USERL 1000 saved

This is an original production from United States Equine Rescue League celebrating the rescue and rehabilitation of 1000 horses. Contact them to volunteer or donate at http://www.userl.org/ or the Richmond Region Chapter at http://www.userl-vard.org/

Eagles- Love will keep us alive( live)

Timothy B Schmit..(sorry no d )

This picture says it all...it is the reason we devote all the time, energy and expense to rescuing abused and neglected horses.

This is 'Coty' and like most of the rescues he was in rough shape when he came into the rehab barn. Now he is back to full weight and health and is being fostered and loved by a 10 year old little girl and her family!

This is what it is all about... thank you Emily...and thanks to everyone who has volunteered, donated and cared!

Preference Farm Video

This video is in memory of "Ingaberry Bey" and is dedicated to Amy J for providing the motivation...Hank

Panda and Cocoa Update

Both Panda and Cocoa are doing well. Both are back to full weight and are progressing with their ground training and under saddle.... but the best news is that they both are at their "forever home" here at Preference Farm. Kathy and I have become very attached to them and have therefore decided to adopt them both. They will both remain here with us at our farm. Cocoa reminds us both of our beloved Ingaberry Bey... her color and markings are very very similar and her head, face and ears also. She, of coarse, is not a full blooded Arabian however we are convinced that somewhere in her blood line there is some Arabian blood. Panda has such a wonderful disposition that you can't help but love her. She is just above Monte in the pecking order which makes her only second from the bottom however this makes little difference when you work with her one on one! She is smart and very willing to please. We hope by Spring that they both will be ready to go for trail rides and start enjoying the time away from the others.

Just remember that it was just the end of January 09 that these horses were seized from their owner. Less than one year! They were both only a body score of 1 emaciated and so weak they could barely stand. Due to the love and caring people of USERL and the efforts of their volunteers both of these horses are well and we hope and think happy again. Please do what you can by volunteering you time or donating supplies or money to this worry cause.

Kathy and I wish all of you a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

It's been over a year since my last post! WOW the time does fly by. Since that time Snowy has left us after an injury to her left hind leg that required care we were unable to provide. She was moved to another Foster Barn with the facilities that were necessary for her recovery. We visited her after she was there for about 4 months and she was doing well and living the life of luxury with a dedicated turn out paddock as well as daily hydrotherapy. Her leg was healing well and she was continuing to gain weight.
Kathy and I are now fostering two new mares Panda and Cocoa. They have always been together and they are doing well with our own horses. They are 10 and 6 years old and are now back to normal weight and hoof condition. We have started them both under saddle and both have responded well. Before their neglect someone had worked with both of these mares.

Meet Molly

Molly is a gray specked pony that was abandoned when Katrina hit Louisiana. She spent weeks on her own and when she was found went to a rescue barn where abandoned animals were taken. While there she was attacked by a pit bull terrier, and almost died. LSU surgeon Rustin Moore agreed to remove her leg below the knee and an artificial limb was built. Molly was a one in a million patient . The other important factor was having truly committed owners that are dedicated to the daily care she will require for the rest of her life.

Molly has a new job now. She is visiting shelters, nursing homes, hospitals and rehab centers. Anywhere that people needed HOPE. Wherever Molly went she showed people her pluck. She inspires people and has a good time doing it says Kay the rescue farm owner.

USERL Investigators Course

This past weekend April 18th through April 20th I completed the United States Equine Rescue League (USERL) Cruelty Investigators Course and will now be able to partner with the experienced investigators in the field investigating cases brought to our attention either by concerned citizens or by Law Enforcement Officers. More than 30 people took the course, at least two thirds of which were County Animal Control Officers and a few Assistant Commonwealth Attorneys.
USERL did a fantastic job putting on the course and presenting the subject matter and I was proud to be a USERL volunteer. USERL is strickly a Non Profit Volunteer Organization and does their work through donations. They provide their services to the various County Goverment groups and to others they work with free of charge. Most times USERL can and will provide transportation of equines, safe rescue barns and all feed and hay for these horses. Their volunteer Vets and Farriers provide medical and hoof care which is usually/always greatly needed for these horses. What a wonder feeling it has been to see a rescued horse return to the healthy, happy and normal life they deserve and what a wonderful group of people it is that makes up the USERL. Please take a minute and visit their web site. There is a link at the bottom of our page.
Our foster horse Snowy is doing well and gaining weight day by day. Her bone structure is far less noticeable and she is gaining more strength every day. She is going to be a very nice horse and should be ready for adoption soon.

