Thank you for #GivingTuesday

 

Like  Tweet  +1

Hello, Everyone! We are so humbled by the generous response we got both in sharing our fundraising information with your friends and the donations we received for this year's GivingTuesday. So far we have raised over $6000 which will be put to such good use caring for the 40 horses, donkeys and minis at the rescue and helping others in need. The need this year has been so great, both with equines coming into the rescue because families could no longer care for them, horses and donkeys needing medical and nursing care, and those who received help through our Equine Emergency Food Fund which has dispersed over $4200 in hay and feed so far this year. We are a 501c3 nonprofit that is 100% volunteer run. We have no paid employees so donations go where most needed....to help and care for equines in need. EqWBR is managed by a board of directors who also volunteer their time to do as much as we can to help where needed. We have THE BEST volunteers in the world and we know the love they have for the fur babies here at the rescue and all we try to accomplish. If you missed our fundraising email and want to make a donation it is not too late, just click the button below. We know that this has been a tough year for everyone with so many unexpected changes and restrictions throughout the country so we truly appreciate every dollar donated and PROMISE to be frugal in their use. Thank you all so very, very much! Click to Donate

#GivingTuesday - A day of Giving

 

Hello, Friends! You have helped us change so many lives this year. Definitely a year of challenges for so many and together we have helped make those lives better. Starting with our Emergency Food Fund which has helped 12 families and one large equine rescue feed 76 horses, donkeys and minis using $4261.82 in funds. Eight of those equine ended up being surrendered to the rescue, their owners no longer able to care for them even with our temporary support. Three of those surrender were Sable, Rain and Willow. Sable was so thin she was close to death. Rain and Willow recovered months faster than Sable who took over six months to gain enough weight to be considered normal. Rain arrived on April 25th, along with Sable and Willow, she too was skin and bones. Temps in the 70's and still covered with winter fur because she had no fat or muscle to keep her warm at night. In two months she was looking better, in 4 months she had gained over 400 pounds and full of spunk. All three are doing fabulous now and we pray they have several good years left to live their lives. In February we made the trip to the Phoenix area to pick up two mini donkeys a family going through divorce could no longer keep. One had what we thought was a small skin cancer, but turned out to be a very large tumor by his chest. We named them Waylon and Willie, and Waylon needed the tumor treated twice a day and bandaged with a t-shirt to cover the large belly wrap bandage to keep it clean. After consultation with several vets, a trip to Flagstaff and Continental Animal Wellness (who specializes in cancer treatment) a biopsy was done and it was determined there was not a way to treat the tumor without creating even more pain and duress than Waylon was already in and the chance of survival very slim. Through lots of tears he was released from his pain in March. Since then Willie has found a wonderful home with the family who also adopted our mini donkeys named Brandy and Tillie. We miss them both so much. In July the Navajo County Sheriff's Department and Arizona Department of Ag, Livestock division contacted us to assist in the capture of wild horse hit by a vehicle early in the morning while crossing a 2 lane highway in the national forest. One of those hit turned out to be a domestic, branded mustang who came to us for treatment. Sadly the other a 2 year old filly needed to be euthanized from her extensive injuries. We named the mustang Jake. He immediately needed surgery, in fact our vet, Tammy Helzer did 3 separate surgeries and we did wound care several times each day and after several months the main wound is now just a small scar and his other bruising and scratches have all healed. You would never know the extent of his injuries looking at him today. Had we not been able to provide such care through your generous donations, the authorities would have euthanized this very sweet horse...now he has a chance and a wonderful life. With training we are sure he will make someone a wonderful riding horse and family member. These are just some of the stories from this year. In total we have brought 26 horses and donkeys to the rescue so far this year. 5 of them emaciation cases, we have dealt with several injuries requiring extensive wound management and others who just needed a place to land when their owner was stricken with terminal or severe illness where they could no longer care for their beloved horses and donkeys. All of this is possible through the donations we receive. As a 100% volunteer organization there are no salaries or wages so funds go where needed the most, to the horses, donkeys and minis in our care. Our volunteers are dedicated to making their lives better, providing the best care and showing them love many so desperately need. On this #GivingTuesday we know there are lots of great nonprofits to donate to and we ask that you consider us when you donate. We want to continue to provide the help and care needed to those at the rescue, help others in need and support the community still struggling from Covid19 and other issues that can make caring for their equines difficult...especially heading into winter. Thank you so much for all you do to help us help equines in need. You Make A Difference!!! Make a donation today!

