Sweet Jasmine Blooms!
Horses Deserve Our Attention and Our Care
To many of us who live on the San Francisco Peninsula, horses are not all that familiar. We see them at a distance, as we’re driving in the hills or along Page Mill Road, and we may wonder how they got there. Who’s the owner? Are these horses cared for and ridden? Does anyone watch over them?
On May 31, Palo Alto Animal Services (PAAS) received a call about a starving horse who had apparently been abandoned at a public horse ring in Los Altos Hills. When Animal Control Officers William Warrior and Cody Macartney saw the horse, they knew she was in poor condition. She needed the care and protection of PAAS, and for starters they gave her a new name: Jasmine!
The rest of this story illustrates how civic agencies, nonprofits, and generous animal lovers can work together to rescue a neglected horse.
Officers Warrior and Macartney trailered Jasmine to Page Mill Pastures, a safe, comfortable stable in Los Altos. Concerned about the cost of stabling Jasmine, Connie Urbanski, Superintendent of PAAS, contacted Maddie’s Fund to ask for financial aid. Joey Bloomfield of Maddie’s Fund promptly agreed to pay the fees for Page Mill Pastures where Jasmine could recover.
Veterinarians Bonnie Yoffe, of PAAS, and Sinead Divine, from Peninsula Equine Medical Center, examined Jasmine and ran standard blood tests, which came back normal. On a body condition scale (BCS) of 1 through 5, where 1 means a horse is emaciated, they gave Jasmine a score of 1. Her problem was lack of food.
The veterinarians determined that Jasmine is about 25 years old. After 7 days on “stray” hold, Jasmine was given vaccinations, treatment for abscesses on her feet, a set of new shoes, and lots of love from a great team of helpers at Page Mill Pastures, including Giselle Turchet and Susan Anderson.
In just two months at Page Mill Pastures, with regular feeding and veterinary care, Jasmine has blossomed into the sleek, beautiful mare she always was. Even better, a person with love to give and space for a horse adopted Jasmine as a companion animal.
Reports are that she’s happy and quite social in her new home—friendly with visitors and stretching her head over the fence for petting. Her owner considers her to be retired. No more trail rides or racing, no more saddle or bridle. Just relaxing, grazing, and spending time with her new forever family!
Want a horse?
Then be aware of the specialized care and tools required to maintain a horse’s health and happiness.
- Floating teeth once a year to keep molars ground down for proper chewing
- Visits from the farrier every six weeks to adjust or replace your horse’s shoes
- Good quality hay (not straw) for the horse’s main diet and grain (oats, barley, mixes) as a supplement
- A clean stall (if your horse is stabled) with manure removed regularly, fresh straw on the floor
- Pasture with real grass to chomp
- Annual veterinary checkups & vaccines
- Regular brushing, currying, combing to keep the horse’s coat, tail, and mane healthy and tangle free
- Occasional baths with horse shampoo, buckets, sponges
- Time with your horse for riding, training, grooming, and play
Scottie Zimmerman, our President