4-30-09

The May Auction fundraising is in full swing, the thermometer is currently at $170 out of a goal of $5,000. You can help us help horse.


Some potential adopters came out to see the horses today. She had Roy in adoption pending, and wanted to meet him. He was not what she was looking for, so she looked at the other available horses.

Next Tawnee brought Jake out and they seemed to have a blast together.

She has transferred her adoption hold to Jake. There is a suspicion he may have Cushings, so she generously donated the funds to have Cushings tests done. Once the result are known she will make her decision whether or not to adopt him.

April and Larry came out to help out, but managed to stay away from the camera. We'll get you next time! Jaime came out today as well, and generously donated bags of feed, salt blocks, and...

...worked hard cleaning stalls. Literally removing the rubber mats and washing it down clean! Thanks for your extremely hard work.

As Jaime and Tawnee were cleaning in the tack room, they heard rain start to fall. Tawnee raced out, grabbed the tarp, and started covering the hay. And then the phone rang. Jaime grabbed the camera and took a picture of Tawnee on top the hay pile, with a tarp, talking on the phone. Now here's the funny part. While doing the pictures for the blog, this picture scared Tawnee, with the bulging arm muscles.

But it's not too much of a surprise, as her grandpa is this guy.

Wal-Mart generously donated another cart of feed, and Jason went out to pick it up. We can't thank Wal-Mart enough for helping out our feed bill.

When Jason got back he continued the work on the jail. Yes, soon we will have a jail to lock volunteers in who don't' seem to be working hard enough. We'll hand them a phone and say "Call up your friends to bail you out!"

Dancing Drum is doing great these days. Her leg is healing up beautifully and she is feeling great. She was turned out in the round pen and she decided to show off.

During her first run around the round pen she did a little crow hop.

On the next round it was more of a wild buck.

It's definitely great to see her gain some weight, and have a spirit so full of life. She's a beautiful girl who needs a home.

Once the hoodlum, Dancing Drum, was out of the round pen, it was time for the old men to head out for their afternoon dust bath. Pike and Jack took their time in the round pen a little more serious and enjoyed their dust bath in peace.

Don't forget to read the blog this weekend, it'll be all about the Nebraska trip. You won't want to miss it!

4-29-09

We finally had a minute to sit down and set up May's fundraisers. The Euthanasia clinic was generously kicked off by a large donation by Kelly. It is currently at $833, with a goal of $2,500. The auction fund is currently at $143 out of a goal of $5,000 for the rescue and care of horses that are rescued at the livestock auction.


JT's mommy came out today to take him home. She is so excited to take her little black bundle of joy home at last.

JT was a very well mannered boy and hopped right into the trailer. He is excited to see what his new adventures holds for him. We are missing the little guys at the rescue, William and Angelito left, and now JT. Fortunately Dottie and Macho Man are still here and are doing very well.

Once again the high speed Internet antenna needed some tweaking. The wind seems to knock it out of alignment over time and it just has to be repointed.

Volunteer Jaime has adopted Jack and is going to be giving him a great forever home. Soon his transportation will be arranged and his stall will be available for another rescued horse.

Adrian, who was being fostered, is now at her forever home as well. She is such an amazing looking horse, it is hard to think that just a few months ago she was skin and bones. Thanks so much for giving her such a good foster home Kim and Rico! And thanks to her new forever family for giving her such a great home.

For those of you who are asking about Prince. He is doing very well, we haven't had an opportunity to visit him since we were sent off to Nebraska, but the vet office assures us that he is doing great. We can't wait to go see the little guy again!

4-29-09 (4-28-09)

Sorry we didn't get the blog up last night, but eyelids can only stay open so long. This is the blog for Tuesday, April 28th.

We have some updates on adopted horses. The first update is from Grandole's adoptive family: "He is now well settled in. He seems to be well trained and shows signs of being used for cutting or reining. He is in love with my filly but enjoys spending time with us as well. "



The second update is from Darby's mom: "Darby is doing very well - she is eating lots of groceries and gaining weight. She's a sweet girl but does have some trust issues which we are working on. She loves the pasture. She was even gaiting in the pasture today, she feels a lot stronger. She has a beautiful mane and tail and where she is shedding is a very dark bay."

After the morning chores were done Jason headed out to pick up some horses.

The road just seemed to stretch on endlessly. Back at the rescue Tawnee got a call from a lady: "My husband works in road construction and saw one of your trucks go by. Can you help us with our horses? We've had them 14 years and can no longer afford to keep them." Tawnee explained our program and asked her to fill out equine surrender forms.

Cash was waiting at the first stop. He's a big Thoroughbred his family could no longer keep.

Driving along, Jason managed to snap a picture of a deer hiding in the bushes. What a cutie!

And, it was time for one of many fill ups throughout the day.

The next stop was to pick up Gingles. His adopter was no longer able to keep him, so he was returned to us in great shape. He is such a sweet boy and is very loving. She really loved him and it was hard to say goodbye.

Meanwhile, back at the rescue, fencing had begun again. The neighboring property owner finally came up for a visit and "OK'd" the fence line. He had a surveyor double check our survey line, and it's in the right spot, but his driveway goes between the two properties so we ran some T-posts where we thought the fence should go and he said it was fine. Now we can start running the fencing finally!

The sun was beginning to set and Jason was still on the road between Gingles and the next stop hundreds of miles from the rescue.

Angel, an older mare with lameness and cancer, was the last stop. Her owner wanted to bring her up to one of our clinics, so her suffering would be over, but had no way to get her to the clinic and had no money for transportation. Jason arrived well after dark, but she is a sweet girl and loaded right up after a tearful goodbye.

Jason hates seeing toll signs, especially with the trailer, all the axles add up to a lot of $$. Jason pulled up to the booth, pulled out his wallet, but instead of a fee he heard "The person in front of you already paid for you." We would like to take a minute to thank the kind stranger in a silver car that paid the toll on the bridge today. Your thoughtfulness is overwhelming.

On the way back to the rescue the police were cleaning up what looked like a major wreck. Thankfully they had it all under control and so it did not delay Jason's travels.

Jason drove almost 500 miles yesterday, and was quite road weary by the time he got back to the rescue...

It was early in the morning when the rescue rig pulled up, the horses were unloaded and tucked into stalls for the remainder of the night.

While the blog was being written, we received this web contact that warmed our hearts: "I saw Jason pulling out of the ranch I board at yesterday. If I could have caught him I would have liked to say how wonderful I think your organization is. I am just in awe at the dedication and selflessness shown by Tawnee, Jason and all the NorCal volunteers. Thank you so much for all that you do. I follow your blog everyday and I must say seeing your truck and trailer felt like I was seeing a celebrity yesterday. I admire your work so much. Keep it up!"

4-29-09

Jason headed out early this morning to pick up 3 different horses hundreds of miles away from the rescue. The trip didn't quite go as fast as expected...

Jason pulled into the rescue early this morning, and after the horses were settled there is simply no energy left for the blog. The regular blog will be written and published after the sun comes up.

4-27-09

We always enjoy turning horses loose in the round pen and then watching them play around and roll in the sand. It is always neat to see horses enjoying life.

Midge is looking great these days, he's gained a lot of weight and is looking terrific.

And, the hill continues to put up a fight. One of the visitors today didn't' make it up the hill, and got stuck. We are working on a solution to this problem. It's practically becoming a daily routine, towing people up the hill.

To lighten every one's spirits Tawnee took the visitors (above) out to the dream facility to show them around. They were quite impressed with it as well. They gave us their best wishes and hope we can pull it off for the horses.

On the way back, Tawnee was fortunately not speeding along and stopped in plenty of time to avoid the obstacle in the middle of the road. Tawnee got out of the truck and evaluated the situation. A giant tree had fallen across the entire road. She's thankful it didn't fall on her as she drove by.

She is very glad that she was not pulling a trailer, because she had to drive over the bank, between the trees, around the barbed wire fences, and then back onto the road.

A short time after arriving back at the rescue a few horses needed to be loaded up to be delivered to their new homes. Suzie was a very good girl and loaded right into the trailer.

