Update of 4 mares rescue 7-13-23

On July 13, 2023 we were contacted to help with four horses.   We provided food, hay, hay nets, supplements, even buckets to soak their feed in and measured scoops to be sure they were feeding the correct amount.   We also spent time explaining how to read the feeding instructions on the feed bag and proper way to measure the feed.  With our plans to be out of town, they took everything home and started the refeeding program at their house.  Based on pictures taken on the 13th, two of the horses were body condition scores 2 (emaciated) and the other two were body condition score 3 (thin).   We received daily text updates and on 7/31/23 we were able to go to their place to assess how they were doing after two weeks in our refeeding program.  The horses had started to lose their winter fur and their coats starting to shine and had gained weight, but we saw other issues the people did not tell us about.  The pictures to the left are (top to bottom) Coco, Layla, Kashmier and Amy.   Coco and Layla had great difficulty walking, Coco due to prior founder and inability to put weight on her right front foot, and Layla severe arthritis causing her to walk unbalanced and draggin her toes.  The owners never considered they were in pain, said they had always been that way. We gave them much needed pain medication and made arrangements to pick them up the next day and bring them to the rescue for vet examination.     Shortly after the horses arrived, both Dr Secor and Dr Laird arrived.  Even with pain medication the horses had difficulty walking, putting any more weight on would cause further pain and Coco's founder was so bad she was probably walking on the tip of her coffin bone.  With their age (both over 25yrs old), arthritis in many locations and obvious pain, the very difficult decsion to let Coco and Layla go was made.  Tears were shed as they were released from their pain.  It has taken me all this time to even be able to speak about it, trying to deal with my anger and heartbreak for these sweet mares.     We picked up Amy and Kashmire the following day and brought them to the rescue.  Amy is 24 and Kashmier is 25.  We adjusted their diet to senior feed and continued the free feed bermuda and have seen slow weight gain.  All their winter fur is gone and new, shiny hair is coming in.

Yesterday, Dr Laird gave Kashmier and Amy each a through exam.  Both have effusion of their left stiffles (fluid around the hind knee) and arthritis.  Amy's worst arthritis is along her spine (seen in the picture to the left the bumps along her spine), coupled with the bad stiffle she drags her left hind foot toe when she walks.  As she builds her muscle back on her hind end that may change.     While Kashmier has had slow, steady weight gain, Amy has not.  Blood was pulled on both mares to run a series of tests to determine if there is organ damage related to the long-term malnutrition.     Dr Laird also noticed Kashmier can't see as well as Amy.  Her left eye has what she called a "Star Cataract", which you can visibly see as the white spot on the center of her left eye.  She also has cloudiness in her right eye making focusing on anything difficult but she can see a bit, just blurry objects.      Amy also has a significant dental issue, called an underjet.  Her lower jaw and teeth stick out further than her upper jaw and teeth.  This may make dentistry difficult as we may not be able to get a speculum in her mouth.  Dr Laird felt they were both healthy enought to be sedated for a complete dental.    Since they have had access to free feed bermuda, which does a great job of flushing any sand in their system through, they had very little sand in their manure, so one round of sand treatment should remove that.     We will continue our refeeding program,  do a round of psyllium to treat any sand, schedule their dentistry and further hoof care.  Once the blood work comes back we will have a better idea of what additonal needs they each will have.    The rescue of these four mares came at a time when we brought two other horses into the rescue, Hank and Jazzy, whose owners took awesome care of them, but can no longer ride and wanted us to find new, loving homes for them.  Two of our volunteers will make that perfect home.     We also had two ranger horses donated to the rescue from the National Forest Service, both of which we found homes for too.     We were so saddened by the loss of Coco and Layla, but knowing they are no longer in such pain eases their loss a little bit and we know though it was a very hard decision, it was the right one for them.     Your generosity to help the girls and all of the horses, donkeys and minis at the rescue is such a blessing and appreciated more than you could imagine.    Your friendship, prayers and financial support allow us to help so many in need and this year it seems the need is so great!!!!   Thank you, thank you so very much!!!! CLICK TO DONATE NOW!

Volunteers & Walmart build a shelter.

