Lola

breed: 2008 Arab/Appy cross mare
registered name: JMJ Cala Lilly (HAHR)
type of rescue: owner surrender
intake date: 12/29/2008
adoption date: 12/4/2015
length of time with SAFE: 7 years

ADOPTED by Maja 

Lola’s Story: Lola became a SAFE horse at the tender age of just 5 months old, when she was rescued from a situation of extreme neglect. Despite her very rough start in life, she blossomed into a healthy and lovely mare. She remained at SAFE until she was 6 years old. We had her started under saddle at the age of 3, and she did very well in her initial training. But from there, she developed a fairly extreme dislike to being ridden with contact. Lola began to express her opinion in various ways, making her a challenge to ride. Lola was quite difficult to find a home for…her petite size made her more suitable for a child, but she required a highly skilled rider who could deal with her evasions, which could sometimes get a little dangerous. Her gaits were lovely and expressive, and she had a lot of potential, but there was a lot of attitude to deal with before she would consent to show her good side. It wasn’t until Terry Phelps came on board as SAFE’s trainer that anyone was able to unlock the secrets of Lola. Terry realized that this little mare was highly opinionated and if she were forced to do something, she would almost always put up a fight. She also saw that Lola had a pretty overdeveloped sense of fair vs. unfair, and if she felt she was being treated unfairly, she would push back. Through lots and lots of groundwork training, Terry was able to gain Lola’s trust and respect. From there, things began to improve a great deal for Lola’s under saddle work. And once Lola settled into a good routine with Terry, she was able to transfer that positive relationships to other riders. As a SAFE horse, Lola was exposed to many different training opportunities, including lots of horse shows and trail riding. Her transformation into a solid citizen was complete. And when SAFE volunteer Maja met her, their relationship and connection seemed instantaneous. Lola has a marvelous home, and while it might have taken a lot of years to get there, the wait was surely worth it.

A perfect place for Lola! 

Lola & Maja- always the character Lola!

Lola & Maja- always the character Lola <3

The end of 2015 was a very busy time for us as a few of our horses made their way to join new families.  One that has been a LONG time coming is LOLA’s adoption! It has been quite the journey for this little mare.  SAFE and our volunteers have been with her through many transitions. People would often ask the question: “Why hasn’t Lola found a home yet?” and we were just as baffled. All we can say is that she just needed time for the right person to find her, fall in love and discover what an amazing horse she is to ride. It has been a pleasure to watch this spunky girl blossom into a well-behaved, attractive and loving partner.

It was love at first sight for SAFE volunteer Maja and Lola.  You could see their connection and how well they understood each other from that very first ride.  It is always amazing to find someone who “gets it” and can listen to what the horse needs to become successful.  Maja plans on doing some light arena work with Lola, a small jump here and there, and lots and lots of long trail rides.

Lola joins Maja’s other young mare, Saga, at their family home in Redmond.  The two mares are now fast friends and wonderful companions.  They have a beautiful property to stretch their legs and enjoy being horses.  It is exactly the life Lola deserves!

The entire SAFE team already misses our little Lola, but we have a big smile in our hearts knowing she has found her HOME and is exactly where she was always meant to be, with a family to call her own. It will be exciting to see her at her alumni checks and hearing about all her wonderful adventures.  We wish you the very best sweet mare and will always think of you fondly!

Here are just a few pictures of the people in Lola’s life at SAFE who have helped her in her transformation:

 

 

Lola is going Fabulously! 

It is so exciting to be riding Lola again!  This spunky little mare is doing great and she’s an absolute riot to ride.  She is ready for her forever home and to be with someone who is looking for fun.

We have been working on light aid transitions and some walk-canter departs.  This girl is athletic and smart; if Lola sticks around much longer, I’ll have to start teaching her flying changes!  Here are a few pictures of last week’s great workout.

 

Lola keeps on going strong! 

LolaWe have been steadily adding riding time to Lola’s workouts and she is doing great. She has been easy to start up again with no big issues and acts like she didn’t miss a day of work. We continue to stay on the rail or do big circles so we don’t over stress any recovering tissues. She has been very sweet and willing to work. She just needs a little reminder to go forward in the beginning of the ride and we are off with a light feel and actively off the leg aids. She is a lot of fun to ride and we are enjoying the opportunity to be working with her again.

Lola got new shoes from SAFE’s new farrier Marla Karabinos and she loved the new trim and shoes! She will continue her conditioning work and adding more canter and smaller circles as we move along in the work. Lola is ready to be shown for adoption and we are once again actively looking for her perfect match.

Bath time!

Bath time!

Health Update: Lola 

LolaIt’s time for Lola to start her rehab and get ready to be shown to potential adopters again soon! Her lameness first showed up in December. After new shoes, X‑rays and even injecting her right coffin bone we came to the conclusion that Lola most likely had a soft tissue injury somewhere in her foot. Simply put, only an MRI could help us know exactly what had been causing her pain. After a good amount of time off, I have started to lightly ride her in the arena at the walk for 20–30 mins and about 5–10 mins of trot. We will continue to increase the trot time and as she gets farther along add in the canter and then large circles.

She is coming off the medical hold and available for adoption but will only be adopted out knowing that she is not fully through her rehab at this time. We estimate it will take the next 30–60day to be at full work and giving her the all clear. She has been a little spunky for the rehab work but is keeping her cool and settling back into riding. I did miss working with this little mare and all her personality!

Dental Day at Safe Harbor 

annabelle_07_15_2015Yesterday was a marathon day of dental care for the horses at Safe Harbor Stables. Dr McCracken of Rainland Equine did seven floats and some lameness consultations along with them. Here’s a rundown of how each of the horses did:

Annabelle was not terrific about getting injections for her sedation, but considering it’s probably been several years since she’s seen a dentist, her teeth were in reasonably good shape. Some sharp points but nothing significant.

Jewel was a pill for her shots, but her teeth were in great shape. Dr M said that based on her teeth, Jewel is well into her 4th year and could be closer to 5! (For the record, we’re going to leave her at four!). Nothing too conclusive about her thickened left front knee. Dr McCracken said Jewel could have had soft tissue damage at some point and has some arthritis in that knee. It’s unlikely that it’s a bone chip since those generally happen more in the knees with TB race horses, but we might x‑ray at some point to take a look.

Oscar's eye examinationOscar did considerably better for his shots, and his teeth looked good, but he does have some extra large spacing between some of his teeth on one side, which means that food can get trapped there and cause decay. She cleaned it out and said if he is good for us we can help by squirting water into his mouth to help flush his gums and remove anything that gets stuck in there. Dr McCracken also flushed his left eye to see why it is always tearing. There was no clog in his tear duct. She also examined his eye using a little stain to reveal ulcers and scratches, but everything looked normal.