Video of EqWBR from A Home For Every Horse

 

Hello, Friends! A Home For Every Horse and Absorbine Give Thanks! At A Home For Every Horse, we are honored to work with amazing sponsors who support the rescues, sanctuaries and care facilities that sign up for our program. The day-to-day cost in helping rehabilitate and rehome rescue horses can be steep, and we can’t thank our sponsors enough for providing them with essential goods, gear, feed and more. Earlier this year, Absorbine donated an incredible care package to Equine Well Being out of Snowflake, Arizona. Thank you, Absorbine, for making a difference in the lives of the animals we love. A short video of Equine WellBeing Rescue was made in an effort to say 'THANKS' for the works they do. PLEASE take a moment to click the link below and watch the short video about EqWBR. Watch Video about EqWBR Now We at Equine WellBeing Rescue are so THANKFUL for ALL the support we get from you and so many others and are humbled by the love given to all the horses, donkeys and minis at the rescue. You have changed their lives!!! WE GIVE THANKS FOR YOU!!!! May you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

2020 Fall FUNdraiser

 

2020 Fall FUNdraiser

Our 2020 Fall FUNdraiser is in progress and we want you to have the opportunity to look at and bid on over 115 awesome items that were donated by generous people and businesses to help us raise much needed funds. Now more than ever we need your help as we have almost 40 equines here at the ranch and we are heading into the cold winter months. We currently have 2 in the barn needing nursing care, Chico with a wound on his upper leg which is healing and Ricci, the dark gray donkey, who has an abscess on his hoof. Funds from this online auction will help cover medical care, normal health care, feed, supplies and to pay the bills which are always higher in the winter. We are 100% volunteer organization so none of this goes to pay any salary or wages, it goes the the horses, donkeys and minis. Big thanks to all who donated and our fundraising crew, Judi Wallis, Mari Lenton, Bette Ray and Mary Hovden. To see and bid on all the FABULOUS items (time to do your holiday shopping) just click the link below. Bidding closes at 5pm, Monday, November 9th, MST (Snowflake AZ time)

Click here to go to Auction

Smoke inhalation almost did her in - CA wildfire victim

 

Bunny 8-10-20 days before rescue

In late July our board secretary, Karen, at a house near her discovered three horses and a bunch of other livestock and poultry in desperate need. She contacted the family whose patriarch is a wheel-chair confined paraplegic to see if they would accept our help. Not quite willing to accept help, Karen advised them on feeding the skinny horses and recommended they have the veterinarian out. Sadly it took the death of the oldest horse before they were open to our help.

Nutmeg (formerly Grace) on 8-10-20 in dire need of food and care. Finally allowed in the property Karen and her ranch manager found animals without food and water, manure and feces everywhere and carcasses of deceased poultry. The family admitted they did not have the time to regularly feed the animals even though the hay and feed were right there. It was agreed that we could come feed the horses while preparations were made at Karen's to bring the two pony mares. During that time it became clear that both ponies were fractious and fearful of people. After a few weeks of our care they still were not responding to human contact so Karen's daughter Hilary contacted her friend and trainer who offered to squeeze them into his training calendar because of the seriousness of the situation.

Bunny groomed, gaining weight and getting basic training. September 1st, Luke Castro and his fiance gently coaxed the two pony mares into their trailer and took them to the training facility. The first goal was to get them haltered and next was grooming which is always a great way to teach a horse that human contact can feel good and relax them. They both seemed to enjoy the grooming and were both putting on weight.