 

Volunteers and Walmart collaborate to build a shelter for a rescued horse

·         By Merri Taylor Special to the Independent 

·         Aug 2, 2023 White Mountain Independent Newspaper

Equine WellBeing Rescue recently received a $1,000 grant from the Walmart Foundation and the Taylor Walmart store. The funds were used to buy many of the materials needed to construct a shelter for a blind orphaned colt that was found wandering alone in the Petrified Forest last year.

Petrified Forest employees contacted Christine Griffin, founder of Equine WellBeing Rescue, for help. Griffin jumped into action.

“He was emaciated and extremely dehydrated,” she said. “That’s why he was wobbling around so much. He probably would have perished, especially if he hadn’t shown up at the machine shop there; he would have just died out in the out in the wild.” The colt, named Forest, is nearly a year old now and is thriving at the Rescue, east of Snowflake.

“We did a DNA test on Forest and he turns out to be half quarter horse, half Rocky Mountain horse mix, which could mean that somebody probably dumped him,” Griffin said. “There aren’t really herds of this DNA in the Petrified Forest; once in a while other horses may come in. We consider him an orphan because he wasn’t with his mother or the herd may have culled him because of his health condition, or he just couldn’t keep up, we’ll never know.”

On July 25, volunteers gathered to build a shelter for Forest and his new companion, Shooter.

“We couldn’t put Forest in with our herd because of his blindness, so we ended up purchasing a colt that was close to the same age as him and already had training,” Griffin said. “He was of a gentle demeanor and his feet could be trimmed and things of that nature. We went to Colorado and got him in February.

“Then we made an enclosure that’s a little over 30 feet wide by 280 feet long, so that they both have room to run. Even with his limited eyesight, Forest has really good perception of his surroundings, so he does run and play like a typical colt his age.

“We were so excited to work side-by-side with the volunteers on this project. We thought that we really should build a shelter for Shooter and Forest. That way, if we’re not here, or a storm comes up, the monsoons come up, at least they can get into the shelter or if we can’t get them into the barn.”

Griffin explained that one of their volunteers, who works at Walmart, found out about the Volunteerism Always Pays program, which provides grants to eligible organizations when Walmart or Sam’s Club associates volunteer. The program encourages full and part-time employees to volunteer their time to various non-profits in their local communities.

“Her supervisor at Walmart knew that she volunteered here, so they said let’s do a volunteer program out there. So when they contacted us, it had just coincided with a grant request that we had made separate from that. It kind of all happened at the same time,” Griffin said.

Forest does fairly well despite having essentially no vision, Griffin said. “He actually was paying attention to the noises going on during the construction; some of it was really noisy, they were using drills and things. By the time we put it together, he could smell the new wood. So he walked right over to where the new smell was.

“The first thing we noticed was him walking over sniffing the wood, so he went inside and sniffed the wood all the way around inside and out. That’s how he learns where something new is. Also, he realized he was in shade, because of the difference in the temperature.”

Considering the size of a horse’s ears, it’s no surprise hearing is important to Forest’s understanding of his world and his new shelter. “The shelter has a tin roof, so the first time it rained, it was different because it was noisy,” Griffin said. “Even though Shooter was inside, he wasn’t sure about going inside with the noise. The barn also has a tin roof, so once he gets used to that, then it won’t matter at all. I do see him going in for the shade. They do have a juniper tree and he loves to stand in the shade of the juniper tree.”

Walmart also sent the rescue a $75 gift card to purchase flowers and soil for their Memory Garden. “Walmart volunteers, along with our volunteers, cleaned up that whole area and planted the new flowers,” Griffin said. “They did an awesome job. We really appreciate the support from the Taylor Walmart. Justin Johnson is the manager there and we appreciate him and his employees and their support of the rescue.”

Griffin added that there were 22 hours of preparation time for the shelter build, with a total of 69 volunteer hours. She said, “We have a lot of really wonderful volunteers. I always want to give them credit, because they do come here and volunteer their time and its much appreciated.”

Forest with Shooter behind, taking shelter from the rain.

To learn more about the rescue or to make a donation, visit equinewellbeing.org, call (760) 703-4860, or email christine@equinewellbeing.com. To learn more about Walmart’s Volunteerism Always Pays program, go to walmart.org/how-we-give/volunteerism-always-pays.

Four horses in great need of help!!!!

