Sapphire's Future

Sapphire has been with us a while. It was April 27, 2009. She was in such bad shape, one of the worst we had ever seen. Dr Duval said not to pull her coggins because 'this one may not make it'. 

This is what I wrote the second day she was with us. 

Black Beauty aka Sapphire was found by a young man I know from the local feed store.
He said he thinks he saw her go through the auction on Hwy 20 in Nov or Dec. 

He also said she was hit by a car and she looked it. She is about as thin as our dear Hail Mary was but she can get up on her own and has

a good appetite. I am very hopeful she will recover but...
this morning when I went to let her out of her stall, she was laying on the
ground, not moving, not reacting to my calls or even my touches. She was on her
blind side so I couldn't see her eye. I could hardly tell if she was breathing.
I looked at her gums and they were pale. I wondered if she was just dying. What
should I do? Let her die in peace or try and get her up. I am alone, no one was
home or here to help. My husband went to work, my son drove Mitchel to school
and Bobby won't be here for another two hours. Should I call the vet? Gosh, so
much races through your mind in seconds. Finally her ear twitched but she didn't
move. The hay from last night wasn't touched.

When I fed her late last night, I shoveled the wet and dirty shaving from her
stall so if she chose to lay down, she would have a clean place to be
comfortable. Maybe she was too comfortable now, just laying there. I got a lead
rope and tried to pull her, she just laid there almost without any reaction. I
went to get a halter, wondering if it was the right thing to do by trying to get
her up. Was her life now almost over? Was I causing her undo stress? I thought I
at least had to try something so to my surprise, when I got back to her stall,
she was siting sternally. I was soooo happy. I spoke to her and told her to get
up, come on girl, 'Get Up'. and she did! Then she started eating hay. I opened
the stall guards and after about 20 minutes, she came out. She ate her food this
morning and made her way to the front grassy pasture. She made it another day.
Thanks enough to be thankful for. I will take each day as a blessing. We are
lucky to have her.

She gained weight and became a almost overweight mare. She was full of life and healthy. I never thought I would have trouble keeping her healthy until she was 30 something. he future was looking good.  I think she is in her mid teens. Then that changed when she lost some weight in the winter. She was in a pasture with 2 other horses who didn't need grain.

She spent some time at Jan Hester's farm. Jan offered to foster her and had some healthy tricks up her sleeve to help Sapphire. Jan could make sure she was getting fed and getting some special supplements and get her feet in perfect condition. Jan's an experienced farrier.  Early this year she started losing weight, then gained some weight and lost again. She started to seem depressed, sad, eating only part of her meal, picking at hay. Then other times seem like she is back to her old self and then not herself again. We did blood work in February, gave her some medication and she seemed like it was the answer. It wasn't. She came back to the rescue farm last week. She had a hard time in the heat, can't keep her body temperature regulated without drugs. We did many alcohol baths and Dr Leah did blood work again. Same symptoms, no real answers so Tuesday, we took her to UGA large animal medical center in Athen, GA hoping for an answer. Sapphire has many who love her. There were 7 of us who spent the day watching the ultra sound on her chest, abdomen, her heart and more. We all huddled around the ultrasound machine hoping to hear an answer of what was going on. It was like taking a college class for us and the doctors were very patient and answered all our questions. Abnormalities were present in her lungs, some fluid too but nothing stood out. A mass in her abdomen but not answer whether it is an abscess or cancer. No answers so far so we agreed to a belly fluid tap. We saw the liquid yellowish sediment on the bottom of the vile which wasn't normal. That still gave us no answers. We agreed to xrays but they gave us no answers either. Sapphire was getting exhausted, so were we. We decided to let her stay in an air conditioned stall, eat lots of alfalfa and most importantly, IV antibiotics to see if an infection is the answer. It has been 24 hours now and little change. More tests were do today. Fluids taken from her chest and abdomen today. All inconclusive.

