Where Life
Begins Again!

DAILY BLOG
(June 2009)

Just click on the thumbnails below
to see a larger photo.

Silver and Buttercup meeting the new boy -- he was moving his mouth to let them know he's just a baby!



Buttercup, looking gorgeous as always!





The girls ran and played; Aaleyah ran and bucked, too!







Aaleyah looks like such a big girl, tongue and all!







Dr. Das came out today to treat a few horses. The colt seemed very thankful for the treatment.






Zaynah also had her treatment as her friend Captain looked on.





Sienna left for her new home last night.  She arrived, settled in, and is doing just fine.





While the girls were running around, even Layla ran with her tail held high.  (That is Val looking at her).





Val is such a gorgeous pony, and a sweet girl, too.

Magic and the baby’s introduction yesterday.







The Port A Cool system works really well!  This is going to help a lot!  Thank you to everyone that helped us to procure it and to Bernel for picking it up!







Sienna today after a rain storm that cooled things off.







She was very relieved to get out for a bit.







Captain and Zaynah watching Sienna enjoy her “freedom” this evening.

I'll update tomorrow after we get her blood work back.  Back to the barn for me.

Layla is doing very well.  She has gained over 100 lbs and is looking better each day.  Her spirits are good and she is a very sweet girl.







The little colt has settled in well.  He wants a friend really badly, but I can't let him roam with Captain and Zaynah for fear Zaynah may fall again if he gets too close to her.






He was very good getting his feet trimmed today.  He did a really high stepping thing after Ola was done trimming him like he had on new shoes and was showing them off! 





Come on mom!  I really want you to run and play with me!!!





Mom, its playtime.  I want someone to run and play with!  Please?  Mom!  You aren't listening to me!






I know how to get her attention!  Mom now will you please come and play?  Nothing worked.  It was just too hot for Velvet to want to do anything but graze.






Mystic:  she's absolutely beautiful and looking for a forever home.


We received word of a younger horse that was found as a stray that is going to be auctioned off this coming Tuesday morning at a private farm near us.  If the horse doesn't sell, he/she will go to the livestock auction.  I've had someone contact me that they will help bail the horse, but we need a safe place for the horse to go.  We are full -- more than full.  If anyone can help him, please contact me directly.  We have some nice horses up for adoption and adoption fees are half off until the end of July.  If we can get one adopted out, we can help this poor horse that apparently was loved so much the owner turned him lose to fend for himself.

Hi all, as promised, here is the report from Dr. Ryan.  He feels this is an old pelvic fracture that has already healed.  From what we were told, this boy's momma was sold when he was pretty young, a similar situation to Sandstorm (AKA Golden Boy).  He was turned out with the adult horses and left to fend for himself.

Dr. Ryan said he must be a very special boy to have survived a pelvic fracture.  He also agreed, stating he weighs less than 300 pounds.  His breeder says he's 9 to 10 months old. which is hard to believe when you look at him.  It's amazing how their growth can be stunted without proper care.  The most likely reason for his recent issues is that he may have been kicked by one of the other horses he was turned out with.

It is not possible to square up his hips with his body.  His hind legs turn to the side from his hips down.  Dr. Ryan recommended chiropractic treatments, and they will likely be needed over an extended period of time.  We will discuss this with Dr. Das when she arrives on Friday.  He does not have to stay in a stall but can be turned out by himself only.  He is weak in the sense that he is malnourished, but his spirit is very strong.  Our hopes are that someday he will be strong enough to play with Amadeus.  Amadeus is only three months old but is much bigger and stronger then this baby.

Theresa spoke with the donor after Dr. Ryan left today to ask again about past injury.  She feels like these people did the best they could for him, and that they do care about him but they had limited resources.  They had only had him for a short period of time before he was reinjured.  Before they got him, he didn't receive proper care and lived a life where it was survival of the fittest.  Unfortunately, when he needed the best nutrition he didn't get it.  Fortunately, this boy has a lot of spirit in his eyes; he's also very vocal.  We will give him time and see how he does.  If anyone can help him, Dr. Das can.  Dr. Ryan pulled a CBC on him. and a full SuperChem will be done on Friday when Dr. Das comes.  Dr. Ryan called with the results. and his white cell count is high and so is his fibrinogen. Dr. Ryan didn't want to start him on antibiotics just yet, as he has a good appetite and is in good spirits.  We will give him 24 - 48 hours and do another blood test to see where his levels are.

He reminds Theresa of Sammi and Joy.  He has a heart on his butt like Sammi's.  His markings and face remind her of Joy.  We don't have a name for him yet, but it will come as we get to know him better.  We will update tomorrow after Ola trims his feet.

Thanks to everyone who have helped this little guy, including Jennifer for making sure this little one landed in a safe place where he will get the treatment and care he needs and for transporting him.  Little Terry Tonka is proud, were sure, that another little one was helped in honor of him.