Bridgit was an angel for her shots! Her teeth looked good too. But here’s another surprise: Dr M puts her age closer to 3 years old!! She is still losing baby teeth! Bridgit popped a splint a week or so ago and Dr M advised us to give her another 3–4 weeks off until there is no heat in the area. No that means that Bridgit won’t be at the SAFE Horse Show this year. In fact she may end up going back to foster along with Sophie, which would be awful for her because she’ll have nothing to go all day but graze, snooze, and play in a huge pasture. Poor Bridgit!

Lola we knew would be bad for her sedation, so we did an IM sedation to start and let that soak in, then came back to start the dental. She was still too awake so did have to give her more drugs this time IV and still not great for it. But her teeth were in good shape which made the procedure quick and painless. We will need to work on Lola’s aversion to seeing the veterinarian. She can be very difficult to handle when she sees them coming. Fear based issues can be hard to overcome but it is important we help her through just like any other training issue. Lola has her strong opinion and self preservation and while we love her for it, it’s what makes her our endearing “sass-apolussa mare”, we need to help her stay safe and understand vets are there to help her feel better.

Khianna was good for her shots, but her teeth showed more sharp points than you’d expect to see considering she was floated in January. Dr M suggested that we plan to have her teeth looked at and possibly floated again in 9 months.

Inside Finn's MouthFinn also handled his shots like a pro, giving Dr M the chance to do an in-depth evaluation of his jaw, which has had some unusual swelling for about the past month. The swelling has gone down some and she thinks it will just take more time. His teeth are very, very weird with the right top long, right bottom short, left top short and missing some and left bottom extremely long. She took a lot off the tall areas and it took a little work but she did get to a point where there was some contact now on both sides. It is a slow process to correct his teeth and he will continue with the 4–6 month dentals for a few more times. Dr M can only take so much off at a time and keep the tooth alive. He is a very sweet boy even with his funny teeth.

 

Lola Off Work due to Lameness 

2015 has not been a great year for Lola so far. She’s been lame on and off in front since the beginning of January, and although we’ve tried several shoeing changes and she’s been examined by our veterinarians multiple times, we still haven’t been able to pinpoint the cause of her lameness. 

Lola was seen by Dr Divine this week. She was examined a few weeks prior to this visit and the predominant lameness was in the right front and it was blocked to her heel. Radiographs of the right front were obtained and there were no significant findings. We decided to try some shoeing changes first to see if that would improve her lameness before doing anything more invasive. However, the shoeing changes (bring breakover back and a 2–3 degree wedge) did not improve her lameness.

A lameness exam showed Lola to be off in both fronts, but there were three possible joints that could be the source of the problem. The best way to diagnose her lameness would be to do an MRI, but the cost is prohibitively expensive. The next best thing to do is temporarily block the nerves to the joints in question and see when the lameness disappears…but that’s not a great solution for Lola because she’s pretty bad about needles. So Dr Divine advised us to take a leap of faith and go ahead and inject the coffin joint and see if that improved her lameness. The coffin joints seemed like a good guess since there was visible inflammation in that area.

So Lola was sedated and both front coffin joints were injected an anti-inflammatory medication. Dr Divine was encourage to see that there was a large volume of very thin and watery joint fluid in both of her coffin joints because that was an indication that she’s made the right guess and that the inflammation in those joints were the source of Lola’s discomfort. Lola was given 10 days off work, and we’re hoping to see signs of improvement very soon.

Training Update: Lola 

It’s been a but of a rough year so far for Lola. Her feet become very uncomfortable while she was barefoot and unfortunately we did not correct the issue fast enough. She became sore on her right front and had to take some time off riding. We’re working on a new shoeing package to give her comfort while her heels have some time to grow out and she can have a more upright foot. These things take time but with a horse like Lola, it’s so hard to be patient and let the healing and growth happen! She was going really nicely with her first set of shoes and seemed to be feeling great. So we’re really hoping the changes we’re making can give her comfort so we can get back to work. Lola has become so much fun to ride, it’s hard not being able to work with her and teach her new things. 

A field trip for Misty, Lola, Cameo, and Nala 

Misty, Lola, Cameo, and Nala had a little field trip today, leaving Safe Harbor with their riders and walking down to the nearby Hollywood Hills Saddle Club. There’s a schooling show coming up at HHSC on May 9th that we’re planning to bring horses to, so Terry wisely decided that a test run was in order. The four girls did well, especially Nala who was on her very first trail ride and handled it like a complete pro!

A rough month for Lola… 

lola_01_17_2015Lola has had a difficult month. She was becoming sour to work at the trot and canter about 4 weeks ago and we starting to question the saddle fit, other things that might be causing her discomfort and possible behavioral issues. She had been going so well this change in work ethic was very frustrating and confusing. A week ago she showed signs of pain in her front right hoof. We had the vet test her hoof and she was clearly in pain along the middle bars. We are going to work with our farrier to help fix the problem. Right now we are going to keep her in boots until her feet grow out a little. We hope to adjust the trim and keep her barefoot. If she is still sore we will consider putting shoes on her.

Lola did help us a great deal by riding along with Dottie in the trailer on the day we moved Dottie to her new foster home in Arlington. The two mares were delighted to see each other, and Dottie hopped right into the trailer when asked. Lola is our go-to-gal in situations like this…she really has a calming effect on other horses. The photo above is Lola wrapped and ready to go for a ride!

October Training Report 

Phoenix

Phoenix

Phoenix had a hard month concentrating under saddle. He continues to look sound on the front but does come out of his stall pretty stiff both in the front and hind. He had quite a few naughty days this month mostly due to work, noise, and activity at the barn that made him anxious. He’s up to 10 min of trot per workout now and should be adding 5 more minutes per week after that. He has also been working on trailer loading and has carefully made his way all the way into the trailer a few times! 

Lola has had a very good month. She went out on a trail ride to the watershed with Skye. She was initially reluctant to lead the way and about an hour into the ride I felt she was ready. We moved into sharing the lead with Skye and then as she gained her confidence we took the lead. She was a great girl and led the rest of the way home! She trotted and cantered in the lead, was easy to bring back down and was not afraid by even a bicyclist who came around a bend. This girl has come a long way this year. She is ready for a great forever home who wants a fun mare to enjoy both arena and trail work! 

Cameo was a great girl all month. We are trying her on a magnesium supplement to help with muscle discomfort and calmness. After about 2 weeks on the product, I could see a change in her attitude. It may not be something she needs forever but it seems to be helping take some of the edge off and helping her focus. She still takes a few minutes to smooth out when I initially get on but once she does, she has a very nice trot and a lovely canter. She still has a hard time picking up the correct lead on the right. Without a rider, she has no problem picking it up, but under a rider, she gets off balance and falls over the right shoulder. We are working on keeping her balance and this should get easier. Our goal with Cameo for October is to get her more relaxed about trailer loading so that we can take her out somewhere like Bridle Trails for an easy trail ride.

Skye has been really working hard to change her work ethic and she is making steady progress. When she came home from training, she still had quite an objection about going forward under saddle, but it’s hard to say if that was due to lack of fitness or some sort of mental block. But with improved athletic conditioning, her willingness to go forward has improved considerably. Plus she’s lost some weight as well as more time miles under saddle.

