Yes, it’s true- Abe the little orphan mule has returned to Hanaeleh.
When we took Abe to his adoptive home a few weeks ago, we had very high hopes that he would be an exceptional companion for their gelding Rusty. Indeed, things seemed fine for several days and the boys got along splendidly.
But then Abe started being more and more aggressive towards Rusty, who is a very submissive boy. Abe started to chase Rusty around and was pushing him off of his food. The owners had to separate the boys, and while Abe really seemed to want to hang out with Rusty, when they got back together, he was a bully towards him again. Unfortunately it just wasn’t meant to be.
We drove down late Saturday morning to pick Abe up. When we got there, we had to put up a small pen inside of the stall so we didn’t have to chase him around (you may remember that Abe was once a wild mule). While Abe is better about being haltered, if he feels that he can find a situation out of that experience, he will take it.
Once we had the portable corral panels secure, we still had to get Abe comfortable with us putting the halter back on and leading him out. He calmed down a little once Rusty was standing next to him on the other side of the pipe corral, and it only took a few minutes before he finally decided to stand and allow us to put the halter on.
We walked Abe with both a breakaway halter and a rope halter- we attached a longe line to the breakaway halter in case he got scared and tried to run off, so we wouldn’t have to chase him. We attached his regular lead rope to the rope halter. He was a little hesitant at first, but he walked to the trailer like a good boy.
Abe was not really thrilled with the idea of getting inside of the trailer, however. After a few failed attempts at trying to negotiate him into the trailer, he finally decided it was better being in the box where there was food and no humans, rather than being outside of the box where there were humans and no food. We were able to get him secure without any issues and headed home.
When we got to the ranch, Star greeted him with a nicker, and he settled right back into his stall without any problem. We think that he could still be a good companion for another horse (one who is not quite as passive as Rusty), but for now we are going to continue to work with him to get him better at being handled and being haltered without issue.
This past weekend we started moving Abe around in the round pen on a line so he could get some exercise, and he had so much fun! We still need to keep him on the line so we aren’t chasing him around, but he is continuing to get better at being caught and handled. Besides just having Elizabeth handle him, we also have a volunteer, Erin L. who is spending a lot of time with him every week to help him feel more comfortable around people. Many of our other regular volunteers love to give him treats, and he is learning that people are pretty OK, at least when they have food.
This situation is why we ALWAYS take our horses back, no matter how much time has passed. While we do our best to adopt our rescues out to loving homes, sometimes there are situations that no one can foresee, and we want to ensure that all of our horses (and mules!) are safe throughout their lifetime. Every reputable rescue has this policy- those who do not are merely flipping animals and allowing the horses to potentially fall into a situation in which they could easily be at risk of slaughter.
We will continue to work with Abe to ensure he has the best quality of life. We would love for someone to adopt him, but for now we are working to get him more comfortable with being handled and worked with regularly.
We could certainly use your kind donation right now. Hay, grain and supplements (and most everything) have increased a lot in price. It would help us a lot of you could sponsor Abe (for as little as $10/month). You’ll get a photo of little Abe and updates whenever you wish. Click HERE to sponsor Abe.