Wednesday, June 27 2012. After talking with Dr Leah and Dr Erin at UGA, we decided to give it another 24 hours and hope and pray something good happens. She isn't a good candidate for surgery in her condition. It would be intense after care, if she survived and no one knows what would be found when they opened her up. She is dehydrated because there is fluid being taken from her organs and settling in her chest and other places. Her heart rate is high and working hard. Things are not right but we can't figure out exactly what. Hoping the antibiotics will perform a miracle on her body within the next 24 hours. The estimate was $2000. from UGA. I hope we can keep it that low. If we save her, it is a small price to pay. Pray for her future. 

The Earth and Animals

A friend sent me some information about the energy of the earth last week. He said there is a lunar eclipse and Venus would pass in front of the Sun for the first time in 100 years. It is going to be negative energy out there.  OK, how is that going to affect me? Life here at the rescue farm is pretty positive, horses getting better than when they arrived, finding new homes, making people smile. It wouldn't affect me..... or at least that is what I thought. 

Taylor exercising Alivie 

Beautiful Alivie is an off-track-Thoroughbred mare. She won nearly $100,000 racing her heart out but a knee injury halted her career. Her trainer knows off track TB's can fall into the wrong hands and end up at slaughter, especially ones with injuries. The trainer sent Alivie to SaveTheHorses for a second chance. Many rescues only take ride able or adoptable horses. We take horses in need of a safe haven. She was welcomed. She had clay to heal her knee and was sound from day one, not racing sound. 

Her knee was bandaged to keep it strong

Last Saturday night, Alivie was a little uncomfortable during feed time. Nothing to worry about....or at least that is what I thought. I gave her some anti-inflammatory medication and 30 minutes later she was her sweet self. She ate her grain and was turned out for the night and everything was better.....or at least that is what I thought. Sunday morning she was found laying down in the pasture. She was cold and didn't want to eat her breakfast. She wasn't breathing heavy, her heart rate seemed normal, no temperature. She came in and the day warmed up. We made her a very wet bowl of grain and bran the consistency of soup. We wanted to make sure she had plenty of fluids. Becoming dehydrated can cause serious problems. The weather changes, horses stop drinking, disaster strikes. We try everything to prevent a problem. We do really good at it.

Alivie ate her soup, seemed comfortable but laid down more then usual. She was given another soup dish for Sunday evening feed. She wasn't herself but no bad signs to worry about. She ate, passed manure, nibbled hay but as a precaution, we left her in the stall for the night. I was glad I made that decision. There was a 20 minute wild electrical storm with high winds and hard rain that came without warning.It was like in the Tom Cruise movie, 'War Of The Worlds'. Scary for me but more scary for all the animals out side. It was dawn and I went to check on Alivie since she was heaviest on my mind. She hadn't drank any water, didn't want food but ate a horse treat. 

RIP Rambo

When Julie was feeding the petting zoo animals, she found Rambo, our sheep had gotten himself wedged under the fence. He was laying with his head downhill and his body pushing him into the fence. It was so muddy from the storm, he couldn't move, then seemed to be in shock. Julie, Nicholas, Judy and Paula  helped get him out and walk him to the barn with the help of some tow straps we use to pick up downed horses. He was only about 300 pounds and seems easy compared to a horse but he was weak. Once we got him into the barn, he was exhausted and cold. he was just sheared that afternoon and was exposed to the cold rain, poor guy. Rambo originally came from Gwinnett County Animal Control as a stray on a Golf Course. He had an ear tag and was destined to be someone's lamb chops until his destiny changed and Animal Control called us.  We never had sheep but learned they are gentle creatures and treasured him. We covered him and let him rest, he was having trouble breathing. 

Dr. Amanda came out to check on Alivie. She pumped fluid into her stomach and palpated her. She said the manure in her colon was dry and put her on iv fluids hoping the fluids would make it pass on it's own. While Dr Amanda was here, she gave Rambo medications to try and help him recover. A few hours later, she returned with more fluids for Alivie. After checking on Rambo, we asked Dr Amanda to humanely euthanize him. He was gasping for air. What a sad way to end her work day. She was not on call that evening. 

