Christmas 2011

A long time since I have updated the blog. My life has irrevocably changed and nothing will be the same again. Many of you know that my mother passed away in early December. She fought like a tiger until the end and then she promptly gave up and went suddenly away from us. Although it was expected, it was still a shock. My heart is forever broken. I was very close to my mom and it seems hardly possible that she is not here. My mind forgets and I can't tell you how many times I think about picking the phone up to tell her something funny or some newsworthy item...but she is not there. I have gone through her house and divided her things and the reality hits that you are never taking even well loved things with you.....they stay behind and someone else picks them up......maybe they will love them the same, maybe they won't...some things get thrown away, some get treasured.......some are given away. My heart ached to touch her clothes, her purses.......her jewelry. Life goes on....animals still need to be fed, the farm still needs to be managed....but somedays I dread going there and seeing the empty house. I hope in time, I will feel better and stronger. My mother loved the farm, loved the volunteers......and we will continue to support her legacy. We have had a very fortunate year at Pony Up and we are very thankful for our supporters, contributors and volunteers. My volunteers made it possible for me to spend extra time with my mom while she was ill and I will be forever grateful for their kindness and support. The best to you in this Holiday season.......love to your families and friends. Rosemary

The day after Thanksgiving....hope everyone had a good holiday with their family and loved ones. It has been a busy month for Pony Up and me..... My mother is losing her battle. It is an emotional time for us...heartbreaking and yet there is nothing to be done but to love and care for her each day. Life goes on around her and it is difficult to imagine my life without her....I think of how she loved to work in the yard, shop at Fred Meyer..drive to the Dairy Queen,.....and I am paralyzed to think how we or how I will go on without her. Somedays I cry and other days I simply work hard to drive the overwhelming emotion from my thoughts. My sisters, my neices, my brother in law....all have worked so hard at giving her quality care at home......thank you for your love and unselfishness. My mind is otherwise occupied and I ask for your understanding if I have not appropriately thanked you or mentioned you or answered emails or phone calls. We have taken in a new horse....Bubba......blind like Iris, an ex show horse, a trooper and a sweet soul. He is blind in both eyes. He was left in the kill pen with nowhere to go and although we are not a sanctuary.....we could not leave him. Worst case scenario is that he is a companion to Iris...best case is that he is adopted by a loving family. We have a volunteer who loves him...and we are hopeful he can go home when their barn is built. Bubba is twenty, registered and now well loved. The rain is upon us.....we have had sand delivered three times...and yet we still have mud....this weekend we will work on paddocks again and gutters and gravel and ..........water diversions of all sorts. Pony Up horses got dentals on November 19th......Okalani, Beaver, and a couple of volunteers horses. We will finish dentals on Dec 3rd.....Church, Iris and Jones. Kitty came home to Pony Up this last Wednesday and Baybee left us to go to the Jones Farm. Baybee will be with several other yearlings for the winter....to run, to frolic and to grow. Kitty is a wonderful filly, good manners, beautiful and loves to be groomed. Okalani is doing well in her foster home and Lizzie is doing well in her trial adoption. We are fortunate to have a lot of nice folks who volunteer and support us. I don't always get the names out and some folks don't need their names out.......but all of these folks mean a lot to us.....those who help, those who clean, those who drive, those who plan. The auction in October was a huge help to us for winter costs.....feed, gravel, dentals, ......we couldn't do it without your support or the support and dedication of our volunteers. Thank you. Pony UP is planning a capital campaign to buy a new property for our horses.....more pasture, a better arena...........less incoming water. Look for details soon! Pony UP fortune for tomorrow: It is easy to stir up a fire, harder to put it out. Happy Holidays@

November already?

It has been busy around Pony UP.......winter preparations for the farm, water management (or avoidance?>)...and general life! Okalani has gone to a foster home, Lizzie is on a trial adoption and Joey had an adoption pending a lameness exam! We need to get some horses adopted so that we can make room for what we feel will be an awful winter for local horses. Already our inbox is full of requests for us to take horses, as well as the local humane society. We are full and our farms are at capacity......it makes us sad......so we make a waiting list and try to network for horses on the list. Hay prices are climbing, so is grain......gosh, so is everything! Still we are thankful for people who donate feed, tack items and money. Horses are expensive...if you have one, you know what we mean. We had a very successful fundraiser/auction and also had a lot of fun doing it! 9200 dollars was raised! We are thankful to our local horse community, local volunteers, local vendors and individuals who contributed to our auction items and services. We could not do it without all of you and we are humbled by your generosity and kindness. We had wonderful food , awesome auction items and fabulous friends........what more could we ask for? We bought hay this month and will buy more at mid month. I am a little anxious about rising hay prices and even the availability of hay for later this year or early next January, so I plan to warehouse some. We feed our own horses, the pony down the street and may lend some hay to a hungry horse as necessary. We have also scheduled dentals for five of our horses on November 19th...we will allow farm friends to share the farm call with us in order to help save money. Dentals are 150 dollars and no farm call fee. We are limited to 8 horses..... Today, Saturday, we had no rain and so we too advantage of the weather and moved sand into paddocks that needed more. So far, we are very sold on having sand in the paddocks. It drains well, doesn't pack in hooves and is easy to touch up with the tractor. We also cleaned the larger paddocks, stalls and barn area, plus cleaned water tanks. In early afternoon we went to the second barn and moved fencing around so that the geldings both have large pastures to go out in during the day. We were treated to a display of a tantrum by Iris (the blind horse) who had a fit because her friends "moved" to a different area. This is the first time we have seen her gallop, buck and strut around her paddock. So...we know she can gallop and her feet didn't seem to hurt her! Pony Up needs more room ...a bigger farm........it is hard to have two separate farms. Two farms means hay delivered two places, volunteers to two places......mud management......fencing, gravel, sand.......at two places. We recently had a board meeting and the board has decided that we need one farm.....one bigger farm. So we are looking...the parameters are that the farm has to be close......a minimum of five acres.....just have water already available......a barn would be nice..must be dry and have ample flat pasture. We have two places that we are interested in locally......and we just need to make it happen. We dream big... It may be a fundraising extravaganza...it may be that we sell everything we have that is not nailed down........but if we want to continue to help horses.....we have to grow.......in order to grow, we need more room...more room costs money. We appreciate your ideas and suggestions. Don't forget to turn your clocks back.........I will be glad to do it this time...it is so dark in the morning. I am already tired of it... spring where are you? Pony Up fortune for tomorrow: Set your sights on the nearest mountain top ..then put your climbing shoes on. .

