Another week

Hello Everyone!

I know I am bad about posting. For some reason, I am just really busy at work and at home to post. It goes in spurts being super busy to not so much. My brother Rich and I are slowly moving in and also getting ready for a garage sale. Hopefully before it snows out! One thing that I have to figure out is shelter for my hay. I have plastic and tarps but it blew off of both stacks of hay last week with our huge storm. And of course if it were just a regular rain, it wouldnt have mattered. But I lost alot of hay. Well for one thing, I have to put more weight on top of the plastic and tarps. So live and learn I guess. I will building a lean-to or at least have some sort of canopy over the hay. Expensive lesson to learn. I even got some small squares of hay to suppliment. The pigs--sorry horses have eaten down most of the pasture and i am now feeding them hay again. Happens, but i was hoping not so soon. Boy they love to eat! I am now down to 11 horses. I am hoping to adopt out at least 2 more horses by the winter. I just want to make sure i can afford the horses i have before adding on more horses. If I cant add more, i hope to still help out folks with finding homes for the horses they cant keep. I can offer advertising through Petfinder.com and that is one of the BEST advertising sites ever. I get probably 90% of my adopters through that site. They see a particular horse on Petfinder and then find their way to my website or just contact me through Petfinder.com The site is great, easy to add/remove horses and their contacts and help is awesome. I really have had NO problems with them. they are quick to answer any and all questions. So please be assured that even though I am not taking in horses right now, it doesnt mean i cant help with rehoming. I also have a list of folks looking for particular kind of horses and can email them with horses that need homes. I hope to continue this rescue but may not in the capacity i have been at before. But my doors will not be shut. I also will always have room for any of my horses that have been adopted to come back. I stay in contact with most of them. Some of them more often than not. But they all know where I am. And i have faith that they are all safe and loved. the most awesome people do find the rescues and are very committed to their animals. That is what helps me do what i do!

Our new home!

So, as you all know, I have moved. 7 miles away. Now I am in Barneveld. My sister took some nice photo's of the place. I have to say that the horses and I are very happy to be here. I had looked at a few places to rent and NONE of them were as nice as this place. AND i only moved 7 miles. Could have been worse. Now we are dealing with our utilities- such as our phone! I am trying Magic Jack. Its a phone service through our computer/internet. $19.95 a year and that is unlimited calling in the US. Boy, my phone bills before were about $80.00-120.00 a month. And that was land line and also internet. Being out in the country you don't normally have a choice on telephone. And I don't have a cell phone and refuse to get one! Too expensive! So the Magic Jack has been working and not working. MJ received good reviews, but we haven't quite figured it out yet! Not having a phone for almost 3 weeks has been a bit of pain, but ok so far. No emergencies.
So here is a look at the new house. The barn is NOT being used as you can see. I have some of my tack in areas where it doesn't rain into. Too bad the owner didn't keep up the barn. It is a great barn! You can see some of the horses in the pasture. It has wonderful, BIG, mature trees for shade! Yesterday was in the car dealership getting my car fixed. Something always seems to come up for sure! But dealing with it, because there is no choice!

