Well now, it is 9 pm on Saturday night and Aubrie and I are about to go feed horses, burros, minis, goats, sheep, and whoever else is hanging around looking at us!  I thought that I would write a brief note before we go, since I will be anxious to hit the bed after the feeding is over.  We didn't come up from evening chores til 8:15, so our 'dinner break' is pretty short.  No rest for the weary, they say, and it is surely true here!

I took Princess Latika out for a little walk earlier, and she is quite the smart little filly.  She will go anywhere I go, and will stop to look at shading in the dirt but then will go on through.  She is wheezing and I am a bit concerned about her since she was so far down physically that pneumonia could be a problem.  You can imagine how impressed she was when I put Vicks in her nose!  What personality she has; everyone has fallen in love with her.  Just keep her in your prayers, and let us see her grow strong and healthy.  

I am using the Melaleuca products on Illusion's foot which has again become raw above his coronet band as it did last year after he cut it on a bolt (outside of his gate, I might add).  The process of cleaning it with Melaleuca antibacterial soap, then spraying the mixture of melaleuca oil and water, letting it dry, and covering with corn starch is actually making an amazing difference.  This is so much better and less caustic than using Wonder Dust (that is what we used last summer - container after container), and it was a never-ending battle.  After just one week of using the mix above, it is much less raw, and the cornstarch keeps it well covered.  

I also gave William the potbelly a bath using the liquid antibacterial soap (took off lots of the scabby, scaly skin), then rubbed him with the Melaleuca Intensive Skin Therapy.  He looks and feels *his skin* like a new piggie!  I love these solutions for animals that are actually not harmful in any way.  I am devouring the wellness guide!    

Off to feed I go, and let me again say how grateful we are to all of you who donate to us and help keep this ranch going!

What an exciting week we have had!

Sunrise & Midnight say Thank you for your support!

 

What an exciting week this has been!  We have so many generous supporters that our Groupon fundraising campaign has been quite a success!

We still have 2 days in our fundraiser but as of this morning we have had over 600 Groupons purchased!!   All we can say is WOW!!  Thank you! Thank you!  Thank you! 

If we reach 720 by Sunday August 19th, we will have raised enough funds to buy entire month's worth of hay to feed all of animals here at Dreamchaser.

Please share this with all that you know as we still have a little ways to go to reach our final goal. Remember, you do not need to be located in Arizona to participate in this fundraiser.  The animals and I are truly grateful for all that you have given.

Again, thank you for your support!

Here is the link to our Groupon.

Click on image to go to fundraiser

Dreamchaser Summer

The summer of 2012 has been mind boggling here at Dreamchaser, and I have been so busy that, at the end of the day when I need a few quiet moments to write, all I can think of is how fast I can get into bed!  Keep in mind that the final feeding here isn't over until after 10:00 pm, and I am generally feeding alone.  I also cruise through and check all the waters because I surely don't want any horses being without water in the night.  It is a long day, every day, and there are not many quiet times.  Sometimes I wonder how I keep going, but the animals are first and always will be.  

Big Red was saved from slaughter and came to the ranch on June 11, 2012.  He is a sweet Thoroughbred who just needs to have weight put on him and grow some good feet. 

Peanut arrived from auction on June 14 - one of our volunteers found her, butt tag and all.  She is pretty wild yet, but is growing and gaining weight. We got a halter on her twice only to have her manage to rub, rub, rub it off both times.   She is quite a pistol and definitely has abuse issues.

This little beauty has been named Princess Latika by Julie, our visitor from France who was here a month and won our hearts.  Princess Latika steals everyone's heart as well.  She is our mystery girl who was severely emaciated, with feet so long she was walking on her pasterns.

 
She arrived on July 30th, and this pic was taken on August 10.  She is looking so much better, and Chad Snyder, our farrier, trimmed all of her feet on August 3.  She is walking so much more correctly now!  Chad was so wonderful with her, and I let her lean on me a bit, so it was absolutely trauma free for her first experience.

On June 25, our fabulous Doc Tryon came out and we laid Inca and Honey down so they could have great foot trims, castrated Julius (who was WAY overdue), and floated teeth for Petie and Amber.  

