Kanab’s Best Friends Animal Sanctuary celebrates Mother’s Day with equine families’ 3 new additions

Written by Alysha Lundgren
May 14, 2023

ST. GEORGE — The Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab celebrates Mother’s Day with three new fillies — a first in the nonprofit’s history. Despite surviving starvation and neglect during pregnancy, their mothers have taken to caregiving, signaling bright futures for these equine families.

Bell nuzzles Libby, at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary’s Horse Haven in Kanab, Utah, date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Best Friends Animal Society, St. George News

The Kanab sanctuary was founded in 1984 and cares for over 1,600 dogs, cats, horses and other animals daily. However, this hasn’t precluded them from new experiences, according to a news release.

In April, for the first time in Best Friends’ history, a foal was born on sanctuary property, and within a couple of weeks, they welcomed two more.

Jen Reid, who manages the sanctuary’s Horse Haven, said the nonprofit received a request from the Beaver County Sheriff’s Office to assist them in the seizure of multiple farm animals, including 20 horses, 10 goats and a “really crazy” hair sheep that had suffered “varying degrees of neglect and starvation.”

Best Friends took custody of the animals once the court case was settled. Since then, they discovered three of the mares were pregnant. Gertie, a palomino, gave birth to Prima, described as having “an offset snip and two white socks” on April 13.

Gertie and Prima rest at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah, date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Best Friends Animal Society, St. George News

The filly was born healthy and “immediately began frolicking with her mom,” the release states. On April 22, A mare named Liberty — shortened to “Libby” — gave birth to Bellisima, or Bell.

“We are so excited to welcome these beautiful fillies to the Sanctuary,” Reid said in the release. “It’s been a wonderful experience to watch them be born and grow up before our eyes.”

Liberty, Gertie and their fillies live together in a large barn in the sanctuary. When they first arrived, Reid said they didn’t want to be touched or handled but “came around quite quickly and they’re really quite nice sweet mares.”

“But they’re very different,” she said. “Gertie is … much more quiet — reserved. If I were to describe her in human terms, I’d call her an introvert. She’s just chill and mellow.”

Comparatively, Libby is a “spicy little extrovert,” Reid said, adding that it’s easy to tell when the mare feels nervous.

Bell and Libby run at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary’s Horse Haven in Kanab, Utah, date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Best Friends Animal Society, St. George News

“She’s very good and very smart,” she said. “But much more dramatic, shall we say, in her responses to things — much more outgoing.”

“Right from the get-go,” Reid said staff could tell which foal belonged to each mother, as the babies’ personalities “mirror” parents. Prima is “very quiet, confident, curious, but not really pushy.” Bell was friendly shortly after birth.

“From the first minute we saw her — I think she was maybe three hours old — she came charging right up and was like, ‘Hi,”‘ she said.

Despite taking after their moms, the fillies are learning from both mares, Reid said. Because Libby is a “very dominant individual in a herd,” she has “no qualms about telling Prima” that she’s not her foal and chasing her away.

These interactions reinforce the babies’ “horse skills,” and Reid hopes to continue this process in the next few weeks by introducing them to other horses. While the foals mostly stayed near their mothers, they have also begun playing with each other more frequently.

Priscilla, Carson and Yarra at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah, date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Best Friends Animal Society, St. George News

Untamed, mustang Priscilla gave birth to a “liver chestnut” foal named Yarra on April 21, and the two currently live on a pasture with a gelding named Carson, according to the release.

While the nonprofit has tamed and worked with horses that hadn’t previously been handled, Reid said each “individual needs what they need.”

Because Priscilla “has declined to interact” with people, and there is concern that she could jump the fence or injure staff, she will likely be placed in a wild horse sanctuary with facilities that are more appropriate for her.

The mares have been “excellent” mothers, Reid said, adding that Best Friends “couldn’t ask for them to be better.”

“We’re really pleased that all of the babies were born healthy,” she added. “It’s always a risk that there’s developmental problems or there can be complications, especially when the mares are undergoing starvation for part of their pregnancy. Luckily, we were able to provide feed and assistance and get them healthy before they reached their term.”

Gertie watches as Bell and Prima interact at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah, date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Best Friends Animal Society, St. George News

Horse Haven cares for over 60 horses, and Reid said the sanctuary has seen its share of sad cases with malnourished or underweight animals. And while it would “be easy to dwell on their past,” she prefers to focus on the positive outcome and the help they provided.

“They have a bright future now and that’s what’s fun and exciting for me — is being able to — what was it Mr. Rogers says? Like, ‘Look for the helpers,'” she said. “To get to be one of those helpers — it’s really rewarding work, to every day be able to make a positive impact in the world.”

While the mares and fillies will be available for adoption at some point, Reid said they will remain at the sanctuary for now. Additionally, she encourages individuals to consider adopting other animals that need homes.

The footage seen in the video above was provided by Best Friends Animal Society.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2023, all rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Alysha Lundgren joined the St. George News team in 2022. She began her career as a freelancer, writing resource articles for families of children with disabilities. She's also covered topics such as astronomy, recreation and nature. Originally from Nevada, Alysha fell in love with Utah quickly after moving to Cedar City. In her free time, she enjoys wandering and photographing Utah's gorgeous landscapes or hunkering down in a blanket to play video games or read a good book.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @STGnews

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