It is important that this big girl has a relationship where she understands clearly what is being asked of her and learns to answer requests with respect. Over time, she’s come to realize that she’s pretty big, and she holds herself in pretty high regard. I like the confidence in her personality but she needs to also listen to her rider. In the herd, during turnout, she is quietly bossy and typically pushes through whatever’s in her way to get to where she wants to go. But she is learning that with humans she can’t get big and pushy. Her ground manners are greatly improved and her willingness to load and unload calmly from the trailer is much better. She still needs some practice getting out of the trailer slowly but it’s getting better every time. Skye went on three trail rides last week, and was a very good girl. I think she has found her calling, out in the woods as a trail horse. She looked very happy to be out of the arena and outside in the open air. 

Skittles

Skittles

Skittles continues to be a gem in every possible way. We have had her on a glucosamine supplement for 30days. She is looking and moving well but continues to experience weakness on the right hind. While it doesn’t seem to give her a tremendous amount of pain but it is evident that she has trouble bringing it completely through and motion in the stifle maybe limited. Her canter leads are improving and she is able to pick up that difficult right lead correctly but still makes some mistakes. 

Emmy is as sweet as ever! She is easy to groom and handle and likes other horses but doesn’t squeal or get overly excited. I have been sitting on her, getting her used to leg pressure and light guiding reins. We have trotted on the lunge line and she is getting more responsive to my seat and leg. She still does not like pressure on the reins but she is accepting it more each ride. After her recent visit with the chiropractor, her ability to turn to the left was greatly improved and she seems to be less uncomfortable when turn her head to the left. She does have a slight head wag in the trot when she is at liberty as well as on the line. Nothing too troublesome, just something to note that may go away as she gets more balance and strength. Her canter to the left needs a lot more balance, she goes into “motorcycle mare”…dropping her inside shoulder and losing her hind end out behind her. These are all things that will improve with more balance work. 

Another trail ride adventure for Skye, Skittles, and Lola 

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We took a big group to the Redmond Watershed today for a trail ride: Skittles, Skye, Lola and Debi’s horse Summer. It was good to go out on a busy trail day so we could see more people, bikes and other horses. All the horses did very well. Skittles was a great leader and happy to stay up front. She crossed bridges and if she was shy about something she took just a little encouragement to go forward and approach it. Lola was ridden by our volunteer rider, Casey, who had a more difficult time taking the lead than she had had when I rode her the previous two times. Maybe she was a little tired or it just wasn’t a day she wanted to lead. But she was still well behaved and was easy for Casey to control in all gaits. Skye did very well with SAFE Executive Director Bonnie aboard. It was Skye’s third trail ride and Bonnie’s first ride on her. She was very well behaved and is proving to be a good trail horse. At one point, Skittles and Lola even were asked to split off from the other two horses and Skye stood well with Summer as the others trotted and cantered away up the hill.

I have to admit I was having way too much fun on Skittles and felt very comfortable and easy on her. She is such a special mare and showed great confidence in herself and trust in what I asked of her. Although I would always ride on the trails with a buddy, I think Skittles would be just as happy out riding alone as she was with others. You can’t say this about many horses! We did learn that one thing she doesn’t like is having another horse get too close to her hind end. She was fine most of the time but did turn and give the mean face to Skye when she was coming up to her and one time gave quiet a good kick towards Skye. It was easily managed, and no one got kicked, but it’s something her future riders should be aware of in the future. All three SAFE mares did very well for this outing and I would say they all will bring their future owners many years of enjoyment on the trails.

August Training Notes 

Phoenix: Going well under saddle with strengthening exercises in the walk including: shoulder fore, hauls, halt rein backs, and collected walk. He’s up to 7 minutes at the trot and continues to look sound. We’ve been working in some trot poles during the rides.

Skittles: Skittles is doing well with riding. She will have good days but others she is stiff and unhappy to use her back if I don’t give her a long warm-up

Jewel: Doing well at foster and looks to have filled out quite a bit this summer. She been turned out with Ruby and everything seems to be fine, the two are “cohabiting” well.

Lola: Lola continues to do well with both ground manners and riding. The canter has been our main focus this month and she is now consistently picking it up when asked and is learning to keep the gait for longer amounts of time. She is a bit grumpy about this at first but it is getting better. Some nice long canter moments have been happening. The key to improving this is achieving a true inside bend. This will take a bit of strength building but she is getting some lovely forward and soft canters now.

Kai: He does still have his moments of exuberant energy so I am continuing to work him in hand only. He is doing well over the trot poles and is stretching nicely. I have raised them up to keep them challenging and added polls to both sides of the arena. When he isn’t showing his nutty side, he is very lovely.

Sapphire: I saw Sapphire 3 weeks ago at Kim’s. She is looking happy and was sweet when I came to talk to her. Kim is lunging her and has some very loose side reins on her and she is doing well.

Oscar: He’s has three months off work, and he’ll have another three before we trot him again to evaluate soundness. Helga said she can trot him on the lunge for us to see if he is sound when the time is up.

Finn: While he remains sound with the work there is still a slight “offness” when traking to the left. I have to think this may always slightly be there but it is dramatically better than it was before the shoe package.

Cameo: Working on a nice balanced trot and feeling much stronger. Her left shoulder is still much more developed than the right due to the club foot. I have to use a pad with buildup of the right side so that the saddle sits level and on the middle of her, otherwise it will slide crooked the entire time.

Skye: Skye has been a really great girl this last month. So much that I used her as my riding demo for the Chamber of Commerce evening. She was great with the crowd and did a nice walk, trot, and canter for them. She is a beautiful girl and a lot of fun to ride! We continue to work on trailer loading and things are going well, all 4 feet into the trailer and quietly coming out.

Ruby: Doing well at foster. We’ve been talking about her growth and whether we should wait to start her until she has more time to grow. I think not putting too much weight and heavy rides on her are a good idea. If this is SAFE’s choice, I suggest since her personality can be a bit young, big and head strong, would be a great idea to start getting the basics on her and working towards saddling well before she has a rider.

Misty: (From Kellie:) Bottom line is that Misty has improved, but, not as much as I hoped.  She is better at bending left and taking weight on the left hind than she was before the stifle injections. Fewer missteps as well. However, she is still very stiff to start out, for about 15 minutes, and this is in addition to the lunging time.  Sometimes she gets a short lunge if she is not too silly and other times, she might be lunging 15 minutes. She has also improved from the donated chiro and the muscle relaxants.

As the chiro vet said, it is best to bring them back to full work/strength slowly with the stifles. My goal is to get Misty out 4–5 times a week again, like she was before her May “stiffnesses and swollen legs”, but still low key work.  Some riding, some lunging, and to start some trot poles.

I guess it was too much to hope that the stifle issue was going to be a “ quick fix.”  Since, it has probably been going on for awhile– just like a person with a similar problem—it is probably going to be a longer rehab period for her.