Sienna is gorgeous too!

Just a few things before you get to see the pictures.  The Tastefully Simple Raffle ended this evening; Alli will have our winner tomorrow. And thank you, Alli, for donating the raffle items!  

The machine shop has not picked the tractor up yet, so we are extending the Raffle for the Photo Frame by one more week. The raffle will now end on Wednesday, June 24.

We have reduced our adoption fees by 50% through the end of July, so please pass this info on!  We are back up to 32 horses.  There are many in need, but we can't help them unless we adopt out some of our available horses.  While we hate to say it, both Buttercup and Silver Belle are at a stage in their life when a forever home would greatly benefit them.  They are ready to start their ground work, and having three yearlings at the rescue -- well, there is just not enough time in each day for Theresa to work with them.  Buttercup will make a lovely show horse that we will likely see go to the top, with the right trainer. Silve would be great for a child.  She is kind, gentle, calm, and willing.

Please enjoy the photos, and thank you all for your prayers, well wishes, and support.

Here is Zaynah getting worked on by Dr. Das yesterday.

Dr. Das, like Ryan, is amazed that Zaynah gets around as well as she does.  Dr. Das gave her some TCM for the fractures.  The blown tendons and ligaments don't seem to cause her pain. 



This is the knee with two fractures that have started to fuse.  There isn't anything we can do to fix it at this point but try to keep her comfortable.  The other leg has tendons and ligaments blown, and she also has foundered in that foot.  She's somehow managed to adapt.  She is an amazing horse with a huge love of life and will to survive.  Sometimes I can't talk about her without getting upset.  I went to the feed store today to collect donations in our donation jar and. when the lady at the register started talking about her.  I literally had to stop and compose myself.  Then the lady got all teary-eyed too.  I don't usually do that but, with what happened to Tonka and his mom, Sienna, and now this mare, I've been feeling a bit overwhelmed. 


Zaynah appears to have nerve damage to her lower lip which dangles all the time, and she has a small part of her lip missing -- it is still healing. 



Zaynah.  When you're around her, you can't help but to feel positive energy -- she has such a love for life and is very vocal.




Magic's new tree that was installed today.  He loves it!





The Volunteer Tree was also installed today.  There were four installed, and they are all beautiful. 




Bernice and her daughter, Katie, taking a ride on Jake and Gentleman.





Dr. Das also worked on Val yesterday compliments of Bernel!  Dr. Das is very happy with Val's progress.





G-man reporting for duty!






Bernel and grandbaby, Jonah.  He is such a doll! 






Jenny went for a ride too.  She loves to ride G-man.  He's like a big sofa.

Here are a few pictures from today.


Zaynah is just beautiful.  How anyone could cause her harm is something I will never understand.  To follow Zaynah's story in more detail, please visit her new diary page!



Zaynah was really good for Dr. Ryan today.  Some of the positions she had to stand in were not comfortable for her at times, but I think she knows we are only trying to help her.  It was especially hard for her to pick up her left leg and even harder for her to bend it.




Dr. Ryan taking more x-rays.







Here is Captain getting a bath by Robin and Blodwyn.  Layla wanted to join in -- she is doing really well.  She even kicked up her heels and charged Max, the dog, a couple of days ago.





Aaleyah getting a lesson in manners while all of her many moms watched.  Isn't she gorgeous?  Buttercup looked a little left out.





Jenny and GMan.  Jake wasn't far away -- that's him with Robin.

Zaynah has settled in and is doing OK.  She's a real sweetheart.  You can't help but feel much respect and admiration for her when you look at her legs and body and yet still see such spirit in her eyes.  

We won't ever know the true story of what happened to her, but her injuries tell a story.  There is a lot of calcification in her left knee; if there was a fracture in her left front leg, it has already fused; and there is likely ligament damage -- the leg points out to the left when she stands.  In her right leg, it appears that ligaments and tendons sustained heavy damage -- but she had to put her weight on the right leg when the left was injured -- she foundered in the right foot.  I don't think she has any fractures in her right leg, but I don't know. 

Can you imagine a 300 lb. man riding her??  We'll see what the x-rays and Dr. Ryan say tomorrow.  When she walks, the left leg bends inward from the knee down.  She has scars from being dragged by her front legs; I truly just can't imagine.

From observing her today, I think we should be able to manage her pain so she can live comfortably.  We gave her Previcox after she settled in today, and she moved around some.  When Anne saw her a few days ago, she pretty much stood in one place and wasn't active.  She is getting electrolytes and Pro-Bi.  

I saw her stumble a couple of times today when she was walking and turning -- one of her front legs appeared to give out, and it did scare me.  She doesn't have any fat or muscle tone.  She won't be able to be turned out with any of the other horses except for Captain.  If she is startled or has to move quickly and goes down, it would not be good.

