After 12 years Diesel is returning, can you help get him here??

 

In the fall of 2011, we joined Debra Hawk and Troy Kelly, in their efforts to save dozen's of young horses whose mothers were shipped to Canada for slaughter. A wonderful lady named Lisa, sent us the funds to purchase the two foals in the picture above and get them shipped to the rescue for care. Both horses were exposed to the highly contagious disease called 'strangles' and the grey one you can see is very thin. .

Click here for more pictures of his rehab October 28, 2011, both foals arrived at the rescue and the gray one was extremely sick. His breathing was labored, you can see he is emaciated, was running a fever and more. Diesel, named that because of deep the noise he made breathing, needed vet care, IV fluids and almost died in my arms as the abscesses in his neck around his throat would not allow him to swallow so I was feeding him water with a dose syringe till the vet could get there. It was touch and go that sleepless night not knowing if he would pull through.

Well pull through he did with round-the-clock care, good nutrition and lots of love. It took several months and Diesel was finally well enough to go to an adoptive home. A wonderful family came forward and with clean bill of health from the veterinarian, we approved his adoption to the Niven family. It was a bittersweet day when he went to his new home, but he deserved to have a loving family to call his own.

Click to see Diesel's Facebook Page Many of you will no doubt remember Diesel, the orphaned foal and have followed his journey ever since. He even has his own Facebook Page (see below to read it). I know some of our followers only know us from recent foal rescues like Sydney, Rimson, Buddie, Maisie and now Forest and Shooter, but our history of rescuing foals in need goes back to 2007 when the wild fires of San Diego county left a skinny, pregnant mare without a home, and shortly after a cute little foal named Quinn was born. Our first rescued foal. We have helped dozen's more since that time.

2018 Diesel Diesel grew up and was trained undersaddle. He was shown a little and even won a ribbon or two. He wasn't all that fond of working in the arena but he liked being out on trail. Circumstances changed and Diesel got a new mom named, Heidi who loves him dearly too. Unfortunately Diesel's mom was involved in a horrible head-on auto accident and her recovery has been slow and finances extremely tight. She told us about Diesel and her situation and we let her know we have a life-long return policy and he could come back to the rescue if she wanted.

It has been a most difficult decision, but putting his needs before hers, she decided Equine WellBeing Rescue would be best for him. We have helped with some medical bills for Diesel, he was recently diagnosed with Cushing's Disease and xrays have shown an injury that was probably sustained as a foal has caused some arthritis in his spinal area which is very painful if ridden. The recommondation was to retire him so it is time for Diesel to come home to EqWBR. We are reaching out to you to help us raise funds for the medical care we have provided already, $405 for diagnostics of Cushing's Disease, $382.70 for transportation exam, blood work and documents to travel, $625 for the cost of transport to the rescue and $547.50 to cover six months of medicine for pain managment and Cushing's Disease. Our total fundraising goal is $1960.20 and we have a matching donation for the first $500 in donations made. When we rescued Diesel 12 years ago, we made a committment to him, as we have to all others, to be there for him throughout his life and open our doors if he needed to come back. He needs us now and we want to be there for him again. He will be picked up on March 15th in CA and should arrive here late in the day. If you can help with a donation of any amount, just click the donate button below and thank you so very much for helping us fulfill a life-long committement to this very sweet and beloved horse.

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!!!!

Click for Diesel's Facebook Page

Click for Diesel's Blog Post

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!!!!

Forest visits the Opthamologist

 

Forest & Trudee early morning ride A few weeks ago we put Chancer's mom, Trudee, in the stall with Forest in anticipation of the 3.5 hour drive to the veterinary appointment on December 20th. We did not want him to panic, unable to see in a moving box for many hours all by himself. They got along well in their barn stall and paddock. Trudee, being a mom was used to having a little one bump against her and follow her around. So the pairing has been very good for both of them. Finally, Forest has a friend who will stay by his side.

Forest & Trudee on the trailer cam 5:00 AM on the morning of the 20th we loaded them both in the straw padded trailer and hit the road. We had ordered, and Lary installed, a trailer camera so we would be able to watch our precious cargo during the all day trip. What a relief it was for me to be able to look at the monitor and see they were doing just fine.

