Hope for Rescue Horses

Winding Down

Wed, 9 Dec 2009 08:33:00 -0700

I have loved producing this blog for CHR! Thanks to all who helped make these stories possible. I am retiring from this blog, but urge you to stay in touch with Colorado Horse Rescue on their new website to see all the wonderful work they’re doing! Pattie

Tiny/Teen Town

Wed, 27 May 2009 06:58:16 -0600

So, Lily’s new man is really still a boy and he’s acting like a teenager! He’s only about 2 now and a bit rambunctious. He and Lily did great at first, but he started bugging her - expressing a need for a little more excitement and play time. So they’re both now mixing with the 3 other minis (two were adopted - Beauty and Peanut - yea!). Jenny is starting to hatch some new plans for Ledger - maybe out with the mares who can teach him some proper manners. The geldings are a little much for him. Jenny tried that and they chased him into the fence. But, now that Lily can coexist (at least for the non-eating parts of the day) with Sundance, Moti and Blackie, Ledger may soon be finished with his May-September romance with Lily. And Tiny Town will no longer be Tiny/Teen Town. I can envision a sign out front like an amusement park - you have to be under 3-feet tall if you want to take this ride!

Lily’s New Boyfriend

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 11:06:11 -0600

He’s a handsome younger man - just 18 months old. She’s an older woman - 30-something. Ledger recently came to CHR after a very difficult beginning. I spoke with Kim Pope of Aurora Animal Care today. She helped rescue him from a very bad situation. His owner kept him in one box stall (12 x 12) with two other horses. The three of them were up to their hocks in poop and did not have room to lie down. There was no light, no fresh air and they didn’t get outside to move around. Kim tells me that Ledger’s two stall mates have both been placed in new, healthy homes. And Ledger now has a special place at Colorado Horse Rescue.

Ledger spent his first two weeks at Colorado Horse Rescue in a good-sized quarantine pen (standard procedure) where he basked in sun, affection and mounds of hay. He could lay down on shavings and had volunteers cleaning his pen twice a day! But perhaps his favorite part of freedom has been remembering how to run. He has had regular turn out in the large arena where he discovered that his four long legs were made for running. I can’t imagine the joy he felt when he stretched out in a full gallop.

Ledger was deemed healthy and ready to move into one of the other pastures at CHR when Lily’s best friend, Cassie, passed away. That left both Lily and Ledger in need of a buddy during their time of transition. I’m happy to report that barn manager, Jenny Logan, put them together and they are doing well together! Impressive since Lily has a hard time feeling safe with other horses! Details on their “first date” will follow later in the week. Until then, enjoy these photos of Lily’s new man.

Goodbye Sweet Cassie

Wed, 25 Mar 2009 17:02:18 -0600

I am crying as I write this. A few weeks ago I told you about Lily’s best friend, Cassie. She was the only horse that Lily could really trust. They would take turns watching over each other at nap time. Cassie would even give Lily shade from the hot Colorado sun. Sadly, Cassie passed away today. Here is the news that Jenny sent out to CHR supporters and volunteers.

Hello all,

We want to let you all know that we had to say goodbye to our dear sweet Cassie today after a brief bout with untreatable colic. Once we realized that Cassie was in distress, our vet, Stacy Bluhm was notified and she came out immediately. She gave Cassie some strong pain medication after a short exam, but once she determined that nothing could be done to correct Cassie's displaced intestine, the decision was made to euthanize her. Cassie passed on very peacefully in the company of Diane and Stacey who I'm sure have their own fond memories of this gentle mare.

Cassie was one of the nicest horses we've ever had at the rescue and we just loved having a barn princess to fuss over. I have never known a horse so happy to come into a barn each evening! She was an excellent therapy horse and participated in several CHR events from parades, to school visits, and even Horse Expo. Her biggest job was as a companion for Lily but in true Cassie form, she just took it all in stride.

Good bye dear Cassie...we will miss your morning breakfast nickers and your beautiful sweet face.