My sweet Harley

Well, I have to tell you all about Harley. He was a 20 year old TB gelding (past racer) who was surrendered to me by a woman who couldnt afford him. Actually the story is that she had him about 10 years ago and then let him go to a family with an autistic boy who rode him. They had him for years. Then the husband died and the wife didnt know how to care for Harley and his companion. He ended up getting pretty skinny. The woman who had him before got wind about Harley and took him back and actually got some good weight on him even though he needed more. He had a back leg injury which took some care from her and our vet (we both have the same vet). She then lost her job and then contacted me to see if I could take him. Funny thing is- I was pretty full up but this woman and I both do rescue work and she needed to find him a home. 1 month later, I got Baby Breeze back from his owners and I might have said no to Harley if I knew I was getting Breeze back. Sometimes I do believe in fate. So in the winter of 2008 I got Harley. He had a wonderful calm about him. He was also very tall. 16.2 hands. He was a bay and just wanted to do his own thing. He wasnt all that close to the horses but he liked to be around them. The next year after the winter, Harley got to have the lawn to himself to eat at his leisure. But the boy just couldnt get over 1075 pounds. He really needed at least another 100 pounds if not 150 pounds put on! But i just couldnt get it on him. He ate, he ate like a pig! But anything like weight builders and other stuff - he wouldnt eat it. He just liked his sweet feed and senior feed along with grass and hay. I spent hundreds of dollars and had people donate tons of stuff to try to add or just feed separately to him. He never ate it. I guess I could have just left it there for when he got really hungry to eat it, but I couldnt do that to him. He couldnt go without even one feeding in my book! And he was happy, not in pain although he had some pretty mild to advanced arthritis in his back hips. But he loved his life i think! Jean, my vet came out and did blood work on him, all normal. Fecal was done, teeth good, all normal. He loved carrots, didnt like apples much. But i just couldnt get him over that 1075 mark! I got called in to the Iowa County Humane officer about him this year. She came out and i explained about him, she called my vet and she knew everything that could be done with Harley was being done. First time anyone has ever called me in. Any time someone comes over, I make sure to explain about Harley so they know that he isnt being neglected. But someone called me in. I guess I shouldnt have been so upset, but i was. But i guess i would rather people call in about horses that they are worried about than not. I have called authorities myself. But only after I have spoken to the owners. Most times its just a matter of education, sometimes not. Anyways, that part was taken care of.
Since i had to move, i was worried about my Harley. He was just too unstable to take a trip, even 7 miles up the road! I also knew that Harley wasnt going to be able to take another winter so I wanted him to have a great summer doing what he wanted. He was so spoiled, he would knock into people to make them pet him! He would go wherever, whenever he wanted. I feel bad that I couldnt take him, but he also wouldnt have been able to get his normal feeding in with the other horses. I couldnt chance him to get knocked over by running horses. So I made the decision to put him down the week after the other horses left. He was with me at my old house for a week by himself. I was also worried that he would have a big fit that he didnt have the other horses, but he went on like normal. We had a great week together, he got probably way more grain, way more carrots than any horse should. And still he had not gained any more weight. But he loved the time we had together. Jean came out to help me with Harley on June 23, 2010. I had the tough time, Harley did not. It was very peaceful. Jean even commented on how it went. I dont want to say it went smooth or well, because those arent the right terms or words. I think Harley was ready. I wasnt ready, but I am never ready to put a horse down. Harley just knew. And he was a great boy. Totally different than any horse i have had. He was a beautiful boy. I loved him so.

Do you all remember me?

Hello Everyone!!

Well I am finally ALL moved!! Yes, it was more of a nightmare than moving the horses! the horses were at the new place for 2 weeks before I got to move in! I closed on my house on June 25, had to store all of my stuff (junk) in my old garage until i could move in to the new place on July 1st! Stayed with my sister, had off from work and went to see the horses everyday. The time went so fast. Didnt even seem like a vacation! Sometimes alot of sleep, sometimes not! But I am thankful. I am moved. the house still has boxes but for the most part, we are moved in things are in their places!! I am going to also have a garage sale sometime in August. I just have so much stuff in my garage and instead of throwing it away (although, i threw away alot!), i will just try to sell it and get a few bucks! So lots have been going on. A wonderful girl, Brooke has fell in love with Antar and so she will be adopting him this month! She is a vet student as well! She came out a few times to ride him and was deciding on either Antar or another horse from another rescue. Antar is such a good boy. Rebecca took him out on trail by himself and he did wonderful! She also took him out with Missy with Rebecca riding Missy and Brooke riding Antar. Both did so well!! I think it will be a good match! I will miss that boy, but know that Brooke will take good care of him. He will be near as well so i can come and visit him! So then I will be down to 11 horses!! Mya is coming along beautifully in her training! She was ridden for the first time last night since being here at the new place! Rebecca has just been getting her used to the new pen and ground working with her! I know she will be a great trail horse! Also been working with Raven, the Missourri Fox Trotter filly (age 3) and I think i will be putting her up for adoption now. She has only had some ground work done and is picking up her feet, letting us touch her all over and getting brushed. She is a little bit nervous but really wants to please! From looking at her teeth, she cant be over 3 years of age. She is the one I got from a guy who just wanted her gone. We couldnt even put a halter on her! I am her 4th home! She wont be all that big, but she is a little more than 14.2 hands right now. And is she pretty or what?? I am actually going to downsize my herd and not take in anymore horses until probably next year when I can safely do so depending on my finances and my sanity!! But anyhow, I want to thank everyone who came to help me out. Without all of you good friends and family, i would never had made this happen!! I am so blessed! Thank you all!