Nadia
description: 1998 grey Arabian mare
registered name:
type of rescue: Animal Control Surrender
intake date: 11/12/2010
adoption date: 4/28/2011
length of time with SAFE: 5 months
ADOPTED!! by Zoe B
Nadia is a sweet, pretty mare that was originally rescued from a hoarding situation in Eatonville by Pierce County Animal Control in June of 2010. When she originally arrived at SAFE, she was still quite thin so first we had to just get her healthy again. She was re-started under saddle, and in 2011, she was adopted to a family where she became a lifelong companion to Zoe, who was just 10 years old when Nadia came into her life. After 13 years together, Nadia passed away one day in the arms of her best friend. She is dearly missed, but she will never be forgotten.
Nadia: “More than just a horse…”
Nadia in 2011
Nadia’s backstory as a rescue horse is harrowing, and it’s pretty fair to say that it’s lucky she made it to SAFE alive. She was part of a huge Animal Control seizure back in 2010 involving 18 equines and 55 canines, who were discovered living in filthy conditions. At the time of this seizure, SAFE only had room to take on two of the horses, and the rest were placed by the animal control agency. Well, most of the rest…two horses were not placed in the time frame allowed by the county and in November 2010, they were taken to the Enumclaw Sales Pavilion and run through the auction. Nadia was one of these horses. She was purchased by a kill buyer and scheduled to be shipped to slaughter. Fortunately, SAFE found out about this before it was too late, and despite our policy to not rescue from the kill pen, we chose to make an exception for Nadia.
Nadia went straight to our vet’s clinic for assessment and quarantine since she spent nearly a week at the auction facility. She was examined and received vaccinations, fecal and blood testing, and had her teeth floated and her hooves trimmed. At that point, we didn’t know if she had been ridden, but she was very sweet and easy to handle, despite being nervous in a strange new environment. We were contacted by her former owner, who said she was a 12 year old purebred Arabian who was cart-trained and had been used in parades. Not being inclined to just take someone’s word for it, we started Nadia into training a few months later.
Nadia under saddle
Initially, Nadia was a challenge to work with. She quickly became very herdbound to another mare, and would scream for her friend and ignore her trainer when they were separated. Backing her was difficult because in her worked up state, she would pin her ears, buck, and try to bite her trainer. Because we wanted to take things slow and positive with this mare, she ended up being saddled and backed in a foaling stall. This time, she was relaxed and the trainer was able to get on and ride her in small circles in the stall. Within a few weeks, Nadia was improving under saddle when given the chance to freely move forward. She was very green, but it was obvious she had some training in the past. She also proved to have a great whoa on her. After another 30 days of training, Nadia had learned to be a proper arena horse with more than just two speeds (i.e., “dead run” and “whoa”). She learned how to give to the bit and we no longer saw the grouchiness she’d displayed during her first few rides.
After five months as a SAFE horse, Nadia found her forever home with Amanda and her 10 year old daughter, Zoe, who was starting 4‑H. What followed was nothing less than a fairy tale written for a girl and her horse. Zoe and Nadia grew up together, and over the years, we received delightful updates and photos from them on a regular basis. We were able to witness their adventures in WAHSET, drill team, gaming, and performance showing. This adoption was everything we dream of as a rescue, because this is exactly the kind of relationship that we wish for, for all of our horses.
Thirteen years after Nadia was adopted, we received a message from Zoe’s mom to let us know that they had lost Nadia over the weekend. Zoe was headed off to work when she saw that Nadia was down in the field. Nadia whinnied at her and did get up, but Zoe knew something was wrong. She called her mom and her vet, but before either could arrive, Nadia was gone. She would have been 27 the next week.
Zoe was kind enough to allow us to share with you what she wrote about Nadia that day:
There are not words to describe how much this horse meant to me. Anyone who knows me, knew Nadia. She was my whole world when it came to my animals, and I’m so lucky to have had the privilege of being able to love her endlessly for more than half of my life.