Alivie was so good even though she was painful

Dr. Leah stopped by and by 7 pm after we had given Alivie 40 liters of fluid without any difference. It was all we could do at the farm. No improvement, no choice. The decision was made to take her to UGA large animal hospital. Alivie loaded right into the trailer, I stopped and picked up Tom, a volunteer who is at the farm almost as much as I am.

Dr. Varela, the surgeon working that night at UGA, examined her and believed the only chance to save her was surgery. Watching her suffer was not an option. We stayed and watch the surgery into the night. Tom had never seen a horse surgery and was happy to stay. Once the incision was made, it looked like a small alien was coming out of her stomach. IT is not for the faint hearted. It was sometime in the wee hours that she came out of surgery. Dr. Varela did a fantastic job. Tom and I felt very good and knew she was on her way to a good life.

Watching through the blinds, we could see the surgery and work being done.

She was put in a very padded room but was trying to get up when she lost her balance and slipped somehow cutting her lip. Her second attempt to get up was successful. Her lip was stitched then she was put in her own stall to wait for her to fully recover and start out eating more normally. Wednesday, all calls from UGA were positive. Hand walking, good appetite, seems all working well. A big sigh of relief. Alivie is young, healthy and deserving a chance at life, well a third chance at life really! Nothing more to worry about...or at least that is what I thought.

I made this picture small. The red is her intestines

The surgery was estimated around $5000. It would be tight but we could do it. We may not pay as much on our feed bill or on our hay bill but they have both done business with Save The Horses for many years and we are always good for the money.

Late Thursday, things started to change. The UGA Vet on call said it may just be a temporary setback and they would give Alivie some pain medications to ease her discomfort. A little time will make a difference, was what we hoped.

By 3 am, Friday morning, the call from UGA was more serious. Alivie was not getting better, she actually got much worse, and was in a lot of painful. The Doctor was asking for a decision. He was telling me we need to decide to put Alivie out of pain. There were two ways to solve this. One being another surgery, the other euthanasia. I was just figuring out how to pay for the first surgery. Now thinking about paying nearly $10,000 just made me ill, mainly because the other alternative is so final. No turning back on death and because I have so many horses that depend on the donations coming in for daily care and health needs. I cannot justify letting those horses down to suffer nor could I let Alivie suffer.

I needed some time to think. I told him I would work on a decision ASAP. What could I sell, what could I do? I got in touch with Pam at 4:30 am and told her what was going on. She offered to help but we needed more. Donations are coming in for Alivie, we do have such wonderful caring people helping in big and small ways everyday. We can do fundraisers to raise the money but we need enough commitments to pay the bill before I say yes. It was getting close to 6 am and still no answer. I was preparing myself for the worst. I may have to let her go in peace. She wasn't going to suffer at UGA but it couldn't go on much longer. She was heavily sedated to keep the pain manageable.

What was causing the pain? Without surgery we have no answers. I can't imagine putting her down and never having that answer. It would be haunting but I also didn't have commitment or $10,000.

By 6:30 I was getting my mind ready, praying for answers when I answered a text. Margaret offered help, Tom offered help and Sam offered help and decided to drive the nearly 2 hour drive to UGA to see Alivie and watch the surgery. I called the Doctor and told him, “We did it!” Go ahead with the surgery. It felt so good to have that answer. I was so relieved I could not control my emotions.

About 8:00 this morning (Friday), surgery was successfully done. Though Dr Varela was not on surgery duty, he called and kept me posted as did other doctors from UGA. They deserve an applause. Alivie had a small impaction in her colon that moved and twisted which caused her terrible pain, life threatening for sure. Without surgery, she would never be out of pain and would have died from infection if not euthanized. It will be another week before she comes home. It will then be 30 days of hand walking and after care, 30 more days of being in a small paddock so not to pick up any speed and hurt her intestines. Then it will be a lifetime of love for Alivie and the volunteers...at least that is what I think right now. 

You know the saying, “It takes a Village?” It does take a village, actually a rescue farm full of horse lovers willing to give and help. “We” gave Alivie another chance to life, a fourth chance!

