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INfrequently Asked Questions: Horse adoption coordinator also learning a lot about pigs

This week's INfrequently Asked Questions is with Jenna Dickson, adoption coordinator at the Hooved Animal Humane Society in Woodstock.

Q. What are some of the most common misconceptions you run into?

A. "One of the biggest misconceptions is that rescue horses are no good. … We do occasionally get in horses they are injured or sick or are really hard to handle, but we also get in a lot of horses that are perfectly trained and just had bad luck - we have horses that were adopted from HAHS right now that are driving, eventing, barrel racing, show jumping, competing in dressage, trail riding or just being great kid and family horses."

Q. How'd you get into this line of work?

A. "I went to Otterbein University in Ohio for a degree in equine business and my dream was to be a stable manager/owner of a big, fancy dressage barn. About midway through college, I took an elective class about the plight of the unwanted horse and was so shocked about how bad it really was. I took an internship at a rescue called Circle P Sanctuary in Ohio and then stayed on as barn manager when I graduated. When I moved back home to Illinois, I then started working as adoption coordinator at the Hooved Animal Humane Society."

Q. What's the strangest scene you've walked into?

A. "I am also an approved humane investigator, so you see a lot of odd things when out on investigations or when we go to pick up a rescue horse - we once picked up a horse that was living in a garage!

"A funny story while I was at Circle P Sanctuary is we had a potbelly pig that was absolutely in love with one of our llamas. When you were cleaning stalls, if you didn't pay attention, the pig would bust out of her stall and go tearing across the field until she found the llama. The llama absolutely hated the pig and would always try to run away, but the pig was persistent and finally they would settle down to graze together.

"One of my first days here at HAHS, I woke up to find one of our potbelly pigs, Hambone, just hanging out in my front yard eating the birdseed. When I ran outside to catch him, he ran back to his pen all by himself and acted like he had never broken out in the first place. I have always just worked with horses, I am learning a lot about pigs - they are full of personality!"

Q. Just what does the HAHS do with all the manure it collects?

A. "We have a lot of people that come by and use it in their gardens, but the majority of it is picked up by a local farmer and spread onto his fields."

Q. Do you own horses yourself or ride? Where? Is it difficult to resist the temptation to adopt some of the horses HAHS takes in?

A. "I have been riding all sorts of horses since I was a little kid. Currently, I do not own my own horse, but I ride with Team Hall in Richmond, Illinois. I am currently riding a strawberry roan paint gelding named Strawberry who is a big sweetheart and a bit of a goofball. If owning horses wasn't so expensive, I would probably have at least three of my own - working at HAHS, it is very hard not to adopt some of my favorites!"

Q. Favorite movie involving a horse?

A. "I will always watch 'The Black Stallion' and 'Black Beauty.'"

INfrequently Asked Questions

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