One month follow up on Bart

It's been a few weeks since I have posted. There really hasn't been a whole lot to update. Bart is continuing to thrive & gain weight. He has warmed up to me a lot! Although he can be very stubborn he seems to enjoy being loved on! Last week Bart got a blanket sent to him in the mail! Thank you Dwayne!!! I turned him out in our arena the other day and he enjoyed moving around more and rolling in the dirt!


I love to clean his stall because he follows me around like a puppy dog. So it takes me half as long to clean it because I can't resist stopping to love on him...he drops his head and closes his eyes...it's sooo sweet!



I am still feeding him just alfalfa hay & pellets several times a day. He's starting to put weight on especially in his hips.

18 days follow up on Bart

Bart is continuing to thrive & gain weight! He's becoming more social and accepting of us too! He'll follow me around while I clean his stall....probably thinking I have a treat for him! :) I have a hard time catching him to put a halter on him....he turns his butt to me...so we are working on that. I've been getting him out more for exercise. He has some swelling just above his hind feet either from sitting around too much or having really short feet. I still am having donations come in to help with his care. I continue to be in awe at how generous & compassionate people have been towards Bart! He has no idea how many people have rallied to help him!

I did receive a call back from Animal Control. The last I heard they have been trying to get in contact with the homeowner Bart was seen at. I suggested they take a picture of Bart and interview the neighbors....maybe they can shed some light on how long Bart was at this house.

Special thanks to:
Jennifer
Laurie-5 bags of pellets
Kelli-2 bags of pellets
Sharon
Ginny-donation towards his vet bill
Ms. McEboy
Pippa

1 week follow up on Bart

I've had a few people ask me how I got Bart's name! Since he was found on Barton Rd. I came up with 'Bart'!

Okay so back to the 1 week update! :) He is doing really good! I can see a little weight gain...his ribs don't seem so prominent and his belly looks more full. The weight gain on the back bone, hips & butt will take the longest. He loves to eat and knickers at us everytime we come near him. He even trots around his stall. He's not real social and doesn't really want to be loved on. He just wants his food and to be left alone! ;)

I got some great information of Refeeding a starved horse from a lady who contacted me through the first email I sent out. After reading the article I decided to take away the grain, beet pulp, & carrots that I initially was giving him. All those goodies can cause liver, kidney, & heart failure rather quickly. So for now he is getting several small feedings of soaked alfalfa hay & pellets. In a few weeks I can slowly add back in the goodies.

Above are pictures taken today. I also took some pictures to show the difference of a 'normal' horses hind end compared to Bart's hind end (below). There is soooo much muscle & fat loss there.

Our roan mare (left) Bart (right)

Special thanks to everyone who has donated to Bart!
Dwayne-horse blanket
Tony-pellets, grain, wormer, & carrots
Wade & Michiko
Teri D
Debbie @ Heavenly Acres
Maureen
Georgania
Gina-coupons from Kruse
Allison & Brown
Lea
Don & Libby-carrots & grain
Matt & Kim S
Kim B & Dually
Dad
Mrs. Sullivan

Newest Rescue Horse "Bart"

On 10/5/10 I rescued a horse found roaming free in my neighborhood. Neighbors of mine actually found him (on Barton Rd) and were walking him back to their house. I was driving my son to school when I saw them and stopped to ask what was going on...which I already new the answer too based on his condition...he was dumped off! My neighbors were going to call Animal Control to have him picked up. I was pretty confident that he would be put down based on how skinny he is. So I decided to take him in.

Now I will back track a bit. The neighbors that found him Tuesday morning actually had seen him at a home in our neighborhood while they were on a trail ride. When I initially approached my neighbors on the street there was another man on horseback there, persumabley from this house in question. He stated he had 'found' this horse the day before and either had called or was going to call Animal Control. Once I said I would take him he left and I didn't think anything of it. When my neighbors got back to my house with "Bart" they told me they had seen this horse the night before and think he was set free on purpose. They think someone at the house saw them looking over the fence at "Bart" and decided they better get rid of him. There are other horses & small animals at this house. My neighbors said the horses were skinny but not as skinny as Bart and she would be calling animal control about what they saw and what happened to Bart. I also have a call into Animal Control.

Once I got Bart settled in a stall I offered him hay and he immediately started eating. Later that day I offered him apples and he loved those too. I had the vet out the same day I got him, Oct. 5. He did a overall health check and said despite being so skinny he is healthy. He has a heart murmur but felt it was from lack of nutrition and would most likely resolve as he gains weight.
The vet estimates his age between 25-27! He does need his teeth floated but I will wait till he gains some weight & strength. Normal temp, good gut sounds, pooping & urinating, good appetite, feet are in decent shape, pretty flexible for his age & condition.....his recovering looks very promising!!! :)

I sent out a mass e-mail Tuesday night asking for donations for his vet & feed expenses. The response has been awesome! I have received so many e-mails with offers to donate money & food, mostly from people I don't even know! I'm so touched at the generosity that has been shown so far! My husband clients' have been equally generous as well as my family, friends, & neighbors...THANK YOU!!!!