I think the earth had something to do with all the animals problems. I am a believer now. Julie also found a rooster that looked weather beaten and distraught. He was put in a cage to rest quietly. he is doing much better. He'll be put back out tomorrow. He will be fine...or at least that is what I think right now.


www.SaveTheHorses.org Cumming GA  770 886 5419
Horseinc@aol.com

Sold for $130.

A horse auction is a hard place to go for people who really love horses. It can be entertaining to see all the horses but seeing the treatment of some of the horses is heartbreaking if your eyes are opened. It can be a good place to save a horse from harm. People know as kill buyers, who send horses to slaughter, frequent auction looking for cheap ways to profit from horses...meat. Horses are slaughtered for human consumption despite all the harmful cancer causing chemicals in they systems. No horse is safe from slaughter.


Jason, who runs the Chickamauga SaveTheHorses Farm, was at the auction on Monday night. I wanted to know if a few certain horses were gong to be run through the sale. He sat there watching but didn't see the horses I was talking about. What he did see was an extremely pregnant mare ready to drop her foal. The people at the auction ran her out to the small arena where people were sitting in bleachers watching. I assume to keep the crowd entertained, they were forcing her to run. They had cattle type sticks and she was very afraid. She didn't know what they wanted from her. She also had milk ready to feed her unborn foal. Jason couldn't let it happen any longer and won the bid on her at $130. 

This morning, 2 days after he bought her from the sale, she gave birth to a sweet little black foal. 

Foal born this morning June 6, 2012

This is a picture of an older mare Jason bought at the auction for $10. She could have easily been killed for profit at a per pound price. 

Though it is illegal to send a heavy (late pregnancy) mare to slaughter, it happens more often than we want to know. Slaughter is an ugly business but it is highly profitable. Horse owners not willing to be responsible for their horses fill the market for slaughter. Horses trained to obey, depend on the owner for feed and care are victimized and betrayed. 

In Honor of The Fallen!

As I reflect on Memorial Day, it have memories of getting a red poppy and wearing it on Memorial Day ever year. I don't know how my parents got these red poppies but I remember wearing them proudly. 


Memorial Day, formerly known as Decoration Day, originated to honor fallen Civil War soldiers. In the 20th century, it was extended to honor all fallen Americans of wars. Right along side of these fallen soldiers were their faithful fallen horses. There were over 1 million horses that died during the Civil war and probably a million more in World War 1 beside many American soldiers fighting abroad. 

Pack horses carrying ammunition in Flanders, from 'The Horse and the War' by Captain Lionel Edwards, published by Country Life in 1918.

In 1915, inspired by the poem, "In Flanders Fields', 

Moina Michael replied to her own poem.

We cherish too, the Poppy red That grows on fields where valor led, It seems to signal to the skies That blood of heroes never dies. I appreciate living in America, my free country and I appreciate all those who have given their lives, They should be honored this Memorial Day. I want to honor all the horses and mules who fought and died during these wars. This Memorial day, I am going to Chickamauga Battlefield. http://www.nationalparks.org/explore-parks/chickamauga-chattanooga-national-military-park Though I don't know the number of horses and mules that were killed or injured at the Chickamauga Battlefield, the number is too many. I am going to bring some red poppy seeds and some red poppies and scatter them around the battlefield's 5,500 acres. This is in memory of all who served. It is my small way of honoring them. When I get back home, I will honor the horses in another way. I am going to start working on stopping horse slaughter from starting again in this United States and banning horse slaughter for human consumption. Please join me at the Battlefield or if you have some memorial Day plans of you own, join me next week by helping stop horse slaughter. It is another Battlefield for horse lovers. We need to win this war and fight each battle diligently so all horses can again be free in America. Have a great holiday. Get your head clear because the battle against horse slaughter is starting next week, please enlist!

Halter Your Horses!

