Name: Betty
Breed and Color: Red Dun Quarter Horse or QH Cross
Age: Unknown but estimated to be 10 – 14
Height: 15 hh
Gender: Mare
Betty is a hard horse to write about. It hurts your heart to look at her scars and her fear. To know that she had to have truly suffered in order to end up this way. And to understand that people have really let her down in the past. But this sweet girl deserves to be seen. She deserves to be cared for. And we owe it to her to try to undo the wrongs and build her back up into the beautiful horse she was born to be.
Betty was rescued from auction along with her friend, Lovey, and came to us covered in scabs and scars. She wasn’t halter broke and it is possible she had never been handled before. It has taken her more time than most to settle in at the Ranch, but we are happy to report that she is finally making progress! Thanks to our team’s and trainer’s understanding and patience, Betty has made huge strides in overcoming her fear of people. She now comes to the fence with the herd to greet visitors and she’ll even come over for a few sniffs and scratches. Though human touch still seems to make her nervous, it is growing on her and becoming more of a pleasant experience for her. Betty is also able to be haltered, is working on halter breaking, and is getting more comfortable with being away from Lovey. She is doing well but is still quite skittish and unsure of working with people. But you can see the softness in her eye and know that she desperately wants to trust. And we are working hard to get her there.
At the Ranch, Betty lives outdoors full-time with a shelter in a mixed herd of rescues, including her bonded friend Lovey. She is the lowest-ranking horse in her herd but has slowly been gaining a bit of confidence in herself. A pretty easy keeper, she doesn’t want for much and isn’t one to cause a fuss. Betty has a naturally beautiful build and maintains her athletic frame and muscles even without being worked.
Due to her fear and skittishness, Betty hasn’t been able to be seen by the vet yet. However, she did stand for a short visit with the farrier. Our goal is to have her up-to-date on vaccines, worming, teeth float, farrier, and vetting as soon as possible.
Recommended Rider: Suitable for a Trainer experienced in handling mistreated and fearful horses. Betty looks to be suffering from a double-whammy of being mostly unhandled and having been through both physical and emotional trauma. She would make a great project horse for someone wanting to help a beautiful animal heal through patience and a gentle touch.
Adoption Requirements: Betty was brought to rescue from auction with another mare named Lovey. These two have shared a close bond due to this shared trauma, though both mares have been making wonderful progress with settling in and making new friends. At this time, their bond is still strong enough that being separated causes them distress, so they will need to be adopted together.
Ailments/Limitations: Betty hasn’t been given a thorough health evaluation yet due to her fear and skittishness. Based on our observations, she looks to be missing some teeth and she has some swelling in her right hind leg. She is also covered in healed wounds. All of these injuries seem to be quite old, though, and Betty doesn’t show any signs of pain or discomfort.
BETTY IS STILL CURRENTLY UNDERGOING TRAINING AND EVALUATION AT BELIEVE RANCH & RESCUE AND IS NOT CURRENTLY UP FOR ADOPTION. HOWEVER, SHE WILL BE AVAILABLE AND LOOKING FOR HER FOREVER HOME SOON!
