Awesome books to help raise funds!

This time of year you may be wondering what to get people that may be hard to buy for or you have family and friends who are animal lovers that would enjoy one of these great books.

An EqWBR supporter, Rose Miller, renowned author, has given us a wonderful opportunity through this holiday season.  For the month of December a portion of all book sales through her website will be donated to EqWBR.

Any animal lover will enjoy these wonderful stories.

She has authored such great reads as:

Little Miss Muffit

  

Mules, Mules and more Mules

and my personal favorite

The Horse That Wouldn't Trot

Just click this link to Order Rose Miller books through Amazon, Amazon Prime or direct for a personally signed book.  

Each book purchased through the rest of December will raise funds for Equine WellBeing Rescue Inc.

Thank you so very much!!!!

Blanketed on #GivingTuesday

So many things to be thankful for, most of all your support of our mission at EqWBR and the donations we received on #GivingTuesday and throughout the year.  This year I made a special trip on #GivingTuesday that I want to tell you about.

We did a blanket fundraiser in November, you may remember seeing this photo (I love it and can't share it enough) with us asking for funds to get some blankets and the response was wonderful.

 I was contacted by a supporter in California that works with rescues there and she offered to find out if they had any blankets they didn't need and she would ship them to us.  Her call went out and there was a great response. With the warmer climate in the greater Los Angeles area, people had blankets they were willing to send to our colder climate to be put to good use. A friend of hers was delivering a horse to the Kingman, Arizona area (another great story in itself) and agreed to bring the blankets with her and meet me in Flagstaff to drop them off.

We both arrived in Flagstaff around 7pm and had dinner.  We found a wonderful restaurant close by and got a chance to know each other better, share stories of rescues and enjoy a wonderful meal. After that I loaded up three BIG boxes in my car and headed for home while she spent the night before heading back to Burbank in the morning.  I arrived at home a little after 10pm. Tired, but a good tired.

The next morning was so much fun opening the boxes and finding out what treasures were inside. Blankets, heavy and light, rain sheets, fly sheets, neck warmers and more, some with very special memories of horses passed for their donor. In addition to the financial donations given to us, these would ensure we could keep everyone warm and dry in the worst of winter storms and help throughout the rest of the year with cold driving rains.

 

I would like to thank the following for donating to the blanket drive in So Cal:

Saddleback Canyon Riders , part of Equestrian Trails International (ETI) Corral 357, Trabuco Canyon, CA

Spike & Bob Wilks

Debbie Kelly

Kristina Stuckey

Hanaeleh Horse Rescue, Trabuco Canyon, CA 

Elizabeth Zarkos, founder of Hanaeleh horse rescue

Sally Wooldridge, Hanaeleh board member and 'mum' of our coordinator.

Our fabulous coordinator Ariadne De Glevo and Nancy Louie who made the long trip to hand deliver these wonderful donations.  Here is baby Chloe sporting one that was the perfect fit.

I also want to thank everyone who sent financial donations as we were able to order a few special sizes with those funds, like this one that Chancer is wearing.  Any funds not used for blankets will be used to purchase hay for all the equine at the rescue.

Thanks also to Ark Watch Foundation, Celine Myers who provided blankets for the gelding donkeys who needed pony sizes. 

The timing could not have been better, we have a cold rain/snow storm coming in tomorrow and when it starts out as rain and the temps drop below freezing, we need to protect them all from getting wet, then cold causing their body to struggle to keep warm.   We don't like to see any of them shivering. 

We are so blessed and thank you all so very, very, very much! You make a difference to so many lives. 

Christine and the entire board of EqWBR!

History. Does it matter? Meet Alexas and Chloe.

On November 21st, we moved Rebel from his long-time family home to his new adoptive family who happened to live just down the street.  Rebel's owner passed and he was lonely with all the other horses and his human of over a decade gone. At age 17, he continues his life with a new family and pasture mate who will give him the much needed love he had grown used too.

A BLM mustang gathered in 2000, they gave me his Title paperwork which shows his history of owners and freezebrand number that will help us find out the day he was gathered, what herd management area he came from, his probable age.  His history, "His story" of his lifes journey over the years which we shared with his new family so they to can know his past. A happy ending for an older and very sweet horse.

That same day I drove another 100 miles to a ranch in Alpine, AZ, to pick up a donkey and her foal who were not doing well at the higher elevation (over 8,000 feet) and colder weather after recently being transported from Texas to Lucky A Ranch.

