Lucky

Looking for a ray of sunshine to brighten your day? This little golden colt is looking for an experienced R+ family to call his own! He’s sure to be the most adorable kids pony one day, but for now he’s still a baby himself. So if you’re looking for a blank slate with a golden heart and a golden attitude - Lucky is your guy!<br/><br/><br/>LUCKY'S BACKGROUND<br/><br/>Lucky arrived at the rescue alongside his mother, both severely emaciated and both covered in a layer of ticks. Lucky appeared to be only a few days or weeks old, but further exam revealed he was already several months old, but stunted due to starvation. Their previous owner had bred his mum in hopes of selling the pair for a higher price than the emaciated, 30+ year old mare would get on her own. Instead, the two were headed to the slaughter pipeline and “kill pen” scammers, leading to their interception by rescue workers at SKE. <br/><br/>Lucky spent another few months by his mum’s side, but her health continued to decline as she struggled to maintain lactation, so we proceeded with a facilitated weaning. Lucky was then raised alongside other mares and foals with minimal human interference. As a young foal, he was very skittish and nervous, especially with people–understandable, given his experience with stockyard & slaughter pipeline handling.<br/><br/>With time and healing, Lucky has developed into a well-adjusted young man! He is always excited to meet his favorite people at the gate and is respectful, obedient, and eager to please during handling. <br/><br/><br/>LUCKY'S TRAINING<br/><br/>Lucky’s education has been 100% R+ (clicker training, fear-free/force-free) since arrival. He is exceptionally precise and careful during his interactions, thrives on new challenges, and loves to show off his existing skills.<br/><br/>Lucky is confident and reliable with the following behaviors:<br/><br/>- Leading off target or body language (at liberty, walk and foxtrot)<br/>- Face targeting (placing his eye, ear, cheek, nose, or forehead to your hand on cue)<br/>- Nose targeting (target stick & hand targets)<br/><br/>Lucky is working on the following behaviors, and can perform them reliably for experienced R+ trainers:<br/><br/>- Haltering<br/>- Leading with halter/rope<br/>- Stationing at a bucket for pets and grooming<br/>- Cooperative injections (IM & IV)<br/>- Stationary targeting (at a cone, mat, or bucket)<br/>- Trailer loading & stationing on the trailer<br/><br/>Lucky is working on additional cooperative care behaviors. He will take oral medications hidden in food. He is gaining comfort with leg and hoof handling, both prerequisites for cooperative farrier work.<br/><br/>Lucky is primarily handled by experienced trainers, and has also done a few lessons with advanced students looking to gain experience with stallion handling and advanced R+ groundwork. <br/><br/>Lucky is turning 5 years old this summer and will not be ready to carry weight until his 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!<br/><br/><br/>LUCKY'S HEALTH HISTORY<br/><br/>Lucky was born in the summer of 2020, making him 4 years old (5 in the summer of 2025). He is a Missouri Foxtrotting Horse with an adorable, smooth foxtrot in place of a two-beat trot. <br/><br/>Lucky is a petite little guy, standing about 14.1hh tall. He will be able to have youth and small adult riders (100 lbs max) for frequent, low-impact rides or infrequent high-impact rides. He will likely be able to tolerate around 150 lbs riders for infrequent, low-impact riding, too.<br/><br/>Lucky is an easy keeper feed-wise–he needs hay or pasture and a mineral balancer, no need for extra grains/fats/supplements. <br/><br/>Lucky has strong, balanced, barefoot hooves and currently maintains them through self-trimming (Note: He has approx 6 acres of pasture, including varied terrain and rocky/gravel areas. Restriction to a small space or soft ground could prevent him from self-trimming).<br/><br/>Lucky is strong and coordinated without any soundness or athletic limitations. He has had no significant health concerns, aside from his early-life emaciation and tick infestation, which both resolved upon intake, and cryptorchidism (see “special needs” below, this condition has also resolved).<br/><br/><br/>LUCKY'S SPECIAL NEEDS<br/><br/>Lucky experienced significant starvation during his early life, prior to his arrival at our rescue. This resulted in him being physically “stunted,” meaning his physical development was delayed. With ample nutrition, this resolved and he managed to “catch up” with his peers!<br/><br/>One physical developmental delay included “cryptorchidism,” meaning his testicles did not decend from his abdomen on schedule. Most colts descend before 6 months old, but Lucky had one side descend at around 1 year old and the other only just descended over the past year, at age 3. <br/><br/>SKE requires all male horses to be gelded (castrated/“neutered”) prior to adoption, in order to prevent accidental breeding and decrease veterinary costs for adopters. However, in Lucky’s case, it is in his best interest to allow him every developmental advantage, including normal hormonal development (which would be interrupted by gelding). We are tentatively planning to have him gelded either in the Spring or Fall of 2025, pending confirmation from his veterinarian that he is ready. <br/><br/>Until his gelding, Lucky is available only to adopters with experience handling and caring for stallions with ethical, R+ methods. He will likely make an amazing youth/kids pony one day, just as his mum was before him, but right now he’s still a baby himself! So he needs someone with patience to guide him through his remaining training kindly, gently, and ethically, and to support him as he finishes growing and developing. <br/><br/><br/>HOW TO ADOPT LUCKY<br/><br/>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 Lucky with an amazing home!<br/><br/>Lucky is available for adoption through SKE for $2500. He’s located in Willard, Missouri, USA and transportation is available in the US & most of Canada.<br/><br/>Start the application process by filling the adoption application:<br/>skequine.com/adopt<br/><br/>Contact SKE with any questions or concerns:<br/>adopt@skequine.com<br/><br/>Thank you so much for considering Lucky! He’s an amazing little horse who is sure to bring so much joy and happiness into his future family’s life!

