Dyna
description: 1991 bay Quarter Horse type mare
type of rescue: owner surrender
intake date: 1/7/2017
adoption date: 6/1/2017
length of time with SAFE: 4 months
ADOPTED by Jane M of Woodinville WA
Dyna was surrendered to SAFE because her owner could no longer care for her and she needed to be removed from a potentially bad situation. Dyna wasn’t completely healthy when she came to SAFE so she was kept in quarantine for quite some time. We spent several cold and worried nights by her side, but in the end, she made a great recovery and regained her health. Dyna proved to be extremely well trained under saddle and a lot of fun to ride. Dyna had a lot of friends at SAFE but her very best friend was volunteer Jane M. It wasn’t long before Jane began working to figure out how she could get her very first horse at age 70. She found a great place to board right on the other side of the park from SAFE, and bought a truck and trailer. Dyna and Jane spend hours out on the trails together, enjoying nature and each other’s company. They are an amazing pair!
Dyna Finds Her Perfect Match!
Some adoptions are just meant to be and have us saying YES without any hesitation. We are all literally jumping with joy to announce that Dyna has found a forever home with our amazing volunteer Jane! There was an instant connection between these two from the day Dyna arrived at SAFE. Even before we started riding Dyna, Jane volunteered her time to care for her and start her through rehabilitation, groundwork, and strengthening. These two are perfect for each other, both full of life and a ton of energy! Dyna is a trustworthy mare that needed just a little time to understand we were never going to ask more than she could do and Jane has opened her heart and life to a new and very important family member.
Dyna will never want for anything; Jane is a doting caregiver and both of them are enjoying every minute of their time together. Dyna is happy and content around Jane and your can see a true partnership in full bloom. It was wonderful to watch them grow together and we are so excited that Jane has found a barn to keep Dyna at that is right in the neighborhood. It was the first adoption where someone literally rode their horse home! Jane has offered Dyna to be the escort to any of the SAFE horses needing a trusting lead around the park for trail rides. We are so happy that we get to see these two on a regular basis.
We don’t know a ton about Dyna’s past but her future without a doubt is blessed and full of love! Congratulations Dyna and Jane and we will be seeing you on the trails!
Training Update: Dyna
For the past few months, we have been slowly getting Dyna into riding shape. SAFE volunteer Jane has been doing groundwork and trot poles help her gain some stamina and balance without having to carry a rider. Three weeks ago, I started riding her and slowly have increased the amount of time and work asked of her. She has remained sound and happy with the work.
In the beginning, Dyna was a bit nervous. Not knowing much of her history, I am always cautious. She could have been an angel on the ground and a bucking bronco under saddle for all we knew. But luckily we got along with no major issues. By my assessment, she may have had a rider in the past with strong hands who used spurs. She was concerned that my leg might kick her. Her reaction to the rein felt ready to brace against me and root which is typical of horses who have had riders take up contact without a release or soft hands. Once she realized that I am a very patient rider and that I wasn’t going to ask more than she was capable of doing, she relaxed. We had a ton of releases the first days with good deep breaths and lots of yawning. Every day since has built upon the last. She remembers what we had worked on and is continually improving her flexibility and lightness. She isn’t ready to use two reins just yet but she is doing well on one rein and starting to listen to my seat. Another sign that things are improving is that her mouth is getting quieter as she realizes that there is a release to the pressure immediately when she gives.
After the first week of riding and checking her out, I felt comfortable enough to let Jane begin cooling her out for me and have since worked up to having Jane ride for her from the start of the work sessions. It is important to us that she is safe for our volunteers to ride and having them able to get on her without issue helps us know that we can begin showing her to potential adopters. Jane is doing a wonderful job.
Don’t let this senior mare fool you, Dyna has a TON of life left in her! She sometimes needs to kick up her heels and play before getting to work. We always check out our riding horses with a little groundwork before riding and Dyna on a few occasions has needed that to get out some playfulness. We already have taken her out on the trails and she was relaxed and confident about her surroundings. She is going to make someone an amazing safe partner to enjoy both for light arena work and trails. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for this great mare!
Here are some photos of Jane working with Dyna at Safe Harbor Stables.
Dyna: Training update and Joel Conner Clinic
Our sweet mare Dyna came to SAFE right before the big move to our new facility. By no fault of her own we failed to post about her story and properly introduce her. We hope to rectify that now! A woman who had owned her for just a year surrendered Dyna to SAFE due to life changes that made her unable to continue to care for her. She told us that Dyna was 15 years old but as soon as Dr. Fleck came to do her much needed dental float, her teeth revealed that she was actually over 25 years old. We love her all the same and only changed our adoption strategies and finding someone who will understand her senior status.
Dyna is a very gentle girl that has no behavior issues or troubles. She seems to have been treated well by humans in the past and does not have any fear or anxieties. She can be trusted with volunteers with little horses experience and with children. We have been working on her groundwork and to see what she may or may not know. It seems like she has been ridden and she easily accepts what we ask of her.
We have no current health concerns for her. As horses age and their teeth wear down, it is harder for their bodies to break down the forage and get all of the nutrients they need from just dry hay. Senior feed is an easy way to supplement them and Dyna loves her mash of senior! She is also getting a bit of psyllium added to her diet as a bulk-forming fiber. The fiber absorbs liquid and helps keep her stool well formed. It is an inexpensive supplement and one of the joys of aging. As the vet explained, it is like Metamucil for horses.
One of SAFE’s wonderful volunteers, Jane, has taken Dyna on as her special friend. She has been grooming her and getting her into riding shape. This week, Jane and I will begin riding Dyna and hope to have her out on the trails later this month. Jane took Dyna in the last Joel Conner clinic for the ground working sessions. Here is what she had to say about her experience with Dyna:
I had the pleasure of working with Dyna, a senior mare of unknown quantity, for two mornings in Joel’s recent clinic at SHS. Not knowing what sort of background she has and that I’m a relative novice when it comes to groundwork; she and I spent two mornings learning a lot about each other. I worked with Dyna on unified circles, yielding her hindquarters and backing. We also worked side-by-side at a walk varying speed, halting, backing, trotting off, halting, etc., etc. Overall, this sweet mare does a good job at all these exercises but is hesitant to back except when I’m alongside her. She’s also resistant to yielding her front quarters, and her resistance could largely be because I’m not really clear how to ask her to do that. Even with my lack of experience, she never wavered from being a girl with a lovely disposition. She never became upset with my efforts to get a certain action from her. She didn’t mind at all being in the arena with a dozen other horses and handlers. She’s quite unfazed by activity, for the most part. She only slightly flinches with flag work and, since the clinic, that’s improving. She stands tied beautifully. Dyna will make someone a lovely companion.
- Jane and Dyna
- Volunteers help Dyna shed out her winter coat.
- Such a good mare!