Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Update on Peaches (abandoned at a foreclosed house)

1-19-15 Ashley riding Peaches on trail
A very quick blog post to update you on Peaches (formerly Butterscotch) who was found abandoned in the back yard of a foreclosed house in October 2014.  A lovely young lady named Carissa lived next door and brought the horse to her house to care for while she tried to find the owners.  After having no luck she contacted Equine Voices in Green Valley AZ and they contacted us being much closer to Carissa who lives in the Show Low, AZ area.

We put the word out via Facebook looking for a good home for this sweet Spotted Saddle Horse named Butterscotch.  After much screening we scheduled an appoint with Ginny and her trainer Aliki Otey, who were driving up from the Phoenix area to see if she might be the right horse for Ginny, a long time horse owner now looking for a gaited horse for trail.

Peaches was a little pushy and full of energy when Aliki tried her out, but we found she had several gaits and with a good tune up, she would probably be just what Ginny needed.   I was very please to get an update and picture yesterday of just how great Peaches is doing and what a wonderful match her and Ginny are for each other.

As always when we adopt a horse out we recommend a 30 day trial period and our contract states we will always take the horse back.  Knowing she could be returned Peaches got the chance to get the tune up she needed and now has a forever home with a another beautiful blond.  I call horse and rider, Peaches and Cream because they both have beautiful blond hair.   We couldn't be happier that things are working out for them both.

Original post about Peaches (formerly Butterscotch)


Thank you all for your continued support.  Last year was a very busy year and this year is starting out the same.  Having you as part of our team we touch many lives and seeing positive results makes the efforts worth all the work.  

Happy Trails to Ginny & Peaches!

Thank you again,

Christine

Monday, January 19, 2015

A Jewel in the rough!

In October 2014, we rescued Jewel, a 10 year old Tennessee Walking Horse with some needs her trainer could not address.  She exhibited some bad behavior problems and hormonal issues at the same time. Our goal over these past several months has been to diagnose and treat her medical issues and see if that resulted in positive changes in her behavior.   

Through a process of elimination we addressed her health starting with potential stress ulcers from the moves she had including coming to us. We tried to balance her hormones with herbs with no change, so we did an ultra sound and then treated large follicles on her ovaries with medicine and followed up with a round of Regumate to help regulate her cycle.   All of this was done under the direction of Dr. Kari Christianson and consultation from specialists in the Phoenix area who frequently treat similar cases.


It was decided if she had a change in her raging behavior with the treatment of the prescribed medications we would consider spaying her stop her hormone cycles all together.  If not, we were told with this dangerous behavior horses should be put down for the safety of all around them. Sadly the medical treatments did not change her behavior, she seemed worse and has required two people to handle her for safety sake. I am a skilled horse handler having worked with many unhanded and ill-mannered horses in the past, but volunteers and others coming to the ranch do not have that level of awareness and thus could not be allowed near her.  It was no wonder her last trainer passed her on.  

If the treatment had settled her down but she still had some mild training issues a wonderful lady in the Phoenix are named Aliki Otey, was going to assist us with training and even follow up care if the surgical route of spaying was recommended.  Since the treatment did not change her behavior putting a trainer at physical risk is not something that we were willing to do.  Our options were getting fewer and our choices most difficult.  

More searching for answers was done and all agreed this behavior to intimidate and bully with such unpredictability was learned and if she was to have any chance, she needed to be placed where it was safe for that behavior to be changed and hopefully by those of her own species because it would not be tolerated.  

So with that goal in mind we have the most wonderful news to share.  Yesterday we delivered Jewel to her new adoptive home not far from us.  Dana, her new mom is a veterinary technician with years of experience ranching horses. She will live on several hundred acres with a herd of 70 other equine including mules, 2 Shetland ponies, a few Icelandics, many Paints and a few other TWH.  Though hard to see, the herd is behind her in the far distance and spread out as they graze. 
When we first unloaded her I was worried that she would stress in such a rough and wide open place. Without being able to see the other horses, she may run towards the gate and pace back and forth when we left.  Prepared for that we led her out quite a ways and let her sniff around and eat the grass.
It wasn't too long before her head was up and her interest on the herd in the distance. So we took off her halter to see what she would do. Within a very short time she took off toward their herd.  Head held high, stretching out in her beautiful gait, showing no signs of stress or fear. She headed straight for the herd looking magnificent as she ran their way and much to my mixed emotions, she never looked back.  Clearly this was our answer. 

