We are quite full at Hanaeleh, but when we received the call that one of the horses we helped network two years ago was just up the street and needed a new home, we knew that we had to help.
Prince is a 19 year-old OTTB- his registered name is Pride of Wilshire. We felt that it might be nice for him to have a new name with a new placement, and one of our supporters suggested calling him Prince. He does have a very regal look to him, so we decided Prince it would be.
Bringing Prince to Hanaeleh
A few of us drove up to the stable to pick up Prince. It always amazes me that I will pull up, get a horse I’ve never seen before from a stall, load up the horse, and drive away and NO ONE at the barn says anything. That is exactly what happened that afternoon- I was in contact with the owner and the paperwork was completed, but she was unable to be there when we picked him up, so she told us the stall number.
We found Prince waiting in his stall, and put on a halter and off we went. He was very excited and pulled us down the breezeway and up the driveway, and hopped right into the trailer. In just a few moments we were headed back into the canyon towards Hanaeleh ranch.
Prince was on teff hay at his previous barn, and they were supposed to be feeding him supplemental feed as well, but that combination was clearly not enough for him because he is a few hundred pounds underweight. We have switched him to timothy pellets and alfalfa hay as well as senior feed with rice bran, getting fed five times per day, and he has started to get some of his weight back. Thoroughbreds often have faster metabolisms than other types of horses, and as a horse gets older they need to have their feed adjusted as well to maintain proper weight. We will have Prince’s teeth floated as well, which will help to ensure that he can masticate (chew) his food without any issues. We believe that within the next few months he should be back to his normal weight.
We also were a bit taken aback by Prince’s feet, as the farrier had left them very long and he has a large quarter crack running up through his hoof. Our farrier trimmed him, but the crack is still an issue and he still seems uncomfortable barefoot, so he will be getting new shoes this week; this will help to prevent the crack in the hoof from continuing to grow, and will also help him feel more confident when he runs around the arena.
Prince is a very sweet boy, and everyone who works with him has said what a lovely boy he is! He is very willing and wants to please, and we haven’t seen him be purposely naughty at all. The only issue that makes him a bit difficult to work with is that he came to us with a stereotypical issue of tossing his head. Stereotypical issues are neuroses that develop for various reasons, but often occur with horses who are in stalls and don’t get enough exercise and stimulation. Cribbing, pawing, pacing and head bobbing/tossing are all common examples of stereotypical issues. As we have been able to exercise Prince more, the head tossing has started to cease, so we are hopeful that it will go away with increased arena work.
Prince and Pearl
Prince arrived just shortly after we rescued Pearl. We weren’t certain where we were going to put either horse, and for a time they both stayed at a foster home near the ranch. We decided to see if they could live together, which would make it easier for us to care for them at Hanaeleh, and guess what? It was a match made in heaven!
Pearl needs to be on watered-down timothy pellets because she has no front teeth (due to her recent surgery), and Prince has no problems eating mushy pellets in the morning. We tried to feed them in separate areas, but they just decided that they would both eat all of the food in one bucket, then both would move over to the other bucket. They both seem happy with the arrangement and seem to enjoy sharing food together. Thankfully they are eating their own grain, which is important as Prince has a much richer grain mixture.
Prince also gets alfalfa hay twice a day in a hay net. Pearl cannot eat the hay in the net because she doesn’t have front teeth, and we weren’t too concerned with this because Pearl is at a good weight already, but Prince had her back: he picks up the hay net with his teeth and shakes it up and down so the alfalfa hay leaves fall on the ground. Prince and Pearl will then eat all of the alfalfa leaves on the ground, and when those leaves are all gone, he’ll shake the net again. It keeps them both entertained for quite a while!
Prince’s Future Plans
Prince still has a few months of rehab before we can even think of riding him- we need to get his weight up quite a bit and make sure he is sound first. We are hopeful that both of these will occur soon, and at that point we will look to adopt him out. The only issue we may have with finding him a home is whether he will be able to leave his best girlfriend, Pearl! For now, however, he is safe and the volunteers are all taking great care of him!
Did you know you can sponsor Prince (or Pearl) for as little as $10/month? It’s true! Sponsorships help us continue to care for each horse – food, supplements, veterinarian care, and farrier – to ensure they are always happy and healthy. You can sponsor Prince and/or learn more about sponsoring here.
Prince on rescue day:
Prince one month later:
