Pet of the Week: Beauty

WCAHS doesn’t just foster dogs and cats—we also foster horses, ponies, and other equines (and farm animals!) in need. Meet our very own black Beauty!

Beauty is an 11-year-old Shetland pony. He arrived to WCAHS in May. He was a lucky boy--the day he left his old place was the same day another kind of truck was scheduled to pick him up.

If you're wondering why his name is "Black Beauty" but he looks brown, there's an answer for that! Beauty is a true black, but because of poor nutrition his coat hasn't reached his full potential (which is why he still has some long hair in the summer too.) The vet said that by next year, as long as he's getting fed correctly, his coat should be a shiny black.

Beauty's hooves were two or three times as long as they should have been. This was caused by a condition called founder. Founder is caused by rich spring grass.  The rich nutrients in spring/summer grass can cause flare-ups of laminitis (inflammation in the horse's hooves.) It can cause the outside of the hoof to separate from the inside, and can actually cause the bone in the hoof to rotate through the bottom of the hoof (ouch!) If caught early it's pretty easily managed by keeping the horse or pony in a "dry lot", or area without much or any grass.

Beauty's feet the day he arrived at his foster home

Beauty's hooves were further damaged by a simple lack of basic hoof care. Foundered horses often need to see a farrier more often than a horse with healthy hooves. Beauty hadn't been seeing a farrier regularly at all. Luckily Beauty’s foster dad is a farrier! Beauty needed his feet trimmed gradually; a horse with hooves that long can't just have them chopped off in one round. He needed a trim every two weeks to gradually reshape his feet. 

Beauty has made new friends at his foster home. He loves Lil' Red, a mini and former rescue. Can you see the white spots both ponies have on their shoulders and backs? Those aren't natural markings. They are scarring caused by poorly fitting saddles. A badly-fitting saddle can cause saddle marks, or white hairs, to grow. Large white scars like that were caused over a long period of time. Saddles that don't fit well may also cause back pain and other issues. If you have a horse or pony, it's very important to make sure your saddle (and the rest of your tack) fits both you and your horse well!

Beauty also has friends with natural spots--Sonny, a mini paint, and Joker, a mini donkey.

Beauty is shy and needs time to warm up to new things. He's starting to learn how to like being bathed and groomed (although he won't admit it yet!) He enjoys grazing with his friends around the farm. 

Beauty is broke to ride and up to date on shots. He has been wormed twice and has a current Coggins. He is used to electric fence and big dogs. He is broke to ride, but the foster family has not actually tried him yet--we need a small pony cinch and a bridle, if anyone has some to donate!

He and the rest of WCAHS will be at the Waseca County Fair, in the space that used to be the Puppy Place. We would love to have him adopted before then, so he can leave for his new home straight from the fair! Beauty’s adoption fee is $300. We ask that only people who are willing to commit to him for the rest of his life--which could be for another 20 years--apply. His potential owners should also understand founder and how to care for a foundered horse.

And don't forget about WCAHS's other horse, Brietta! This lovely Saddlebred/Arab mare still needs a home that will understand working with Arabs and green horses. Her adoption fee is also $300.