Meet Alexas and Chloe, our two newest donkeys. On the thin side and seemingly depressed probably from so many recent changes in their lives. They left Fort Worth, Texas on Nov 8th with 17 other donkeys and arrived in Alpine late on the 9th, around 800 miles less than two days, now 11 days later they are traveling another 100 miles to another home to get them healthy in a warmer climate.

When we do our intake on new residents, among taking vitals, height and weight and starting their files, we like to have their history, as much as we can find. We got lucky that Chloe still had her feedlot tag attached to her butt. Much like the tag on your mattress, it states "DO NOT REMOVE", but remove it I did and then I set out to find out where she came from and what happened along her way to us.

Back in August we were asked by the AWF (Ark Watch Foundation, Los Altos, CA) if we would consider taking in six friendly donkeys that were at HSNT (Humane Society of North Texas, Fort Worth, TX)?  We had already taken in six for AWF.

If we were able to take another six, HSNT could make room for some moms and foals in a kill pen in Bowie TX that AWF would purchase to save from slaughter. When HSNT went to pick up the six, there were 17 more donkeys needing help (standards, mini's, moms and foals) which AWF also paid for and all went to HSNT for quarantine, triage and care.  We were pretty stoked that by our taking six, 23 more lives were saved from slaughter. 

On August 26th, six gelded donkeys arrived. Two have been adopted, two are pending adoption and two pending long-term foster. We love these funny guys and have taken our time finding just the right homes for their personalities.  We don't know much of their history. In the photo is Cappy on the left, Paco in the middle, and Major on the right not in the photo are Colonel, Sarge & Gunny.  We do know they came from killpens in TX, went to HSNT and AWF paid their bail, vetting and care at HSNT and transport to us. Six of hundreds these two groups have worked together to save. 

Chloe's arrival

My grandniece, Alex (Alexandria) was visiting and helped me pick our newest arrivals names, Chloe for the baby and Alexas (from TX) for her mom. It was clear after just a short time that veterinary and nursing care was needed, they just weren't bouncing back from their recent travels and their vitals not good in addition to being underweight and no doubt anemic. Poor Chloe only weighed 150 pounds on arrival and Alexas only 350. 

Dr. Christianson made a late night trip to see them, a treatment plan for each created (with input from killpen donkey illness experts) which I followed to the 'T'. Vitals taken every few hours for several days, texts to the vet, food monitored, powdered milk replacer given and funds raised to pay for it all. They are doing awesome and slowly putting on weight so I no longer worry about them pulling through. They enjoy the heat from the sun in the day and at night get blanketed for warmth. 

  

It was just yesterday that I got my answers to the killpen tag on Chloe's butt. What killpen did they come from and who paid for them to get to HSNT, was there any other history on them?  Things have come full circle. 

Alexas and Chloe came from the feedlot in Bowie TX, they were purchased by AWF as were the rest of their group of 17 and the six (moms and babies). Yes, they were part of the group in Texas saved when the six boys came to us in August.  Talk about karma. 

We also know that Lucky A Ranch in Alpine, AZ, raised funds and bailed 14 donkeys from the Bowie killpen in late October, early November. I personally donated to that save. Those 14 were picked up by and taken to HSNT for quarantine and care. In exchange Lucky A Ranch picked up 19 different donkeys from HSNT that had already gone through quarantine and brought them to Alpine AZ. We brought two of those to EqWBR for care and to find the perfect home once healthy. Those two were saved from slaughter by AWF in August, along with 21 others from the Bowie killpen who were picked up and taken to HSNT for quarantine and care. 

Amazingly we have two of the 23 saved from slaughter in August when we agreed to take in six from HSNT at the request of AWF. Talk about coincidence or is it divine intervention, maybe a little of both. We have their history and in Alexas and Chloe's cases 'her story' and it is a great one to tell. 

If we really wanted to reach, we could say we saved Alexas and Chloe from slaughter. After all we took the six boys allowing these two to be helped, but I don't see it that way. We didn't raise the funds and pay their bail, we didn't transport them away from the killpen, we didn't quarantine them or provide their initial healthcare, but we do play a part of their history as have so many others.

Does the history matter?  I think it does. It matters to those who donated each step of the way over these last five months to save and care for all of these lives. It matters to to each of the rescues who stepped in along the way to play their part (raising funds, transport, health care and more). It matters to the rescue world that we can work together, setting egos aside to save so many lives. It matters most of all to Alexas and Chloe because without this history they would not be alive today! 

Now they are recovering their health and one day soon will move into a loving family who will understand just how special, how precious and how priceless these two lives are.  

Thanks goes to the rescues involved in making their history (in alphabetical order):

Ark Watch Foundation and supporters.

Humane Society of North Texas, their staff and supporters.