Prelude and Rambo were also loaded up after Suzie got in. 3 horses leaving to their new forever homes.

Tawnee left with some trepidation as she didn't know if the road would be blocked or not. To her great joy, the tree was chopped up and pushed off the side of the road.

The first stop was Prelude's home. The bay and the grey in the back are two mares that were adopted from NorCal previously. They were all excited to see the trailer pulling up, it probably brought back memories of when they came to their wonderful home.

Soon Prelude found herself eating grass in the herd. Now there are 2 bays and 2 greys. It's really cute they are in pairs.

After Tawnee said "Goodbye" to Prelude she headed off to Suzie and Rambo's new home. Suzie was greated with a pretty pink halter.

Soon Suzie was exploring her new home with her new Palamino friend. It's kind of funny, because now this home has matching pairs as well. 2 Palamino's and 2 grey's. The grey in the foreground is Joey, he was adopted from us previously. It's great to see him doing so well.

Some big boots were donated for the silent auction. They are size 13 Ariat lace up riding boots. If you have a size 13 foot, or know "big foot" come to the Skating for Horses day, and you may just end up with an awesome pair of boots.

4-26-09

While the chores were being done this morning Jamie came out to get a few things ready for tabling she was going to be doing at the Paradise Horseman's Association event. She really did a great job pulling it off. She made wonderful banners, posters, and other things needed for the event. She was supposed to have help but we all deserted her when we went to Nebraska to help the 3-Strikes ranch horses.

As Jamie was heading out the first trailer arrived.

Penny was the first horse to be adopted today. Their application passed with flying colors, and after adoption papers were signed for Penny, they wanted to spend some time with Quantal.

Penny had won their heart strings over in a flash, but Quantal was tugging away, hoping to find a forever home. The tugging paid off, after they spent quite some time with him they chose to adopt him as well today. Thanks for giving them such a wonderful home.

We had to say "Goodbye" to cute Angelito and William today. They had snuggled their way into each of our hearts, and it was very hard to let them go. Their new mom and dad love them greatly, and we are sure they will have a great home.

Tawnee hung out in the trailer with them for a bit for a last hug and kiss goodbye. We are so happy that they will get to spend the rest of their lives together.

It was a very busy day at the rescue. There were a lot of adoption applications that had been processed, and today a lot of those people came up to adopt their beloved new members of their family.

Beau was adopted today. He is such a beautiful boy. His adopter was just tickled pink with him. She is very excited to be taking him home and give him the love and attention he so deserves.

Tawnee is always apprehensive when a 2 horse straight load pulls up to load a horse. But, Beau was a very good boy and walked right in and waited for the gate to be shut. The day reminded Tawnee in a way of the recent Nebraska trip, loading horse after horse into trailers, but today it was a wonderful thing, because these horses were going home.

Beau's adopters headed off on an adventure with their new family member, and promptly got stuck on our hill.

A quick tug and they were on their way. We've done a lot of tractor work on the hill, but apparently it still needs a lot more. It sure makes us dream of the other facility next to a flat paved road.

With all the hurrying and scurrying of loading horses, towing trucks, etc, one of the adopters sat patiently by, waiting her turn. She said she didn't realize how good she had it when she came on a weekday and had a lot of one-on-one time. But, finally it was her turn to see the horse she had come to visit. She has adopted two other horses from us and now has decided to add a new family member. We are so happy that Prelude has found such a wonderful mommy.

Meanwhile, April and Larry were out being extremely helpful once again. It's always great when they are out, they always dig in and get things done.

Another previous adopter came out today to meet the horses and maybe bring a new family member or two into her home. She promptly fell in love with Susie. This made us very excited as Susie has come a very long way from the emaciated filly she was when she came to us last year. She is now looking great, full of life, and ready to start her new adventure.

But, Jamie needed a horse she could ride too. Rambo caught her eye, and then her heart, and in the end she has decided to give Rambo a great home too. Now she will have two white Arab's that she has adopted from us.

After all the visitors had gone, Tawnee loaded up Nook and Brandy so they could head over to a foster home so they can have a vacation. They were all wide eyed and curious about their adventure.

Sure enough, they thought they were in heaven. They will definitely have fun wandering the green hillsides for a time.

Today was such a busy day, we know you are all wanting to hear about our Nebraska experiences, but we unfortunately cannot fit everything into one day. Our volunteer, who went out with us on Wednesday and stayed after we left, arrived back today with chapped lips. Jason and Tawnee found some miracle lip cream on the way to the airport, and soon the volunteers lips were as good as new. It's called Nivea, and if you're loading horses in the hot Nebraska sun, it can bring your lips back into shape quickly and make them feel oh so much better.

9News has a video clip of the rescue that will keep you interested in the story until we have an extra 3 hours to sit down and write up the story. Maybe for Friday's blog? It has our entire NorCal team in the video, we are all looking over the fence in our HSUS yellow shirts. Click here for the video.

We are all still pretty exhausted, but we would like to thank the people that donated $22 marked "Sleeping." It definitly made us chuckle. We're doing our best to catch up on our sleep, but still have a ways to go.

4-24-09

NER Staff Jason and Tawnee just arrived back at the rescue from being in Nebraska helping with the rescue effort at 3 Strikes Ranch. Around 192 mostly wild and emaciated horses, mainly mustangs, were removed from the ranch under the guidance of the Sherrif department, Humane Society of the United States, and many representatives from horse rescue organizations including NorCal Equine Rescue. From our perspective it looked like a majority of the horses were stallions, but we have not received word on a final count of mares, geldings and stallions. We cannot go into detail about the rescue as it is a criminal investigation, but here are news story links with plenty of pictures.

Omaha Herald

Denver Post.

9 News

The third NorCal volunteer who went to Nebraska is still there to assist with the continued care of the horses.

Jason and Tawnee only received about 12 hours of sleep since Tuesday morning so today's blog is a short synopsis. On Sunday's blog we will be writing about this weeks events.

4-23-09

Yesterday morning we flew into Denver, Co and drove 250 miles to Nebraska. We did what we could yesterday, but today was the major rescue day. This morning we got up bright and early, and got to work. There were people assisting from Florida, Washington, California, it really was a national effort that came together to get things done.

The stock trailers were pulling up, ready to load horses and take them to safety. We were flown to Nebraska to assist in loading the horses into the trailers.

Unfortunately most of the media we took at the rescue cannot be shown as it is a criminal investigation. However, NER staff loaded and assisted in loading about 150 horses today. These were emaciated, wormy, no hoof care, untrained mustangs of every color and temperament. There were the calm ones that hopped right into the trailer. There were the wild ones that tried to climb over the panels, and every mix in between. There skills and training were certainly put to the test today, but in the end they, along with many other wonderful people, got the job done.

Since one of NorCal's staff is camera shy, he/she took the picture of the rest of them. The smiling lady on the left is Cathy, from Fugly Horse of the Day blog. She drove/flew here to Nebraska to assist with the rescue. It's been great to meet her and put a face to the blog. As you can tell, the big skies of Nebraska really let the sun shine on us today, despite the threatened thunder storms.

4-22-09

This is a special previously scheduled post.

If you are reading this, it is because Jason and Tawnee have not had an opportunity to access the Internet and update you on what is happening. Their presence was requested by a national animal welfare organization to assist in an equine rescue of hundreds of horses that desperately needed help thousands of miles from our rescue operation in California. Jason and Tawnee have flown to the site where experienced rescuers are needed.

The horses at NorCal are cared for by on site volunteers.

Jason and Tawnee will post on the blog as they can, but expect absolutely amazing updates, stories and adventures. Please check back soon.

Click Here for pictures of the horses.

4-21-09

Today we worked on spring cleaning the rescue. There are a lot of things that had to be done, one of which was re-staining the picnic table and swing. Tawnee and Claire scrubbed the picnic table clean so it would be ready for a fresh coat of stain.


Remember the twine ball? Well, it's been awhile since we talked about it. Unfortunately everyone involved lost interest in it, such a shame because it was getting quite big. Claire said a final goodbye and tossed it into the trash can.