Looking for a ray of sunshine to brighten your day? This little golden colt is looking for an experienced R+ family to call his own! He’s sure to be the most adorable kids pony one day, but for now he’s still a baby himself. So if you’re looking for a blank slate with a golden heart and a golden attitude - Lucky is your guy!


LUCKY'S BACKGROUND

Lucky arrived at the rescue alongside his mother, both severely emaciated and both covered in a layer of ticks. Lucky appeared to be only a few days or weeks old, but further exam revealed he was already several months old, but stunted due to starvation. Their previous owner had bred his mum in hopes of selling the pair for a higher price than the emaciated, 30+ year old mare would get on her own. Instead, the two were headed to the slaughter pipeline and “kill pen” scammers, leading to their interception by rescue workers at SKE.

Lucky spent another few months by his mum’s side, but her health continued to decline as she struggled to maintain lactation

Looking for a ray of sunshine to brighten your day? This little golden colt is looking for an experienced R+ family to call his own! He’s sure to be the most adorable kids pony one day, but for now he’s still a baby himself. So if you’re looking for a blank slate with a golden heart and a golden attitude - Lucky is your guy!


LUCKY'S BACKGROUND

Lucky arrived at the rescue alongside his mother, both severely emaciated and both covered in a layer of ticks. Lucky appeared to be only a few days or weeks old, but further exam revealed he was already several months old, but stunted due to starvation. Their previous owner had bred his mum in hopes of selling the pair for a higher price than the emaciated, 30+ year old mare would get on her own. Instead, the two were headed to the slaughter pipeline and “kill pen” scammers, leading to their interception by rescue workers at SKE.

Lucky spent another few months by his mum’s side, but her health continued to decline as she struggled to maintain lactation, so we proceeded with a facilitated weaning. Lucky was then raised alongside other mares and foals with minimal human interference. As a young foal, he was very skittish and nervous, especially with people–understandable, given his experience with stockyard & slaughter pipeline handling.

With time and healing, Lucky has developed into a well-adjusted young man! He is always excited to me