Leather halter - safest halter

Spring is everywhere, horses are out in beautiful pastures of green grass. It is a beautiful sight but sometimes, it makes me cringe. There are horses in these pastures and they have halters on. That screams danger to me. People who know and have been around horses know the  disastrous consequences of leaving a horse in a pasture with a halter on can be. Leaving a halter on a stall or round pen, or leaving a horse unattended with a halter on can cause the death of your beloved horse. 

Break away Halter - leather top

How? Have you ever seen a horse scratch his face with his hoof? It can easily get caught in the halter. It is even more common on young horses and babies. I see improperly fitted halters on these horses, too. They are an accident waiting to happen. Too many horses are injured or die from strangulation because their horse gets caught on a fence post, a tree limb or hooked on a loose nail. 

Regular nylon halter

Nylon and rope halters are the real culprits since they are designed not to break away. There are now figure 8 leather halters for foals which look like it would be harder to get a foot stuck in it. If you know young horses, you know they can find trouble. If you feel  you have to have a halter on your horse, then buy a break away halter. It has a leather piece on the top which is made to break under pressure. If you can afford it, buy a full leather halter. It can still cause a problem and not break like you would expect.

Rope Halters

I had a BLM wild Mustang in a round pen. She had a full leather halter so I assumed it was going to be safe.  She was scratching her neck against the panels and the halter caught onto the hook that holds the panels together. She panicked and pulled. The halter torn at the leather but left about a 1/2 inch of leather still attached. She pulled the round pen over herself. She was not a tame horse to begin with. She flailed on the ground kicking and trying to escape the panels over her. Lucky there were several people at the rescue farm that day. It took many of us to fix that situation. I took a knife and had to carefully cut that small piece of leather that didn't break. She was trembling, I was trembling, too. I didn't want to cut her face and didn't want her injured. Once we got all the panels off and adjusted, she seemed fine physically but I am sure that left some emotional scars on that poor horse.

My experience could have turned out much worse. If you go to a farm or see horses in a pasture with halters on, maybe you could drop a hint or leave a nice note saying it could be dangerous. You may offend someone but you may be saving a horses life. I am sure the owners don't want anything bad to happen to their horses but many just don't have the knowledge about horses to realize the danger. You do, so pass on your knowledge. Be the voice for the voiceless. Save the horses!

By the way, we have all these types of halters at the rescue farm. They all have a purpose and I use them all when I would with the horses. I am not anti-halter, I am anti-halter on an unattended horse. 


Thank you for your continued support. Together we all make the difference in horses lives. 

Join our SaveTheHorses.org FaceBook Groups. 
http://www.facebook.com/groups/113843044262/

Speaking About Animals, Speaking To Animals

Raccoon kind to me though in pain 

Some animals speak to me. I love all animals, I rescue all animals. I don't eat animals. I am crazy about animals. I have rescued turtles to wild boars to horses. I care and love each one but some speak louder than others. I don't think there is any deliberate reason but some are just deeper in my heart. Did I know them in another life? Do they just give me a special look that melts my heart? I don't have an answer. Some just stay closer to my heart. I feel their soul. I will never forget a raccoon that was hit by a car. He was gentle even though is pain.  He had several breaks in his jaw and couldn't move it without horrible pain. It was shattered. I soaked food and gently placed it in his open mouth. His little paws held onto my hand and his eyes said 'Thank you'. He was humanely euthanized after the vet examined him and declared him inoperable. I still see his face and feel his little hands on mine. 

Lump A Wonderful Ole Boy

I will never forget a 44 year old horse who died in my arms. Lump lived at the rescue farm for over 10 years. Two veterinarians, Dr. Duvall and Dr Marcella,  many volunteers and many prayers couldn't help him any longer and he was euthanized here at the farm, surrounded by love. It isn't just the ones who have passed on. It is animals I have been lucky enough to share a breath on earth with. It seems to take a part of me when they leave me, through death or through just finding a good home. At the same time they seem to give me the strength I need to do it all over again and offer another animal a better life. I know I can't keep them all, even the very special ones. I can offer them wonderful homes with loving humans who will cherish them as I do. 


I will never forget a horse I first met at Tampa Bay Downs a few years ago. He wasn't a race horse. He was a 'pony' horse. He walked the jockey and race horse to the starting gate. His owner wanted him to retire soon so I went to take a few pictures of him so I would have them when he finally came to the rescue farm. As I walked toward Sparky's stall, he backed away and turned around. I spoke gently to him but he kept he back to me. I went in the stall and adjusted my camera for a close up but Sparky kept moving away from me, head down, not wanting to make eye contact. Then my heart said to me, he does not want to be a 'rescue' horse. His owner loves him. I told him she did love him but soon he will have a new life. He was mad and wanted me to leave his stall.  I knew Sparky had incredible intuition. I respected his wishes and left his stall without any photos. He made me laugh because he spoke so loudly to me. He did come to the rescue and I recently found him a home. When he first came, we had a nice talk and I explained he was going to be happy and safe. I promised. My adoption contract states the horse can not be traded, sold or given away. It must be returned here. It is for the safety of the horses. Sparky found a new home with a great lady, Nancy,  who appreciates him. I told Nancy I didn't want to let him go. She said, 'I knew that.'
It is about Sparky, not me or what I want. I knew that too. 

Sparky and Nancy offering a bowl of carrots and apples.

Cisco with new friends in pasture

Then yesterday I took Cisco the Appaloosa mule who came from a local farm to Tennessee. He belonged to an older gentleman who had too many horses. We were told Cisco was hard to catch, possibly mean and needed a special home. He broke through a fence at his temporary home before I picked him up. So he had a reputation already. Of course, that's my kind of horse to rescue. Someone who needed rescue. Sure we will take perfect horse but the needy are what call loudest to me. That is why we rescue. Cisco spoke to me when I first met him. The rescuer who helped me get him said, she wasn't sure he'd get into the horse trailer when I was there picking him up. I knew he would and he did. He did anything I asked him to do during the month he was here. He was so wonderful. I didn't want him to go but I know the Tedders family so well and knew they understand horses like I do. They adopted several blind horses and ride and have even competed with some. Cisco would be happy there. He was good in the over 2 hour trailer ride to our meeting place. He had to load onto to their trailer for the rest of the trip to his new home. I stopped for a minute, then I told him it was the right place to go and he walked in the trailer.




Yes, having mental conversations with animals may make some people think I am crazy. I am crazy, crazy about animals. They are fellow earthlings. Not to dominate, to share our planet with. 

Trudy's Day Has Come

Everyone was anxious to see Trudy enter her new pasture. I don't know what we all expected. 

Trudy is blind, severely abused by humans and so many things in the world that surrounds her still make her tremble. I think we all dreamed it would be wonderful to put her in the safe board fenced pasture. We hoped to see her run free and kick up her heels. We brought along an Appaloosa gelding, Pepperoni, she knew from the front pasture so she'd have a familiar friend and be more comfortable. They sort of 'hung around' together many times. He was our choice to help Trudy. He's an Appaloosa like Trudy and they were buddies.

Trudy was quite nervous trying to walk in her new pasture but Roger was there to comfort her. He kept the lead rope on her and walked the fence line, walked to the water trough, up and down the hills. He stayed with her for a long time telling her it was a safe place for her. When he felt she was ready, he took off the lead and let her walk around on her own. She was free to walk, free to kick up her heels but she stood still trying to hear where she was. Being blind, she has to rely on all her other senses. She carefully tried to find her way around. Pepperoni was good with her but wasn't as concerned as we hoped he'd be. We wanted him to stand shoulder to shoulder to her and lead her around. Another human dream the was just that, only a dream. 


After a hour or so, Trudy was getting very tense. She looked so panicked, Roger brought her back to the stall she felt so safe in. She can enjoy a quiet night and we will walk her out to her new pasture again tomorrow. 




All our planning, all our hopes...we had to adjust to Trudy's needs. That is what we do. 


We are RESCUE (to free from confinement, danger, or evil ) in the real sense of the word. We will adjust continually until we get it right for Trudy.