It's also the time of year when the flies start flying and fly traps need to be hung up. We purchased quite a few fly traps after last years fly season when they were cheap, but we can always use some more, if you have an extra, we would love to have them.

By this time the picnic table was dried and ready for its new layer of stain. Claire did a good job and got it looking pretty.

There was some trim that needed to be put on the tack room, here Jason is pounding the final nail in one of the trim boards that was painted by volunteer Larry. There's still a lot more to put on, unfortunately it didn't all get on today.

The coats of stain were still going on the picnic table. In the end the picnic table and swing came out looking really nice and ready for a new idea: names! We are going to be working on a fundraising plan were people who donate above a certain amount get a space on the swing or picnic table for their name to be burned into the wood. Stay tuned as that idea becomes reality.

The equine scale needed to be moved and relocated, but for now it was just moved out of the way. It has been set up by the round pen, but needs to be by the quarantine area. It was sure nice having the tractor there to move it, last time it was moved it was all man power, it was really nice to see the tractor do the work instead.

Some visitors came out today to see JT who they have placed on hold. They really loved him and he did his best to impress them by showing them how well he can play in the round pen. He rolled, he pranced, he galloped around with glee. We think his impressing did some good, they were all smiles while they left.

4-20-2009

While Jason was at the vet he had to visit Prince. He is getting so big, is doing very well and is oh so adorable.
It's amazing, when he was born he was so boney and so thin. He was so little he could walk under his mommy with no problem. Now, it just doesn't happen anymore.

Jason was at the vet to pick up Angelito and William, who were gelded, and Darby. They were all ready to come back to the rescue.

At the rescue Angelito and William were put in their pen. They seemed no worse for wear after their "brain surgery" and settled right in. Darby was unloaded too, but not for long as she was heading to her new home.

Meanwhile, Duke was getting some very special treatment that has never been done before at the rescue. We have heard about it, but until now, it hasn't happened. Duke was the lucky boy that got his front feet were casted.

Sally had met Duke and he figured out a way to wiggle into her heart. Sally had decided that for comfort he needed to have his front feet cast, so today she came out, volunteered her time and material, and got him really comfortable.

Soon she had his hoof cast. It was the same type of material as an arm cast, only it was wrapped around his hoof. Once it hardened she rasped it and soon it had the perfect finish.

Once both his front hooves were cast Sally was the first one to sign it. She signed "Hooves by Huggs" and then Tawnee promptly signed her name on it.

Duke was turned out into the round pen and he sure does love moving freely and without pain. He will be wearing them for 4 weeks, until his hoof walls can grow out and give him better support. Then, they will be removed and his feet will be re-examined.

While Sally was finishing up with Duke, Jason loaded Darby and headed off to take Darby to her new home. Darby is a very lucky girl to have such a great home. We know that her adopter will give her a forever home and all the tlc and medication she needs to stay comfortable. Thanks so much!

4-19-09

You may remember this little girl, Adrian, from the Lucky 7 group. If you want to read the Lucky 7 rescue story, click here. She came to us in October, and today she was placed in adoption pending.

We are so excited for her, she looks like an entirely different horse! We want to give the credit for her rehab to her foster mom, Kim. She has done a spectacular job of rehabilitating her and giving her the love she deserves. It's hard to believe that the magnificent horse, below, was just waiting to come out of the skinny, scrawny unloved and uncared for horse, above.

First thing this morning, while morning chores were being done, Sally came out with Daniell, an intern, for an all day trimming lesson. They got right to work.

It's always neat when the interns can come out to the rescue and work under the guidance of Sally. It really helps out the rescued horses, and since it is all donated time, it really helps out the budget too. It's a great place for interns to get hands on experience on uncared for hooves, not what you should see on a normal trimming route. Since we're always rescuing new horses, there is always new and uncared for hooves to trim into shape.

Deb showed horses to potential adopters today as well. Some of the visitors drove over 500 miles to visit the horses today. They fell in love with Penny and placed her in adoption hold.

Another visitor brought out a bunch of grain and beet pulp for the rescue . Thank you so much Aurora! We always appreciate when visitors bring feed for the horses, it sure is something we use a lot of around here.

Talking about feed, it was now lunchtime and a bunch of folks were hanging out around the picnic table enjoying a nice lunch.

Back in the barn, the new auction horses were getting their initial worming. Yeck, it sure tastes bad! Ceasar, shown below, thought it was particularly disgusting and he just couldn't get that yucky taste out of his mouth fast enough. Click here for Ceasar's information.

Sally and the student got back to work trimming hooves.

Aurora helped Jaime get some great pictures of the new horses.

Jason and Tawnee worked all day moving things here there and everywhere in between helping everyone else get everything done. Here they are moving roofing for the mare motel. And yes, they do have a color coded clothing uniform look about them these days. It makes it easier for visitors to determine who is staff and who is not. Hopefully soon the regular volunteers can match the uniform look.

Jason got a break from back breaking work and held the horse for Sally and Daniell for awhile. Sally and Daniell got a lot of horses trimmed today, we cannot thank them enough!

And then it was Deb's turn to help take pictures with Jaime. This is Passion, click here for her information.

When everything settled down and the visitors had headed home it was play time in the round pen. Pike and Jack really enjoyed themselves. Pike set the record for the most rolls. They really seemed to enjoy themselves.

Then it was the youngsters turn. They had a lot fun racing around the soft sandy area, playing and kicking up their heels in joy.

Jason took a neat picture of Prelude's eye. There's just something about looking into a horses eye that leaves an amazing feeling. Each horse has a story to tell, you can see pain, fear, joy and happiness, all by looking deep into their eyes. It is one of the most wonderful things to see a horses eyes go from fear and confusion to love and understanding. Click here to see the rest of Prelude. You won't be disappointed...

We got a cell phone picture update of Prince at the vet office. He is doing great! In the daytime he gets to spend some time outside playing in the open air. His play pen is filled with soft shavings so he can lay down without damaging his fragile body. He is an amazing little guy.

4-17-09 - Weekend

Today's rescue story took place in 2005 near Taylorsville, CA. We had been alerted to some horses living in terrible conditions. NER staff headed out with the camera to go check out what had been reported. Sure enough, the pictures speak for themselves. NER was told that the horses would get out on the main road all the time, and when they arrived it was evident why.

The horses were living in an old cattle holding area, which was falling down around them. It was unbelievable that the horses would actually stay in the pen most of the time, they could literally just walk out.

There were nails everywhere, pointing out ready to grab flesh as the horses squeezed past. There were boards laying in the pens with nails pointing up ready to puncture a hoof, the horses living condition was just terrible.

There was a pregnant mare that was living there. She was a beautiful white arab.

It was sad to think that if nothing was done, her baby would be born and grow up in these terrible conditions.

NER staff took the photo's and evidence directly to the District Attorney, and soon they were on the way to seize the horses. By this time it was pouring rain, making the rescue all that much more miserable. After slogging through the 6" of mud for hours, NER staff managed to get the horses into a smaller area and then into the trailer.

It was a warm storm, and the rain was melting snow in the high country. The rescue used to be down a little dirt road, across a river. You would have to drive through the river to get to the rescue. That day with the heavy rains it was flooding.

After checking the water depth they drove the horses safely across the river.

Soon the horses were settled in enjoying a nice meal.

It was nice to see the horses in safe fencing.

Both the horses were adopted into very loving homes. The pregnant mare surprised her adopter with a cute little baby mule.

The adopter came to us a year later or so and asked if we could find the mule a home. The adopter did not have the time needed to properly train the mule and felt she was not the perfect home for this precious girl.

We found her a great home and two years has passed. We got an update on her the other day, and she is doing great. She is living in a nice, safe clean pen.

Today - We have been working with media producers recently, who are in the process of making a documentary about horses. We recalled seeing a great documentary about the Mustang's, and shared it with the producers. We think you may enjoy it too, it really shows what goes on with Mustangs that are unfortunate enough to end up in the slaughter pipeline. It is called "Last of the Spanish Mustangs." We think you may really enjoy it, it is on Netflix Instant view if you have an extra hour. The host really does a good job keeping your attention.