Everyone who knew her knew that she loved to be loud, and she was always making her presence known with her nickers and whinnies. As I was leaving for work this morning, she still whinnied but it sounded way off. I went over to her and realized she’d been down for some time already, but she got up just for me although she was very weak and wobbly. Despite immediately calling the vet, she went down and passed in Wyatt and I’s arms within about 40 minutes. I am beyond struggling with this sudden hole in our family, and with the fact that I simply can’t afford cremation to keep her with me forever. We of course took keepsakes of her mane and her tail, and I hope to create a tack set for Sassy so that we can carry her with us every ride.
She was more than just a horse to me, and I will forever be changed by the love we had. Saying goodbye to one of the foundations of my childhood wasn’t even crossing my mind for another 5–10 years. I wish she was still here and I wish she could’ve stayed forever. I know that I’ll see her again one day and that she’s happy and warm and comfortable somewhere with an endless supply of green grass to roam on.
“You are a great champion; when you ran, the ground shook, the sky opened and mere mortals parted, parted the way to victory, where you’ll meet me in the winner’s circle, where I’ll put a blanket of flowers on your back”
Rest in Peace, dear Nadia. You will be missed, but you will not be forgotten.
(Below) A Gallery of Nadia’s Life with Zoe and Amanda
Alumni Update: Nadia
Leah, age 12, is still riding Nadia in 4H. Last year was mostly pleasure riding since all events were cancelled, but this year they’ve been getting back into competition. She rides Nadia both English and Western for Saddle Seat, Hunt Seat, Dressage, Stock Seat, Bareback, and Western Gaming (which is Nadia’s favorite). They’ve been doing qualifier events, and are signed up for the Thurston County Youth Fair events in July and will likely qualify for the WA State fair in Puyallup in September.
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- Riding bareback in the arena
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- Practicing gaming
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- Saddle seat practice at the fairgrounds
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- Showmanship practice at the fairgrounds at a gaming qualifier
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- Giving Nadia her oat-apple-carrot cake for her birthday
Alumni Update: Nadia
Nadia celebrated her 3rd anniversary with her new family back in October! Here are some photos her adopters recently shared with us.
Nadia Update!
Nadia — Adopted!
Congratulations to Amanda B. of Yelm, WA on her adoption of Nadia! Nadia was originally part of a large seizure in Pierce County involving 18 horses and minis, 55 dogs, and numerous other animals in June of 2010, in extremely poor condition. Eventually she was taken to the Enumclaw Auction when she failed to find a home and ended up in a slaughter pen. She was then taken in by SAFE, rehabbed (she was still very underweight at the time), and then put into training. She turned out to be a very nice little horse and will be the mount of Amanda’s 10 year old daughter, who is starting 4H this year.
To read Nadia’s entire history at SAFE, click here.
Nadia
Nadia
breed: Arabian
color: grey
age: 13 (born April 20, 1998)
sex: mare
height: 14.2 hh
Nadia is well started and would be suitable for someone with intermediate riding skills.
Status: Adopted
Nadia is a sweet, pretty mare that was originally rescued from a hoarding situation in Eatonville by Pierce County Animal Control in June of 2010. She was in their foster care systems for several months, and while the other 16 horses and minis that were seized had found homes, Nadia and one other horse did not and eventually Pierce County Animal Control ran them through the Enumclaw auction, where Nadia ended up being bought by the auctionhouse owner who frequently sells horses to slaughter. PCAC ended up buying the horse back from the auction owner and surrendering her to SAFE’s care. When she originally arrived at SAFE, she was still quite thin so we spent several months just getting her healthy. We had heard she was broke to ride, but she was quite flighty and nervous about being handled, so we sent her to our trainer. She’s been with our trainer for a month now and doing well. Our best guess is she has formerly been used as a gaming/barrel horse. She would make a really cute little 4H western horse! She’s still a little nervous and sensitive but she’s quite sensible as well.