Lucky: Doing well WTC. The 7 doses of Pentosan have helped him look less stiff in the hind end. He shows no more hesitations going into the trot. He does fuss a little when first asked for the canter but the next transitions up are usually better. He still looks a little stiff when tracking to the right. Also he is pretty tender on his front feet so we’re looking at putting front shoes on.

Lola at the SAFE Show 

safe1wmI am very pleased with Lola’s growth overall the last 7 months. I have had countless volunteers and others remark at what a different horse she is to handle and how nice she looks under saddle. She was a star at the SAFE Benefit Show. Honest and well-behaved throughout the weekend…I couldn’t have dreamed of a better showing.

Unfortunately, during turnout on Wednesday before the show, Lola was rolling in her paddock and injured herself by getting caught in the hotwire. Her left leg was swollen and she was tender on it Thursday. We took it easy with her and lightly worked her Friday. Wrapping, cold hosing, ice and hand walking helped some.

On Saturday she was still a little puffy in the fetlock but she was very well behaved for Casey and me in our classes. She placed in the top of almost all of her equitation and pleasure classes. That afternoon I took her into two walk trot canter classes. Of these she went into the Advanced Pleasure class in which she did very well in the canter and did her first walk canter transition without any fuss!

I am very pleased with her overall work ethic and willingness to go forward under saddle. She received the Champion Rescue Horse for the entire show which is a true testament to what a lovely and mature horse she is becoming.

I also wanted to say a special thank you to Casey for working with Lola both before and during the show! Lola and Casey are an amazing team together, and it’s great to see Lola’s new found attitude and willingness transfer so easily to another rider. Lola is lucky to have a friend like Casey!! And Casey is pretty lucky too…just look at that smile in the photo above! 

Here are more photos of our Champion Rescue Horse, thank you Karen Wegehenkel and Lorna Willard for these lovely shots!

Lola at the Show! 

 

lola_06_14_2014Terry and Lola, with vital assistance from Heather, went to the Hollywood Hills Schooling Show this past weekend. It was Lola’s first horse show outing since Terry has started working with her, and she was a great girl! The pair competed in Walk/Jog and Walk/Jog/Lope classes and placed 3rd in one of them. Terry reports, “She was very good and never try to break into the walk. She trotted off nice and easy every time I asked in the arena. She was a great girl and everyone was very proud of her!”

Here’s a video of Lola’s experience, created for us by Lisa Garr!

June Training Notes 

Perhaps this is obvious, but we are just so proud of our horses! Every single one of them faced tremendous challenges in their lives before being rescued, and the courage and bravery they show us during their rehabilitation and retraining is nothing short of astonishing. The horses of SAFE have an incredible team of humans helping them on this journey, led by our trainer Terry Phelps and the volunteers who work by her side. This month’s training report is filled with brightness and hope, and we are so proud to share this with you and to say thank you to supporters like you for making our training program possible. 

Enjoy!

Phoenix:
Continuing with his rehab work. He’s being very steady and calm during his rehab rides! We’ve tried him out briefly at the trot — just trotting down the long sides of the arena a few times each direction — and he trotted sound in both directions. Fingers crossed that this is a sign that his rehab has been successful!

We tend to put Skittles on a pedestal...

We tend to put Skittles on a pedestal…

Skittles:
Continues to do great with ground work and riding. She has gone on two trail rides and was eager and happy to be out of the arena but listened well to me even when she was excited to be outside. She is brave walking past dogs and construction work and with cars passing along the road. She does like to walk fast and is less of a “quiet school horse type” on the trails but nothing dangerous or misbehaved.

Jewel:
Jewel did seem to remember her ground work training when she came back to SHS for the week, but she seemed to have regressed a tiny bit in her patience and softness when it came to picking up her feet.

Lola:
Our Lola Bear continues to behave like a very good solid citizen! She was the best behaved for dentals when the vets were out, a master at walking over the tarps, and she loves to jump right into the trailer when asked! She was very relaxed and easy going for her trail ride, good with the cars along the road, didn’t mind the barking dogs or the construction noises. Her only fault on the trail was that she did not want to lead that particular day (normally she’s happy to be out front, and just as happy to bring up the rear!) She has been ridden frequently by Stephanie and has been very well behaved for her at all gaits.

Dottie:
Trailer loading training has continued with great success. The secret to success is not to apply a ton of pressure but with quiet asking and reassurance, she will step all the way into the trailer. We are working now on quietly stepping out of the trailer and not running backwards. She still needs a lot of positive and calming energy to trust this process.

Kat:
Kat is a super star! She did very well during a recent showing to a potential adopter and was very tolerant of a the 10 year old rider1 She has been doing very well with her volunteer riders and happy out in grass turnout with Dottie.

Cameo:
We’re doing a great deal of ground work and desensitization training, and she is really doing quite well. She’s learning and quieting down a lot. She does have her hot side, but with calm handling she can relax and get very easy in her mind and movement. She’s does best if ridden after a very good ground work session. She can be very centered and quiet. Since Cameo is so young, I feel it’s important to keep the work light and fun for her. I’d like to take her out on the trails this summer as well and give her a chance to experience fun outside of the arena.

Skye and Terry at work in the arena

Skye and Terry at work in the arena

Skye:
Skye has very good ground work manners from her work with Dave. I can see how well this was done and it is a great starting point with our growing relationship. She has a finite amount of time she can work before she gets tired and her stubborn “I’m finished” attitude comes out. We are working on her willingness to go forward when asked. She has a bit of  attitude but the fight is more of a slam on the breaks. This is getting better as we work together and she realizes I’m not asking for anything that hard. She really wants to please and has a very sweet nature. We have started the trailer work and will continue to have this as part of her weekly work.

Ruby:
Before leaving for foster it was evident that she was feeling a lot better, judging by the changes in her behavior. We had some testing of boundaries including a little nibbling, and some issues with standing for the farrier and getting into the trailer. She’s another horse who will benefit from ground work in preparation to getting started under saddle later this year.

Misty:
Here are a few of the highlights from Kellie’s latest updates on Misty.

Happy to report that Misty got a new set of shoes today and we only had one “pull back and slam her front foot down” episode. Lisa and I have been working with her, holding her front leg up and out, and having her submit and let us do it, and then she gets a reward. That worked pretty well today. Misty got a piece of carrot each time Jim worked on her feet and set them down. She scored about 3 carrots and we got an obedient pony.

She is a smart girl and she seems to have made up her mind to work with us with less testing of the humans going on….

Overall, Misty is very fun to work with. She has a good work ethic and if she could do as well to the left as she does to the right for us, she would. I just think it is soreness and some weakness that keeps her from cooperating/balancing to the left. I’ve learned over the years that most horses will give you a lot of work/cooperation; almost every time that I had begun to think it was “attitude” versus pain, we discovered the cause, addressed it, and then no more bad behavior. When you hit resistance it is usually pain or protective behavior. Even in very dominant horses, they might “test” you, but, they almost always have a very good work ethic.