4-16-09

Glory was adopted today! We are so excited that she has her forever home. It is always a good day when horses find their homes. We always have horses that need a home, so if you know of anyone that wants to add a horse friend to their home, send them our way!


Deb came out today to help out and evaluated some horses. We can't thank her enough for all of her wonderful help and her continued dedication.

Once done with the evaluation the horses seemed to love to roll in the nice new sand. We always have fun watching them roll with glee, not a care in the world.

Deb also evaluated the big black horse that was rescued from the auction last Sunday. He did great but was a little rusty.

He is so big and round Deb says it is like sitting on a couch up there. We are so glad he is not heading out of state.

When this guy decided to roll after his evaluation, he got stuck on his big flat black back and wiggled around trying to get back up. Soon though he was up on all fours again and he walked off with a pout on his face.

Jason got some much needed work done with the tractor, we are thinking the winter rains may be over. So, the area's that were muddy and rutted got flattened and smooth today.

We also moved some panels around today to get the pens situated better.

Inspector Twiggy strutted around the rescue making sure it was all in tip top shape. His only demand after the inspection was that our grain buckets hold in the grain too well, and we either need to fill up the buckets higher so some spills out, we need to put some holes in the side, or we need to make sure the feedroom door is left open. He says it's just not fair, he has to actually look for some food to eat. We sure enjoy having this little guy at the rescue, it really brightens up our day when we see him walking around, we just wish we knew where he came from.

Clair is still home sick so in addition to all his other chores Jason wrote almost 30 emails today. There are still over 100 to catch up on, so be patient, it will get replied to!

4-15-09

The 6th monthly euthanasia clinic was held today to give the horses that really needed it the last gift of kindness. It is always an extremely hard day on all of us and the horses owners. Our staff arrived at the vet at about 10:00, waiting for the horses to come.


People brought horses throughout the day. Many tears of sadness were shed as the last tearful goodbyes were said.

Tawnee had taken Darby out to the vet yesterday, and today she got a thorough examination. We have someone lined up to adopt her, she just wanted to know how many medical problems to expect. She will give Darby a wonderful home! Darby is going to be needing a lot of tlc and food.

X-rays were taken of Darby to complete her examination.

William and Angelito were next up after Darby was examined. Poor little guys didn't have a clue what was in store for them.

They had to be removed from their stall and taken into the operating room. They were a little confused and definitely wondered why they were there.

While Angelito was being gelded William stood there with a very concerned look on his face. Was the doctor going to take sharp instruments to him too?

But, soon, William was in a drug induced la la land and before he knew it, everything was done.

And then, they were back in their stalls no worse for wear, and no baby donkey's in their future.

We were really concerned about Darato when we rescued him from the auction on Sunday. He had a bad limp and he seemed to be in a lot of pain. We were hoping to rehab him and give him a new lease on life, but after his examination we knew that was not to be. He had received an injury, very likely from racing, and it was causing him a lot of pain, and if we left him to be, the arthritis would make him the most miserable horse around. The hard decision was made, but we are thankful that he knew love and kindness for his last few days and wasn't on a truck heading out of the country...

We see so many things at the euthanasia clinic. One of the mares that came in today had melanoma throughout her entire body. Even her mouth was so riddled with it that she could hardly eat. And then there was this horse, his hock was so calcified it was a huge mass.

He had to drag his hind leg around when he walked. His owner tried everything to save him, spent over $10,000 and did multiple surgeries, but alas, nothing could be done and he was in constant pain. It was a very tearful goodbye, but his owner knew it was the best thing.

This is another view of the horses hock.

This horse's tendon was completely ruined and she had no control over her hoof, and could not walk on her hoof properly. The owner spent a lot of money at the vet trying to help her, but once again, nothing could be done to save her in their situation and she was not getting better. This poor horse, every time she walked, her hoof would hang loosely and she had no support on that leg.

On the positive side of the day, Honey and Prince are doing great! Prince is getting bigger, stronger, and is doing very well. He's getting bigger so fast, but he is still oh so tiny.

Dr Weaver was spending a little time with him, and he wrapped his head and neck around her shoulder, as if to hug her and say "Thank you for saving my life."

After that, it was time for a snooze. Baby's sleep a lot, and premature babies sleep even more.

Thank you all for your support and allowing us to hold these euthanasia clinics, that are truly the last gift of love for so many horses.

4-14-09

Thanks to your generous donations, and a special thanks to Jennifer G's donation of $500, the April euthanasia clinic only needs $586 to be finished! Yes, the thermometer shows only $1,889 donated, but Jean donated $25 after the picture was captured. We are hoping that the funds will be donated by tomorrow for the clinic. The clinic is tomorrow (Wednesday,) so we definitely need the funds by Wednesday so we can pay the bill. These clinics are so merciful, so many of the horses that come literally do not have a good leg to stand on, and they deserve the last gift of love. Please help how you can, click here.

This morning Angelito and William were taken to the vet today to have their "brain surgery" gelding operation done. The plan is for them to go to their new home soon, but, first things first.

Darby, the Paso mare, and the Thoroughbred (Darato) that were rescued at Sunday's auction rescue, were taken to the vet today as well. We had some concerns about both of them and wanted to get them checked out.

Not even a mile from the rescue Tawnee came upon an accident that had just occurred. People drive very fast out here on the gravel roads, and it seems there are more accidents on this road than any other road around.

Thankfully no one was seriously hurt. One car came around the corner too fast, and this car lost control avoiding them, went up the bank and rolled. The people were trying to contact 911, but of course there was no cell service right there. Tawnee knew there was cell service just around the corner, and soon help was on the way. Just a reminder, drive carefully if you are coming to visit the rescue, you never know who will come around the corners at what speeds.

When Tawnee got to the vet she wanted to pop in and see Prince first thing. He is getting even cuter, if possible. He is growing very quickly and soon he will be a normal birth weight.

Channel 12 has a video up and they did a great job. Click here to watch the news story.

William and Angelito were unloaded and put into a stall to await their surgery. We took them to the vet a little early so they could have a day or two to settle in.

The vet who normally does our examinations was out today. The horses got settled in to await their examinations. Nothing wrong with an overnight at the vet
.

Before Tawnee left the vet office she had to take another peak at Prince. His color is definitely darkening up and changing a bit. He was pure white, almost albino looking, when he was born. We are just so thrilled and excited to see this little guy doing so well.

We had 192 bales of hay delivered today, good quality yummy hay for the horses. All told it was a touch over $2,000 for the load. Any donations towards hay would be greatly appreciated!

Troy drove right in.

Tipped up his machine and the hay was unloaded. The horses were all staring at the hay as it came it, they love it when new food is delivered!

WalMart called us to let us know they had another cart of feed to donate. We always appreciate their feed donations. Tawnee was on the way back from the vet, so she went to WalMart on the way. She had fun maneuvering the big trailer around the crowded parking lot.

In addition to the feed they also donated a couple lead ropes and halters.

After the afternoon feeding the hay stack didn't look quite so high. It sure is nice to have a supply of hay on hand that will last a couple weeks. It was cheaper to have it delivered than to go pick it up this time, oddly enough. We always do our best to find the cheapest good quality hay.

4-13-09

The April free euthanasia clinic, which is happening Wednesday, really could use your help! Horses are signed up that do not have the funds to pay for them. Can you help us give them the gift of love? Please click here. We only need $1,311, we can do it!

Sally and a barefoot trimmer intern came out today to give Tawnee a break from trimming the horses. There were plenty of horses that needed to be trimmed today that were rescued at the auction yesterday. First of all they gave Napoleon a masterful makeover on his feet.

Once Napoleon was done it was on to the new auction horses. The Post Auction Assesment team was unable to come out today, so Sally stepped in to fill the void and help out with the new horses. A nip here, a rasp there, Sally and the intern were making headway in getting them all trimmed up. This Paint gelding was such a good boy, he held perfectly still for quite awhile.

The folks that came out a few days ago thought one of the horses looked exactly like one they had owned 4 years ago and sold to a man who they thought would give her a forever home. They were shocked when they were visiting the rescued horses and they saw her. The horse belonged to the ladies mother, and today they came out with pictures to possibly make a positive identification. Sure enough, it really was her. It was wonderful to see this happy reunion. Their application is being processed and they hope to soon take her home and keep her forever.

