Hope's Legacy Emergency Food Fund

Hope, a sweet and gentle soul.

Her final hours were filled with abounding love and deepest compassion.  She arrived at the rescue Thursday morning, January 12, 2017, just hours after her friend and pasture mate died of starvation and she in dire condition herself. We named her Hope.

At almost 15 hands high, the weight tape barely said 650 pounds. On the Henneke scale she rated one out of nine-extremely emaciated. I have never seen a horse so thin that you could feel every vertebrae in the neck. Rehabbing an emaciated horse is a delicate balance of small amounts of food and water around the clock because their digestive system is so unaccustomed to food and you have no idea the extent of organ damage they have, with her, there were no fat or muscle reserves left either. In addition to food and water, blankets are needed to retain what little heat their bodies can create and round the clock observation.

This fabulous horse community jumped in and made her last hours as comfortable as possible. Friends, volunteers and followers came throughout the day starting early in the morning. Darlene, Judee, Betty and her husband Jim, below are Linda, Bobbi, Ginny & Linda softly grooming and giving her gentle body rubs.

One of our trainers, Debbie, came to visit with a fluffy winter blanket we hoped would fit her better and keep her warm. 

Lary, Stan and Richard prepped the tractor so we could move several loads of sand into her stall to give her an additional soft place to rest her weary bones and sleep. 

Dee came to visit and arrived just as Dr. Boatright was pulling in to do chiropractic for Missy and Red. By this time Hope had nestled down in the soft sand and would take short naps then wake to sounds or movement to see what was going on.  She was offered a carrot and ate it slowly enjoying such a special treat. 

Peaceful rest. We tucked a towel under her head so sand wouldn't get in her eye and had a halter on in case she needed help getting up. Patty came by, I wish I had gotten a picture of them both as we were doing our best to keep Hope warm and comfortable.

Sadly on Friday, despite all our efforts, Hope succumbed to the starvation she suffered before her arrival.  Hopefully the pictures show the love given to her before she passed. Through tears of sadness she was laid to rest next to our beloved Danny. 

The emotions we feel are raw and indescribable. It has taken me a few days to gather my words to be able to share this heartbreak. There is immeasurable anger, but lets not voice our anger here. I implore you to extend the love to Hope and her pasture mate whose name I don't even know, with spiritually uplifting thoughts and prayers so they will both continue to know the love and compassion of our followers.  

God saw you getting tired,

When a cure was not to be,

So he wrapped his arms around you,

And whispered, "come to me,"

You did not deserve what you went through,

So he gave you rest,

Gods garden must be beautiful, 

He only takes the best.

It broke our hearts to lose you,

But you didn't go alone,

A part of us went with you,

The day God called you home.

RIP - Run In Paradise sweet Hope.

Hope 2012 to 1-13-17 

In response to the starvation deaths of both sweet mares and an effort to see this doesn't happen again in our community, we have established Equine WellBeing Rescue's "Hope's Legacy Emergency Equine Food Fund" grant program which we will administer.  Hopefully a safety net that local horse, mule and donkey owners will reach out to.  

With the kind donations from Bullseye Construction Inc., Rim Country Mechanical Inc, Jill Tinkel's State Farm and Beth Williams Realty Executives-White Mountains, all located in Show Low, AZ and a private trust, we have established this emergency food fund for equine in the White Mountains of NE Arizona.

To apply for a one-time emergency food grant for hay or feed pellets, residents can contact EqWBR for an application.  Email: Christine@EquineWellBeing.Com  Call/text: 760-703-4860.  

Application, phone interview and site visit  will be part of the grant process. 

We will be placing flyers in local feed stores, veterinary offices, with law enforcement officials, on our Facebook page and other local Facebook pages, in addition to a press release to the local papers. 

Donations are not needed for that fund, but are always welcome so we can help equine in need.