Casey and Elysia Arnold

Casey

Casey is a branded BLM mustang, 7 YO gelding. He came to Safe Harbor Equine and Livestock Sanctuary just a few months ago when they received an urgent call from White County. A home that had previous citations for animal neglect had been followed up on, and what they found was disturbing. One horse on the property was deceased; the other, Casey, was starved. The need to get Casey off the property was imminent. Luckily despite the very short notice Casey was brought to safety. He was a bit of a wild child on the trailer—double barrel kicking out on unload, and clearly scared as everything was new to him. He settled quickly, and has developed into a loving young mustang. He runs to you, and always wants to be brushed first. Casey will stand for the farrier, and he leads, but has not had any further training as our focus since rescue has been weight gain.
We know Casey’s history from working with the BLM—he was rounded up at only 1 month old; adopted out at 5 months old, and has a 6.5 year history of neglect; with multiple owners from that time forward prior to coming to rescue. Casey’s life story changes now. He is ready for his trainer and the competition; to be trained, and to have a beautiful future. He is extremely smart, eager to please, and willing.
He is untitled which means he is officially owned by the Federal Government, but his care has been assigned to Safe Harbor.

Elysia Arnold

Elysia (E-lee-sha) is 23 (24 in May!), a native Tennesseean, and a life-long horse enthusiast. Growing up, she did not have much access to horses, but would ride with friends or at a local barn whenever possible. When she was 8, she found Shadow Mountain Farm Horse Camp in Philadelphia, TN, and began riding English and jumping; she attended SMF as both a camper and counselor for the next fourteen years. In addition, she volunteered at the Shangri-La Therapeutic Academy of Riding (STAR) in Lenoir City for ten years.
Elysia finally got her own horse, an APHA gelding named Comet, from SMF when she was 17 and began taking formal lessons for the first time shortly after. She spent her first two years of college showing both hunt seat and Western for UT’s IHSA Equestrian Team, as well as taking Comet to local shows. It was during this time that she discovered her love of working with and training green horses after taking on a couple of projects from friends and family. Elysia then spent her junior year studying abroad at University College Dublin in Ireland, where she rode on the equestrian team and took classes in the colleges of Veterinary Nursing and Equine Science. She graduated summa cum laude in Animal Science from the University of Tennessee in 2015 and will be attending MTSU this fall to study equine physiology and behavior for her Master’s degree in Horse Science.
Elysia no longer shows, but still rides in many disciplines including hunt seat, Western pleasure, competitive trail class, gaited (flat shod), and leisure trail riding. She independently trains horses in and around Knoxville and volunteers with the East Tennessee Mini Horse and Donkey rescue to help increase the adoptability of their minis. She also enjoys cooking, rock climbing, hiking, and traveling.