And more trimming was done on through the heat of the day. Tawnee was busy taking photo's today, but in between she got some great pointers on trimming. Tawnee has been given a lot of great advice over the years from Sally and trims the rescues horses regularly, but it's always nice to have a refresher course and some help.

About this time Jason was off, afraid he was running late.

Off to where? To visit Prince and get him ready for a special occasion today. Jason found Prince laying in a warm sunny field, having his first ever sunbath. He was only given about an hours worth of sun. Premature foals have a hard time maintaining their body heat, so he couldn't stay out there too long, but he sure did seem to enjoy it. He is gaining weight rapidly and is quite the frisky little guy. When we first took him out to the vet he was a bag of bones, but he is looking great now. He has gone from 30 lbs to over 48 lbs in just 5 days!

Honey just loves her little boy so much. She is always standing over him making sure he is doing ok.

Prince had to be woken up so he could get ready for the special occasion. What was the special occasion?

Channel 12 news from Chico came out to the vet hospital to do a news story on the cute little guy. Jason was interviewed about what was going.

And then Dr Weaver, Prince's primary care veterinarian, was interviewed.

They have a text article up on their website, and the video should be up by tomorrow's blog we are hoping. Click here to read it.

Back at the rescue Sally and the intern were still feverishly working away on the horses hooves. They got a lot done and saved Tawnee a bunch of work! Sally even sharped Tawnee's hoof nippers for her. The intern did a great job too and was really great with the horses.

Finally around 4:00, 6 hours after they arrived, they were wrapping up for the day. We cannot thank them enough for getting so much work done and the generous donation of time they made to the rescue. It really helps out the horses!

Many of you have inquired about Facebook. We do have a Facebook, we don't' have a lot of time to work on it, but we certainly would appreciate some tips if you have some. Our Facebook email address so you can add us is: facebook@savethehorse.com. Find us, add us, and be our friend!

4-12-09

The April euthanasia clinic needs your help. It is currently at $1,124 with a goal of $2,500. That leaves $1,376 that needs to be raised. With your help we can gift the last gift of love to horses in need.
This morning Jason and Tawnee, along with a bunch of volunteers, headed out to the auction.

At the auction they got a good look at the horses that were there. It's always so sad seeing so many horses that were at the wrong place at the wrong time.

This horse caught Tawnee's eye. She saw the poor skinny guy and she said "I bet that is an off the track Thoroughbred." She checked his lip and sure enough, there was a tattoo. He was in pain and was definitely preferring not to move. Probably from an old injury. Tawnee determined that he would be coming back to the rescue so they could give him the help he needs.

After the auction everyone went out to meet the lucky horses that had been saved in the sale ring.

This is one of the volunteers haltering one of the horses.

The horse that was being haltered above is an elderly Paso Fino that is in extreme pain and almost refuses to move it hurts so much. She has problems with both her front and her hind end. Poor girl!

The skinny TB was in our pen too after the auction. Poor guy, you know at one time he was a magnificent horse, out there running down the track, winning money for people no doubt. Now he is skinny and was just sold at the auction for whatever his previous owner could get for him. It's sad that so many horses are bred as if they are disposable.

This is the Paso again.

This is a Mustang gelding.

This Paint gelding was also rescued today.

There was a group of young wormy horses at the auction, this is one of them.

This big fat guy had a KB bidding on him furiously, so Tawnee kept bidding. Finally the KB knew he could not make any money on his flesh, and he quit raising the bid. He is a gorgeous boy, and we are thankful he will not be heading out to slaughter.

Another one of the younger wormy horses.

This is an Arab that is supposedly trained to ride. She seems very sweet but doesn't like to be away from her friends.

All of the horses we rescued today are halter trained, it was nice for a change. It sure makes loading a lot easier. Once all the horses were haltered they were taken down to the loading area.

It's always fun seeing the line of horses with volunteers beside them heading to the safe ride to the rescue.

Once they all made it to the loading area they stood waiting for their turn to load. Another volunteer comforted the Paso and assured her that everything would be ok.

One by one they were led to the trailer, and without incident they all hopped in one at a time.

And then it was the long trip back to the rescue. It was nice getting back before it was completely dark for once. Thanks to all the volunteers we were able to get the horses found, sorted, haltered and loaded up quicker than normally.

The horses arrived at the rescue. They all had eyes bulging, wondering what new adventure awaited them.

The trailer was backed up to the loading area. This is the first time it was used for unloading auction horses and it worked absolutely fabulously. All the horses unloaded safely and seemed quite comfortable in their new surroundings.

It was so nice having the holding pens to put the different horses in. No more backing up to the round pen to unload horses or leaving the horses there overnight. This is a great improvement to the rescue and we are so excited to have these new holding pens.

The tired horses were able to sit back, get a drink of clean water, eat yummy food, and unwind from the day.

As the sun was setting the days events were winding to a close.

We would like to take a minute to thank each of you that donated to make today's auction a reality. With your support these 8 horses were saved from an unknown fate. And a big Thank You goes to all the volunteers that came to the rescue to help out today. It was great having a good team of volunteers that pitched in and did what they could do to help. Thank you!

"Prince" is currently in the lead for the name for the cute little premature foal. We will leave the voting open until tomorrow, so if you haven't voted yet, click here. We are planning on visiting him tomorrow to see how he is doing.

4-10-09

Sorry folks, no rescue story today. Friday is supposed to be a day off, but, it sure didn't happen today.

This is a weekend of celebration! Thanks to your generosity, the auction fundraiser has been finished! It was topped off with a $1,000 donation from Jennifer which made the thermometer fill up with the green stuff and overflow. We cannot thank each of you, and Jennifer G, for your generous support in saving lives. The April Euthanasia clinic, which the clinic is Wed the 15th, still needs $1,422. There are already horses signed up that are counting on this gift. Please help us give them the last gift of love. Click here.

Today found Jason and Tawnee on the road. It wasn't raining at the rescue, but as they headed up to the mountains the clouds got darker and heavier looking.

Soon they were on a little gravel road, heading through the hillsides. The road seemed to go on forever. The truck had to be put in 4wd, and it was pouring rain.

At the destination a cute little pony gelding was waiting for us. He is being surrendered to the rescue as his owner could no longer keep him. They had fed the last of their hay this morning, so it was imperative that we pick him up today.

Tawnee led him to the waiting trailer.

The pour little guy was a bit confused but he was glad to be in a nice dry place.

On the way back to the rescue they stopped by to see how the preemie baby was doing. He is doing great! He is gaining weight and is pretty feisty now, even bucking and kicking.

The baby got his medications while being held by a vet tech.

He was a good boy and didn't' seem to mind his shots too much.

He is just oh so cute!

And now, it's your turn. Thank you everyone for sending in the name idea's, we originally wanted to have 5 choices, but there were so many good ones, we could only limit it down to 6. Please click here to visit the poll and pick your favorite name!

They got back to the rescue, where it was sunny and dry, and unloaded the cute pony. His name is JT.

JT was introduced to Macho Man, Dottie and their pet goats through the fence...

Then it was time to get acquainted face to face. He was put in the new little critter pen. It is so nice to have a pen that keeps little critters safe.

The little guy is absolutely delighted with his new living conditions and pranced around with delight.

Have a great weekend!

4-9-09

The auction fund only needs $667 to reach the top. Some more donations came in after the following picture was updated. We know that it is very possible to reach our goal, please give what you can to save lives. If an excess is donated this month we will either transfer it to the May auction fund or we may attend more than 1 auction this month.

We were pleased and excited when we received a big box in the mail box today. Inside the box was several sets of panel holders for the side of a horse trailer. Here Jason is making sure it looks good. One of our blog reader's husband makes these, and after reading about us drooling over Placer County Animal Control's trailer, she offered to send some our way. We can't thank you enough! No more tying, jimmy rigging and repeatedly readjusting the panels on the sides of the trailers.