We have been busy, but our animals are all making progress.  We are grateful for all of you who go to our website and donate. Without you, we cannot take such care of these precious beings.  Thank you.
www.dreamchaserhorserescue.org

BEAU

On July 2, 2012, we laid Beau to rest at Dreamchaser.  It was a day of tears, a day of defeat, as we could not give Beau a life without pain.  He had great love for Miss Kitty and Mahina, and was one of the gentlest spirits on the ranch.  When he arrived here, very, very thin, with terribly long feet and horrible teeth, everyone instantly fell in love with him.  His teeth got floated, he was dewormed and given shots, and he ate like a king in order to begin to gain several hundred pounds.  His feet were a tremendous issue, and we provided hoof supplements, glue on shoes, sole guard, and made progress little by little.  We could not undo all the damage done, and we did our best to deal with the laminitic issues that ultimately led to his euthanasia.  We love you Beau, and send you to dance with the angels.

1/23/12  Arrival at the ranch

7/1/12 visiting Mahina

Okay, I will admit that I am no computer or social media whiz, but why can I do a blog one time and have it work, yet hit publish another time and have it disappear?  I have written a couple of times yet they have never published, and I seem to have lost them somewhere in 'blogspace'.  So this is just a note to see if it works, and I hope to fill you in on the ranch later on.  I know I am hopelessly behind, but summer is tough and it has been hard to keep up with the horse chores and maintenance as well as the administration.

I am going to put some pics in of the most recent arrivals and then test to see if it all goes where it is supposed to!

Excuses?

Well now, I have about 70 excuses for being so behind on this blog.  I really thought I could just write a little every day, yet the days are long and so busy that it doesn't get done. I seem to be the woman who fights fires, reactive rather than proactive, and always hoping I can catch up! 

I cannot believe we are about to hit the month of June!  My mother in law was right when she said "The older you get, the faster it goes!"  By the way, I am feeling REALLY old.

Let me give you a few updates on the horses.  Rosie is still trying to recover from her mystery accident in January where we think she did the 'splits' and pulled groin muscles and tendons.  To my dismay, nothing seems to have helped her much.  She is now on Cosequin and MSM, a little bute, and half an hour walks per day.  She is showing muscle atrophy, and still has swelling in her hock and fetlock joint.  This makes no sense to me  and I truly wish we could afford to do a scan on her to see what else might be wrong.  We will x-ray the fetlock and leg, though Doc can't find pain reactions there.  She rests her right foot nearly all the time, which creates worry about laminitis issues developing in the left hind foot.

Beau, though now able to have front shoes on, still shows signs of laminitis in his left front.  This beautiful, loving boy has been through so much, yet he is still not sound.  His weight is good, he is happy with Miss Kitty and Mahina, and I would love to see him in our Lean on Me program, but I need to get him sound.  Laminitis is such an ugly word, isn't it?

Our little POA's, Mandy and Julius, may have found their forever homes with Devin, Shannon, and Cara.  Each day the family comes to spend time with them, and both horses are drawn to the family.  This may be the happy ending we want for them!  We will keep you posted!

Since I wrote last (April 12, shame on me), we have had Lean on Me programs both Saturday and Sunday every single weekend.  The program runs for three hours, but takes about five and a half from set up to take down.  We are thrilled to see the impact this has on our foster children!  They get excited about everything including the chickens and bunnies!  Many of these kids have never seen a horse or any other type of farm animal.  We are blessed to be able to offer this program to those who need it the most.  Your support will help us continue. 

An easy way to help raise money for Dreamchaser Horse Rescue

Here's a new easy way to raise money and awareness for Dreamchaser Horse Rescue & Rehabilitation. Just start using the new Dreamchaser Horse Rescue & Rehabilitation Visa® Platinum Rewards card for your everyday purchases. The first time you use it, the bank will donate $50 to Dreamchaser Horse Rescue & Rehabilitation and we'll continue to receive a percentage of all future purchases.

As a cardholder you have powerful benefits. The Visa® Platinum Rewards card offers zero liability protection, emergency assistance services, online banking, auto rental and travel accident insurance, and more! Plus, earn points at hundreds of participating online retailers redeemable for name-brand merchandise, event tickets, gift cards and travel rewards options.

Plus, you'll be earning accelerated points (up to 15 points per dollar) at hundreds of national merchants, which can be redeemed for merchandise, account credits and Free tickets on over 175 airlines, with no blackout dates!

Please join me today in choosing and using the card that supports Dreamchaser Horse Rescue & Rehabilitation Go to http://www.cardpartner.com/affinity/app/dreamchaser to request your card today.