Life's Journey of One Sweet Horse.

When Strawberry was born, her owner was happy to have such a pretty little filly. She has the look of a prized Medicine Hat on her head. It is mythical as well as very attractive to most horse lovers!

Medicine Hat horses are believed to have a special magical power to protect their rider through battle and their mainly white coats were decorated with symbols to help further protect the rider.

I don't know her full journey in her 15 years of life but I wish to think it started out with love. How did she get here? Our volunteer foster home with Patti in Milton, Florida found her on a local Craigslist Posting: Mare with bad eye needs home, FREE! Not any takers for a horse with a bad eye. We couldn't turn our back on a really needy horse. That's what rescue is to us...helping the ones who need help the most.

The story were were told was the horse was given to a child who's parents dropped off the horse at a friends pasture. No one every came back to care for her, feed her or show her their love.

She was treated with love at Patti's farm. Her journey continued to a wonderful veterinarian who diagnosed Strawberry with Squamous Cell Carcinoma in her eye. Our magical horse, Strawberry, may have protected her riders but no one protected her from the harmful rays of the sun. We had surgery to remove her eye. Dr Lee thought he had removed all the margins of cancer and she was on her way to better days ahead.

She seemed happier and was gaining weight. We were seriously looking for a new permanent home for her but suddenly, she started showing signs of paralysis on one side of her face. It was the side where the cancer was found. It quickly moved down to her left jaw. She is having trouble eating as you can see in the video. She has to move her head around to try and grind and swallow. I went to Florida and took the videos last week when only the left side was affected. Patti told me that her right jaw is now getting paralyzed. We sadly made a decision to let Strawberry continue her journey to the Rainbow Bridge. It is a heartbreaking decision for Patti and I. We both gave it much thought and knew it was the kindest thing to do, despite our sadness.

Thanks to the generosity of Patti for opening her farm and her heart to Strawberry. We feel it was worth the time and money spent to fight for Strawberry's life. Sadly is ended too quickly but she left us knowing we did all we could for her and showed her kindness and love in a sometimes not so kind world to animals. Below are a couple of Videos of Strawberry.

Good Bye Blondie

More than one Good Bye to Blondie.

Blondie came from an auction. She was afraid of the noise and confusion of the action going on at the auction.She didn't seem to have much handling. At two years old, she had come to know some bad people who had no kindness to show her. Once she was brought to the rescue farm, Jason worked with her, taught her about good humans and even saddled her. She was farm from ready to ride at her age but it was all positive experience. A really nice family, Chico, Cheryl and daughter, who just brought a lovely farm wanted to volunteer to learn about horses. They spent time with all of our horses but had a special love for Blondie. They were in no hurry to do any more than offer Blondie a loving home and gentle care.

We did a farm check and moved Blondie and another mare to their farm. We said Good-Bye to Blondie and her friend. They all were very happy until a thunderstorm moved in to the North Georgia mountains. One boom was so close, Chico ran out to check on the horses. He was heartbroken to see Blondie on the ground, dead. She had been hit by lightening.

Poor Chico. How can he tell his wife? How could he tell his daughter? How could he tell us at the rescue that our sweet Halflinger cross filly was dead. It was sad for all of us. He questioned why all the cows in the next pasture were not hit. The other horse must have been far enough away to not be hit either. There is no answer to Why. Only more questions. Every storm will remind us of Blondie. Every storm will worry us because of Blondie. Go out and hug your loving animals today..while they are here to hug. We just don't know what tomorrow will bring. We hate this kind of Good-Bye.

Good Bye Blondie, Rest In Peace.

Two Days Old ...In Need Already!

He was shivering after the plasma treatment. He was tired as well. I covered him with the electric blanket and he was comfy and cozy for his nap.

When the message said newborn foal, rejected by mare...I was ready to run out the door. A baby in need. I could only think YES. I headed up the highway to pick up the little guy in North Georgia. He was already away from his Mom. She never even looked back as he was driven away. The owner didn't realize her newly purchased mare was in foal. What a surprise to wake up Saturday to a little light colored foal. Sadly, the mare wanted nothing to do with her baby. The vet came out and sedated the mare in order to get some much needed colostrum to insure the foals survival. The mare fought it all the way, even under heavy sedation. Maybe to the point of danger for all involved. The foal was given the colostrum milk the blood work was done. The results were not enough antibodies to keep the foal healthy.

When he arrived, I already had the vet scheduled to give the foal plasma to help him overcome problems that can occur with an 'orphaned' foal. He has edema in both back legs but we are hoping the plasma will help remedy that. Volunteers were waiting anxiously to meet him and take pictures. They were like the Paparazzi! How can they help it. He is so cute. He's a Creamello with two blue eyes.

Now it the time I am wondering why I say YES without thinking ahead. Who is coming to feed him every 2 hours? Me! I am OK with it though. I have some volunteers ready to help several nights starting Wednesday. I will be ready for them by Wednesday. I will look like a Zombie for the next few days but I will have done my best to save this little guy. If you are a night owl or an early riser, let me know and we will schedule you in to feed. It's easy. Hold the bottle and he does the rest.

We are calling him Moonbeam R Walker. He will not be able to be out in a pasture during the sunny days, not with those baby blue eyes. Squamous Cell Carcinoma is quick to hurt light eyed horses. Why take the chance? I can tell you a couple of heart breaking Squamous Cell stories. We did do surgery at Auburn and saved a handsome Shire gelding. The adopter was so quick to see the problem, it turned out successful. That was a happy story. More to come soon.

Jacob, formerly #851 is Safe!

Jacob is safe! Here he is in his QT facility and looking much happier! Thank you to all the people who helped us pull him from the killpen!

# 851 wants to go home

This long eared fellow is wanting to come home. He's very sad, in a strange place awaiting the truck that will take him to slaughter. He is only 4 years old, he rides and drives. I believe he is missing his family, his head is hanging down in most pictures and he is ignoring the activity around him.

I have called him "Jacob", in honor of a woman who has donated towards his coming home and being safe.

We are working towards getting you safe Jacob. We have a family waiting to lavish love and carrots and nose kisses on you!

Muffin Man Moves with some help.

First touch with halter and lead on. Taylor is using M&M and her senior project for school.

First time lead with halter.

This handsome guy is a captive born Mustang. His mother is in our care as well. Both came from animal control. They talked about euthanizing them because they were dangerous. We took a look and our first thoughts were these are not dangerous horses, just terrified horses, even traumatized. So they could be saved, we agreed to take them both. They trembled as they stood in the stall were animal control had them held. It was easy to get them in the trailer because they moved as far away from us as they could. Just put your arms toward them and they jumped in. Once at the farm, it was the same getting them out. I had to get a stick to use an an extension of my arm. I put it in the open area at the front of the trailer and they moved away as fast as they could to the barn and jumped out.





Having the stallion, 'Stud Muffin' gelded was more of an ordeal than we anticipated. It took 5 different drugs and two hours to sedate him so he could be safely gelded. Mustangs have a great survival instinct. I guess you can say they can 'hold their liquor'. Any domestic horse lets the drug take over. Mustangs need to survive and fight an effects of sedation. After 3 hours of work, he was gelded. We changed the name to Muffin Man (M&M) and started to work with him in the round pen. We can get him to go around and around and around. It seemed to only get to that point and no further progress was being made. He would turn left, right and stop and look at you but no touching was allowed by M&M.



We had to be a little more assertive, though I don't like doing it, but I felt we were at a stand still. Bobby and I cornered M&M and carefully and slowly managed to get a halter on him. We left the lead rope on the halter so he can stop on it with his own foot and realize he had to stop at the pressure. He is in a small area and we watch carefully so he didn't panic and hurt himself. He did quite good.

Fifteen minutes a day spent training, learning to lead, learning to whoa, turning...just small steps to accomplish bigger things.

Muffin Man is available for adoption. He is about 7 years old. Surely not too old to learn to trust and love humans. If you are a kind, patient person, he may be your dream horse.Come and meet this handsome horse.

Happy New Homes to the TN 30!

It took so much more time that anyone ever anticipated to take 30 horses bought from a Tennessee auction to go home, to their new homes. in November, my neighbor bought a group of horses from an auction and offered them for sale for $75. each. They are mostly young, untrained horses, most in need of groceries. Once the word got out, people came from everywhere offering help, picking the ones that they thought were the cutest, the most needy, or had that special look they wanted. A few horses left with the new owners the first week but Strangles, a very contagious horse virus, spread through the herd and they became quarantined until last Sat. February 19th. Finally!

There was a lot of quick lessons in haltering, leading, trailer loading, begging, pretty pleasing and fun. It was a long day and the last horse that left decided to take the challenge of being the slowest, hardest loader. He was just scared for his life. He must have been through a terrible ordeal to totally mistrust humans. He was lucky though, his new human said she will wait a year or two if that's what it takes to finally trust her. I think it will be sooner though. It all is going to be a good experience for these lucky horses.

There are still two young sorrel/chestnut colored mares. They may be 3-4 years old.

They are frightened but know who fills the feed buckets. They whinny as they see you coming to feed. They will be coming around to be great horses soon.