Snowy Update

Today is the last day of March and several days into Spring, however we are have sleet this morning despite the 42 degree temperature...what crazy weather!
On a positive note Snowy continues to thrive and gain weight. You can now see the difference and tell she is filling out some hollow spots around her hip and tail bones. Her coat, while it is shedding out for warmer weather, is looking better also. The farrier was here and she got her hoofs trimmed and the cracks in the front hoofs are growing out nicely. We are estimating that she has gained approximately 145 pounds.
Snowy has become very settled in and has become a little more self assured around the rest of the horses. She will go into the pasture with the others but doesn't find it quite necessary to be in close proximity to the others. Kathy has been working with her on her ground manners and she is doing well.
Better go now as we are expecting a visit from some of our Grandchildren and I have to get the tractor ready for riding.

Styx - Lady

I'll be There

Snowy Update

Snowy has been with us for 4 weeks now and is doing very well. She is now going out with our guys into the pasture and spending several hours grazing and doing what comes natural for her. She seems to be very happy and contented. She has gained 85 pounds since she has been here but it is still hard to see a big difference on her. The next 85 should be more noticeable and I'll take a new picture of her then and post it so you all can see. Our other guys are all well and have accepted Snowy for the most part. Freckles being the "Other Mare"is causing the most problems however even she is starting to accept the fact that Snowy isn't going anywhere and has joined the herd.

Our rescue foster horse has arrived

Snowy, our rescue foster horse arrived on January 26th. a Saturday afternoon. I really wasn't expecting good but I was really surprised. I still can't get it in my head how people can do this to an animal. She stands 14.3 hands and only weighs 750 pounds. very little more that skin and bones....literally and remember she has been in the Rehab/Rescue Barn before she came here.
To start off our new venture, on the way to us Snowy reared in the trailer and put quite a cut on her forehead. The Vet arrived to stitch it up so here we were with an unfamiliar, neglected and abused horse dizzy with a gash in her head. What a first day!
It has been a very busy and stressful week but we have made great strides in having Snowy accept us and start to trust us. She is better and more calm every day. She has been in the big pasture with our other horses but while it was ok for the most part it ended in disaster. I guess it was a little early to expect her to socialize. Hindsight is a wonderful thing.
Since our pasture disaster we have slowed things down and put Snowy out only with Cowboy in the back ring. That went well and they even ate from the same pile of hay. The next day we tried the same thing and I'm happy to say with the same good results. Yesterday we put her out with Tom and while the results were not as good they were not viscious to one another so we tried it again today with better results. Being encouraged by this we also put Cowboy back in with them as well. All three stayed most of the afternoon together without any major mishaps. Cowboy was even acting protective of Snowy. Freckles and Monte (the jackass) will be where the next challenges will lie. I'll bet in another couple of days to a week we'll have them all together successfully.

Snowy's head is healing nicely and she is eating well. I'll post a picture of her soon so you can see for yourself. I think she will become a very nice little horse again.

New Pictures

Hi everyone...
I added the picture of Freckles and Monte for all to see. As you can tell Monte is always full of himself and ready for fun. He keeps the others busy with his antics and it is always fun to see what is coming next. Here he is playing with the paddock ball and wants the others to join in the fun. He also loves to play "tug of war" with sticks and usually wins.
Userl lost track of us and therefore we have not yet received our Foster Equine. However, we think we now have that fixed and are back on track with them.
We had a busy Holiday season and enjoyed seeing friends and family near and far. Kathy hosted the Christmas party for the Library and it was a very nice evening. Never did I ever imagine in my wildest dreams that I'd see my house house full of Librarians. Our trip to Pennsylvania to visit my parents and sister's family was too short as always but very enjoyable.
As always I will close by reminding all to support USERL or your local equine rescue organization.

Lost in a time warp

Sorry for the delay in posting! It's just the time of the year...with Christmas fast approaching, shopping and such. There is some good news however, we have been approved by USERL as a foster barn for their rescued horses and are expecting our foster horse soon. We hope maybe just after the first of the year. The rescued Mustangs(13 of them) made our local papers here and has hopefully created lots of publicity for the cause. It is unbelievable the more we are involved what we have learned. You just can't believe the condition of some of the animals these fine volunteers rescue and take responsibility for. Please visit the links at the bottom of our blog and get involved. Everyone can help! We'll post a picture of our foster as soon as it arrive. Of course all fosters are ready for adoption, so if you are interested in adopting our foster or any of the horses available, please let us know or contact userl.org