Ginger:
Ginger is doing fabulously with Kim Lacy! She has really come along nicely. I went to ride her and we got a video of her going w/t/c. She is ready for adoption or to return to SHS to be ridden and shown. Kim has taken her on trail rides on her property and is working on loading in the trailer, she was good for both.

Lola videos and update 

Here are three new videos showing Lola’s progress under saddle. We’re also super pleased to report that Terry has had a couple of her volunteer riders working with Lola, and she has been as good for them as she is for Terry! Clearly, Terry and her team have unlocked the secret to a happy and productive Lola…and as much as they are enjoying working with her, we’d still love to see her get adopted before her next birthday rolls around on June 29th! Lola’s journey as a SAFE horse has had many ups and downs, but through it all, we’ve never stopped admiring the spirit of this incredible little mare. So think hard, SAFE friends, surely one of you knows who Lola’s partner is meant to be! She deserves the best and you can help us provide that for her!!

Lola canter:

Lola lunging over cavaletti:

Lola working over trot poles:

And just for fun, here’s our princess having a lovely nap in the sunshine!

lola_nap

Her Name is Lola… 

Lola, photo by Deunan Berkeley

Lola, photo by Deunan Berkeley

We’ve been a little quiet on the subject of Lola, but that doesn’t mean that everybody’s favorite Sassaloosa hasn’t been hard at work behind the scenes. Lola’s actually doing really terrific right now and we want to get everyone up to speed with what’s been going on for her.

Lola’s training came to a bit of a halt at the beginning of the year when we realized that we didn’t have a saddle that fit her very well anymore. So while searching for an adequate saddle, Terry spent several weeks focusing on ground work and liberty work with Lola. This sort of interaction had a great effect on Lola’s outlook, and Terry feels it did wonders for their relationship. Terry describes Lola as a mare who is not a pushover, someone whose respect has got to be earned. Once you’ve earned her respect, Terry says, Lola will then do just about anything for you. She’s got a very strong sense of what is fair, and she doesn’t take kindly to being treated in a way that she feels is unfair. Terry says she’s really a very sweet horse, but that it’s important to establish a respectful relationship with her first. If you’re hesitant or uncomfortable around horses, Lola will figure that out immediately, and then you may find yourself at her mercy if she decides she wants to go eat grass instead of working, for example! Earn her respect, and you are well on the way to an amazing partnership with her.

By the beginning of February, a nice Western saddle was loaned to us that fit Lola very well and allowed her noticeable freedom of movement in her shoulders and back. She and Terry started back into work together and at first, it was all about taking baby steps with this little mare. As we learned from the work that Brittney did with Lola last year, Lola was pretty adamant about testing her rider with a number of different evasions before settling down into some lovely work. Terry decided to take a different tack with her, and starting riding Lola with little to no contact in the reins. She describes a moment in which Lola decided to get upset and start something with Terry, but upon realizing that she was on a loose rein, seemed to surprise herself and sheepishly realize that there was no reason to get upset after all! They also had some disagreements about going forward, so Terry took her way back to basics and worked with a ground person at first, and then graduated to a lead pony (Kat being the best one for the job).

By taking things very slowly at first, Terry discovered some interesting things about our Lola. First off was that sense of fairness we’ve already mentioned. Lola will go beautifully as long as she is ridden correctly and fairly. Terry says her own timing has to be spot-on, so that when Lola deserves a release, she has to deliver that release quickly. She feels that Lola’s standards are actually making her a better rider, and you can see why! Lola really seems to dislike a lot of contact, but Terry says that if you keep light contact and ride her forward over her back, Lola has natural, beautiful self-carriage. She’s also extremely athletic, with a very solid, balanced feel to her, and she’s as responsive and maneuverable as a sports car. She’s a lot of fun to ride.

Terry is pleased to report that over the last two months, she’s actually seen no naughty behavior out of Lola, no attempts to unseat her or make her feel unsafe in the saddle. Again, the relationship that she and Lola have established through ground work and lots of time together has undoubtedly changed the way Lola views Terry — she sees her as a partner and not an adversary. Terry says it’s time to put some of our volunteer riders onto Lola to see if she changes the game for a new rider, fingers crossed that she’s matured past the point where she feels the need to test everyone who gets on her back.

So Lola is once again reaching a point in her training where we are almost ready to look at applications for her adoption. She’s going to require a confident, experienced rider who is willing to put in the time that she’ll need to establish a relationship, but the payoff is a young, healthy mare who will take her partner as far as he or she wants to go. Lola has been a SAFE horse since she was 6 months old. She’ll be six years old at the end of June, and we’d love to see Lola celebrate her birthday in a new home with a person of her very own!

Here’s a video of Lola doing some trot work, taken Friday 4/18:

The Alpaca Gauntlet 

Kat, Skittles, and Lola went out for a walk today to see the alpacas, who live right down the street from Safe Harbor Stables. We’re located pretty close to the Tolt Pipeline trail, but to get to the trail, you have pass by the alpaca gauntlet. Some of the horses find this slightly terrifying, but today’s outing was a complete success. So cute!

skittles_04_07_14

Skittles and the alpaca herd

kat_04_07_14

Kat meets an alpaca

April Training Notes: Lola 

Lola has been making good progress this month, including some good independent trotting without the help of a ground person. I found that she loves to trot with Kat in the arena so I’ve been riding her during Kat’s rides so she gets some “help” when she starts getting stuck and not wanting to move forward. Lola started to look a little thin recently so we increased her hay just a little to see if that helps. She is very happy about that!

Lola Photos by Lisa Carr Photography 

Dances with Horses — a Visit from Trainer Laura Nurss 

Thank you to Eve Tai for this writeup and for the attached videos!

A few weeks ago, SAFE hosted Laura Nurss, a horsemanship and liberty work teacher at Horse Haven at Bear Creek. We asked Laura to come to SAFE Harbor to work with Dottie, Sapphire, and Lola to help them feel more settled in their bodies and with the SAFE human community. As much as we love and care for our SAFE horses, it can be tough to forge a bond with them. Liberty work gives us an avenue through which to build trust, mutual respect, and connection.

Laura started out by sharing that attending to a relationship with a horse out of the saddle directly affects our riding relationship. She demonstrated — through the use of body language, gestures, and movements such as rope twirling — how to establish a connection with our first horse, Dottie. Laura applied pressure (e.g. stepping into Dottie’s space) when she wanted something and released it as soon as Dottie complied. Soon Dottie was trotting and even cantering with ease.

Always give a horse a choice, Laura says, whether between one path that leads to an unpleasant outcome (more work) and another path that might lead to a reward (stroking). Laura also showed us that different horses require different approaches. When Sapphire entered the arena all pinned ears and attitude, Laura applied more pressure by upping the energy and frequently changing Sapphire’s pacing and direction. Laura noted that because Sapphire is a sassy, smart horse, that sessions with her should be active and strong, whereas with Dottie, a more nervous horse, sessions should be slower-paced and with smoother gestures.

