SANCTUARY LIFELINE FOR RESCUED HORSES
Lives of Ashley, 35, and her son Pliers, 33 have turned around at Catskill animal refuge
SAUGERTIES, N.Y. » With a lot of patience and love, and some healthy food, staff at the Catskill Animal Sanctuary were able to turn around the lives of two elderly horses that had been on the verge of being shot by their owner.
Ashley, 35, and her son, Pliers, 33, were underweight and malnourished when staff at the sanctuary rescued them late last fall, Animal Care Director Kelly Mullins said recently. She said the sanctuary had been getting calls about the horses, whose field was filled with debris and located next to a rail trail.
People would feed the horses because they were quite malnourished and thin, Mullins said.
Mullins said the sanctuary on Old Stage Road then got a desperate call from a neighbor who said the horses’ owner was thinking about shooting them because he could no longer care for them. So the sanctuary agreed to take the horses believing that Ashley, who is blind, might only survive a month or two, she said.
“Maybe we could give her a little bit of a good life, a little bit of healthiness,” Mullins said of the decision.
When staff went to get the horses, Ashley stumbled when she walked and could barely stand on her feet, which made it difficult to transport her in a trailer, Mullins said. At the same time, the sanctuary staff had to contend with Pliers who was very protective of his mother, she said.
“He would charge us,” Mullins said of the gelding. “He would circle her. He would literally come at us if we went near her. And he didn’t want to be touched.” She said Pliers had been with his mother his entire life and the relationship was not the healthiest for either horse.
Fast forward several months and not only is Ashley still alive, but she is healthy and well-loved. She has developed muscle tone and enjoys being brushed and petted by her caretakers.
Pliers has gone from being overly protective, to seeking attention from the people who care for him and his mother. Mullins said the large gelding has turned into a “snuggle bunny.”
And while Ashley’s blindness is still hard for her and she gets panicked if Pliers is too far way, both horses are doing much better, Mullins said. She said the two are in a small pasture that was created for them, though they are allowed out in a larger area where they are becoming acclimated to the grass.
“It’s really all about just the patience, the love, and healthy food,” Mullins said. She added that the horses’ former owner, who loved them in his own way, has told her he is very happy Ashley and Pliers have found a home at the sanctuary.
Mullins said one of the huge reasons the horses have come so far and are so calm is because of the people at the sanctuary, especially horse trainer Mia Wilson and Health Care Coordinator Kellie Myers.
“The work of these two amazing young women has brought these horses to a point where they can live happy, healthy lives where they’re not anxious and nervous and stressed all the time,” Mullins said. She said the two horses had been extremely unsocialized and codependent before coming to the sanctuary.
Mullins said the support of the sanctuary’s donors has also been a tremendous help. She said when the horses first came to the sanctuary, Pliers had a bad case of Lyme disease. His medication cost more than $500 per month, but he markedly improved once he started receiving it, Mullins said.
Both the horses are on supplements and the staff are keeping a close watch on Ashley’s eyes, Mullins said. She said Ashley has uveitis, which can be very painful and is similar to glaucoma in humans.
Mullins said anyone wishing to do so can sponsor Ashley and Pliers. All the money goes toward their ongoing care, she said, noting that the support of the people is important to the sanctuary and the beings who call it home.
“They can see the love and the work that happens here makes a big difference,” Mullins said.
For more information about the sanctuary, visit https://casanctuary.org.