Ulysses came to us several years ago a very different horse than the one he is now. He was severely abused by charros, then abandoned and left to die in a riverbed in Riverside. He was picked up by animal control, and slated to be euthanized the following Monday because he is neurological. Hanaeleh happened to be at the animal shelter to pick up another horse, and a volunteer begged us to take him with us. We put him on the trailer, and the rest is history.
It took a long time for Ulysses to overcome his neglect and physical abuse, but now he is a very healthy, happy boy. He is one of the favorites of our volunteers, and many of those who are part of our EAC program enjoy working with him. Ulysses can never be ridden, but he doesn’t care- he gets fed in the morning, then gets to spend part of everyday running around in the arena, then gets fed again, and then later gets fed a third time! On Saturdays he gets a bucket of pellets while the volunteers groom him.
Although we cannot erase Ulysses’ past, we can help to shape his future. Since coming to Hanaeleh, he has never gone a day without food (although he often will tell me he is certain that he is starving to death because it has been 10 minutes since he was last fed), and everyone is kind to him. There are no expectations put upon him except to enjoy his life and be happy- and now he is definitely a happy boy!