Nadia Update — Apr 24, 2011
Nadia came back from training today and I was able to get a quick video and some still shots of her under saddle. She was so good that our volunteer Sara’s daughter, Angelique, was able to take her 2nd riding lesson on her even though she had just arrived in a strange place she had never been before. What a sweetheart of a little mare! Here are some photos and a video clip (please excuse the jeans and lack of proper headgear, this was an unplanned session). Here Nadia demonstrates not only her excellent “Whoa”, but also she does flying changes!
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- Nadia under saddle
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- Nadia under saddle
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- Nadia under saddle
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- Nadia under saddle
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- Nadia under saddle
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- Nadia under saddle
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- Nadia under saddle
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- Nadia under saddle
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- Nadia under saddle
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- Nadia — beginner rider aboard
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- Nadia — beginner rider aboard
Nadia — Pending Adoption!
Nadia is not even back from training yet (she is coming back on Sunday), and she already has a potential adopter! They went up and tried Nadia up at the trainer’s and feel she is a perfect fit for her family. Pending adoption!
Nadia & Aiden Update — April 17
Next weekend, Nadia will be returning from training. She has been doing really well, and finally learning how to be a proper arena horse and not just having two speeds (“dead run” and “whoa”). She is learning how to give to the bit and has not had any issues with grouchiness about being ridden since those first couple of rides. When Nadia comes back, it will be Aiden’s turn to go to training! Now three years old, he is ready to start his next adventure. I can’t wait to see how Andrea enjoys working with our sweet little Aiden!
Nadia Update — 4/17
Next weekend, Nadia will be returning from training. She has been doing really well, and finally learning how to be a proper arena horse and not just having two speeds (“dead run” and “whoa”). She is learning how to give to the bit and has not had any issues with grouchiness about being ridden since those first couple of rides. When Nadia comes back, it will be Aiden’s turn to go to training! Now three years old, he is ready to start his next adventure. I can’t wait to see how Andrea enjoys working with our sweet little Aiden!
Nadia Update
Nadia under saddle
Nadia is doing great! She is now going walk, trot and canter off the lungeline in the big arena. She was a little testy about being ridden at first, being sulky about going forward and generally crabby, but finally instead of trying to work with her like a horse that was not yet started with a ground person, the trainer took her off the lungeline and just pushed her forward around the arena and as soon as she started moving forward she started behaving much better. She is green, but has obviously had some training (probably western) and she has a great whoa on her. Yesterday Dr. Hannah came out and checked her out as the trainer wanted to make sure she was not sore in her back, and we also had her teeth done and her shots. We will leave her in training a little while longer, but she is officially available for adoption!
Nadia Update — Mar. 2, 2011
Here is a photo of Nadia under saddle yesterday. She actually was not very good yesterday, she is very herdbound to her pasture mate and was screaming and fairly tuned out to the trainer (she’s since been moved and now shares a pasture with Delilah, who gets along with her but mostly ignores her). When the trainer would lean over her back and go to mount, she actually got a little nasty about it and would pin her ears, buck, and try to bite the trainer or the handler. It was the first time the trainer had seen this type of behavior with her, but she was also very worked up about being separated from the other horses. Today, they worked with her again and it was hailing and windy outside, so they decided to just work with her in the barn in a foaling stall. They tried a different saddle on her to see if that helped, and this time she was completely relaxed about being mounted and the trainer was able to steer her around in circles in the stall. She does seem to be a horse that has been ridden before, she doesn’t mind at all about being saddled or girthed up, and seems to understand how to steer and move off the leg, but she is also a very high-strung girl that when upset, is reactive, so the trainer is being very careful with her, especially after what happened with Calamity last summer. We will take it slowly and carefully with Nadia.
