Santa and Mrs Santa help Sandman

Sandman at what we hoped was his new home.

It finally happened. Sandman found his family. All they had to do was find the right pasture for him. He needed a smaller pasture for a few months until he was willing to trust his new human, Mom, Laura. Once he knew her, he would be able to go to a larger pasture. Sandman is a 'special needs' horse. After meeting Sandman, Laura feel in love. She has no problem with special needs, she and her husband, Jim, adopted 6 special needs children. Jim told me how Laura really needs a horse to love and to care for. She's always loved horses and is such a giving person, she'd be the perfect partner for Sandman. After searching for the perfect farm, the called and asked me to deliver him to a boarding stable in Calhoun, GA.  When I drove down the driveway, I could see big smiles on faces big and small. Sandman is a big horse and handsome. He would make anyone smile. Everyone gathered around as he stepped out of the trailer. I walked him into his paddock and met the owner of the farm. He was a sweet older gentleman, then his daughter, Angela, introduced herself and told me she recently took over the farm and is in charge. She asked about riding Sandman and I explained he should be ridden. Then she asked about lunging him. I said he is big and small circles can hurt him so I discouraged that for now. She asked a few more times about riding him and I kept saying 'No'. Then Laura told her she didn't want to ride anyway, she just wanted to love him. Everyone was happy, including Sandman. He had his own roll of hay. 

About two hours later, Jim called me to tell me, Angela, said she doesn't want Sandman there or all the children. It was a big disappointment for sure. Jim, Laura and I all started calling other places to bring Sandman. We all wanted a happy ending, it was such a great start. 

Jim and Laura dressed up the children and took them to see Santa. Knowing they all wanted electronics and toys they were surprised when Santa asked Ben, who is in a wheelchair, what he wanted for Christmas. Ben's reply was 'Sandman' He told Santa that Sandman needed a family and they needed him. Jim had tears in his eyes as he told Santa and Mrs Santa about the plight of them trying to find a place for Sandman. Santa and Mrs Santa got involved and helped find a place so Sandman can be part of this wonderful family that sees perfection instead of imperfection.  As soon as some fencing is repaired, I am going to bring Sandman to his new home. I am sure Sandman is just a useless burden to Angela. She doesn't seem to see the beauty in giving love in it's purest form. 

Some of the Chapman children telling Santa they want Sandman.

Poor Sandman. his fetlock joints are not strong enough to carry a rider. Under 4 years old, already discarded like trash. He had a bad start nutritionally which caused problems so he was being sold for meat prices per pound. Why would someone breed their animal then not take care of it?  

Very thin on arrival to rescue farm

He is a big Belgiun draft horse and sweet but you need to take time to win his trust. He was treated unkindly because the owner saw no other value in him except a few hundred dollars. Volunteer Elizabeth McPeek put out the word on this guy needing help. Thanks to generous donations from compassionate people, we were able to save him from death. We were able to buy him from the kill pen. He was very underweight, dirty, had bad feet and was terrified of humans. When I arrived at the auction barn, only one man was there. It wasn't an auction day so not much was going on. He told me he knows very little about horses but he would help me get him. He thought he should chase the horse around the pen to catch him so he continued that for a while. I am sure he saw this done many times and knew no better way. All it did was frighten the already frightened horse even more. There were a series of shoots and gates to get horses through to the auction so I went in and got behind Sandman and just guided him by being behind him. He finally got to a small shoot area and the man helping closed both the front and back gate. It restrained him but the poor horse was trembling bad. I had to climb the side fencing to try and get a halter on him. He was so large and fearful. He kept going up and down with his head, it took about 10 minutes to finally get the halter on his head and buckled. I climbed down the side of the fence and held tightly onto the lead rope. Gently touching his face, I whispered, "You are going to be safe now, I promise." With his eyes wide with anxiety of what was going to happen to him, he let out a nice deep breath and walked with me out the barn door. I had the trailer door opened and showed him the good hay waiting for him. There was no hay or water in his holding area so he walked right in to the trailer. I guess he was starting to believe my words about being safe. An hour later, we arrived at the Chickamauga, Georgia farm. He unloaded well, we took some pictures to document his progress. In the pasture, he found another draft horse to buddy up with. The kind volunteers at the farm give him hope that humans are not bad. He has come a long way in the year he has been with us. He gained weight, learned to pick up his feet for the Farrier (hoof trimmer) and is going to get his teeth worked on soon. Yes, horses go to dentists too. 

