Cosmo
description: 2004 bay Quarter Horse gelding
registered name: none
type of rescue: Owner Surrender
intake date: 8/10/2017
adoption date: 12/12/2017
length of time with SAFE: 5 months
ADOPTED by Rebecca R and family 2017 now is looking for a new light riding family!
Cosmo and his five herd mates were surrendered to SAFE by their owner, who was no longer physically or financially able to properly care for them. The horses were in decent weight but had not had farrier or dental care in some time. Cosmo’s x‑rays taken at SAFE were clean — he was sound and could remain so with proper hoof care. We had been told that Cosmo was well broke, so we had Joel Conner work with him when he was here for a clinic in September. Cosmo did great but there were a few holes in the training that we wanted Joel to help us clean up. Cosmo spent a short 3‑week training refresher with Joel and returned to us ready to find a new home. Rebecca R was searching for a horse that would be safe around her kids and would be a good fit with her other horse, Cooper. Turns out Cosmo fit the bill perfectly! The girls are getting older, and Cosmo isn’t getting ridden much, so the family is looking to find a very special family who would like to enjoy his gentle nature. Reach out to his current owner Rebecca to learn more about him and schedule a showing: reroper@yahoo.com or (206) 713‑0197.
Cosmo is in search of a new home
Alumni Update: Cosmo
We recently received an update from Cosmo’s adopter. Cosmo, now known as Theo, is living his best retired life alongside his gelding friend. We also asked his adopter a handful of questions about this handsome boy, and here’s what she had to say:
What is your horse’s favorite treat?
He loves food…so pretty much anything!
What is your horse’s most winning characteristic?
He’s super sweet and loving.
What does your horse like best about YOU?
Probably that I bring him treats!
Cosmo Finds a New Home
Sometimes we come across families looking for horses that we know will give the absolute best home for any of our horses. The sad part is we might not have the perfect match in our herd while they are looking. When Cosmo was ready to meet potential adopters, we called Rebecca first. Rebecca and her family had come out a few months before but at the time we didn’t have the perfect horse. Hoping they were still looking, we reached out. Rebecca told us that the horse they were leasing just wasn’t working out as a partner to their older horse Cooper. She was interested in a horse that was safe around her kids and would fit better with Cooper. Cosmo was a perfect match!
This gentle boy, now known as Theo, has become part of the family. Here is what Rebecca had to say about him:
We’ve spent the last year looking for two horses to join our family. My husband and our girls are new to horses. We needed horses that were patience, kind and tolerant of our kids. We were in search of the elusive ‘unicorn’ kid/husband horse. We found our first horse Cooper, who is wonderful with the kids and puts up with all the craziness, of life on our farm. However, we were having trouble finding him a buddy. I received an email from Terry about Cosmo (now Theo) and I had a hunch, he might be just what we were looking for.
When I met him, I knew his gentle demeanor would be a perfect fit for our family. He loves the girls and is interested in these little people with endless amounts of energy that come running into the barn to greet him, usually with a herd of friends close at their heels. He gets a lot of love from them and is a constant grooming project. His favorite pastime is rolling in the mud, multiple times a day! His true love is trail rides. Our eldest daughter loves trail obstacle competitions, so I’m sure they will be a great team this summer. As I write this I’m watching both of the horses happily grazing out in the field. He deserves the best in life and we aim to provide him with that every day!
Thank you SAFE for all you do, we feel so fortunate to have been introduced to your organization. A special heartfelt thank you to Terry. She spent hours with me, helping me brush up on my horse skills and making sure Cosmo/Theo and I were a good match. We are forever grateful to you and all the volunteers at SAFE that put in countless hours so the horses will have a better life.
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- Sharing hay with Cooper
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- Off on the trails!
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- Leaving Safe Harbor
Training Update: Cosmo
We are always so pleasantly surprised when a nice horse like Cosmo comes into Safe Harbor. He is gentle to handle and he takes everything we ask of him in stride. Joel put a first ride on him for us in the September and while things went well there were a few training holes that we felt Joel could help Cosmo through. So he went for a mini retraining visit to Ellensburg with Joel for a few weeks.
I was able to go over and spend a few days at Joel’s to get to know Cosmo as a riding horse before bringing him home. He was just a doll and pretty easy to get along with as a riding partner. The biggest issue was making sure he didn’t get dull to the leg and that we were careful asking him to back up. He was pretty “stuck” backing and this could be from the use of harsh bits in his past. Now with proper riding and understanding he is able to back without panic or fear. He is a dream to work with and a very kind boy.
At home we were able to let many of the volunteer riders handle and ride him due to his gentle nature. There was already a line of applications to meet him on his return so over the next few weeks we had quite a few showings. He was a start for everyone which made the choice to pick him the best home fall onto our adoption committee’s shoulders. After a number of return visits and rides, a wonderful family was selected and he has gone home with them on trial. We hope very much to be announcing his successful adoption after the trial period ends. What better thing than an adoption gift for the holidays!?!
Getting to know Cosmo
This handsome 13 year old gelding is proving to be a very nice gentleman and is very easy to handle. We were told that he has been started and ridden on trails. All of his medical evaluations have come back clear. His dental float and xrays of his front hooves were both normal with no surprises.
Since he has been so gentle to work with I have been doing groundwork in preparation for riding the past few weeks. Last week I put the saddle on for the first time and he was very comfortable wearing it. He was just a little playful when asked to go up to the canter but no bucking or issues. He needs some time to get stronger and balanced in his movements. This guy is going to be a great riding partner!
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- Renee & Cosmo: buddies
Farrier day for the new horses
Farrier Daphne Jones came out today to work on the badly neglected hooves of our new horses. She was able to trim all of them, except for Angel, who was very reluctant to have her hind feet handled. Daphne worked with her to get her more accustomed to having her hinds picked up, and will be back out very soon to attempt another trim. The good news is that as bad as their feet looked when we picked them up, Daphne was able to make everyone’s hooves look relatively normal again. With proper hoof care, these horses should remain sound.
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- Renee gets a trim
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- Daphne using the rope to get Angel more comfortable
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- Angel, before
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- Angel, after
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- Renee, before
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- Renee, after
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- Nashville, before
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- Nashville, after
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- Cosmo, before
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- Cosmo, before
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- Cosmo, before
Six new horses to introduce
SAFE has recently taken in 6 new horses. They were surrendered to us by their owner, who was no longer able to care for them, due to physical and financial set backs. The horses were all in decent weight, but had not received farrier or dental care in many years. Most had extremely overgrown feet, causing lameness and discomfort. Two other horses belonging to the same owner were humanely euthanized due to pain and old age.
Our decision to take these horses was based on several factors. We felt that without our intervention, the horses would continue to suffer, and were likely to become thin once winter set in. We also have reason to believe that there was a genuine risk that one or all of the mares would be impregnated, either accidentally or intentionally.
The six horses now reside at Safe Harbor in Redmond. Valor is stalled at night and spends his days in a private paddock. The other five are living together in a small pasture where they can be safely quarantined from the rest of the herd.
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Valor 3 year old QH stallion, now a gelding |
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Nashville 11 year old QH mare dam of Valor |
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Angel 27 year old QH mare dam of Cosmo |
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Cosmo 13 year old QH gelding son of Angel |
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CJ (Calamity Jane) 17 year old QH mare |
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Renee 19 year old QH mare |
