We are so happy to announce that the little pony Zebedee found a lovely new home! He will be the companion to a beautiful Andalusian who looks like a larger Zebedee! He will also have a Quarter horse, a mini, and a pig to keep him company.
Two years ago, Zebedee was used as a tripping horse in manganas. Manganas are events wherein charros will rope the horse’s legs and throw them to the ground. Small horses and ponies are often favored by the charros because they are easier to toss to the ground. Unfortunately, their legs are just as sensitive and the bones just as fragile. Horses often break their legs, their necks, or suffer spinal damage during these events. Besides the physical damage that horse tripping causes, the horses suffer emotional damage. When Zebedee entered into the auction two years ago, he not only had scars across his legs, but also was so scared that he could not be touched, much less haltered. One of Hanaeleh’s friends, Natalie W., saw Zebedee at the auction and purchased him to save him from those charros who would continue to torture him by using him for tripping.
It should be noted that horse tripping is illegal in California, but this does not prevent horses from being abused in this way at private facilities.
When I first came up to Zebedee’s stall this morning, he was hiding behind the tree, which is unusual. He will sometimes do that when I’m not around, but when I come up he usually walks right up to the gate- not so much because he likes me, but because I usually have a treat for him. This morning, however, he seemed to know that there was something different, so he was playing, “Where’s Zebedee?”
- Can you spot the pony?
- Zebedee pretending to be Waldo
- No pony here, move along
I haltered him without issue, however, and walked him down to the trailer. He was a little nervous, and I don’t really blame him- he just settled in with us, and now we were taking him away again. When we got to the trailer, he was hesitant- until he realized that there was hay in the bag, that is. His stomach overcame any issues his brain might have conjured, and soon we were on our way.
The trip was relatively short and easy, but when I went inside to unhook Zebedee, he was sweaty and shaky. I hugged him and petted him, and realized that I had neglected to tell him what was going on. I explained that he was going to a wonderful new home where there was plenty of food, and no one would ever be mean to him again. He settled down a little and stopped shaking, but he was still understandably nervous. Thankfully, walking up to his new home, his natural curiosity got the better of him, and he forgot to be afraid and instead focused on his new horse friends. He settled in quickly and seemed happy and content when I left.
Zebedee has come a long way in the past few years- he can be groomed, he is OK with having his feet picked up, and he can be haltered and led around. We are sorry to see our cute pony go, but his new home is so wonderful that we really can only be happy! We know that his new owner will take excellent care of Zebedee. He certainly has come a long way from the scared, abused little pony who entered into an auction house a few years ago- now he has a beautiful new stall, wonderful new stablemates, plenty of food, and a wonderful new family. We are very thankful to his new family, and can only hope that this can be the happy ending for all horses!
- Zebedee walking up to his new home!
- Zebedee meets Smokey
- Zebedee enjoys a carrot in his new stall
- Zebedee meets Nugget
- The pig wasn’t really interested in meeting Zebedee
- Zebedee meets his stablemate