A little introduction for all of our new blog readers. My name is Shari Higginbotham, I am the shelter manager at our Oklahoma shelter. I first came in contact with Horse Plus when I adopted a horse from them years ago. In 2011 I started volunteering for Horse Plus as an auction rescuer. I have been screamed at, yelled at, and kicked out of auctions for trying to save horses. Thankfully we always have a plan B, C and D if necessary to save horses even if I get kicked out. In 2015 I started managing the Oklahoma shelter and now it is my full time passion.
After the last auction rescue I spent a lot of time working with the horses and evaluating them to determine what they know. This cute guy, Apache, is green broke. He is so adorable!
I got a great update on Honey. Honey was ridden by a young girl in her first parade and her owner reports that she did amazing! Fire trucks, loud cars, nothing phased her. They wrapped her in Christmas lights and she acted like a pro. These are the best pictures she could provide at the moment. This is a GREAT horse.
I rescued Honey from an auction where she would have been sold for slaughter and it’s so wonderful to see her in such a great home. She is the mare with a crooked ear.
Dallas found his new home and I delivered him. He was all wide eyed and curious about where he was going.
His new mom was so happy to have him home safe and sound.
I had to take a group of horses to the vet to get checked out. Walnut looked out of the trailer as if asking “Where are you taking me?”
Walnut found himself in a stall at the vet office. He was a cryptorchid, and the vet gave a 50% discount on his cryptorchid and hernia surgery. He has a potential adopter waiting for him, but we had to get him gelded first. We are so thankful that the vet gave us such a wonderful discount.
Lefty was at the vet to get a health check. He was scheduled to be adopted soon and I wanted to make sure everything was OK.
Silver has been having a hard time keeping his weight up, so he went to the vet to get his teeth checked.
Sure enough, he needed to have his teeth floated. The vet got right to work on him and soon all the sharp edges were gone. Now Silver will be able to eat with comfort.
Walnut had a good surgery, and I headed to the vet to pick him up. He is such a pretty boy, and now that he has been gelded, he has a bright future ahead of him.
Rocky, who I rescued from an auction recently, has been very shy. He finally allowed me to pet his face and neck today! I sat on the ground and he approached me and sniffed me.
Big change from when I first got him. He is definitely thinking before reacting now.
During chores the horses are always very eager when I back the flatbed trailer into their pen. When I crawl on top of the hay, they always look at me wide eyed when I get ready to push the top bale off. They are so cute!
Then they get busy eating the yummy hay.
Gillian and Money Penny were surrendered. Both are 17 years old and have been together their entire lives. Both are accomplished hunter jumper and dressage horses. Neither have any health or lameness issues. They are suitable for beginner riders that are confident.
They have been out on pasture for 3 years due to their old owner not having enough time for them. Both are friendly and Gilligan even jumped in the trailer as soon as the door was opened. I am having trouble with the thought of separating them. They are very close to each other and I would love to find them a home together.
Lefty was surrendered at the one day shelter. He was so happy that he got adopted! His new mom drove 4 hours to meet him, and she knew the drive was worth it as soon as she saw him.
We are so happy for Lefty and his new family. We know they will have many happy years together.
One morning when I went out to feed, Silver was lame. I checked his hoof and found an abscess. He was a stellar patient through it all. He ate his breakfast while I cleaned it up, then I soaked his hoof in epsom salt and used a syringe to clean anything that might be left in the abscess hole. I wrapped it up and I’ll keep a close eye on him. He is already feeling better. The matching zebra stripe pink blanket and vet wrap made him feel like he could walk a runway in Paris.
Thank you so much for all your support. I’m planning on going to an auction soon, I’m sure Tawnee will be sending out a fundraiser soon. Thank you all again for your support!
~Shari Higginbotham
Oklahoma Shelter Manager.