Nutmeg groomed, gaining weight and getting basic training. Things were going great till the wild fires in California pushed deep smoke all over the area. Within a short time Nutmeg was extremely sick. The vet was called immediately only to find her dehydrated and suffering from smoke inhalation induced asthma. The worry was great that in addition to the inflammation in her lungs it could quickly turn into pneumonia. She was given several drugs, put on electrolytes and we started ulcer meds preventatively because of all the stress.

Dr Esquivel's $1509 invoice for Nutmeg's care. The heavy wild fire smoke continued and on the 15th, Dr Esquivel returned to give Nutmeg her second round of antibiotics. With her distressed breathing she was so dehydrated that 10 liters of IV fluids were needed. At this point things looked very grim and we were praying she could pull through. After 12 days the smoke started to ease, the asthma and other meds were doing there job and finally on the 21st Dr. E felt she was doing good and could resume light activity which would help increase her lung capacity bringing more oxygen into her system.

9-22-20 Bunny is doing awesome in her training and weight is good. Nutmeg is doing better and back to a light training schedule. We are SO THANKFUL it did not get worse and to all who helped monitor both mares during the heavy smoke from the wild fires. It has been so very scary. Luke posted this picture of Bunny who has continued her training on his Facebook page saying how thin and not confident at all she was on arrival and that she is now looking better and they are still working on her confidence.

Karen worked with the family to deal with the other animals needing help and all have found homes. We were able to step in and help before any more died making a huge difference for all the animals and to ease the owners pain that this happened because they were no longer able to handle everything on their own. In our efforts to help these two sweet pony mares we were immediately hit with unexpected expenses, training $1100 for September, vet bill for Nutmeg's smoke inhalation $1509, Ulcer meds $250 and October first we will need to cover another months training to ensure they are both more confident, to see if they are saddle trained and more ready for possible adoption. Our goal is to raise the $5000 needed to cover their initial feeds, emergency vet care, training and other expenses. Please, please consider helping us with a donation of any size. This was a dire situation and the CA Wildfires made it even worse. With your help we can change their lives and eventually find them homes were they will be safe and loved forever. Thank you, Thank you so very much!

Jake wears Khaki, not from State Farm

 

Originally published 9-11-20

Jake tells Christine a secret.

Article by Laura Singleton 9-11-20 White Mountain Independent. SNOWFLAKE — A sturdy bay gelding named Jake has been convalescing at Equine WellBeing Rescue, Inc. in Snowflake. He does wear khaki but it's a khaki-colored halter, not a shirt like in the State Farm television commercial. either way, Jake wears his khaki halter well.

Christine feeds Jake a small treat. Photo by Laura Singleton The horse came to be in the care of the Snowflake equine rescue on Monday, July 27. Jake and a filly were hit by a car on westbound U.S. 60 around 5:22 a.m. near Summer Pines in Show Low. The accident happened on the same day as police responded to a call about an armed man at the Walmart in Taylor. That morning, first responder resources in Show Low, Snowflake/Taylor and Pinetop-Lakeside were taxed, to say the least. A 43-year old female from Gilbert driving an SUV that collided with the horses reported the Department of Public Safety (DPS). A trooper patrolling the area came across the woman's vehicle right after the accident happened. "She was the only occupant of the vehicle. The vehicle was not moveable and was removed from the scene by a tow truck. This was not a hit and run," stated the DPS Public Information Office Supervisor Sgt. Kameron Lee in an email to the Independent.

Filly The blue roan filly that was with the small herd of horses crossing U.S. 60 on July 27 did was euthanized after being hit by a vehicle on U.S. 60. Jake's wounds required three surgeries and his aftercare and healing continues. The blue roan filly had to be euthanized after it was determined by veterinary experts that she had suffered internal injuries from the accident. Catching two injured, frightened horses in 90-degree weather was no easy task. But, boots on the ground from DPS, Equine WellBeing, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Navajo County Sheriff's Office and others worked in sync to get the job done. The gelding was easier to catch than the filly since he was more accustomed to humans. Summer Pines residents alerted the rescuers to the filly who had run into the residential area.