Nadia Update — Feb. 28, 2011
I’ve been playing phone tag with our trainer, but I caught her for a few minutes this morning and she gave me a quick update on Nadia. Their farm in Stanwood has been buried in 3 feet of snow (and still snowing today! thank goodness we just have rain here now) and their arena frozen but she has been on her once and just walked her around. Nadia is very nervous and skittish, reminding her a lot of Amber (another Arab mare we had that Andrea trained for us). However, despite her nervousness she is very sweet and Andrea also got the sense that she is broke to ride and has had some training in the past. I’ll keep working on getting some pictures of her! It’s hard when she is an hour away from Monroe, but its worth it for us because our trainer, Andrea Lucianna of Half-Trak Farm, does such a fabulous job with every horse she has trained for us (13 horses so far!).
Nadia Update — Feb 19, 2011
Nadia has gone into training! Our trainer picked her up from the foster home on Thursday night. She reports that Nadia looks great and that Judy, her foster mom, did a great job getting weight on her. She worked with her a little bit yesterday, Nadia was very nervous so they just did a grooming session with her and are giving her a little time to adjust to her new surroundings. Hopefully I will get some pictures soon.
Nadia Update Dec 1, 2010
I received an email from the woman who had Nadia and the other seized from her. She provided some information on Nadia, that she had purchased her from Darlene Wilson (same as Calamity) and that she is supposedly cart-trained and has been used in parades. She stated Nadia is purebred Arabian and is 12 years old. Obviously we will take this information with a huge grain of salt but it does help to know her age and Dr. Hannah should be able to confirm that.
Also — Nadia’s fecal was negative and her bloodwork normal, her teeth are not bad so she just needs more groceries.
More photos of Nadia at NWESC — she’s pretty, isn’t she?
Nadia Photos
Nadia’s arrival at NWESC:
Nadia Background & History
Nadia is a 12 year old gray Arabian mare that was original part of a Pierce County Animal Control seizure in early June 2010, out of a hoarder situation involving 18 ponies and horses and 55 dogs that were living in filthy conditions. This is also the same place where Zanadu and Calamity (RIP) came from.
Nadia was one of only two remaining horses in Pierce County’s contracted foster home that had not found a home, and on 11/12/10, she and the other horse were taken to the Enumclaw Sales Pavilion and run through the auction. Sadly, Nadia ended up in the kill pen scheduled to be shipped for slaughter. At this point SAFE was contacted, as Pierce County Animal Control was willing to make a donation to a rescue organization to help get Nadia safe, but they would not buy her back from the auction yard.
Normally, it is not our policy to buy horses from auctions, especially after they have gone to the kill pen. Our take on this is that it is analygous to buying puppies from a puppy mill to save them…it is contributing to, rather than addressing, a systemic problem. We are inundated on a daily basis from horse owners asking us to take their horses they no longer can or wish to care for, from Animal Control/Humane Society organizations asking us to take horses for them, and from individuals pointing us to various threads or Craiglist ads about horses going to slaughter or being offered for free and begging for us to help. There are horses in need everywhere needing rescue, and paying overinflated prices to a kill buyer who laughs as he publicly refers to us as “bleeding heart idiots” is not the answer.
That said, we chose to make an exception to our policies (which we have before, Lucky being another case in point), because of the circumstances involved and primarily due to the loss of Nadia’s former pasture mate, Calamity, in a tragic accident last week.
Nadia is currently at the NWESC facility for assessment and quarantine as she spent nearly a week at the auction facility. Dr. Hannah has given her a brief evaluation and given her a body condition score of 2.5. Apparently she has had her vaccinations and a dental float, but Dr. Hannah is doing bloodwork on her and a fecal as well to rule out any physical explanation for her poor body condition.
We don’t know if she is broke to ride but from what I have been told, she is very sweet and easy to handle, even nervous and in a new environment.
Update on Zanadu and Nadia’s case
Here is a link to a news update on the neglect case from the property where Zanadu, Calamity, and Nadia came from. The three woman charged in the neglect case have pled Not Guilty on all counts:
KIRO TV Video News story
News story from property where Zanadu, Calamity, and Nadia came from:
