from the tests run and sadly, the lump on Krabask's neck is cancerous. We don't know the type yet or if it is invasive, the next step will be to excise the entire thing and send it in to the lab. Hopefully, it is limited to that lump and nothing more. The bloodwork came back with him being a little bit anemic, and his white blood cell count was off a bit as well. Which could be related to the cancer, or could not. We won't know more until we run more tests.

Until then, he continues to be perky and bright and have a great appetite. Jingles for Krabask!

Update (12/2/08):
Krabask had his tumor removed today. Everything went fine, he was very well behaved and Dr Hannah did it with just a local. It's in an awkward spot so the only concern is him pulling his stitches out when he lowers his head, and we are trying to feed him up high to minimize the pulling, but of course we can't keep him from putting his head down ever. It will take about a week to get the pathology results back.

Update (12/10/08):
We got the results back last night from the cytology on Krabask's tumor and the news is pretty good. The tumor was malignant, a form of sarcoma that can metasticize, but does so at a very slow rate. Dr. Hannah got clean margins on the removal and there are no signs that it has spread. This type of tumor also has a higher liklihood of recurrence in the same location, so we'll have to keep an eye on that, but in a nutshell it looks like he is going to be just fine!

Krabask continues to have a very healthy big appetite and he's looking better already. He had to spend the last week in a stall because he has stitches right over his scapula and the vet was worried he would pull out. He would whinny (VERY loudly) when the other horses got to go out and he had to stay in but soon would give up and go back to eating. But the stitches are holding great and we attached a foam pad underneath his blanket so it wouldn't rub, and that is working great, and he is able to go out into a paddock now during the day. In another week, he'll get the stiches out and he's been off bute for a few days now. All in all, he's doing great!

Update (3/3/09):
Our dear old man has recovered his weight and his health and is now available for adoption. He is suitable for light riding and trail riding. He is also an excellent babysitter for younger horses.

Update (7/16/09):
Krabask is back in Monroe and he is doing well. We did have a scare where he choked the night before last. He seemed to have passed it, but then the next morning, choked again (both times on hay). He also passed that on his own, but I had Dr. Hannah check him out last night. His lungs were fine and she checked his teeth as well and they are great - in fact she commented on what awesome teeth he has for his age. So we are soaking his hay for a little while. My guess is, since he was on only pasture at his last foster home, that hay is a bit of a novelty for him so he scarfed it. I have that super-fine, soft orchard grass that balls up easily. I am picking up some donated Timothy this weekend and will try him on that instead, as he will have to chew it a bit more. We are going to try and get up on him this weekend and get some photos of him under saddle. He really looks like a different horse in motion - he lifts his back and arches his neck and looks beautiful!

Update (7/19/09):
I rode Krabask yesterday and he is such a nice ride, just as he was described. He goes nicely on the bit and is clearly well-trained. I rode him in a saddle seat saddle which was not comfortable for me but he still did really well. He is however, a bit off in his hind end due to his arthritis - he was not wanting to trot under saddle and kept breaking into a canter. So, he definitely needs some maintenance to be kept comfortable as a riding horse. I started him on a joint supplement last night and we shall see how he does. We have plans to send him up to a foster home in Arlington that is going to condition him and take him out on the trails.

Update (Nov 1, 2009):
We received this message from Amanda J, who knew Krabask in his previous life: "Please tell whoever gets Krabask, he has a fan club!!! I worked at a farm where he was owned by the trainer, then sold to a client and was boarded ther for close to 5 years! He is am amazing horse with a HUGE heart!!! We as the "girls of the barn" loved loved loved him!!! He was a great school horse, taught me lots of things!!! Who ever takes him home needs to know how special he is!!! If I didn't have 2 horses right now, I'd get him!!! He is one of the horses that made me fall in love with Arabians!!! I hope he is doing great in his old age!!! Thanks, Amanda J." Krabask's foster mom agrees: "Amanda J.: Thank you for your kind comments about our dear boy Krabask. He has been here at my place in foster care since July. If it were possible, we would have adopted him ourselves. He is an absolute jewel, and we feel honored and very fortunate to have him in our lives."

Read about Krabask on the Horsebytes blog: Rejuvination

Send email to adopt@safehorses.org if you are interested in adopting Krabask.

Click here to check on Krabsak's progress on the SAFE Message Board.

Please read SAFE's adoption policies prior to submitting an adoption application for any SAFE horses listed on this site. SAFE Adoption Policies can be found HERE. SAFE has a strict no-breeding policy.