Today was yet another vet day. Napoleon had an appointment with a veterinarian that specializes in vision. Napoleon is suffering from some blindness and we wanted to learn what we could do to help him. So, an appointment was set up some time ago as the specialist only comes to town twice a month or so.

The first thing Tawnee did when she got to the vet was to visit the preemie boy. Tawnee found him sleeping peacefully and looking a lot healthier today. He is not so boney and bedraggled now. He is still very little and extremely thin, but things are looking up for him.

Napoleon was sedated and brought inside for his thorough eye examination.

The eye specialist got out fancy tools and went to work. His eyes were closely examined and tested with all kinds of instruments.

His eyes were also given an ultrasound. The examination showed that he has some old cataracts in both eyes. He still has vision in both eyes, but his vision is definitely impaired. The specialist informed us that Napoleon is not in pain, and he believes that his condition will not worsen. Tawnee asked him what he would do if Napoleon was his horse, and he explained that he would just leave him be. We are glad to hear that Napoleon's eye condition is not causing him pain. The specialist recommends a yearly checkup to ensure his condition remains the same.

Then, as soon as Napoleon's examination was done, Tawnee was back out with Honey and her baby. The vet reports "Honey is in love with her baby. The foal is doing very well, there are two heat lamps in his stall. He has had his second day of antibiotics and the IGG will be ready in the morning. Temparature is normal, and he has been eating well throughout the night and day." We are so thrilled he is doing so well. He is still extremely fragile, but everything is looking good. His stall is deeply bedded with clean shavings so when he lays down there will not be any pressure points on his tender skin.

Tawnee took a video of him as well, click here to play it or click the video below. He sure is a precious little guy.

Tawnee and Napoleon got back to the wet rescue. We are really enjoying the rain, even though it makes outside chores take longer.

We really need a cute name for the little guy, help us out! Please submit your name idea in the comment section of the blog or through email: info@savethehorse.com. We will put the top 5 names up for voting over the weekend. The voting will be the same way we did with Twiggy.

4-8-09

As you all know, Honey, the pregnant mare at the rescue, was just getting bigger and bigger. Every signed showed that she was getting near to giving birth. The last few days the signs were getting really obvious. Tawnee has been making countless treks to the stall day and night, but as usual, the mommy learns your schedule and times it just right to have her baby in privacy. Early this morning we were greeted by this cute little face. We found this cute little face concerning though...
This foal was the smallest horse foal we had ever seen from a standard horse. He is oh so tiny!

Tawnee wanted to give the baby a great first impression of people and a little imprinting time. We were all very concerned about the little guy.

He had a good appetite though, and he figured out rather quickly where the source of food is.

His poor little body is extremely thin. He managed to be tall enough to nurse and he seemed to really enjoy getting some warm nourishment.

There was a cold breeze so Tawnee got a foal blanket. The new baby was so little he was lost in the blanket.

Tawnee got some more blankets and soon he was snuggled up nice and warm for a nap.

A premature birth crossed all of our minds. Honey's outward signs were telling us everything was normal, but the little foal was telling us otherwise. Tawnee called the vet to tell them she was bringing a mare and foal who would need to stay awhile. Like most baby's he liked his blankey.

The little guy only weighs about 30 lbs. Tawnee gently carried him to the waiting truck.

Honey loaded right into the horse trailer, and then it was time for the little guy to have his special ride. There was no way he could ride in the trailer with Honey.

So he got to ride in the truck on a volunteers lap. It seems to be a reoccurring situation, a little horse sitting in the back of a rescue truck.

He was a great passenger and fell asleep on the way to the vet.

After Tawnee and the volunteer headed out to the vet with Honey and the baby, we had a horse show up early for the euthanasia clinic. We are told he is an 8-10 year old decently trained to ride QH gelding that has cushings. They couldn't afford the medication costs, so they brought him to us.

He is a very pretty boy. We are hoping to find a home that can provide the medication he needs. Our euthanasia clinics are directed towards senior horses who are suffering due to arthritis and other incurable ailments. This is why we have the option for adoption when people sign the release form for the euthanasia clinic.

We had a volunteer clean the mare motel and muck a couple stalls today. He was a very studious worker and got it shining very quickly. Jason would take the horses out of the stalls, the volunteer would get the stall looking prim and proper in no time, then the horse would be put back in their stall. Thank you, we really appreciate your help!

Meanwhile Tawnee was at the vet and was reuniting Honey with her baby after the ride. She sure was happy to have her baby at her side once again. This photo shows how little he really is.

The vet and tech went to work right away evaluating the situation and starting the baby on special meds.

The vet determined that he is 20-30 days premature. The cause of his premature birth is unknown. Tawnee was concerned that since we had some new horses come into the rescue that maybe Honey was stressed and gave birth early. But, since her outward signs of being ready for birth, dripping milk etc, were happening prior to birth the vet does not believe it was an external stimuli or cause, but rather somtimes things happen that are unpreventable. We just have to make best of the situation.

This little guy has a lot going for him. He is strong willed and has a good appetite. There are a lot of complications that can happen with premature foals, but the vet feels this little guy might just make it.

One thing the vet is going to check out is that it is plausible that Honey was pregnant with twins and there may still be another foal in there. If so, we are hoping that Honey will carry it to full term. Like all mares we suspect are pregnant when they come into our rescue, Honey had an ultrasound to determine that she was indeed pregnant. The baby was too big at time of ultrasound to determine how many foals where in there, but it certainly confirmed that Honey was indeed pregnant.

After the little guy had a nice long drink of milk, he settled down and the vet tech gave him another check over.

He is such a cute little guy. So little and so helpless and fragile.

When Tawnee had to leave he was sound asleep under a heat lamp to stay warm. He is such a tiny little adorable baby. He almost just blends into the shavings he is so small.

Honey's baby's vet care will cost about $1,000 is what we are quoted so far. There is an auction rescue coming up on Sunday, but we have decided to reduce April's auction fund to $2,500 so we can focus our fundraising efforts on Honey's baby. Please help us pay for his emergency care, we were all rooting for Honey to have a healthy, happy baby, but the cost never entered our minds as we loaded him up for the trip to the vet for the care he needs. Click here for more information.

4-07-2009

Thanks to several generous donations coming in, the auction rescue fund is currently at $1,683. This only leaves $3,317 left to go. The horses that will be so thoughtlessly dumped at livestock auctions this month are counting on all of us to do what we can.

The first phone call of the day was a very excited adopter. "Freckles had her baby!" the excited voice on the other end exclaimed. She had adopted Freckles from us knowing she was pregnant. Last night was the night that a cute little horse entered the world. We are so happy for them and would like to thank Agent X for attending the Orland auction and rescuing Freckles.

The two horses that came in yesterday were moved out of their temporary holding pen into their separate stalls this morning. They had spent the night together with food and water so they could get comfortable to the surroundings before being separated. The new holding pen area worked flawlessly, all the gates in the right places, all the runs just perfect.

Twiggy, sensing the impending bad weather, came to the rescue to fill up on grain that horses had dropped and other tidbits of good food. It sure is nice having a little guy picking up bits and pieces of grain that would otherwise go to waste. He certainly brightens our day as we see him happily walking and flying around the rescue. We are so glad he decided to make this his home base.

Some visitors stopped by that wanted to help out, so they helped finish the stall cleaning. They also wanted to visit the other horses, they seemed to enjoy romping around visiting each one. After they left Tawnee got a phone call from them. It turns out that one of the horses here at the rescue, Hope, used to belong to them. They took a picture of her here at the rescue, verified it with the pictures they had at home, and sure enough, everything matched up. They were sad and shocked to see their old horse here. Unfortunately this is not the first time people have found their previously owned horse at the rescue. So many times people believe they have found a forever home for their horse, but in the end they find it at NorCal Equine Rescue instead of the loving home they placed it in.

Ann Marie came out today. We haven't seen her in quite some time. She was hiding out during the winter months, but now that spring is here she is planning on starting up volunteering again. We really missed her smiling face and cheerful attitude and are glad that once the days warm up she's planning on coming back.