Thanks to all of you for taking such good care of Cassie over the years. She is truly missed.

Jenny

PS...
Lily was able to say good bye to Cassie and appears to be handling things just fine. We have paired her up with little Ledger who is in need of a friend so we will see how that match works out.

Toothless Terror

Sat, 21 Mar 2009 08:23:33 -0600

As you can see in the video, Lily eats with gusto and clearly needs to learn how to use a napkin. But there are reasons for her sloppy style. Lily came to Colorado Horse Rescue about 50 pounds underweight. That’s a lot for a petite little girl! She had to compete with pigs and chickens for small bits of food in her pre-CHR life. That probably has something to do with her “issues”. I asked Barn Manager, Jenny Logan, about Lily’s eats. Here’s what she told me.

“Lily has two feeding considerations: First, she doesn't have a lot of teeth left (except for those nasty biting ones in the front) so she can't chew hay very well. Thus, she makes "quids" with the hay that I call spit balls. These are formed when she tries to chew up the hay but it gets stuck in the empty spaces between her teeth resulting in globs of hay which she then spits out. Her second feeding issue is that she has a history of "choke" which is caused when she tries to eat dry pelleted feed too fast and the food gets lodged in her narrow little esophagus. A vet can usually dislodge the food by inserting a tube but this will leave some scaring on the esophagus. More scaring equals more chance for choke in the future. So Lily is on a Complete Feed pelleted diet that is thoroughly dissolved in water before she eats it. It has all the nutrition and vitamins she needs to keep her healthy. We pour it over rocks in her feed pan so she can't ingest it too fast. We let her chew on soft hay just so she can go through the grazing motions of a normal horse.”

Horse Lovin’ at CHR

Wed, 4 Mar 2009 13:05:55 -0700

When you live at Colorado Horse Rescue you’ve got to be prepared for some lovin’! Staff and volunteers scratch, pet and smooch on the horses. Listen for the amazing sound I picked up when I shot this video! :)

Mini Horses Capture Hearts

Sun, 1 Mar 2009 13:18:59 -0700

Everything about them is cute...their high pitched whinnies, “love me” looks and zippy little trots. The five surrendered minis are finding an endless stream of adoring volunteers and staff at Colorado Horse Rescue.

Miniature Horses Surrendered

Sat, 28 Feb 2009 13:43:01 -0700

They are five adorable miniature horses - Sundance, Moti, Blackie, Beauty and Peanut. Sadly, their owner had to give them up. Fortunately, Colorado Horse Rescue had room for them! Here is a video story from the day they were picked up at their former home.

Lily’s Best Friend Cassie

Mon, 9 Feb 2009 14:52:10 -0700

Lily has trouble making friends with people or other horses, but that is finally starting to change. Lily had a rough life before she came to Colorado Horse Rescue. That’s probably why she developed her M.O. - the best defense is a good offense!

CHR Barn Manager, Jenny Logan, has spent several years trying to find a pasture buddy for Lily - a horse that Lily isn’t afraid of and that she doesn’t see as competition for food. (Lily was severely underweight before she got here.) Jenny has finally found a BFF for Lily!

Lily’s House Blows Down

Fri, 6 Feb 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Here’s a short video of Lily heading into the big barn for the night. Lily used to go into her own little pen in the evening where she could sleep and eat safely without worrying about what the her pasture mates were up to. (She doesn’t trust other horses easily.) But a couple of weeks ago a MAJOR windstorm blew her house down...with Lily in it! She was seen standing nearby, not quite sure what to do. Before anyone was able to catch her, she decided to make the best of a bad situation. She wandered into the backyard of a house at Colorado Horse Rescue and munched on a banquet of grass! Fortunately, she wasn’t hurt and the grass was the silver lining.

Lily’s house consisted of corral panels on three sides, straw bales on one end with a tarp over part of it for shelter. It was flattened. Since then, Lily has been going into the big barn at night with her (only) friend Cassie. She is warm, dry and safe there.