Lucky A Ranch and their supporters.

and for us, every one of our fabulous supporters who make what we do possible.  

We are truly blessed as are they.   

A huge THANK YOU from sweet baby Chloe'and her mom, Alexas.

Forever in our hearts...sweet Caramel!

It has taken me many, many days to find the words and through much prayer and sadness, deal with this loss as we continue to grieve.

In the midst of our first fall storm, winds sustained at 25mph with gusts up to 40mph, winds that quickly carried our beloved Caramel to heaven. It was with much unexpected sadness that we found her having passed and deep sorrow and agonizing tears, we laid her to rest. The days that followed brought us cold rain turning to snow and gloomy skies that matched the pain of our loss.

Sweet Caramel came to us fresh off the Navajo reservation in March of this year along with another mare we named Kiotai. Caramel was heavy in foal and Kiotai had a foal born that morning at her side. Both mares underweight and needing extra care. We named her Caramel because of the beautiful golden coloring around her muzzle and tummy.

Caramel and I spent a lot of time together before she foaled.  She put on weight both from good food and a growing baby yet to be born.  One of my favorite pleasures and hers too, was daily massages to ease her discomfort. It got to the point where I would start rubbing and she would just move her body under my hands to the area she wanted massaged. The two of us had a very loving and special bond.

It was exciting and nerve racking as we waited for her to give birth. Checking all the signs of impending birth throughout the days and nights.  Finally the early morning of April 26th, during our worst spring storm she quietly gave birth to a colt that looked exactly like her. We named him Avery and now we had two moms with healthy babies only 6 weeks apart. So blessed.

Caramel was a good mom, if a little over protective.  We recently started weaning the boys from their moms on a gradual basis.  Separating them for longer and longer periods of time a rather stress free way to have them all take the next step in growing up. The picture below shows them sleeping while the colts are in the other pasture with Liam to keep them company.

Caramel and Kiotai sleeping

No interest in carrots, apples or other treats. Probably so foreign from the grasses they grazed out on the reservation. Caramel had put on good weight and was very healthy not to mention beautiful. What joy to watch the moms and foals run across the pastures with their tails and heads up high, whinnying all the way.  Poetry in motion.

God has his own plans for all of us and each day we get is a gift to be treasured. Caramel was truly a gift...a gentle soul with a humble heart. Our hearts ache with her loss.

Caramel, I look to the heavens and see your beams shining down and know you are at peace. I miss you so much already and tears continue to fall.

You are in my heart forever. 

Babies first snow!!!!

Tunnel of Love.   Chancer and Trudee

As promised the snow fell out of the sky in the dark of night on November 4th.  After days of winds, rain and then a temperature drop we woke up to a blanket of snow.   For the donkeys, 5 1/2 month old Avery and 7 month old Raylan, this was their first snowfall.   I woke before dawn to 28 chilly degrees and headed out with the camera at sunrise.   Please enjoy the pictures.

Raylan

Avery

Raylan

Cappy in front and Colonel behind

Danny getting his morning nap.

Annie loves to roll in the snow. 

Gwen feeling better after months of being sick.

Liam and Red

Major (Strawberry) grooming Cappy

Princess our little miracle mare. Not bad for 25 years old & partially blind/

Trudee

Red sticking her tongue out to catch the snow.

Gunny....What is this stuff????

The boys.

    

Autumn

Ramey almost disappears in the snow.

Beautiful Kiotai

The barn seen through icicles on the pipe panels.

Gen

Big thanks to everyone who was able to donate and those sending blankets to help keep these precious souls warm.  

Blessings from Autumn, Avery, Cappy, Chancer, Colonel, Danny, Gen, Gwen, Gunny, Kiotai, Liam, Major (Strawberry), Paco, Princess, Ramey, Raylan, Red, Ricci, Sarge and Trudee.  

Burrrr.... we need blankets!

As cold fall weather sets in, it is the rain and cold wind that chills us to the bone and makes us shiver. Over the years many people with big hearts have sent blankets for the horses so they can stay dry and warm but none of those blankets fit us and last night was cold, rainy and tonight they predict snow. Burrrrrr.......

We found blankets for sale online at 25% off from State Line Tack...what a deal!  Would you consider making a donation to help cover the cost of moms and my blanket?  If there is any money left over we can use it to buy the 8 male donkeys blankets too.

At the 25% discount we also purchased pain supplement (Danny, Gen & Autumn) and ulcer supplement (Gwen), weanling halters for Avery and Raylan, halter replacement straps for the donkey's breakaway halters and eye ointment for the wintry gooey eyes, total cost $251.13.