Volunteers showing kindness

 Our goal is not how many horses find homes, it is to improve the life of each horse, get to know it's needs and search for the best home possible. We get to know each horse and can honestly let a prospective adopter know the needs of each horse. We want long term forever love each horse deserves. That is our mission to Save The Horses. With all the wonderful volunteers, it is done 365 days a year. No one gets a salary, everyone gets more than they give. It is a little sad to send a horse to to a new home but it gives your heart such a lift knowing you are part of something so much bigger than yourself. Some of our volunteers have been here several years, if brings such joy. It make humans human.

TACK SALE Dec 15 11-2 PM

SaveTheHorses Rescue Farm cleaned out the barn so you can find a great deal on our tack. It is all priced to sell! 

Lunch Available! 

Stop by and grab a dog, a hot dog that is!

While you are here, enjoy Pete Dillingham train some horse and riders. Pete owner FireFly Acres in Sparta, TN.

Saddles, mostly English. Blankets, halters, buckets, hay racks, bits, saddle pads, English and Western, bridles, leads, wraps, and more. 

Walk around and meet the horses at the rescue. 

Have you ever seen a dwarf miniature horse?

All Proceeds Benefit the Horses!

1768 Newt Green Rd 

Cumming, GA 30028 

770 886 5419

Life Is Short, Often Too Short

Albert the Great Goat

Weinie the Wonderdog

Starting the day unrested was bad enough. Tossed and turned all night mourning the loss of our beloved 'Weinie' our weiner dog. He was a little hound dog with a big personality. Everyone was his friend unless you were  a varmint. 

Something attacked him Sunday. The Emergency vet said it was an animal attack. He was on the porch with Lea and Bella, 5 minutes later bleeding and wounded. No sound, no screaming or growling. After moving two horses Sunday, driving for 4 hours to almost Alabama then Tennessee, we stopped on the way home and picked up Weinie. The vet explained what he suspected about the wounds. He went over the xrays, said his heart and lungs sound strong so I took him home with a compression bandage. He was painful all night but quiet and at home. We went back to the vet in the morning. He was going to stay until 5 to get another look to make sure everything was healing, possibly stitch the lacerations.  We were pretty confident he'd recover.  I was ready to go pick him up when Dr Cipullo called and told me that Weinie was fine 5 minutes ago but now he's is dead. It was heartbreaking. Life can change so fast.

                                                                                                                

Getting Albert into the sling



This morning Albert was in his usual resting place in the barn but was in a strange position. He head would not come forward nor could he stand. I gave him an anti-inflammatory. After talking with a few vets and goat people, we decided to rush him to UGA Veterinary Hospital in Athens. First we had to get him up into the sling and into the trailer. He weighs 280 pounds! The wonderful volunteers who are dedicated to all of these animals were there to help every minute. Alisha, Sam and I headed out for a long day. I am going to let the pictures (Thanks for taking them Alisha) tell the story. 

Now moving him through the barn

Gently getting him into the trailer

Placing Albert in a comfortable position . 2  hour ride to University.

Gurney ready for Albert

Looks like a Code Blue, the are serious about his health

Albert weighing in at 280 pounds

Examining his eye

Getting a catheter put in

Albert's head still up

Getting medications

A spinal tap test is painful but necessary

He was starting to eat hay. 

Comforting pillows for his head

Albert's tests came back fairly normal. We hope to see improvement with in 24 hours. He is being treated for 3 suspected problems that have similar symptoms. There is no test that gives an exact diagnosis. I am trying to be hopeful but it is scary to not be realistic. I really thought Weinie was going to be with us for a long time. I am hoping for many more years for Albert. Life is short. 

Native American Christmas Celebration

Nothing like it! 

Come and have a Cherokee Christmas!

Bring your friends and family!

Meet Sandman or Meat Sandman?

Sandman learning all humans are not unkind.

Should this horse be sent to slaughter because it will not be ride able?
       
  Meet Sandman 


His fetlock joints are not strong enough to carry a rider. Under 4 years old, already discarded like trash. He had a bad start nutritionally which caused problems so he was being sold for meat prices per pound. Why would someone breed their animal then not take care of it?  

Very thin on arrival to rescue farm

He is a big Belgiun draft horse and sweet but you need to take time to win his trust. He was treated unkindly because the owner saw no other value in him except a few hundred dollars. Volunteer Elizabeth McPeek put out the word on this guy needing help. Thanks to generous donations from compassionate people, we were able to save him from death. We were able to buy him from the kill pen. He was very underweight, dirty, had bad feet and was terrified of humans. When I arrived at the auction barn, only one man was there. It wasn't an auction day so not much was going on. He told me he knows very little about horses but he would help me get him. He thought he should chase the horse around the pen to catch him so he continued that for a while. I am sure he saw this done many times and knew no better way. All it did was frighten the already frightened horse even more. There were a series of shoots and gates to get horses through to the auction so I went in and got behind Sandman and just guided him by being behind him. He finally got to a small shoot area and the man helping closed both the front and back gate. It restrained him but the poor horse was trembling bad. I had to climb the side fencing to try and get a halter on him. He was so large and fearful. He kept going up and down with his head, it took about 10 minutes to finally get the halter on his head and buckled. I climbed down the side of the fence and held tightly onto the lead rope. Gently touching his face, I whispered, "You are going to be safe now, I promise." With his eyes wide with anxiety of what was going to happen to him, he let out a nice deep breath and walked with me out the barn door. I had the trailer door opened and showed him the good hay waiting for him. There was no hay or water in his holding area so he walked right in to the trailer. I guess he was starting to believe my words about being safe. An hour later, we arrived at the Chickamauga, Georgia farm. He unloaded well, we took some pictures to document his progress. In the pasture, he found another draft horse to buddy up with. The kind volunteers at the farm give him hope that humans are not bad. He has come a long way in the year he has been with us. He gained weight, learned to pick up his feet for the Farrier (hoof trimmer) and is going to get his teeth worked on soon. Yes, horses go to dentists too. 

Volunteers showing kindness

 Our goal is not how many horses find homes, it is to improve the life of each horse, get to know it's needs and search for the best home possible. We get to know each horse and can honestly let a prospective adopter know the needs of each horse. We want long term forever love each horse deserves. That is our mission to Save The Horses. With all the wonderful volunteers, it is done 365 days a year. No one gets a salary, everyone gets more than they give. It is a little sad to see a horse to to a new home but it gives your heart such a lift knowing you are part of something so much bigger than yourself. Some of our volunteers have been here several years, if brings such joy. It make humans human.


Sandman is healthy but does need some dental work which will will have done. He is available for adoption to a loving home who appreciates his majesty and grace he possesses. 

Majestic Sandman

Sad, heartbreaking but not illegal. Thousands of horses are sold to be slaughtered for human consumption every year. Though America does not have a slaughter plant on our soil, horses are sent to Mexico and Canada to be killed. 

Fear in of the unknown is seen in his eye

www.SaveTheHorses.org is against horse slaughter. Horse owners need to be responsible for their animals, stop breeding horses and take to time to find safe homes if they no longer want their once beloved horse. The difference between life and death in only a few hundred dollars. We purchased Sandman for $350. 

Thank you for your continued support to Save The Horses. Your generosity saves lives everyday. Do not ever think your donation is too small. 70 people donating $5.00 each  could save Sandman.
10 people donating $35.00 each and so on. 
It all ads up to saving horses! 

Gwen from New Jersey to Georgia

Jason with Gwen at SaveTheHorses Farm

 Gwen went to a foster home with Lisa and Jen on Sunday. These two ladies have experience in rehabilitating and working with draft horses. We do not know if she has ever been ridden but we do think she drives a cart. Does it matter? Not to all the SaveTheHorses volunteers nor Lisa and Jen. Our theory is all horses need loving safe homes. We honor them all no matter what ability or disability each horse may have. 

Even if a horse becomes a giant yard ornament, we love and honor each one the same. SaveTheHorses sees the value of life in each horse, not a dollar value. In the Spring, they will decide if we should put her up for adoption or if they just can't let her go. You know how easy it is to fall in love when you are with a horse everyday!

Gwen's history? She was saved by many compassionate donors who gathered together enough money to get Gwen from the kill buyer auction in New Jersey inappropriately named Camelot. When you think of Camelot, you think of idealism, adventure and romance. This Camelot is an auction full of horses that are thrown away for a per pound price. With the help of the Internet and those willing to donate, horses are saved from slaughter. Gwen was used up by her Amish owners. There is always another horse to replace another. People are always breeding animals for profit. What happens to the horse after the money changes hands is not important to most people. Those of you reading this are so empathetic for the suffering of horses but realistically, are a small group compared to all Americans. As hard as we work to educate others, most do not know that the fate of many horses is a horrible death then butchered for human consumption. 

This is a happy time from Gwen. She has been in the care of SaveTheHorses since Nov 2010. We let her enjoy being a horse and living on 100 acres of peace and comfort. It isn't about a turnover of horse to new homes, it is about the quality and love each horse deserves. It is costly but it is our promise to every horse. How can we put a price on that? 

Thank you all for being a part of SaveTheHorses.org It is all of you that contribute in every way that makes it all work to Save The Horses.

RIP Arnold Swartzenhogger

Arnold Swartzenhogger

It was about 8 years ago, when Fulton County Animal Services called and left a message. They found a large pig that was unclaimed. They would have to euthanize if they couldn't find a place for him. I only had one pig, Annie, at the time, so I agreed to take him. Annie is sweet and loving so I didn't expect anything different from another pig. 

The animal control officer told me they found him wandering the streets terrorizing local residents. When I saw him, it was easy to see why everyone was scared of him. He was a couple of hundred pounds of a white hog looking animal with large tusks . He surely resembled a wild boar. If any human approached him, he would scream. An adult pig screaming is loud, low a sort of growling, like "I am going to eat you" sound. I can imagine people running into to him in the street and hearing him then running the other way. Both pig and human scared to death. It took while for 5 men to catch him in a stall at animal control. He was just as afraid as the humans he met on the street. People must have thrown things at him trying to make him go away and teased him as well. It was sad to see the mental condition he was in, as well as his physical appearance. He was filthy, covered with ticks and his skin looked like he had poor nutrition.We finally managed to get him by wrapping him in a tarp and everyone picking it up and pushing him into the trailer. Once I got back to the farm, he was too frightened to get off the trailer. It took a couple of brave volunteers to help push him down the ramp of the trailer. He sounded so ferocious. 

I named him Arnold Swartzenhogger. The goal was to get him in great condition, all muscle, like the other Arnold of movie fame. This was our movie star! Everyday, I would approach him, as I got closer, he would let out a loud cry of fear. Eventually I could gently touch him and he learned it was good to be at the rescue farm. His health improved, his tusks were removed and he became Annie's BFF. 

 Arnold became very gentle. He was an older pig but no way to tell his age. Now an older gentleman, our Arnold. 

In the past few months, Arnold lost weight and seemed to become arthritic. Volunteers had to actually lift in up so he could stand. He lost interest in food. He was deteriorating and he quality of life was decreasing fast. You can see he lost his muscle. I was time to help him gently cross the Rainbow Bridge. Finding a veterinarian that knows how to gently euthanize a pig turned out to be difficult but after 20 phone calls, two of our equine vets agreed to the sad task. 

Rest In Peace Arnold Swartzenhogger.

You will be missed, you were very loved. We shed tears for all animals here when we lose them. We are honored he came to us and stayed so long. He brought understanding about pigs to all who knew him. These are gently souls and deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.