by Lily Leitkowski | Dec 9, 2023 | Poppy
If Poppy arrived at SAFE as a flower, it was as the first little green tendrils that come poking up through the dirt. Poppy was the shy little shadow to her near-twin Moshi, evasive about being caught and touchy about being handled. She had a bit more trouble to work...
by Lily Leitkowski | Sep 30, 2023 | Poppy
Poppy is a great example of how well-preparedness leads directly to a horse’s success. After a somewhat tumultuous first cinching, we realized that Poppy would need a bit more work to get her comfortable with the process, and stepped back a bit to better get her...
by Lily Leitkowski | Sep 7, 2023 | Poppy
For Poppy these days, wearing a saddle is no big deal. Nor are many of the things that once bothered her — being touched with a flag, or a rope. She has made huge strides, but there is still prep work to do when it comes to readying Poppy for a rider. One thing we do...
by Lily Leitkowski | Aug 9, 2023 | Poppy
No, you didn’t miss a chapter: Poppy wears a saddle now. More on that story and process later. But in the meantime, please enjoy this fun little “trick” she learned during the course of her training. This is one smart cookie of a mare. Believe it or not, this was...
by Lily Leitkowski | May 13, 2023 | Poppy
Horses have a remarkable field of vision, able to see about 350 degrees around them. Each eye can work independently of the other, which makes sense – horses, prey animals by nature, have the best chance of survival if they can scope out almost the entirety of their...
by Lily Leitkowski | Mar 13, 2023 | Poppy
If you squint, it’s hard to differentiate the two little black mares who came in together as part of the Graham 27 seizure. They’re both small of stature, both rather narrow, both almost fully black. In the shadows, it’s hard to even tell they’re there. When night...
