The OLS Horse Herd
Since opening our sanctuary, we’ve been lucky enough to develop a wonderful herd of horses. Horses are social, and happiest when part of a herd.
Monte
Wizard
Magnus’s Rehabilitation
We rescued Magnus from a terrible situation of neglect and isolation. He was kept in a basement type barn with no windows, attention or exercise. He was severely underweight, had muscle wasting and pressure sores. He was traumatized when he arrived at the sanctuary and stayed close to our barn as a safety net, despite having access to 120 acres of land. He was also displaying a cribbing behavior where he would repeatedly bite on a metal bar. He must have developed that habit out of boredom when he was neglected. We took him on many walks to expand his horizons and encourage him to join the herd. Our other horses spent a lot of time by the barn so he would feel comfortable with them. Little by little, he started joining the other horses on their adventures. After about 2 1/2 months, he was grazing the property with the other horses full time. He eventually took over as herd leader and became a little too bossy and aggressive with humans, so he went to another sanctuary that put him in a foster home where he could get more one on one training. We miss him but are glad we got to play a part in his recovery.