Horse Heroes Retire to Quieter Days Four faithful Saddle Up! horses were guests of honor at a Retirement Party
Saturday, February 2 - Nomo, Heidi, King Bee and Alyska were petted and praised by riders, volunteers and staff who came to say “thank you” for their years of service.
Saddle Up! riders decorated horse-shaped cookies with colored icing to represent
their favorite retiring horse. Linda Parker baked the cookies just for the party. The riders ate the cookies, and each horse received a “love bucket” filled with letters and artwork prepared at the party.
Nomo is a 15.3-hand Thoroughbred mare who came to Saddle Up! in 2002. She is returning to her owner, Saddle Up! Board President Sarah Ingram, to enjoy a leisurely life in the pasture.
Heidi, a 10-year-old, 14-hand Haflinger mare, will enjoy weekend trail rides with Saddle Up! Instructor Diane Mitchell.
King Bee and Alyska, though retired from the program, are still at Saddle Up! awaiting “the perfect retirement setting.” King Bee, Saddle Up’s smallest pony, is “30-something” years old. He and 26-year-old Arabian mare Alyska are inseparable, and they will be retired together. They have both been at Saddle Up! since 2000. “They need ‘assisted living,’ ” says Executive Director Cheryl Scutt. Because King Bee’s eyesight is failing, they’ll need a place with no open water in the paddock or pasture, and a place where the owner lives on the premises, among other qualifications.
If you have the ideal setting and would like to be considered for owning these two priceless ponies, contact Program Manager/Lead Instructor Lindsey Rizor-Wood [] 615-794-1150, ext. 24