Today has been Day 2 of Bart's arrival and he continues to thrive! He seems like a sweet old guy! He constantly wants to eat and knickers every time we check on him! It's so tempting to just load him up with hay & grain but I know we need to introduce food slowly so we don't run into any problems like colic!

Here are pictures of him currently....soooo sad, I know! :( This is not how a horse of his age should be treated!

I will update weekly with pictures to show his progress. Stay tuned...........

We've hit a brick wall!

I'm now starting to understand why I stay away from politics! I contacted Riverside Animal Control about the "Avenue B" horses. I got some very disturbing information! The owner of these horses has been under investigation for 2 years! 2 YEARS!!!! And he still has horses? How can this be I asked the Animal Control Officer! Because he can produce vet bills & hay bills that he is providing care, that is satisfactory to Animal Control...case closed! I ask, how can he be providing adequate care and these horses still are in this condition? They don't know but he continues to satisfy the pending citation is all that Animal Control can come back with. Amazing that the laws surrounding animal right is to protect the ones that do them the most harm! The Animal Control officer told me the owner is wealthy and is well known within the community! That makes me more infuriated! He doesn't want help and is not willing to let them go.

I had planned to feed & water them this morning with a gal who just started a horse rescue organization. I was in e-mail contact with an officer at Animal Control to let her know of our intentions to do so and that we had immediate homes for some of them. I also asked for their intervention on our behalf to make an offer of help to the owner. The e-mail I received back said they did not recommend I take the horses as that is stealing! WHAT??????? How was my e-mail misconstrued from an offer to help & feed to stealing?! 2 minutes later my phone was ringing from Riverside Animal Control! This is when I learned the history of their dealings with the owner. The Animal Control officer I talked to treated me like I was the criminal. My good attempts were being treated as if I were the one doing something bad! She warned me that I could be slapped with a Civil lawsuit if the owner felt I was harassing him by checking in on the horses. Maybe she was trying to protect me, I don't know, but my impression from the tone of her voice was more like "back off"!

So we are going to re-group, monitor the horses from a distance, and decided where to go from here!

Stay tuned!

Here we go again!!!

I don't know what it is with horses that I'm such a sucker for! I can't turn my cheek and pretend I didn't see these photos! The fire has been re-lit! A client of my husbands just started a horse rescue organization so she is rallying the troops to see what can be for this group of horses & ponies. Here is the e-mail I got from her and pics! It's tragic, my heart is sick...again!

Hi everyone,

Well, Venice and I went on a safari this morning, and these are the pictures we took. I have reported this situation to Riverside Co. Animal Control, along with sending these pictures to them as well. Yes, that is a zebra that you see! Certainly not been missing any of his meals lately, but most, if not all of these guys had signs of malnutrition, especially the palomino, as well as the mother and her baby. We saw no evidence of any water available to these animals, or any food, and it was 9:30 in the morning, so if there had been hay given, we would have seen the remains of food at least. Some of the horses were eating whatever was on the ground, dirt or droppings. Lots of nasty noses and draining eyes. Some of them had open sores. The pipe corrals are in disrepair, and there is no shelter from the sun, etc. The small foal is at risk of getting out of the corral or of having dogs/coyotes come in. I fully intend to follow up on this situation. The horses are located across from a house located at 18093 Avenue B; the nearest cross street is Alder St. Not far from Liston Stables. I’ve already sent the photos to Heather, but wanted everyone to have them. Call me or email if you have any other suggestions on how to proceed. I know that Kim rescued 2 horses last summer and had dealings with the Riverside Co. Animal Control folks (Thanks for your help Kim!)

Talk to you soon,

Nancy

Sandy has a new home!

Last Sunday (3/1/09), Chris & I took Sandy to his new home at Hanaeleh in Trabuco Canyon. Talk about a bittersweet day and an amazing journey I had with Sandy!

He loaded in the trailer with no problem and traveled like a champ. He had to cross a stream to get up to his new home. After a little coaxing he crossed the water beautfiully! He let out a big whinny when he saw his new horse friends. It was amazing to watch Elizabeth, the president & founder of Hanaeleh, handle him and calm his nerves. He responded so well to her in the first 10 minutes of him being there. He will get the care & attention he so much deserves.

I got a "first week" update from Elizabeth. In just a week she is able to pick up his front feet without him shaking in fear. Still working on his hind feet which is where he has been most terrified. He comes up to greet everyone now. He get's grain with dinner everynight. A volunteer spent an hour grooming him and getting him to relax, which he was at the end of that hour. A equine massage therapist is also starting to work with him by offering soothing herbal oils to calm his nerves. Eventually he'll get a massage....what a lucky horse!! I will be able to visit him and see his progress. I'm excited to see him be ridden!

Here are few pictures of Sandy & I at his new home!

Amazing to compare his before & after pictures!