Ann Marie is looking for a horse for her daughter to call her own. Gina met a few different horses today that Tawnee thought might be a good match. Here she is visiting Glory.

Tawnee also showed Rambo to Gina and Ann Marie. But, Rambo has a little too much spunk for them. They will certainly keep visiting the rescue to find the perfect horse to add to their family.

About this time the rain began to consider getting everything wet so Jason dropped what he was doing and covered the hay. It sure will be nice when the barn plan engineering gets finished, the county is satisfied, and we can raise the hay barn up and never have to tarp again.

Meanwhile Tawnee was still showing horses and the rain began to fall earnestly. Tawnee's mind kept drifting to the covered indoor arena at the property we are looking at. Rain, shine or wind, it wouldn't matter out there.

Honey, our pregnant girl, is still holding out. She can't go much longer. Any day now, there will be a new little life at the rescue. We would like to thank a visitor that came out on Sunday for sending her husband out with some special stuff just for Honey.

If you love horses, we strongly recommend you check out this webpage. You could make a difference in the lives on thousands of horses. Click here.

4-6-09

We would like to take a minute out of our busy rescue operation to alert you to a stolen horse in the Bangor, Ca area. She was stolen about a month ago. If you see this horse, please contact us right away. He owner has been putting up signs and flyer's, but they have all been ripped down, leaving her owner to believe she is still somewhere in the area. She contacted the police, Animal Control, Humane Society, and us. She is an 11 year old bay mare, she has a star, 1 hind sock on the right. Her owner raised this horse from a baby and would desperately love to have her back.

Jason hooked up the trailer and was ready to head out right after feeding was done this morning.

Larry offered to ride along and lend assistance on this rescue. Jason and Larry were heading down to pick up two horses. They were two horses that someone with a nice pasture had offered to care for short term, but then the owner never picked them up and left a voicemail that simply said "Shoot them in the head or whatever." The people that owned the pasture were not horse people and could not care for the horses any longer.

Upon arrival Jason found two horses hanging out in a large (approximately 8-10 acre) pasture, certainly well fed and not underweight! They were told that one was easy to catch and possibly load, but the other was going to be trouble.

Sure enough, one of them was a pretty tricky horse, but she knew her foster family and she was coaxed into the trailer without much trouble.

Jason and Larry, along with Little Man and Jazzy, arrived back at the rescue safely.

April and Tawnee had finished getting the paneled sorting area ready for them. So, it was used for the first time today, and it functioned flawlessly!

They settled in and enjoyed taking long looks around. They sure are both beautiful! Unfortunately their feet have been neglected and they both need some farrier care. The dun is a Mustang and the Chestnut is a QH, supposedly purebred. These two could certainly use an exercise program.

Larry and Danielle immediately got to work putting up the trim on the tack room. It's amazing what a little trim will do to enhance the appearance of a tack room.

Towards the end of the day we finally got an appointment to look at the horse property that is for sale with the realtor. It's a really amazing place! It has a big roomy office, seen below.

And an even bigger and roomier barn. The stalls just keep going and going...

The riding arena is quite spacious and comfortable with nice sand, a sprinkler system, lights, and ceiling vents to cool it all down.

It even has lush irrigated pastures. Only time will tell, but even if it ends up not being NorCal's permanent location, it is always fun to plan and dream.

Jason worked hard on an E-news this evening, and sure enough, it made it on its way! If you did not get yours, please click here to read it online.

Please remember the April Auction rescue fund, click here to donate if you can.

4-05-2009

Look at that gorgeous horse. This horse, Shya, now named Latte, was seized in a large animal control seizure and then we adopted her into a great home. We received this update and some photo's: "Here are some pictures of Latte taken today at the dunes. This was the first time that we had turned her loose to explore. As you can see she has gained a lot of weight and is looking good." She sure does look good!

This April Auction Rescue fund is currently at $1428. The next scheduled auction rescue is coming right up, we certainly hope the funds are there to save horses lives. We would like to thank each and every one of you that donates the gift of being rescued.

Like mother, like daughter. Jaime was out helping with the morning feeding, and tagging along was her to help feed was her little girl. We cannot tell you how wonderful it is to have hard working knowledgeable volunteers to help lighten the load of our staff. It is truly a blessing.

Larry and April came out and Larry got right to work painting trim boards for the tack room.

April and volunteer Danielle got to work sorting excess tack for an upcoming tack auction. The extra funds will certainly be useful in helping horses in need.

Meanwhile, Jaime was attacking the office. She could see that Tawnee did not start rescuing horses just to keep up with an office, and that it needed help. So she got right to work on it and soon it was sparkling.

Deb also came out this morning and started hanging out with the horses. It was really nice not to have a windy, rainy Sunday. The horses could actually be worked with in safety without the howling wind. Deb also showed horses to potential adopters.

Meanwhile Jason and Larry (not pictured) were moving panels, working away quite diligently.

Volunteer Danielle got to work putting the ID tags together. She was very helpful and did what she could do to help.

Ok, for you ladies, there are some fine handbags that were donated to be used at the silent auction at the skating party June 24th. They are name brand bags, not names that Jason and Tawnee recognise, but certainly worth a look! Thank you so much for you generosity Donna, who adopted Sweetness. We hope that others will apprecaite your generousity and will bid the bags high!

Donna placed Red on hold, and the other reason for their visit was to come see him. She is in love with him, but as he has some lameness they are planning a vet exam for him to get some x-rays done.

Danielle needed to get 6 hours of volunteering in for school, and here she has proof that she got it done! We certainly hope we don't lose you as a volunteer just because you did your time. (No, she did not commit a crime, she has been awarded a scholastic scholarship, and part of the deal is she needed to do some volunteering.)

Jason's project continued growing and growing, literally. These are holding pens for horses when they first come in from being rescued. Previously we had to put them into the round pen, but no more. There are separate holding pens, alleys, gates, and it all leads into the two mare motels.

Tawnee lent a helping hand when she could to the panel project.

Deb continued working and evaluating the horses. Buddy is a really sweet boy. Buddy is currently in adoption pending, but we have a lot of other horses that really need a home!

Visitors continued to come through the rescue as the day wore on. It's certainly nice to see potential adopters coming to see if there is a perfect match for them.

As the sun beat down, Jason's project continued along unabated. Carrying panels, fastening them together, it was quite a project.

From time to time Tawnee would slip away from her many other duties and lend a helping hand on the particularly heavy panels.

Here is the mare motel waiting for its roof.

Tawnee spent a lot of time working with Button. First she had to be separated from her mommy. Then she had to learn that people were not out to hurt her. Finally she settled down enough to get a halter on for her first leading lesson.

Button did great for her first experience of being handled by people. At first she was terrorized, and then she learned that we were not going to hurt her and she relaxed. Jamie named her button because, quite frankly, she is as cute as a button.

Jamie brought her fancy digital SLR today and together with Amber she took a lot of pictures of the horses.

After taking the photo's she uploaded them to Petfinder.

As evening came on Tawnee let Angelito and William out to explore the new maze of the panels. They had a lot of fun exploring this way and that. They were very curious about the new holding pens. Unfortunately they have started getting into mischief so they are no longer allowed to roam around.

As the sun began to set the horses were munching, drinking, and enjoying the cool evening air. Another busy day at the rescue has come to an end.

4-3-09

This story is the story of a racehorse.

This horse was owned by West Point Thoroughbred Inc. He was born in Kentucky and made his way to California.

Yes, he was a beautiful boy. Simply gorgeous and an amazing athlete.

