GRAHAM THE MINI HORSE SAYS HI! Well, Graham is not exactly brand new to SASHA but he whispered to us that he may not have met all of you. So we thought we’d do a little meet and greet so Graham can feel the love too!

Graham joined SASHA Farm in 2018, after being rescued by the Humane Society of Huron Valley from a neglect case in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Despite his small size and slight limp, he started his new life at SASHA as a feisty little guy who drove the other equines crazy, often running circles around them and actually behaving like a pint-sized bully. Even little Johann the mule, who held the record for feistiness until Graham joined, was somewhat intimidated. The Animal Care team found he would steer clear of humans, obviously having learned to mistrust people, most likely because of abuse in his past.

What is a miniature horse anyway? Miniature Horses are no taller than 38 inches and come in a rainbow of coat colors and patterns. They are known to be easily trained, have a gentle nature, and can pull four times their own weight so are sometimes put to work on a farm. These horses are descended from Shetland ponies and were selectively inbred for their size. Mini horses are often raised as companion or therapy animals, but we assume if Graham had been obtained for those reasons, he had not “made the grade” at all and had never had a positive connection to humans or other equines.

Fast forward to 2021. Due to 2 ½ years of loving kindness and care, and patience from both his human caregivers and his fellow equines, Graham has slowly changed. Our Animal Care manager says, “Graham is less excitable now, that’s for sure. All the equines get along with him these days. He is best friends with Johann. They are basically inseparable, always running around together. It’s adorably entertaining. We sometimes let them out in the big cow pasture because they love to run up and down the hill, keeping happy and healthy at the same time.”  Finally, Graham’s loving humans can approach Graham and he will not run away or kick up his heels at them. He has found his very special place at SASHA and in the world.

Graham, like all SASHA residents, is an individual who has been respected for who he is, even from his first day where it was obvious that he came with a lot of “baggage”. We had to give him space and time to work through his past, and the opportunity to know the peace and safety that is SASHA Farm. It makes each of us know why we do what we do. Graham will have a lifetime, happy home at SASHA Farm, with no strings attached.  

Henry Plummer’s 13th birthday fundraiser for SASHA! This is Henry’s 4th year raising funds for the animal residents through his birthday fundraiser. His greatest gift is to help animals. Henry has been vegan since conception, and has sponsored 3 SASHA animal residents, Lucky the turkey, Meadow the pig, and Babs the sheep. Henry loves to ski and loves teaching others about compassion towards all living beings.

Please donate if you are able, and help Henry and the animal residents! His 13th birthday is April 9th and he is so close to his goal.

Click HERE to donate to Henry’s fundraiser for the animals.

Recently, we’ve been featuring some of our animal residents who were part of the Calhoun County, Michigan hobby farm rescue in 2015. SASHA Farm came home with approximately 100 goats and sheep from that neglect and abuse situation. Today, we’ll tell you the story of Chia, one of the sheep who arrived at SASHA as part of that rescue. Chia is one of our Shetland sheep residents who is easily recognizable by her long, beautiful wool…when she has it! Initially, she was thought to be “older” than many of the other sheep from this rescue. She did not immediately have a sponsor, and she was shy and skittish around people. But in time, Chia’s life changed. Suzy the lamb arrived at SASHA and Suzy needed a friend too.

Suzy was born on a big sheep farm, but had been rejected by her mother. She was rescued and bottle fed by a young girl until she became too large to live in their home any longer. SASHA’s animal care team was concerned that Suzy would have difficulties integrating with the established sheep herd. So, they placed her with shy Chia, who needed a friend. It was an amazing match, and the baby lamb and the older shy sheep without a name were soon bonded. Chia did a great job showing Suzy how to “sheep” and both their lives became so much better because they needed each other. Chia also became much more comfortable with her human caregivers. She caught the eye of a compassionate couple who were visiting at an event, and they decided to sponsor her, and named her Chia.

Now this once shy sheep is described by her human caregivers as very friendly, which is fairly rare among sheep, who are herd animals who tend to avoid people. She’ll seek out her humans for face scratches and treats on a daily basis. Today, Chia often hangs out with Mia, another affectionate sheep in the herd. If Chia’s not hopping around with her buddies, she’s most likely lounging around the barn enjoying the relaxing pasture life. She’s a sweet and fluffy favorite of SASHA Farm. And how could anyone have predicted that two lonely sheep coming from completely different backgrounds would make life so much better for the other one? These amazing animals can teach us so much about love and compassion.