 

On July 13, 2023, I was contacted by a family asking for assistance feeding their horses.  I had previously reached out to them on May 31st, because a follower had seen the horses and voiced great concern.  I left a voice message at the only phone contact I had in May, letting them know we would try to assist if possible but the elderly gentleman didn't check his voice mails until July.   The horses I was told about were thin in May, so I was very concerned it had been six weeks with no call, how thin they were now.     We completed an application for our Hope's Legacy Equine Emergency Food Fund and scheduled an appointment with them the next morning to come to the rescue and get some hay and feed.  As it turns out through the application process I learned these horses came from a well known rescue in the Phoenix area and when the people called that rescue for help or to return the horses, they were told no.  That rescue said they were full and turning other people who called away too.  They also told me they had volunteered for that rescue as did their kids, donated to the rescue before moving to Snowflake, AZ, and they offered to adopt two older equines when they moved up here, but when the delivery people showed up two years ago, they unloaded four horses and would not take the extra two back.   So not only were two extra horses dumped on them, when the contacted the rescue explaining they were struggling to feed all four, they were given no help whatsoever.    No wonder they were hesitant to call us.      Upon the families arrival here at the rescue, they shared the photos with me.  They are not the best, but they show two of the horses so skinny their spine, hips, pelvis and ribs are all showing, making them a body condition score of 2 - emaciated.    The other two horses are also thin, but have a enough retained muscle to be considered a body condition score 3 - very thin.    We spent several hours going over each horses dietary needs, how to calculate and measure the feed and supplements by weight, discussing 24 hour access to forage (hay), fresh water with electrolytes since our tempurates are hovering around 100 degrees and other important factors in getting weight back on each of them.     We sent them away with hay, Purina Enrich Plus ration balancer, electrolytes, probiotics, a 50lb salt lick block, buckets, slow-feed hay nets, buckets, feed scoops, etc.,  and very detailed instructions on what to feed, how much to feed and when to feed.   We also purchased bags of pellets from Tractor Supply and have since then purchased more.      Our goal is to get the weight back on these four horses and find new homes for them. Normally the horses would come here for their rehabilitation but this family loves these horses and is doing a good job following our detailed instructions and cooperating to the fullest which is a great help to us at the rescue.  Here are their pictures.

So far in feed, hay and supplements we have spent $895.94, the buckets, feed scoops, hay nets, electrolytes, etc., came out of our inventory.  I know this is asking a LOT, but we are trying to raise $2000, which is $500 per horse, so they can gain enough weight for us to find them good homes.  The two thinnest may take a little longer and need a little more unless a great home with a big heart steps forward and takes over their care and feeding.      This is a desparate situation, this elderly couple cannot afford the horses dumped on them by another rescue, the wife has a job waiting for her in Florida so they will be selling their house and moving.  We want to help these horses, who through no fault of their own have been malnourished for over a year.  I am furious that the other rescue refused to take the horses back or even assist with feed, but I can't focus on my anger, I chose instead to focus on what we can do right now and going forward to help each of these horses get their health back.     If you would please consider a donation to help it would be so appreciated.  No amount is too small and every dollars will make a big difference for these horses.  If you can or know of someone who can offer a home to one of these horses, please reach out to me.  Three are Arabians and one is a Thoroughbred, all are in their late teens or 20's and a few are still rideable.   Coco and Layla are the two emaciated mares, Cashmire and Amy are thin, but not emaciated.     These sweet souls need our help both to regain their health and find homes.     To help these sweet mares, click the Donate button below to make a tax-deductible donation and THANK YOU so very, very much!!!!   We will keep you updated on how they are doing and as we hopefully find homes for them soon.    Working together we can change their lives......

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EQUINE WELLBEING RESCUE INC 8369 Buckskin Trl Snowflake, AZ 85937

Winner of Best NonProfit in the White Mtns!!