We feel very blessed to have Dana step forward and offer her this opportunity at a herd life.  In a few months all the horses will come in from the pasture and we can reassess her then.  Perhaps she will have settled down and can once again be ridden and Dana can give her a job and if not, she can spend the rest of her life living with the herd in wide open spaces.  Many prayers have been answered because the thought of putting this beautiful, young horse down was a decision I didn't want to have to make.  

We were invited and plan on helping with the round up in spring.  In the meantime she will be under Dana's watchful eye as we all work together and want what is best for our beautiful Jewel.

I hope you are as excited as us with this successful outcome from Jewel.  It is with your support and generous donations that we are able to give horses like her thorough medical diagnostics and care and seek solutions for their well-being.  I consider you all part of our team and appreciate everything you do to help us help horses.  You made a difference in her life!

In addition to finding an adoptive home for Jewel this last week we also provided horse feed for a lady who is struggling with a short term personal issue and with the purchase of feed she is able to keep her horse while getting everything in order.  That is called 'sheltering in place' and when feasible we prefer to leave a horse with their family if short term help from us allows it. 

Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to support the nine horses we have here at the ranch and others we are able to help.  We know there are many good causes, some more urgent than others so helping us continue to provide for these horses who are just trying to live out their lives with love and kindness means so much to us.  You can donate by sending a check to EqWBR, PO Box 2722, Snowflake, AZ 85937 or make a single or monthly donation clicking this button: 





Thank you. We appreciate you very much!

Christine
Founder & President
Equine WellBeing Rescue Inc.
IRS public charity 45-2835562

Monday, January 12, 2015

We Welcome Dr. Kari Christianson!

We are excited to announce the addition of Dr. Kari Christianson to our board of directors. We first started working with Dr. C when she enlisted our assistance to help two of her patients whose families were in need of help from our rescue.  

One of those horses was Babee, the mare with severe founder (pain in her feet) who we provide rehab and medical care for in 2014 and whose story was shared across many posts in our blog.  Dr. C is pictured on the right.

Over this past year Dr. C has become more involved with all the horses and assisted us with Maverick, Tucker, Babee, Fancy, Danny, Lucky and currently with Jewell.  She has shown a great interest in the success of our programs, getting EqWBR known and recognized in this area as a legitimate rescue and all that entails.  And as an independent business woman she understands how to run a business in Arizona, has business acumen and a great sense of humor which is a big help to our board.

Meet Dr. Kari Christianson

Dr. C was born in Mesa, AZ but spent most of her childhood in Crystal Lake, IL. After receiving a Bachelor's degree in Genetics from Iowa State in 2006, she completed her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) degree focus on mixed animal practice at the Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2010.   Licensed in both Arizona and New Mexico she also hold membership in numerous trade associations  She spent a year practicing on the rainy Oregon coast before returning to her home state.  She is also a member of two emergency response teams, All Volunteer Emergency Response Team (AVERT) and Arizona State Animal Response Team (AzSART) to help aid should another disaster arise.  Her small animal practice is located in Eagar, AZ and her mobile equine, small animal, livestock, exotic practice covers several hundred square miles of eastern central Arizona and western central New Mexico.   This year her practice moves into a larger more state of the art building that will eventually have indoor equine diagnostic and treatment facilities.

Dr. C lives with her cat, Deianira, dogs, Noshoni and Sasha, and Arabian horse named Draven.  In her free time she enjoys drawing and painting pet portraits, dog training, hiking, camping, rock climbing, fishing, trail riding, and playing the guitar.  She  is working to create a feral cat spay/neuter program for the local communities.   I can see it now...   Equine & Feline!

To learn more you can check out her website North Country Veterinary Clinic website or her Facebook page Dr. Christianson's Facebook page

ASPCA - Thank You!!!!

HAY & FEED FUNDS


We would like to thank the ASPCA for approving our 2014 Hay & Feed Grant application and awarding us a $2000 grant which was applied to hay and feed purchases the end of 2014.  We also receive $350 to cover expenses to attend their conference in November. 

We are honored and thank them very much for their support of Equine WellBeing Rescue Inc.