We arrived at the medical center where Dr. Reed from Eyeshine Veterinary, equine opthalmololist, and her team finally got to meet Forest. We have been emailing back and forth for several weeks. He was awesome during the exam and lets just say everyone fell in love with him just as all of us have. Dr. Reed, did numerous tests on both eyes and felt his had some sight, mostly the ability to see light and also dark objects, but it is limited at best. He has a few cataracts in his right eye, but that is not impeding his vision. She felt he has been blind since birth and the communication between the eye and the brain are where the disconnect is. Both eyes look better since the day we rescued him so they have recovered a little from his severe dehydration and malnutition from being left to fend for himself in the high desert of the Petrified Forest.

Both Dr. Reed and Dr. Minuto, the vet who also examined him at Chaparral Vet Med Center, thought he was doing awesome since his rescue on 9-27-22, as we showed them picture of his overall condition and his eyes at the time. Forest still has a ways to go in his recovery, but everyone is pleased with his progress so far. On intake he weighed 236 pounds, was a body condition score 2. emaciated, was very dehydrated and had bite marks and scars all over his torso. On 12-20-22, not quite 3 months later he had gained 79 pounds, most of his scars have healed and he has a lot of energy. His blood work is good, he has been gradually dewormed and gets probiotics, a ration balancer, gut health to heal and prevent ulcers and now we are adding vitamin E to help his eyes more. He continues on the eye meds but we hope to wean him off those soon.

We made the long trek home and arrived just as the sun was gracing the sky with a stunning sunset. Trudee and Forest unloaded with ease. Forest takes a little longer but he trusts us so he follows us very carefully. it amazes us how he gets around. Dr. Reed felt it would be safe to put him in a larger enclosure so he can run and get the exercise a baby needs to grow healthy. And he does LOVE to run. We have contacted our friend who does fence work to weld him a nice big enclosure, one that he can grow in to and be safe having fun running around. We will use some of the funds donated for his care to make him a larger and safe place to spend his days and nights.

Forest - I'm a big boy now!

We can't thank you all enough for your support and helping him financially so we can get him all he needs to heal and grow as normal as possible. There is a small chance he may get a eye sight little clarity as he grows with good nutrition and care, but even if he doesn't he is so loved. He is one brave little horse!

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 around the world and we are honored and humbled by the support we get from you and your friends. We want you to know YOU ARE APPRECIATED!!!! Wishing everyone many blessings in 2023. Happy New Year!

SO close to our goal....can you help????

 

November 29, 2022 was #GivingTuesday and your support over the years has been phenominal. We reached our matching donation of $5000, making your donation worth double. In fact, we got $6000 in donations so with the matching $5000 from an anonymous donor advised fund from the Jewish Community Foundation of San Diego, we raised $11,000. FABULOUS! OUTSTANDING! AWESOME! BUT..... we still have not reached our goal of $15,000 for the newer used tractor that the rescue REALLY NEEDS. The Griffin's have let the rescue use their tractor for over a decade, it hauls 1400 pound bales of hay out the various pastures to feed the 40+ horses, donkeys and minis. It is used to plow the snow so volunteers can get to the rescue, drag the manure in the enclosures, create furrows to reroute rain runoff and SO MUCH more. We have used it so much it is worn out and the hydrolics are not working properly making it unsafe.

A newer used 4x4 tractor at auction There are several machinery auctions December 13-15th, next week, where we could purchase a newer used tractor that will run for decades more. Our goal is to raise $15,000 to use to purchase the much needed tractor. We have tried to find grants to cover the purchase cost and there simply are none.

Multimedia Systems and Technology Consulting Inc of Snowflake, whose owner's grandaughter, Alexandria, has both adopted a horse from us and volunteers at the rescue every weekend, has offered to match the next $1000 in donations. That would give us a total of $13,000, leaving only $2000 still to be raised to reach out $15,000 tractor fundraising goal. We appreciate your support so very much whether you can help with $5, $50 or $500. Every donation is so meaningful and will make a huge difference to us. If you can help us just click the button below to make a tax-deductible donation via check, debit/credit card, PayPal or Venmo and have your donation doubled with the matching donation.

Click to Donate

As winter approaches we are so hopeful we can meet our goal and purchase a tractor before the snow hits. We thank you. Rimson and Buddie thank you. Our volunteers thank you. All of the horses, donkeys and minis appreciate and thank you so very much!!!!

Rimson & Buddie say THANK YOU!