Sky Ranch Sanctuary

A Horse Rescue Organization

Snitch's Page

Snitch

Snitch is 19 years old and has been with sanctuary director, Kathleen Redmond, since he was a foal.

He used to "snitch" milk from the other mares in the pasture when he was a colt, hence the nickname. Snitch is an 18 year old bay Arabian. He has numerous lameness issues, but fortunately, they don't keep him from running around in the pasture with his buddies in the daytime, and he rarely stands still.

He receives Previcox daily for his arthritis, and monthly injections of Legend.

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Snitch (1997)-(2021)

Snitch

 

On Friday, September 3, my horse Snitch died unexpectedly after a brief illness, taking a big piece of my heart with him.

Snitch (Selket Raider) was 24, and our relationship began back in Michigan when he was a year old.  A playful prankster, Snitch was here with me when I established the sanctuary in 2013. He greeted each horse who became part of our sanctuary family (assuring each one they had come to the right place!?) Snitch had a way with gates…a way opening them. He greeted me each morning when I arrived at the barn with a whinny and paced at the pasture gate in the late afternoon reminding me it was time to bring the horses in for dinner. He would often nuzzle my shoulder when I led him out to the pasture. He seemed to never stand still. I will always miss him.

Snitch is buried out back at the edge of the woods. It’s a peaceful place where I can go, and sometimes when the breeze blows through the trees, he doesn’t seem so far away.

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Summer at Sky Ranch

I guess it isn’t officially summer for a week or so, but here at Sky Ranch we’ve gone into summer mode. It’s warmer, the flies are here (though our Fly Predators keep them at bay), the horses wear their fly masks every day (note photo of Snitch sporting his), the sun/rain shelters in the pastures will get more use, and it’s daylight when we feed the horses in the morning.

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During the winter, we spend more time indoors and that makes for lots of time for reflection. When the day’s work is done, winter welcomes a fire in the fireplace, a good book, or maybe an indoor project.

When spring arrives the juices start flowing faster again, and we are reminded to take action. There are so many things going on in the world and a lot of them are distressing: mass shootings, wars, extreme poverty, and on a more personal level, the often petty, but at times overwhelming frustrations of our daily lives. And for those of us who love animals, hearing about the abuse and neglect they suffer can make us feel helpless to turn things around.

I think it helps to “do something.” It doesn’t have to be a big thing. You can adopt an animal, support a friend who has animals by offering to pet-sit, volunteer at an animal rescue or advocacy group, or make a donation to an animal welfare organization. Don’t be stopped by thoughts that the “little” you can do is insufficient considering how huge the problem is. Each contribution to the cause matters, and even small steps get us closer to our goal.

Use the energy of the summer life to take action. Think small, do what you can, and help make a huge difference.

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Adjustment

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Snitch waiting for his treatment …enjoying his daily tasting of the pipe corral.

Snitch, our always busy Arab,  had a visit from his chiropractor/acupuncturist yesterday. Dr. Greg Ugarte gave him a treatment which Snitch seemed to thoroughly enjoy. Snitch is a horse that never stands still..especially in the cross ties, but he was really ready for an adjustment and just stood there, as calm as I’ve ever seen him. Dr. Ugarte said even horses who remain calm during chiropractic at the rear and don’t seem to mind the needles going in can be sensitive to neck adjustments (horses often get their injections in the neck area). But Snitch just stood and seemed to welcome it.He had been exhibiting some discomfort with movement, and he seemed to welcome the help. A perfect patient.