Sponsor an ANT Animal: Renaissance (Ren)

Born: 2008

Sex: Mare
Color: Dark Bay
Breed: Clydesdale

About Ren:

Renaissance (Ren) stole our hearts when we were looking for ridable horses to join our herd. She was adopted/rescued by her previous owner from a farm in Canada in 2020, arriving very underweight and with scarring from ill-fitting equipment. After a lot of TLC Ren grew healthy again, but her owner reluctantly realized she didn't have the time or resources to continue caring for a draft horse. She agreed to let Ren try out a therapy career with ANT, and we were blown away to see how quickly she took to this work! She is a gentle giant, tenderly lowering her head to greet anyone who approaches her. She made fast friends with our miniatures, Jackson & Buttercup, and can often be found following them around the pasture and grooming each other. Ren requires her participants to be firm & clear in their communication, but is a willing partner when asked. One of her favorite activities is napping; she will gladly take several long naps a day, and will let a person join her while she lays on the ground (she even enjoys belly rubs!).

Health: Ren has Heaves, which is similar to human asthma. She needs to be kept out of the barn and away from dust as much as possible. This also causes a cough, mucus-y discharge out of her nostrils, and some exercise intolerance. She also has fibrotic myopathy which causes some left hind mechanical lameness (it does not cause pain). Our trimmer, Christina, has been working hard on rehabbing her feet after she came to us with lots of cracks and flaring. We are constantly working on her feet to increase her comfort. She also has arthritis in her lower leg called ringbone which often causes her pain. We give her a daily pain medication to help her stay comfortable. Our veterinarian predicts that she has likely had a foal in the past!

Work experience: Unknown work experience from her life before her last owner (who rescued her). Ren is pretty green (inexperienced) under saddle, though she is happy to support riders of all ages and sizes. On the ground she needs firm reminders of personal space, as she is still learning to be aware of her own size. We are working on her standing patiently and the cue "over". This summer she was confidently led and ridden by participants as young as 6 years old!