BEGIN AGAIN RESCUES AND REHABILITATES LOCAL HORSES

BY DANNY LINSNER

Unfortunately for Timmy, more tragedy would strike. e family’s patriarch passed away and the family was forced to sell the house and move, leaving Timmy behind. e family found Timmy had been sold to an unknown buyer and the family had no leads to Timmy’s whereabouts.

A er four years of searching, a family friend was searching Begin Again’s website when she noticed the picture of a horse that looked like Timmy. Even though the horse had a di erent color, she knew it was Timmy and she told the family as much. e family returned to Begin Again and signed the paperwork to bring Timmy to their new home, where he has been ever since.

As the old saying goes, all good things must come to an end. However, at the Begin Again Horse Rescue in Lima, that doesn’t have to be the case. e horse rescue, as their name suggests, provides abandoned or struggling horses a chance at a better life through rehabilitation and a chance to have a ful lling life for many years to come.

Located in Lima on Route 15A near the intersection with Woodru Road, the farm consists of horses found to be neglected or abused. rough the help of volunteers, these horses are adopted and rehabbed, and then sent to other places where they can receive proper care from a loving family.

e Begin Again Horse Rescue is only a temporary home for horses, so that means horses are constantly coming and going from the farm. e Horse Rescue usually accepts horses from private owners, county horse facilities, or from livestock auctions where the horse will most likely be sold to slaughter.

Most horses adopted by Begin Again Horse Rescue come from within a two-hour radius of the farm, which allows the farm to adopt horses to local farms and families. Many horses have gone on to be successful outside the rescue.

Last year, one horse adopted from BAHR, Holy Smoke, competed in Harrisburg, PA in the Horse World Expo in the Rescued to Stardom Training challenge. e BAHR sends a horse to this expo every year.

Other horses’ success outside of the horse rescue include Timmy, adopted by Begin Again in 2016 a er its previous owner could not manage the horse’s health. Timmy was 100 pounds underweight and had skin and eye infections. He started his rehab assignment with BAHR and in 2017, he was sent to a family looking for a 4-H mount.

However, this went poorly, and the family had to send Timmy back to Begin Again. Many at the rescue thought Timmy would spend the rest of his life at Begin Again, but that would prove not to be the case.

In 2018, another local family was looking for a horse to adopt and Timmy seemed a good t for them. e family trained Timmy for show, and he participated in AQHA shows and at the New York State Fair. However, Timmy’s demeanor prevented him from showing for long and the family decided it would be fruitless to force Timmy to do something he didn’t want to do.

Another project Begin Again Horse Rescue participates in is Project Microchip, which started in 2021. Placing a microchip on horses tracks them a er they leave the horse rescue to identify them if they ever get lost. e microchips also track horses’ diseases and to prevent their spread. e chip is inserted into the le side of the horses’ neck, with which insertion BAHR says the horses feel no pain.

BAHR has been recognized nationally for their work in horse rehabilitation. ey received Guardian status from the Equus Foundation, received grants from the ASPCA and the Doris Day Foundation, and was named the 2020 Horse Rescue of the Year by the Equis Saves Foundation.

e Begin Again Horse Rescue is completely run by volunteers, except for daily caretakers, and survives solely on donations from the general population.

To volunteer, you must sign a liability agreement on the BAHR website and attend a Saturday morning two-hour orientation. Volunteers under the age of 14 must have parental supervision, and all volunteers are limited to one shi a week, either in the morning or a ernoon.

To contact BAHR, email info@beginagainrescue.org or call (585) 322-2427.

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PAW’S CORNER

By Sam Mazzotta

Positive Reinforcement Will Nip Cat’s Negative Behaviors

DEAR PAW’S CORNER: My cat Huey will let me pet him for a few seconds, and then he’ll nip at my ngers or knuckles. Am I doing something wrong? How can I get him to stop that behavior? --

Sarah W., Boston

DEAR SARAH: Nipping at your hand while being petted is a very common cat behavior (or misbehavior, depending on which end of the bite you’re on). It stems from instinctive behaviors that a cat learns from the time they’re born through adulthood.

Ideally, the best time to curb biting behavior is when they’re kittens, but not everyone has that luxury -- people who’ve adopted adult cats, for example, or owners who thought a kitten nipping their knuckles was cute, until that kitten turned into a full-grown, biting cat.

As you’ve probably noticed, yelling, “No” at a cat doesn’t always get the desired e ect. Instead, gently discourage this behavior. Pet your cat as usual, but as soon as he begins to bite, withdraw your hand and turn your body partly or totally away from him. You want to communicate that biting means he won’t get your attention any longer.

Another option, before settling in front of the television with Huey snuggled up next to you, is to smear a tiny bit of peanut butter or another favorite treat across your knuckles. Let him lick your knuckles periodically while you pet him. e instant he tries to bite, take your hand away. Essentially, you want Huey to not see your hand as a toy or an attention-getter. It will take a few tries, but most cats pick up on your intentions a er a while, so be patient and consistent with this training.

Does your cat bite? How did you solve it? Tell us at ask@pawscorner. com.

(c) 2023 King Features Synd., Inc.