Mabel

Animal Control picked up Mabel and her buddies Ranger and Oreo after one too many successful escapes from their place of residence. But when she found her way to SAFE in September of 2024, she remained exactly where we left her, no more Houdini behaviors.

Despite her lack of vision on her left side, Mabel was getting through life just fine. At SAFE, we spent time getting to know her on the ground, got her saddled, and put miles on her as a riding horse. Mabel’s sweet personality and rather uncomplicated nature made her easy to get along with, and we knew that someone would come along who would love this little pony as much as we did.

When Kim came to SAFE to meet horses, she approached the process with intentionality and a deep focus on finding the correct fit. Mabel’s kindness drew her, and they spent time learning one another over the course of several visits, including one with her trainer. We like to think of adopting a horse from SAFE as a kind of dating game — sometimes when you know you know, but sometimes you gotta play the field, and that’s A‑OK.

After much thoughtful consideration, Kim picked Mabel (which if we’re being honest, was the match we had hoped for).

Shortly after arriving at her new home, Mabel experienced a rather serious medical situation, but Kim’s dedication to her new partner was unwavering, and the pair got through it, together.

They’ve since come through that, and have moved onto continuing to grow their relationship together on the ground and under saddle. Kim sent us this lovely message, so we can share how Mabel is doing directly from the horse’s mouth:

“I am so appreciative of the care the SAFE team gives to the horses, but also to those of us who find SAFE and find a horse to care for and celebrate as our own. The big card that came in the mail was such a surprise and such a delight. Thank you. Thank you all.

Here are a few photos that I took recently. JemaMae—Mae, as we mostly call her—has really found her place in the herd at the farm where I board her. The four other horses (three mares and a gelding) have accepted her. Her buddy, Quest, escorts us daily between Mae’s paddock and the arena as we walk through the turnout pasture. He keeps a respectable distance and murmurs to her once she settles back into her own paddock.

Our routine varies day to day, and she seems happy in the time we spend together. I feel I have risen from being “just another volunteer caretaker” to being Mae’s personal valet, assistant, companion, and best friend—her very own person.

I am also grateful that we have the guidance of Ken Siefer every week. We are learning a lot together. Ken is often the teacher, though sometimes it’s me, and Mae is always helping and teaching us to understand “horse.”

Best regards,

nicker nicker,
Kim and Mae”

Mabel went on her first walk outside the arena walls the other day, accompanied by Poppy, who was more than happy to show her around. Mabel has limited vision in her left eye, but you’d never know with how confidently she handles new experiences such as this. Mabel is well on her way to making someone a nice little riding partner!

Casey A recently put the first (at SAFE) rides on Mabel, and has been riding her since. Here’s what she has to say about how it’s going:

“Mabel’s restart under saddle has been going quite smoothly. She is comfortable with a rider, though she does have some anxiety that seems to stem mainly from changing eyes, made more challenging with her blind eye. She gets a lot of comfort with support that brings balance, and she has been quick to change with a few well-timed releases. It does seem like she was previously ridden in a leverage bit that was used to control speed. This comes out in a head tilt when asking to bend, active mouth, and stretching her head to the ground. We ride all of our horses in a simple snaffle, so it seems like all of these behaviors are investigative, and will quickly clear up as she gains confidence and balance. Overall, I think she is going to be a quick-study and a super fun ride, and it doesn’t hurt that she has such a sweet demeanor.”

The day before she was set to be saddled at SAFE for the first time, we went out to get Mabel at her usual turn-in time and found that she had gashed her leg open. Thoroughly searching the paddock revealed no cause. We guess she decided that stall rest sounded better than wearing a saddle.

Dr Lewis was fast on the scene. Mabel let us clip and wash and prep the area for stitching with little fuss. The fuss only began when the vet went to block the area to numb it. Touching all over the wound (that went down to the bone)? No problem. But involve a needle and, even sedated, touching was suddenly a STRONG no-go.

We gave it the ole college (even PhD level) try, but ultimately Mabel decided that she was not feeling up to stitches. So we wrapped her leg for the night and the vet planned to return the next day to potentially try again. But by day 2, the wound had begun to heal in such a way that Dr Lewis decided the best course of action would be to continue to wrap it versus try stitching it up.

Over the last 7 weeks, Mabel has received twice weekly re-wraps, and each time we peeled away the bandage her wound looked smaller and smaller, better and better. Obviously this is what we always hope to see, but there is risk of proud flesh and infection developing, neither of which were encountered here. Overall she did very well for her initial stall rest, and behaved herself in the small rehab paddock as we incrementally increased her space.

Today at her unwrap, we are delighted to announce that Mabel’s leg got the all clear. She has a small little scab still, but nothing that will prevent her from living the life she was before her injury.

Back in September when she first arrived, we knew Mabel was unique. From her tiger striped legs to her multi-colored mane to her one cloudy eye, Mabel has things that made her special wherever you look. And at her dental, we would come to find out that those unique traits extended to the inside as well. You see, Mabel is missing one of her bottom molars. As a result, the tooth on the top (stalag-tooth) has nothing to grind against, which has allowed it to run wild. And by run wild we mean, grow without check. The tooth in question has to be the longest we’ve ever seen — even our vets were pretty astounded.

Unfortunately, it cannot be filed down all at once. To take too much off risks disturbing the pulp cavities within, which could lead to abscessing and other problems down the line. To cut this tooth down to size, properly, will take time. Consequently, Mabel will see the dentist every 3 months or so. She has already been seen twice, and though it will take a while before that tooth is looking normal, we have already made some progress.

In the meantime, this Long Tooth doesn’t affect Mabel’s quality of life at all — and sure doesn’t stop her from having an appetite!

This little mare is absolutely adorable! Mabel is sure to win the hearts of SAFE volunteers in no time. In these early days of training, we’re taking things slow to give her time to adjust to her new surroundings. Moving to SAFE, along with adapting to new routines and food, is a big transition for her. So far, she’s been a joy to work with—kind to the volunteers who clean and feed her, cooperative with our vet and farrier, and she’s quickly become easy to halter and lead around the property.

We were told that Mabel may have had some prior training and wore a saddle before Animal Control picked her up. Her responses do show signs of past experience, but she’s quite sensitive to having even a lightweight saddle on her back. To ensure her comfort, we’re going back to the basics and approaching her groundwork as though she’s never been saddled before. It’s possible her previous training was either a long time ago or involved some challenges that we’ll need to address carefully.

Mabel has some vision loss in her left eye, but she manages well. We’re mindful of her limitations on her blind side, and our training goals for her incorporate fair and realistic expectations. For instance, we’ll use voice cues to help guide her when we’re on her blind side, which should increase her awareness of the handler’s position. Generally, we don’t rely on voice cues, as horses are not naturally vocal communicators and tend to respond more to feel than sound. In Mabel’s case, however, voice cues should help her adjust, and as her connection with us strengthens, we hope to gradually reduce the need for them.

The biggest consideration with her potential as a riding horse will be her comfort and confidence when handling sounds or movements on her blind side. Many in the horse industry might rule out a mare with blindness as a riding prospect, but we’re not making that call just yet. As long as she remains comfortable and willing, we’ll work within her limits to see how far she’s able to go. As a young horse, her chances of finding a forever home increase significantly if she’s trained as a riding horse. Not everyone can commit to keeping a young horse as a pet, so giving her a purpose will be key.

Mabel has been a pleasure to get to know, and we’re excited to see her continue to flourish. We expect her to only grow in our admiration as we continue to get to know her better.