Shooter has arrived. Thank you so very much!!!

 

We arrived in New Castle, Colorado by 8am on Monday, February 27th, after being on the road for an hour already having spent the night in a hotel about 50 miles away. The wind was blowing and the snow got heavier the higher in elevation we climbed. By the time we got to Shooter's home the snow was coming down really hard. Luckily we knew once we left, we would drive away from the snow and and get back onto dry highways. Knowing there was a good chance we would be in the snow, Lary installed two sheets of plywood, one on each side to the horse trailer to cover the open slats where there are no windows. What a difference those panels made in wind reduction and keeping the trailer warmer.

Seeing Shooter for the first time we realized he was taller than we thought and would be much bigger than Forest, even through they are close to the same age. His demeaner was very sweet and he came right over to the fence to great us. Karen had been practicing trailer loading with Shooter but with the snow coming down, wind whipping and icy footing, we really took our time loading. You can see the plywood panels in this picture. It took a few minutes, a bowl of feed and a little push from behind and he climbed in the trailer.

We let Shooter loose in the trailer so he could balance himself and look out the back sides of the trailer to see what was going on. In the front of the trailer we had two hay nets for him to eat from when he got hungry. The back door was secured from the outside so he was snug in his big box stall for his first trailer ride. We also have a camera in the trailer right above where he was standing so we could observe how he was doing the entire trip. At first he was very active looking out the windows. After many hours on the road, he was comfortable just standing or munching on his hay. We stopped hourly for a short break and halfway through the trip home, a late lunch break for us so we could eat. It was after 7pm by the time we got home and he got out of the trailer like a champ and into the strange barn to spend his first night in his new home.

Tuesday morning we went out to feed and saw that Shooter was comfortable enough to lay down and get some much needed rest. Monday's trip was 11 hours and very tiring for all of us. We put Shooter in the adjoining stall to Trudee and Forest so they could meet each other over the fence and we could gauge their reactions to each other. Though tired, he was also curious about this new home and all the horses and donkeys around here. Many of them curiously coming up near his stall to see the new guy.

It didn't take long before we saw Shooter, Forest and Trudee eating from the same hay net. They seemed to like each others company and that gave us a very good feeling. Yesterday, Wednesday we had a storm come through which was supposed to bring 3 inches of snow, but other than high winds and dropping tempuratures, we only got a sprinkling of snow early in this morning. Boy were we happy about that.

After Shooter being penned up for a couple days, and Forest and Trudee being penned up since last Thursday, we knew it was time to let them out so they could stretch their legs and run off some of their energy. Boy did Shooter have energy! We put him in the pasture first and it was magical watching him explore, run, kick up his heels and amazingly I got a picture of him gleefully rearing. After he wore off that energy and investigated the entire pasture, we let Forest join him. There was a little bit of running, more kicking up their heels, then they settled in to just being around each other. Trudee went out in the pasture with the mini donkeys so the boys could get to know each other without her in the middle.

We have checked several times and it is heartwarming to see the two of them eating from the same hay net. We think they will turn out to be friends like Buddie and Rimson. This could not have been possible with out the donations we received and we can't thank you all enough. You have changed the lives of both of these horses for the better and we appreciate all you have done so very much. We want to extend a special thanks to Fleet of Angels and Elaine Nash who provided the rescue with $250 matching funds from their grant program for Bonded Pairs, this was a very nice grant from a fellow organization that does wonderful things to help equines around the world. We also want to say a special thanks to Gary, who many of you may remember donated the funds for us to purchase and transport Buddie to the rescue to be a friend for Rimson when they were both about six months old. He donated funds on behalf of Rimson and Buddie to help Forest get a new best freind. Thank you Gary. Lastly, Forest would like to thank you all. He has had a very tough beginning to his life and since being rescued he has found love and safety. Now you have made his life richer by helping us bring him a much needed friend and companion. What a blessing!!!!

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!!!!

Funds needed to get Shooter.

 

Remember we said we might have some exciting news coming. Well things have come together and we are excited to announce that we have found a pasturemate for our mostly blind, orphaned foal, Forest. Trudee has been a good companion for Forest, but we noticed that at his age, almost 9 months old, he now wants to play and he is very rough with Trudee the donkey. We went on a search to find an appropriate companion for Forest. We reached out to 500 rescues who are part of The Homes For Horses Coalition, looked at the ads from rescues nationwide via A Home For Every Horses' posts on Equine.com and even checked local Craigslists and Facebook sales ads. We found a few weanlings around the same age as Forest and after interviews to discuss their demeanor, level of training, probable size when grown and more, we chose Shooter because of his mellow personality and that he has been in training for months. He leads, ties, stands for the farrier, works of a lunge line and has followed his mother when she was being ridden on numerous trail rides. We feel that he is the perfect choice both for Forest with his blindness and the safety of our volunteers with his level of training.

Foaled June 17, 2022, Shooter has the same birthday as Buddie....what a fabulous coincidence as Buddie was purchased to be a companion for Rimson. A very special birthdate indeed. Based on Forest's age when we rescued him, approximately two-three months old, that would put his foal date sometime in July 2022 making Shooter and he very similar in age.

I am sure you see the snow in the pictures and that is because Shooter is located in New Castle, CO, much closer than some of the other foals located in the midwest and east coast. We are headed to pick him up this coming weekend. Dr Amy Daley, went to examine Shooter for us on the 14th and found him to be easy to handle and in good condition. He will need his feet trimmed when he arrives, booster vaccines, castration (which can be done with Forest at the same time) and other normal health care for a colt his age. She also did a coggins test and health certificate for travel to Arizona. Her invoice was $275. Round trip is approximately 1100 miles, if there are no detours for weather, and will require an overnight stay as it is a full day up and a full day back, with our appointment to pick him up being Monday morning. Transportation costs will be approximately $700 and needed health care after arrival approximately $500. Our fundraising goal for Shooter is $2000 to cover transport, vet care, needed health care, food and hay, etc. If you can help with a donation of any amount it will be so appreciated. We know times are tough for many so we don't want to strain anyone's budget in our request for donations. Forest, being mostly blind, needs a companion he can play and grow up with and we know from our expirience with Rimson and Buddie, it is SO good for their mental health and esteem. For Forest to succeed with his sight limitiations, he needs to learn to be a horse and there is no better way than to have a companion the same age. To make a donation you can click the button below that will take you to our website which has many payment options as you scroll down the Donation page. Please feel free to share this email with your friends who may also want to help Forest and Shooter. Thank you all so very much!!!!!!

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!!!!