Tax deductible donations can be mailed to PO Box 2722, Snowflake, AZ 85937 or you can click this link 

As a charity non-profit we are able to operate from generous donations and support from our followers. ASPCA changed its grant criteria and no longer funds in Arizona where our main ranch is located leaving us $2000 less in funding this year and grants are hard to find for small rescues so your donations are what keeps us going and allow EqWBR to help equine in need like me and my mom.

Thank you so very, very much for your generosity!

Sending warm blessings to all.

Love, Chancer & Trudee (my mom).

Run In Paradise Duncan

It has taken me two weeks to gather my thoughts and share them with you all.  When you have sanctuary horses, provide hospice care or rescue ones with special needs you have to make the decision to release a horse from their pain more than you would like.

On September 18, 2015 we laid Duncan to rest.  One of two equine of the 23 at the ranch that came down with the seasonal and contagious illness called Pigeon Fever or Dryland Distemper. It is carried by flies and with monsoon rains this year, there are lots of flies and has been an outbreak in the White Mountains area. We do a great job of fly control, but can't stop them all.

Duncan was diagnosed with internal abscesses which only 8% of horses ever contract. With treatment, which runs well in excess of $1000 there is only a 40% chance of recovery, left untreated it is 100% fatal.

We quarantined Duncan along with Gwen (who had external abscessing) the end of August. The nursing and bio-security began to prevent the spread to any of the other 21 equine on the ranch. Fly control and containment of any pus drainage are extremely important so only I went in their stalls and we cleaned everything with diluted bleach. All items used in their stalls were kept separate from any other horses or use. Even my shoes were changed and sanitized to not track anything out of the stalls.

We had started Duncan on oral antibiotics in hopes that we caught it early. Numerous times a day his and Gwen's temperature was taken.  Duncan fought fevers as high as 105.6 degrees by hosing him several times a day and getting pain medicine to reduce the fever.

Duncan's swollen belly

He had swelling on his tummy and a few tiny external abscesses which were cleaned several times a day and Swat fly control applied to keep any bugs away and we were hoping for large drainage which would be a sign his system was getting rid of any infection.  His appetite returned and we hoped he was going to kick this infection.

On the morning of the 18th, I went out to his stall and he was clearly depressed.  I took all his vital signs (as I did daily) and they were off the charts, his heart rate way too fast, his temperature high, his breathing very fast with short breaths and the color of his gums darkening. When I touched his side he pulled back in obvious pain. I spoke with Dr. Christianson and she felt he had an internal abscess that ruptured and this was a battle he would not win. The tearful decision was made to let him go before his system crashed.

7-5-15 intake photo

Duncan came to us on July 4th, 2014 when we went to rescue Lucky from a known hoarder in Camp Verde, AZ.  Duncan had only been there 3 weeks, but was already showing signs of malnutrition.  He gained his weight back quickly.   Usually we don't get much information on the horses we rescue, but Duncan came with his papers.  So following the trail of ownership, I contacted several of his prior owners to let them know we had him and to find out more about him.  I am happy to say that his breeder and one of the families that owned him have donated towards his care and we remained in contact with updates. They were thankful to know he was here and in good hands.   Letting them know he had passed was not easy.

Duncan was a Morgan horse and he had lots of go. I was told he was fun to ride and would move right out on the trail by himself or with a group. We never rode him because he was a little sway back, but he had been a family horse before ridden by people of all ages. Born in 1988, that made him 27 years old.  He was a free spirit, flirt with the mares and loved, loved, loved his retirement.

A few weeks before we knew he had pigeon fever he was getting very pushy and would practically run us over when we would go in the pasture and was very aggressive for food.  This was something that Tucker had also done in the weeks leading up to his passing. I mentioned the similarities and now I feel strongly that he was hurting those few weeks and his actions were trying to tell us something. He also would stay to himself, away from the other horses. Till the outward signs of the abscess appeared there was nothing to indicate what was wrong.

The decision may be obvious because of the circumstances, but the process of humanely euthanizing and then burying each animal takes its toll. I saw this quote posted on Facebook and it is exactly how I feel, "Euthanasia is a privilege, a gift. That doesn't mean we have to like it.  Every time we give the gift of peace to a pet, we give up a bit of a peace in our hearts. Over time, we feel those missing pieces of peace more and more. We love animals so much, we are willing to experience pain right down to our souls in order to keep them from hurting.  What great gift to give a friend than to suffer in their place?"  Dr. Cherie Buisson

Duncan took a piece of our hearts with him. We were honored to love and care for him and blessed by each day we shared. Earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust we will miss you so much.

Run in paradise sweet boy!  Run........