SAFE trainer Terry Phelps-Peddy was a quick study, first watching, then shadowing Laura. By the time Lola arrived, Terry was ready. After careening around and testing boundaries, Lola settled down and began running with ease. By session’s end, Lola – yes, LOLA — walked up to Terry, licking and chewing and bowing her head. “At last,” she seemed to be saying, “You are speaking my language.”

A big thank you to Laura for volunteering an afternoon to work with our SAFE ponies!

Lola’s Amazing Trail Riding Adventures 

Turns out all the trail riding that Lola & Brittney have been doing lately was in preparation for a big adventure: a four-day trip to Cle Elum in Eastern Washington!

DAY ONE: We meet up at SAFE Harbor Stables to pick up Lola. Her guests on this adventure are gigantic warmblood Odin, ridden by Darby Stewart, and gigantic OTTB Chance, ridden by SAFE ED Bonnie Hammond. Most little five year old Araloosas would be intimated by a pair of tall, handsome geldings like Odin and Chance, but not our Lola. She calmly establishes herself as the leader of the pack, and away we go to Cle Elum!

We arrive at the Washington State Horse Park which will be our home base for the next three nights. We quickly find the stalls we’ve reserved and are delighted by all the considerate little conveniences provided for us by the park, including wash racks with rubberized footing and cross ties; muck carts with rakes & shovels; fresh bedding for the stalls; and even mounting blocks to use! After everyone is unloaded and settled in, we saddle up for an easy walk around the park to stretch our legs and give our horses a chance to get acquainted. Then it’s early to bed in order to be ready for tomorrow’s first big adventure!

DAY TWO: The horses are loaded up and we’re off to Salmon La Sac to ride the Waptus River trail. At the trail head, Lola was saddled up in her Dressage saddle and then outfitted with packs in front and back. She also donned a full set of donated Easyboots, including a sassy red pair of boots behind. The trail started high above the Waptus River, and the combination of the river noise and another nearby group of horses caused all three of our steeds to lose their minds temporarily, but after a moment to regroup, we started off down the trail with Chance leading the way, Odin charging up behind him, and Lola bringing up the rear. The trail winds up and down rocky bluffs and through the forest, and some of the downhill stretches were quite challenging for horses the size of Chance and Odin. Lola, however, scampered up and down the hills like a surefooted mountain goat. It was only when we came to our first stream crossing that she expressed some doubt about going forward…and it was then that we realized that one of Odin’s Easyboots was broken and we had to turn around. The return trip was a lot more downhill and there were many places where the horses were walking over large rocks and boulders, but Lola was completely unfazed by any of this.We were disappointed that we couldn’t have gone farther, but all in all, it was a good ride and all the horses did very well.

DAY THREE: Today we headed off to Teanaway where we planned to do a ride that included 26 river crossings, just to give Lola the opportunity to practice her water skills. Upon reaching the first crossing, however, we realized that we might have been overconfident in choosing this particular trail. Brittney dismounted to lead Lola across first, and to her credit, Lola did cross the river in hand, but the large, slippery rocks under the fast moving water were quite a bit more of a challenge that what we were looking for! So we decided to change plans and ride up Yellow Hill instead. This involved an elevation gain of 2700 ft, but once we reached the top, the views were absolutely breathtaking! The last part of the trail was so steep that the horses had to practically bunny-hop their way up some of the inclines. We took a breather at the top to eat lunch and let the horses rest (and replace one of Lola’s Easyboots!) and then we walked the steepest bit back down in hand, just to be safe. Once we were back in the flatlands and headed to the trailer, Lola got her second wind and wanted to go for a few more miles! She’s amazing, and we’re wondering if perhaps she might like to try some endurance rides!

DAY FOUR: Our last day before heading home, and we decided that a nice easy ride was in order, so we packed up and said goodbye to the Washington Horse Park, and headed out to ride a portion of the Iron Horse trail. We did an easy eight mile ride along the flat, scenic trail that used to be a railroad grade. The geldings seemed pretty glad to take it easy after yesterday’s ride, but Lola was raring to go with lots of energy and a definite spring in her step. We had an exciting encounter with a small group of cattle that were on the trail, but all three horses handled it pretty well given a chance to have a long look at the cows and with lots of encouragement from their riders. After the ride, we all hopped in the trailer and headed home.

Photo Gallery

Adventures in Trail Riding with Lola! 

Lola got the opportunity to go out on not one but TWO trails rides this weekend! First she hit the trails at the Redmond Watershed with Brittney:

Then she headed out to the watershed again on Saturday, but this time with Brittney’s husband Darby in the saddle. Darby is a volunteer rider for SAFE and is most often seen riding Sinatra in lessons with Brittney. This was Darby’s first ride on Lola.

Lola and Darby after the ride

Lola and Darby after the ride

Lola predictably tested him at the mounting block, but once they got underway, she was a pretty solid trail horse. After about 1.5 hours in, Lola’s “young mare timer went off” (as Darby put it) and she lost a bit of focus, but all she really did was take some unauthorized trail snacks. Darby just had to make her work a little with some haunches-in, leg-yields, shoulder-ins until she focused again. She did a little spooking in place when a bunny ran across the trail, but all honest, in control, and reasonable reactions. Very good for their 1st ride together and for her not going out much on the trails. 

Darby says “Lola was very well behaved and listened to my seat and leg, she is sensitive in a good way. She reacted to surprises on the trail in a safe manner. I didn’t feel unsafe on her at anytime and she seemed to enjoy the trail ride. I would recommend her to someone that can ride young peppy mares.”

Lola photos by Karen Wegehenkel 

These stunning images of Lola were taken by photographer Karen Wegehenkel at SAFE Harbor in July.

Lola Photos by Karen Wegehenkel 

These lovely photos of Lola were taken by photographer Karen Wegehenkel at SAFE Harbor in July.

Lola Photos — Dec 14, 2012 

Paid a visit to Miss Lola on Friday. She was being treated for a sudden onset abscess (which has already blown out through her heel bulb), and was not the happiest of campers, but she posed for some photos anyway. Take a look at the white spots that have developed on her nose over the past year…those gray horses are never boring, I tell ya!!

The Mares from SAFE hit the trails! 

Kat & Lola on the trail!

Lola, Kat, and Shiloh got out today to enjoy the fall sunshine on a 2‑hour trail ride and had a great experience! We walked past alpacas, hacked along the neighborhood road to get to the pipeline trail where the 3 mares got to work their hind quarters walking up and down the hills past chickens, narrow trail openings, mud puddles and off leash dogs. Plus, they experienced bikes going alongside the rode, leaf blowers, and other horses. 

Lola Training Update 

Lola is now consistently working over small jumps and was shown over fences at the SAFE show, where she placed 3rd. She has proven to be a bold and willing jumper and I think the next step is to try her over some cross country jumps. She has been steadily improving in her flat work as well and her lateral work is getting stronger with each ride. She is a sensitive mare that requires a tactful rider but she is developing into a fabulous little sport horse.

Lola at the SAFE Show! 