 

It is a good thing I was sitting down yesterday when I got the call from the newpaper letting us know that we won 1st PLACE when the voting was tallied making us the winner of the Best Non-Profit category for Best of the White Mountains! I started to cry it was such a surprise and honestly a little overwhelming. This past week has been a really tough on, first losing our beloved horse Scout, then we were asked by law enforecement to assist with two stray horses that showed up at a local families home, luckily the owners were found, but we were ready to bring them here if needed. Then we were visited by people that needed feed and hay for their 4 horses and when they showed me pictures 2 were emaciated and the other 2 extremely thin. Not only did we provide hay, feed, salt block, hay nets and more, we spent hours with them discussing each horses specific needs and writing down a plan of care. The poor horses had been malnourished for months and we will have the details for you on those horses in a separate email. No sooner did those folks leave, that we found out a water pipe in to the drinkers and water hydrants had burst underground and in 100+ degree weather it took us two days to find and repair the leak....but it is fixed now and all is good. To receive such unexpected news is a happy blessing that still makes me smile and brings us joy. Our first year in this survey contest and we really thought we would be doing well to come in 2nd or 3rd as we were up against some powerhouse nonprofits. Your votes clearly made a difference. We are humbled to receive this honor and it is all thanks to the many volunteers who feed and care for all the horses, donkeys and minis, those volunteers that help us with construction and other projects, those on our planning committee and board of directors and others who help us from time to time with various things. EVERYONE makes EqWBR what it is and this award is meant for you!!!!! Thank you always for your friendship and support. Working together we do great things for so many in need. Click to Donate Equine WellBeing Rescue is a 501c3 public charity which is 100% volunteer run and managed. There is no paid staff or employees so funds donated goto the care of the equine at the rescue and others in need that we can help. Our volunteers are loving, caring and the best ever!!!! There are lots of wonderful charities to support and we are honored and humbled by the support we get from you and your friends. We want you to know YOU ARE APPRECIATED!!!! ©2023 Equine WellBeing Rescue, Inc.​​ | PO Box 2722, Snowflake, AZ 85937

Cathy, Cheyenne & Scout

 

Scout and Cheyenne by Leslie Brucker In the summer of 2020, we helped a fellow rescuer, Cathy Ritlaw of Journeys End Ranch Animal Sanctuary, in Kingman, AZ, by making room for six of her horses and two of her donkeys. The six mustangs, all 18 years or older, had been with Cathy for years. Sadly Cathy's health made it so she could no longer take care of their daily needs and she asked if they could come to us. I have know Cathy for years and we wanted to help any way we could.

Cathy was a animal advocate for decades and sadly passed in May after many years struggling with her health. We last saw her when we drove to her rescue to pick up Poco and Teddy in June of 2020, the first of her 8 equines to move to EqWBR. Cathy was using a scooter to get around at that time and since then spent some time in the hospital, a rehab nursing home, before going back to the ranch where she died at home.

Cheyenne was the oldest of what we called the Six Pack, the six mustangs from JERAS, and was the oldest at 23 years old on her arrival. Abused in her younger years she had been at JERAS for many years and was very bonded with Scout and unhandleable except for once in a while taking a treat. On the morning of June 8th, we thought she was sleeping but on closer view, it was clear she had passed away overnight. There was no sign of struggle and no indication of what caused her death. She died in peace in her sleep, we should all be so lucky.

This week we were saddened to discover that Scout had cancer with a tumor so large that surgery was not an option. He had recently shown some weight loss but otherwise looked fine so he was getting Senior feed to help him gain back some weight. The tumor was causing him much pain and the heart breaking decsion to humanely euthanize him was made and yesterday he joined Cheyenne and Cathy. Quality of life is so important to us. Knowing he could not recover and the pain would only get worse we let him go though our hearts weren't yet ready.

Today the remaining four horses, Bayron, Kola, Rene' and Windy, are banded together no doubt missing their pasturemates. To have lost Cathy in May, Cheyenne in June and now Scout has been really difficult for me to process and hard for our volunteers who lovingly cared for them, but I keep thinking they are together and that is good. May they run throught the green pastures of heaven to meet Cathy at the pasture's gate, while she waits with treats for each and gets to love on them again after all these years. We have been honored and blessed with her friendship and glad her horses are living out their lives as she wanted. Run In Paradise (RIP).

Click to Donate

Equine WellBeing Rescue is a 501c3 public charity which is 100% volunteer run and managed. There is no paid staff or employees so funds donated goto the care of the equine at the rescue and others in need that we can help. Our volunteers are loving, caring and the best ever!!!! There are lots of wonderful charities to support and we are honored and humbled by the support we get from you and your friends. We want you to know YOU ARE APPRECIATED!!!!