President of Equine WellBeing Rescue, Inc. in Snowflake feeds bay gelding, Jake, a treat. The 10-11 year old horse is in the care of the local rescue after being hit by a car on July 27. His left front leg was badly injured and required multiple surgeries. Jake is a BLM Mustang now owned by the rescue. It unclear how he came to be free-roaming in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests after being adopted from the BLM. Laura Singleton/The Independent "It took several people, several hours to sedate, catch and get her loaded in the trailer to be taken to the vet," said Griffin who was on scene. "When we arrived we found her standing, pawing the ground and in shock," said Griffin. "She had large injuries to her left side and smaller injuries all over. It appeared, on impact with the vehicle, she must have been flipped over based on all the wounds."

Several other horses at the rescue look on while Jake is getting all the attention. Jake is kept separate from the other horses to allow his wound to heal. Laura Singleton/The Independent

Christine Griffin demonstrates how big the would was, initially. "Sweet Jake is doing so good," said Griffin. "We have discontinued the antibiotics and reduced the pain meds ... It will take many more weeks for it to completely heal. He no longer limps or has swelling along his ribs and left hip. We are so happy that he is feeling better. Thank you all for supporting him so we can provide for all his needs." Equine WellBeing paid for his medical treatment as well as his feed, water and shelter. His medical expenses were in excess of $1,400 back early August and have probably increased since then. Through the freeze brand on his neck, it was determined by the authorities that the Jake is a registered Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Mustang who was adopted by someone at an earlier date. The individual that the horse was titled to was contacted and "denied ownership." Jake was then "determined to be a stray horse that had been roaming loose in the forest, giving the Arizona Department of Agriculture complete jurisdiction to deal with him," according to incident reports. Had the agencies not worked together to get ownership of Jake legally transferred to Equine WellBeing, "he would have been taken to a local auction house, put in a pen to stand untreated for at least 7 days, when he could be auctioned as a stray horse," said Griffin. "That is 7 days to allow the owner time to claim the horse and if not claimed, by law they must be auctioned. As a newer vendor for the Arizona Department of Agriculture, Equine WellBeing Rescue could house him instead and he could be auctioned at our place if unclaimed."

Dr Helzer doing surgery on Jake. Photo by Christine Griffin Equine WellBeing is an approved vendor with the AZ. Department of Agriculture (AZDA) which is why they were contacted to assist with the injured horses. The horse also had to be examined by the AZDA-Livestock Division brand inspectors, Rudy Mejia and Kevin McFee. This is done to help determine ownership which was a BLM adopter in Jake's case. "We knew (Jake) was coming and we are prepared to treat his injuries even though there were two days old," said Grififn. "Dr. Helzer arrived and after two-and-a-half hours of surgery, he was stitched up as well as he could be with the size of the injury and extent of the swelling. He was immediately administered pain meds and started on antibiotics and a treatment plan established." DPS, Navajo County Sheriff's Office, the AZ. Department of Agriculture-Livestock Division, Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests and the Department and the Bureau of Land Management were involved in the situation of how to care for the animal. Equine WellBeing Rescue named the horse "Jake" after Jake Tormohlen, a sergeant with the Navajo County Sheriff's Office. Sgt. Tormohlen "stuck with the situation, working with all the various agencies to help the horse get the needed care ... And yet, he does have a khaki halter," said Griffin

Jake in the forest before being hit by a vehicle, a photo sent to Christine Griffin

Please don't feed the horses It is theorized that multiple area residents may have been feeding the horses alfalfa, grain or sweet feed. Although done with the best of intentions, free-roaming horses can founder or develop insulin resistance by such feeding. It also encourages them to cross roadways they would not otherwise cross. To minimize the hazards to humans and horses, feeding free-roaming horses is discouraged by equine experts. Huge thanks to Laura Singleton for visiting the rescue to meet Jake and the article on his journey to EqWBR.