Another big thank you to our incredible trainer, Heather Roe, who showed Lola and Louie at the SAFE show. Heather has been working with all the SAFE horses under saddle at SAFE Harbor, and her hard work really paid off as every one of the SAFE horses was a star at the show. Here’s Heather report on Lola:

Lola was a complete delight all weekend. She was well behaved, cautious of new things but not spooky (even about the big watering truck) and very relaxed. She did her first dressage tests this weekend at Training 1 and got very respectable scores in the 60’s on both tests. She also completed in her first hunter classes and won a second in her flat class and a third in her cross rails class. She was an absolute blast to ride over fences, forward, willing and obviously enjoying herself. I am so proud of her!

Some photos of Lola at the SAFE show! More to come!

April and Lola at Windy Tides 

We made a last minute decision to bring a couple of the rescue horses to get some exposure the outside world at the Windy Tides horse show at the Monroe Fairgrounds. We brought two horses — April who is 7 and been under saddle about 9 months, and Lola, our 3 year old Arab/Appy cross that has only been under saddle a few months. Both did great for their first outing!

Lola in the snow 

Some pictures of Lola enjoying the snow

Lola comes home from training! 

Here is our Lola’s first ride after being back from training! She’s doing great and looking for a home. She is 3 years old, half-Arabian, half-Appaloosa (reg. 1/2 Arabian), 14h (and growing). Just finished 60 days professional training. Adoption fee is $1000.

Lola gets a beauty treatment! 

Chelsey spent some time with Lola today, giving her the full spa treatment! Such an amazing transformation from the poor little filly who arrived at SAFE three years ago. 

Lola & Bubbles Photos 

Here are some lovely photos of Lola and Bubbles taken by Karen Wegehenkel this fall.

This photo shoot included photos of Sampson and Lucky too. All of the photos can be viewed by visiting Karen Wegehenkel’s website. 

Bubbles & Lola Update from Dec 19 2010 

Bubbles and Lola are at a wonderful foster home together and they are doing terrific! Here’s an update from their foster mom:

The girls are doing well and are happy. Bubbles is getting better with her blanket being taken on/off and they both have improved on being caught while out in the pasture. The first week they did not want to be caught when bringing them in for the night. Now they are at the gate waiting to be brought in. They are both SO sweet! I did have to separate them while in the stall/runs since Lola would be standing in one stall and Bubbles would be standing outside Lola’s stall all night in the weather. However they seemed to have adjusted to it well. Bubbles now sleeps in her stall instead of standing outside all night and she can still walk out in the run and see Lola.

Lola Update from Aug 12 2010 

Lola has been working quite hard at her in-hand halter and showmanship over the last few weeks and we were all disappointed when she could not get to the SAFE show last weekend due to a sudden illness in her foster family and a trailer/schedule mishap that left her and Coconut at home. Kelli had her all outfitted with a very cute western halter too It turns out that she even had a family that was interested in meeting her come out to the show to cheer her on and while the missed her, apparently they were excited to see the SAFE horses do so well 

This morning they came to meet her at home at KCJ. They’ve been Lola fans for some time and live in the area so we arranged a meet n greet and she got a little love in & they got to see how pretty she is…and how well she is doing in-hand as she practiced backing, pivoting, trotting & walking nicely beside Kelli who’s been working with her.

Kelli did report that Lola has been playing “Hard to get” lately and I got to experience that first hand when the farrier came today 

We finally devised a plan to halter up Basil and lead him to the gate and then she walked right up, stood still and let me halter her. This was after 20 minutes of running off every time I got close.

Once haltered, she was very respectful and nice on the lead. She did start to give John some attitude with the first foot, but he corrected her and she was actually the best she’s been for trims after that. 

John had lots of complements for her including that she has really nice feet and that she’s put together fairly well and should be a very nice riding horse when the time comes & expects that she may only grow another 2″ but if she takes after the Arab side in her, she could continue to grow & possibly get up to 14 hands at age 5–7. She’s currently in very good condition according to him as well.

He added that she could definitely be cross-registered Appaloosa because she carries all the marking requirements if someone was interested in a registry-based show career for her. Apparently he’s got some experience in that area. At least that’s something else to add to the possibilities that are Lola

Lola Update from July 13 2010 

I spent some time with Lola this weekend. I’ve been concerned about her since she lost her friend & pasture mate, Jasmine, this week.

She was very quiet for a couple of days but Saturday I got out in the pasture with her and she was engaged and interested in just hanging out. She had been mostly standing under a tree but as I moved around the pasture she followed so I planted myself in a cool place and she happily grazed in the shade around me.

The pasture she was moved to on Wednesday is a large rich grass pasture in the front of the property but next to what was going to be Basil’s summer pasture. They were getting along through the fence so Ken decided to turn them out together & they seem to be enjoying each others company a great deal. They’re both two years old and at one point yesterday they were racing laps around the pasture (much to the dismay of Uncle Ken who likes to keep the pastures looking pretty) By late yesterday, Lola had asserted herself as Alpha Filly and was nipping Basil and moving him around in play.

They both look very happy & we’re keeping an eye on things but we’re hopeful that this will be a good pairing for both of them while Lola is still here.

As I left last night around 9pm, they were grazing together side by side. I think that’s a good sign.

Update:
Here’s some photos from a couple weeks ago of Lola on her new pasture that she now shares with Basil. They are so cute together. We often find them grazing side by side or laying next to each other in the sun. They also play “race horses” from time to time and chase each other around the pasture. They always put a smile on my face when I pull into the barn

Lola Update from July 6 2010 

As the sun came out this afternoon, Lola & Jasmine got some turnout on one of the grass pastures while Basil got his lesson today. It was kinda hard bopping back and forth taking photos of everyone so I mostly got grazing photos of the girls…

Grazing

and then she made a friend.…a BIG friend…Mike the Mule! He kinda took a liking to her too 

Hello Mike!

so they spent most of the rest of the time grazing next to each other.…with a fence between them.

New friends

Lola Update from May 27 2010 

Two friends

And a little update on Lola, who’s also been out here at KCJ Stables since mid-April.

We are loving having her and Jasmine here. They share a pasture off the back of the owner’s house and as we”ve mentioned over on Jasmine’s thread, he’s got a special love for Arabians so Lola is part of an (almost) all Arabian inhabited area of the farm we call Arabian Plateau. 

She’s adorable and is a hit with the other boarders. Having these girls here has really put a face to the stories and made it a lot more personal. I’m really glad to see that these two and other horses, like Sinatra, have been able to get out to public facilities where they get some exposure and people can see what wonderful horses they are.

Lola is very animated and curious. Jasmine is very much the alpha between them but Lola likes to make sure she gets your attention and is quite nosy actually. I’ve noticed that she’s taking on more grown up horse like features but she’s so compact and petite that she still carries that look of a baby. From my calculations, she’s about the same age as my gelding, Basil but they have about the same level of maturity (or perhaps, lack thereof) but he’s 15+ hands and she’s pony sized and not as intimidating. I will say that she’s quite patient and a sweet girl on the lead. In fact the day we were hauling her, Jasmine wasn’t convinced she wanted to get in the trailer and Lola stood by patiently in-hand while we took about 20 minutes to get Jasmine in. Once that happened Lola hopped in like a pro and the attitude of “what’s the problem with YOU, Jasmine…sheesh!!”