The West Point Thoroughbreds wrote an article about one of his races that he had won. The article follows:

"Horse racing does not give points for style, but Esoteric Thinker certainly showed a flair for the dramatic in the MSW race on June 1st getting up in the absolute final stride to break his maiden at Golden Gate Fields. Esoteric Thinker was sharp early sitting a little closer to the pace than normal after breaking from the far outside post. He settled nicely down the backstretch and began inching closer on the turn for home. He continued his run into the stretch but then had to wait behind the tiring leaders at the eighth pole. It looked like he might lose a lot of momentum, but Esoteric Thinker showed a lot of heart. Russell Baze shifted Esoteric Thinker out at the sixteenth pole, and Esoteric Thinker came again hard to get up by a nose in the shadow of the wire. O.J. Jauregui said, "That was a heart stopper. The horse was training great going into the race. I knew we would run well, but we almost got a little unlucky. We had to wait in the stretch and I thought it might cost us, but Russell (Baze) did a great job getting the horse going again. We were a little more involved early, and the horse showed a lot of heart. He never stopped trying, and he showed the will to win. He came back from the race even better than when he went into it. He cooled out great, and he was full of himself back in the barn. He ate up, and you could see he felt good about himself." Russell Baze said, "I thought I was on the best horse, so I tried to give him the cleanest trip possible. The ten hole is tough going a mile, but the horse came back to me very nicely. He settled then responded when I asked him. We had a little trouble, but when I asked the horse he kept giving me what he had. He was dead game." Esoteric Thinker earned $16,500 for the win. He came out of the race superbly, we will look for an "a other than" allowance for him later in June."

His last recorded race that we can find was at Santa Rosa on July 26, 2008 where he was claimed for $6,250. In October of 2008 he found himself at a livestock auction. After the auction Tawnee was looking around trying to see if any of the kb's were loading up horses, and the only one she could spot was this great big off the track TB. With a little bargaining with the kb, this big guy was unloaded from the kb's trailer into the safety of Norcal's trailer. Yes he really did have 3 saddles on its back.

Once arriving at our rescue his feet were trimmed, he was evaluated and became available for adoption.

A wonderful individual stepped forward to give both "Cruzo" and Durham a wonderful home. They were taken to the vet to prepare for the long trip to their new home.

Back in Missouri the stalls were ready for Cruzo and Durham.

Finally the big truck made the long trip from Ca to the horses new home.

Cruzo was unloaded and took his first look around.

Cruzo and Durham were settled into their stalls for the first night at their forever home.

Both of these lucky horses are doing great today and their adopter could not imagine life without them. Both of these horses were purchased directly from KB's and would be dead today if we had not rescued them. The sad thing about racehorses is they can have fame and glory, turn around, and find themselves on death's door. Thankfully for these two their worries are over.

4-2-09

We got an update on Adrian today. She is being fostered by Kim and Rico. They are doing an absolutely awesome job with her! Take a look at her now...

..and this was poor sad Adrian when she was first rescued. Skinny, sad, and so dejected looking. What a huge improvement!

We got an update on Precious Boy, now named Cali: "He is fitting in great and likes his new home. I have a picture that I'm sending in a separate mailing of Cali enjoying "breakfast in bed" last week, I thought you'd like it."

Today was the update day and we also received an update on Jasmine: "She is allowing me to pick up her feet and she has had her feet trimmed. She is such a beautiful little girl and she is very playful. Her favorite game is chasing my mini horse around the pasture. I think that with more time and training she will be an excellent show horse. I'm hoping that by next year I will be able to start showing her at local schooling shows."

At the rescue this morning Tawnee was taking one of the horses for a walk when Byron came driving in with his big dump truck full of sand.

The sand was for the round pen, after being used all winter the round pen really needed some new sand.

Byron was also bringing out a load of gravel so we set up some cones to mark where the gravel was to go.

The new holding pens need gravel under them, and it sure is a lot easier to put the gravel down before the pens are in place.

Tawnee caught a photo of Dottie and Macho Man smooching this morning. They're sure cute and definitely enjoying their new pen.

We got a call to pick up a horse. She was left on a pasture during the fires last summer, it's a long story but she needed a place to go. She just couldn't stay on the pasture any longer. The road heading back into the woods is where Tawnee spent a large portion of her childhood...

...with her little pony.

The mare didn't want to load, and she took a very long look at the trailer. Some "cowboys" had come previously and tried to load her into a trailer unsuccessfully. They then tried backing her into the trailer, a gate was broken, and they left without her, thankfully.

With Tawnee's gentle persuasion she finally got into the trailer.

Back at the rescue an elderly, very skinny horse was brought early for the Euthanasia clinic. His owners told us over the phone that he couldn't' wait until the 15th, and sure enough, he can't wait.

They said he colicked recently and ever since he has been losing weight like a rock.

He has sores all over his body. Our first thought was to take him to the vet immediately.

We brought him some equine senior and he seemed to settle in. We are planning on taking him to the vet tomorrow after he has a peaceful night. It is sad that he is in such bad condition. If you see your horse deteriorating, please have your vet do a quality of life assessment!

Tawnee arrived back with the mare. She was quite excited to see other horses.

We got her settled into a nice stall with great food and clean water and soon she began to relax.

Our round pen got it spring makeover today. As like many of us through the winter months, we change shapes, and that had happened to our round pen. Today we made it round again and took out all the little extra corners.

Jason went to work spreading the sand.

After the sand was spread Tawnee harrowed it with the 4-wheeler.

Then it was off to work on the new holding pen area. The gravel got smoothed out...

...then the panels were put up. At least some of them were put up.

They got quite a few put up, and by then it was drawing on towards evening time.

About this time Jamie came out to help in the office. We are definitely missing Claire and it was so great to have Jamie lend a helping hand.

And of course Tawnee had to take the evening sunset picture. It rained just enough to drag Jason out again to cover the hay. At which point it quit raining.

Shortly before 9:30 PM Jamie headed off home. Thanks for volunteering late into the night!

4-1-2009

Thanks to your generosity the April auction fund is currently at $1,328. Please help spread the word that horses are counting on all of us to help them out this month!

Today Jason had to head off to get more hay. Another 80 bales, another $1,000. The horses sure seem to love the hay, they eat and eat and eat!

Angelito and William are the cutest little guys. Their adoption process is almost complete. Their new mom was approved today, and we are proceeding with the adoption. They will be boarded for a little while before heading down to be with their new forever home. We sure will miss them!

Kari came out this morning to help out however she could. The stalls needed to be cleaned, so she hopped right on it. Claire will be out of the office until the 13th. Tawnee is taking over the phones and Jason will try to get as many emails replied to as possible. But, it's hard to write an email when you're spending the 2 hours getting hay...

Kari and Tawnee gave Nook a bath, he definitely needed it! It was nice to have a warm enough day so that he didn't get the least bit chilled.

Belina also got her makeover done today.

Suzy had the most extreme makeover, she had her first experience with clippers as the remainder of her shaggy winter coat was clipped off. She sure ended up looking quite pretty!

The attractions are being built for the fun-day on June 24th at Cal Skate! Here Jason is building a jail. If you're wondering why, come on June 24th from 1-8 pm and you can find out what the jail is for.

After visitor hours, Wisp was loaded up to go to his new home. He was a good boy and hopped right in to the trailer. Belina was already in the trailer waiting to go to her new home. These two horses were heading off on the rest of their lives, although it was to different adopters.

Wisp seemed to enjoy meeting his new horse neighbour, the dark mare was rescued and they rehabbed her. She looks great! Wisp's new family is so excited to have him home, he will have a great home and will be well loved.

Belina arrived at her new home as the sun was setting. The lady had recently lost her 32 year old horse, leaving its 26 year old companion lonely and bewildered. The lady has decided to add Belina to her family, and her horse couldn't be happier.

Belina's new mommy showed her around her new pen and they were all quite happy.

The vet that has been seeing Midge came out to see him once again today. The vet stated that Midge has lost weight since the last time she had seen him, and his feet were still very sore and he needs shoes. It is very important for horse owners to follow their vets advice when it comes to caring for their horses. We are really sad that Midge's adoption did not work out, but it is a testament to our adoption screening process and the skill of our staff matching horses up with adopters that so few adoptions don't work out. Midge is definitely brighter eyed and seems a lot more content these days being on rest, and having all the good food he can eat. In the end, we did not have to ask that Midge's adopters return him, they chose of their own free will to return him to our care. All horses that we adopt out are welcome to come back into the rescue program at any time.

Tawnee finally got back to the rescue about 10:30 pm after delivering Wisp and Belina to their new homes. We are still waiting to go see the amazing horse property, thanks for all your encouraging words about it, it would certainly be amazing! Only time will tell...