She has bed sores on her hips and some rain rot.  She is very thin and has arthritis.  She definitely needs an appointment with Dr. Bess for her teeth.  Dr. Ryan will be out tomorrow to examine her and do x-rays.  Dr. Das will be here on Friday to treat her.  She is drinking, eating, and pooping; and her urine looks OK.

Thank you all for caring.  We'll update more tomorrow after Dr. Ryan comes.  We're very glad that Zaynah is here.

Tonka will not be forgotten.

We are still looking for volunteers that would like to join in.

Congratulations to Paula C., our raffle winner -- yay!!

We hope everyone had a nice weekend ; it's been a busy one for us.  We will have a detailed update on Tuesday with pictures.   Dr. Bess came today, and we thought it was going to be quite a task to get the minis done -- but they did very well, with sedation, of course.   Once the sedation wore off Frodo, you could hear him squeal for miles away:  he wanted out of his stall and to go back to his paddock, and he let everyone know it!

We have a meeting with an attorney regarding Dingolay's case on Tuesday.  We are still asking that anyone who is interested in being part of Tonka's Task Force please let us know by sending an email to both Theresa and Anne.  For those of you that have signed up, thank you.   We will be sending you a separate email by Wednesday mid-day.

Dingolay (Layla) is steadily gaining weight.   She and Captain have become quite a pair.   Sienna looks great and enjoys her turn out time with the other horses. 

Val is doing well and has made new friends with Magic and Little E.   We had to separate her from Captain because she can't have access to the amount of hay Captain gets; she's really got a belly on her!  Val is still being cleaned out once a day.

Abby is a little better, but we still need help with the medication Dr. Das wants her to take.   Dr. Das had to order it, and it should be here by mid-week -- the cost is $90.   To the two angels that covered her treatment by Dr. Das, thank you!

We were disappointed that we didn't find out what Todd Williams' sentencing was today, but Anne will be back on the phone with the court in the morning.  Thank you to everyone that has faxed and/or emailed the Judge and Prosecutor.

Layla and Sienna are continuing to improve.  Dr. Das worked on Layla and Mystic last week, and she was impressed with the improvements in Layla:  her demeanor is so much better.  Her eyes have some sparkle in them, and she holds her head up higher.  She whinnies quite a bit and, tonight, she even trotted over to me when I went to take her out of the main paddock  I'm sure she was thinking about it being feeding time, but that's OK; watching her trot was awesome.  Her rain rot is better; she has lost a lot of her coat, but that's OK -- her skin is healthier and it provides for a new healthy coat to come in.

Sienna and Layla enjoy their turn-out time in the main paddock each day.  They are both getting stronger each day.  Sienna is just beautiful.




We do need prayers for Abby.  She has arthritis in her back legs and is very ouchy in her front feet.  We were very worried about her through the cold months but, compared to now, she did very well then.  She lies down a lot, and it is an effort for her to move around.  I doubled her Previcox a few days ago, but it hasn't made any difference.  Ola, the farrier, was here this evening; and we discussed what is going on with Abby.  We are both very concerned and have come up with a plan.  Dr. Das needs to come out to work on her and run a SuperChem on Abby.  Abby has lost weight but still has a very cresty neck.  Insulin-resistant?  Maybe we'll run those tests, too.  She is turned out, but there is very little grass and she doesn't graze much anyway, nor does she eat much of her timothy hay that we spread about -- so she'll have to walk to it.  She doesn't move much; she is too uncomfortable.  But, since Casper has been in the main paddock with her and Granny, she has been getting more exercise.  Anytime Casper gets near Granny, she tries to run him away.  We're putting the pads/boots back on Abby's feet tonight, and we'll see if that helps.

Would anyone like to be an angel to Abby in order for her to get necessary tests run and for her to be treated by Dr. Das?  She really is very uncomfortable, and we'd like to get on this as soon as possible.  Dr. Das' treatment will likely be $125, and the SuperChem is $90 (I think it may be $80) -- and I'll have to get a price on the other tests when I speak with Dr. Das.


Amadeus LUVS his new ball.  It's a little big for him, and sometimes he gets sort of stuck on it; but it's a riot to watch him.  He's still BIG!  Velvet is afraid of his new ball, but she's getting better about it each day.  Amadeus learned he could pick up his ball by his teeth this evening and toss it.  It scared his mom terribly!  He must have thought it was funny because he did it twice more.  Here's a little clip of him on YouTube.  If it doesn't come up just search for BHFERS Amadeus.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQHnKF-0O1k

Amadeus is built like a tank, and when he walks you can just see the power from head to toe!







And then there's Little E who likes to sneak his way into a box filled with the yummy horse cookies that Anne makes.  He had a little help from Jenny, just a little.  J










Captain is holding his own.  Val is still close by sticking her head in his stall window.