We give them both a little turnout in the arena periodically and they both seem to like to get out and stretch their legs. The first video is of them running together and the second is a short of one just Lola, complete with her flagged Arab tail!!! 

Lola Update from Jan 31 2010 

New photos of Lola! She was really good in the cross-ties for her grooming. She is such a sweet girl and has the kindest eye.

Lola Update from Dec 16 2009 

Wish I had had my video camera handy this afternoon. I went out to the back pasture to look for one of Rolo’s shoes that he pulled and Lola and Sinatra started racing each other around the entire perimeter of the pasture, then back into their paddock, and then back around the pasture, back into the paddock, etc etc. Lola was running so fast!! She’s such a tiny thing but she can really move. I think she wants to be Zenyatta when she grows up. And she was bucking and jumping in the air and just have a great time.

She’s been here for a couple weeks now and she’s been a lot of fun to have around. She and Sinatra are joined at the hip, but every so often she’ll show him what’s what. She’s a little flirt with my big boys, especially Rolo, and whenever I load him into the trailer, she’ll start calling for him in this little tiny whinny that is SO cute.

Lola Update from Oct 23 2009 

We were contacted today by the person who bred Lola and owned her at the beginning of her life. Here is information about her registration and breeding:

Registered name: JMJ CALA LILLY — HAHR*1A367932
Foal date: 29 Jun 2008
Sire: GRADE
Dam: CAMILIA SAGLAWIYA
Dam’s Sire: SABAR PASHA

Her story: I gave her dam, Cami to a lady in Idaho three weeks after (Lola) was born because she had some of (Lola)‘s relatives and wanted her and Cami as riding horses. At the time I was out of work so it was a hard choice to send them away. The lady sent me photo updates every couple weeks and then about November 2008 I never heard from her again. I have been trying to contact the lady ever since. Her phone’s disconnected and it shows she no longer owns the property I delivered the horses to in Idaho. How they got to Snohomish county I have NO idea.

She sent us this video of Lola’s birth:

Biscotti — Aug 15, 2009 

Found some cute pictures from earlier this spring:

Scotti: “Hey guys, stop sleeping and come play with me!”
Lola: “Snore.”
Aiden: “zzzz”

Scotti: “If you don’t get up, I’m going to bite you!”
Lola: “Hey now!”
Aiden: “zzzz”

Scotti: “You asked for it!” <chomp>
Lola: “Ouch! You bit me! Why I outta.…”
Aiden: “Huh? What’s going on? What’d I miss?”

Scotti: “Oh, you’re up now. I guess I don’t want to play anymore. Hey look, its a person! I’m going to bite her instead!”
Lola: “Oh come on now, I’m up, let’s play!”
Aiden: “Can I go back to sleep now?”

Scotti: “Neener, neener, neener.…”

Lola: “Did you see what he did to me???”

Lola Update from July 4 2009 

While I was out today, Lola was showing her Naughty side…digging into Daphne’s bag and stealing a plastic bag with treats in it, running off with it…it was all quite funny. I was a bit too busy watching the antics but did manage to get this shot of Daphne catching the thief in the act!

What are you up to, little girl?

And then while Scotti was being a pretty good boy about getting his feet done, Lola decided that Daphne’s hair was very very interesting and kept sticking her nose into the procedure…

I want to eat your hair!

…which got her a mini pedicure since she was so interested in what was going on…

Fine, then it’s YOUR turn!

Lola Update from May 31 2009 

While Aiden was getting castrated, Lola got some attention from adoring fans. You can see she was soaking it up!

Babies in the Field 

Dominos

Sinatra was The Older Brother, of sorts, on the baby pature this weekend but I certainly will not call him the mature voice of reason…he was up to lots of antics including removing his younger friends’ masks and nipping and getting in everyone else’s business (which was super fun for putting on fly masks!). 

I’m pretty sure Lola was ultimately “in charge” most of the time. 

Saturday morning I walked out to find all three of them sleeping, lined up domino style…it was only the older and mature Sinatra who briefly raised a head to make sure horse eating monsters weren’t coming to get them before he gave me that “oh…it’s only you!” and put his head back down.

Lola…kept on Snoring!!

Lola & Aiden Photo Gallery — May 25, 2009 

Lola Update from May 25, 2009 

Lola is ready to be offered for adoption. She has made such a turnaround since I last saw her and not just because she has grown and shed her nasty coat. Gone is the little filly with the ‘tude, she is a total sweetheart now! Allison and I were able to groom her head to tail without even a halter and she just stood there and loved every minute of it. What a good girl!

Here are some photos of her! She is definitely black and absolutely adorable!

Lola Update from Mar 2, 2009 

A Lola update… She now weighs 333 pounds and is looking much better than when she came here. She is on a power pak worming program right now and got debugged yesterday. She is shedding. Lola and Aiden play together a lot now and it’s fun to watch them.

Lola - March 2, 2009

Lola — March 2, 2009


Lola - March 2, 2009

Lola — March 2, 2009

Lola Update from Feb 16, 2009 

Lola is growing and doesn’t have as much rain rot as Aiden had. She is still putting on the tough girl act but once you touch her the ears come back up. Silly filly!! She sometimes will stand to have her blanket on and off. She is getting the leading down but would prefer if we did it her way. They are starting to shed. can’t wait to see the color under all that hair.

Lola Update from Jan 6, 2009 

Lola got her feet done today as well…she was a very good girl and we had no issues getting her done quickly. She really likes attention, she just likes to act grumpy but as soon as you start petting her, her little ears come up. She’s just insecure and trying to tell us she’s a tough girl. It’s absolutely adorable.

Lola Update from Jan 1, 2009 

Here’s photos of the possible Lola taken today. Sorry for the too-big halter, that’s a yearling halter, going to have to pull out the foal halters, she’s tiny!  She’s very weak and wobbly on her hind end, and stocked up behind, as you can see:

She’s very sweet and affectionate. She does have some food-aggression issues (ear pinning when there is food near her), but the rest of the time, she’s a doll.

Lola Background & History 

New arrival at SAFE. Due to the fact that this is an open neglect case, I cannot provide many details at this time. This filly was surrendered by her owner to SAFE with encouragement from Animal Control. She is about 8 months old, black with a blanket, by an Appaloosa stallion out of an Arabian mare who did not survive. She’s in extremely poor condition, with a BCS of about a 1.5–2.0, and is covered with rain rot. She’s sweet and somewhat halter broke. Currently located at the main facility in Monroe.

She came with the name Lily and for those of you who knew our dearly missed Lily from the Elledge case that did not survive, can understand why this filly needs a new name.

More info and better photos to come. Photo below was taken prior to rescue.