Corazón, affectionately known around the farm as "Cora," "Zonie," or "Zonie Pony" is a stunning young mare with a bright future ahead of her! She is intelligent, communicative, and full of personality. She bonds deeply with her "chosen people" and has the true free spirit of a Mustang.
CORA'S BACKGROUND
Cora came to SKE as a newborn filly, along with her mum. She had a very uphill battle after suffering from neglect, which she conquered in no time, resulting in a full recovery and a healthy, happy filly!
We don't know anything about Cora's sire, but her dam is an unbranded mustang mare who found herself in the slaughter pipeline, then bounced between neglectful "rescue" situations, then finally came here when Cora was first born.
It's unfortunately not all that uncommon for mustangs to end up in the slaughter pipeline before they are processed by the round-up/gathering organizations like the BLM. Many mustangs are kept in holding after roundup/gathering for years or even decades - these mustangs are not yet branded and often find their way onto trucks bound for Mexico. These kill traders stop at auctions and "kill pen" scam markets along the way, where some of these horses are traded or listed for sale.
An individual purchased Cora's mother from one of these kill pen scams. She was already pregnant, but did not receive the needed prenatal nor birthing care, so she & Cora were in bad shape when they were surrendered to SKE. Luckily, they both have fiery, mustang spirits, so they both recovered fully!
CORA'S TRAINING
Cora has had an excellent start to domesticated life since arriving at SKE! Her education has been 100% R+ (clicker training, fear-free/force-free). Her list of behaviors includes:
- Haltering
- Leading (with halter, off a target, or off body language/at liberty)
- Nose targeting (target stick & hand targets)
- Stationary targeting (at a cone, mat, or bucket)
- Body handling (for brushes, petting, vet, etc.)
- Veterinary handling (checking eyes, ears, nose, teeth/mouth, teats, etc.)
- Cooperative injections (IV & IM)
- Cooperative oral medications (via syringe, though she will also eat medications mixed into food)
- Cooperative eye drops/ointments
- Cooperative aerosol spray (like aluminum spray / aluspray)
- Cooperative fly spray
- Trailer loading (both ramp & step up; turning to walk off & backing off)
Cora is intelligent and learns very quickly! Cora is largely a "blank slate" without trauma from harsh training methods and is ready to excel at any future plans you want to tackle together from casual trails to equine agility to performance sports!
Cora is turning 4 years old this summer and may start to work on saddling and mounting block behaviors, but will not be ready to carry weight until her growth plates close. Remember - waiting a few years to ride at the beginning of their life can give you an extra decade of riding at the end of their life, so there's no sense in rushing into a young start!
CORA'S HEALTH HISTORY
Cora is 4 years old as of summer 2024 and approx 14.2 hh tall. She has a sturdy build and should be fine to carry youths/teens and small adults for high-impact/performance work, or average sized adults for casual/infrequent rides, but is small enough that she likely won't be able to carry larger adult riders.
Cora is an easy, easy keeper! She does not require any special supplementation nor grain. She has a LOT of gorgeous mane and a shiny, golden coat.
Cora has healthy, strong mustang hooves. Living in an enriched pasture with varied terrain, she tends to “self trim” well enough that she needs minimal human assistance. When she does get trims, she cooperates at liberty, using R+ and consent cues. It’s important to note that SKE does not train restraint-based farrier care, and so Cora has not been trained to respond to any forceful nor restraint-based handling, hoof care included.
Cora has not had any lameness issues, major health complications, nor other problems since her rehabilitation when she first arrived at SKE. The health issues she faced at intake were a direct result of neglect, have completely resolved, and should not have any long-term effects on her health and soundness.
HOW TO ADOPT CORA
SKE seeks adopters who have good intentions & good core values to direct them on their horsemanship journey - plus the knowledge, resources, & facilities to provide a great life to their adopted equine. If you feel that describes you, we would love for you to provide Cora with an amazing home!
Start the application process by filling the adoption application:
skequine.com/adopt
Contact SKE with any questions or concerns:
[email protected]
Cora is available for adoption through SKE for $2,750. She’s located in Willard, Missouri, USA and transportation is available in the US & most of Canada.
Thank you so much for considering Cora, she is certain to capture your heart and make her future family incredibly happy!