carinamaiwald_201911_backwatersanctuary_6214.jpg

SAWYER

Sawyer, our little half blind pony who was rescued in September 2018, has settled in beautifully at the Sanctuary.

Having spent most his life on the busy city roads, avoiding traffic and running away from screaming kids throwing stones, he was extremely shy/scared and skittish.

Now Sawyer, Picket & Gambit have their own little grassy paddock, where they graze lazily together all day. Millie frequently visits them and has a gorgeous little bond with Sawyer. She know’s he’s the softest in the herd and so will always choose to share his bucket of food during feed time. He of course, lovely as he is, allows her.

In just six months Saywer transformed. He is now a gorgeous little flaxen chestnut, with a stunning coat, perfectly healthy weight and the sweetest, most gentle personality.

He lives a happy and stress free life with plenty of peace and quiet and his two companions. He’s getting more confident by the day and slowly learning to trust people again.

 
 

It will take time for him to completely trust humans again. When he first arrived, Sawyer was so skittish that he was still uneasy standing a good 10 feet away. Over the months, Zoha has worked with Sawyer and Pickett, slowly but surely earning their trust.

“It’s interesting working with abused equines who’ve lost the ability to trust. While feeding, grooming or handling them in any way, I would talk to them. And slowly they would start to understand my voice, my tone, my mood, my behaviour, my movement and they will continue to pick up on things until they learn everything they can about me. I also like sit in their paddock for hours, without necessarily interacting. By not intruding on their personal space but letting them know I’m around, they slowly get used to my presence and understand that there’s nothing to feel threatened by. It then progresses to THEM approaching ME, first out of curiosity and then ultimately, for security. From there, there’s really no end to what one can do. Everyday is a learning curve with these ponies. I can’t wait until they finally show me they can trust again” - Zoha on Sawyer and Pickett.