Back in 2021, we picked up three horses from a less than ideal situation. Originally part of an orphan foal rescue, they’d fallen on hard times, and came to SAFE to turn a new leaf. The ‘Twilight Trio’ as we called them consisted of Jacob, Edward, and Esme, and it’s the lady of the group whose story we’re telling today.
Esme was the only girl in a household of raucous boys, and seemed to appreciate the reprieve SAFE granted from their near constant play. With people, she was skittish, though from her earliest days she appreciated a compliment — even to this day, the way to this little mare’s heart is through kind intentions.
Esme grew up over the five years she spent at SAFE, first learning to get caught consistently, and eventually making her way as a nice little riding horse. But some soundness issues took Esme out of the game for a while, and bringing her back under saddle turned out not to be as straightforward as we’d hoped.
When Christine came to SAFE looking for a companion, Esme was one of a few horses she met, and Esme made quite the impression. With her sweet doe eyes and her ‘in your pocket’ personality (we lovingly refer to her as ‘baby shark’ for her tendency to follow you around with a ~mostly~ harmless feel), it isn’t hard to grow quickly enamored with this special mare.
The very next day, Christine reached out to us again. She couldn’t stop thinking about Esme and how nicely she might slot into her life as a companion to her mare. We delighted in the fact that Esme had found someone who saw her for the cool and unique gal she was.
So Esme hung up her saddle and started her new life with Christine. Esme’s tendency towards a lack of decorum in social situations with other horses meant that her intro to Christine’s mare would be slow and steady, but that’s just part of what makes this match so special — an understanding of Esme’s needs and a way to manage them.
Since Esme’s adoption, she and Christine have been getting to know one another. Straight from the horse’s mouth, Christine says of Esme: “She is a sweetie. We have a lifetime to play with things. I appreciate you trusting me with her. She’s basically an 800 lb cat!” High praise, considering Christine is a cat vet.
Congratulations, Esme, on your fabulous new home!