Thursday and we definitely have fall

Busy times for all of us...preparing for our Pony UP Wine and Dine fall fundraiser dinner and auction. I am fortunate to have some very good gals who have organized and put our event together. My life has been too hectic and I needed help...and they stepped up. I love our volunteers....big hearts...huge smiles and the enthusiasm to jump right in. For all of you who will be attending, I think you will be delighted when you join us on Saturday night.....great auction items, great food and LOTS of Pony Up friends and sponsors! Dress up like a cowboy to follow the evening's theme!

We have been busy trying to get ready for winter like we always do...and it always seems we are never quite done! We got sand spread, our bridges cemented, fencing put up...mats moved..water tanks moved....we are more ready than not ready at this point, but as I always say..the list never stops. Horses are a lot of work...and maintenance....plus did I mention the propensity to be destructive? chewing, kicking, digging, rubbing, ...I have put an electric strand of fencing up two to three times this week.....and now we have a community horse fence post whereby they meet and do some mutual chewing, pushing......the post is gnawed and loose....who knew there was such cheap entertainment to be had in the pasture?

We have some bigger projects to work on still....cementing the aisleway in the barn...it gets wet, slippery and is uneven because the barn rats made tunnels under it and pushed it up in areas....darn rats. Where do they come from? Just out of the woodwork and voila......we have a large rat population. Oh and did I mention the barn cats are simply not interested in a rat? Nope...squirrels..yes....rats NO. We must feed them too well.

My mother sends her love and thanks to the Pony Up Volunteers..your kindness and generosity is so appreciated by us.

I am at home....sick today......cold/flu/temperature....but on the bright side, it gave me time to update the blog.

Kitty comes home to the farm soon...our newest resident.,.her picture above.

Pony Up fortune for tomorrow:

Often times too good to be true....

It's Sunday, fall has come

I think I can officially say fall has fallen. October and we have cool nights..and today the added bonus of RAIN. I can't say I was ready for the rain. I told someone today that I have worked all summer to prepare for fall....and now it is here and oh gosh, I am still not ready. It is supposed to rain all week. I guess the up side to that is that I will see how most of our anti-water projects will work...or what else we need to do to discourage water and mud.

Saturday we finished cemented the bridges into place, we cleaned the large paddocks, scrubbed water tubs, cleaned the chicken coop, moved mats back into place in the short paddocks, moved some hogsfuel onto semi muddy trails.....some horses got hoof trims, we had to fix a flat on the tractor and we moved hay from the storage shed into the main barn. So much work and that list that I keep talking about...well, it is always growing. Horses are a lot of work....and them moment you dont' keep up, you are behind....way behind.....so we work like dogs on the weekend.

Iris had a friend (Jaime) who bought her a new blanket for winter and she said she got it so cheap that she bought one for Baybee too. We are lucky to have such friends.....This is our first winter of keeping Iris and Baybee...so we didn't have existing blankets for them. The rest of the herd will get hand me downs..and we will begin the sorting process soon.

We have a potential adoptive home for Joey..a very nice lady who has come twice to visit him. She brought treats and groomed him, loved on him and she will be a fine home. We are merely waiting on an assessment ride to see how experienced a rider Joey needs or doesn't need. Keep your fingers crossed.

Our upcoming fundraiser/auction dinner is going to be so fun! If you haven't bought tickets yet.....do it now, before there aren't any! There are so many GREAT auction items...and I do mean great!...airplane flight for two to the San Juans with lunch at a harborside restaurant.....hot air balloon ride, original art, jewelry, veterinary certificates, riding lessons.......someone for the horse lover to the non horse lover (ok..there aren't any of those, are there?) If you want to buy tickets....paypal to Rosemary@ponyuprescue.com or snail mail to PO BOX 1023, Olalla, WA 98359

Our want/need list for winter is long.....
hay..we feed local hay to pony, timothy/orchard to the rest, or alf/grass mix
sand for paddocks/arena (arena is used for turn out)We need 8 dumptruck loads
sand clear (large buckets...we feed one week per month now)
cement (we need to cement barn aisleway...mats are slippery and uneven)
Senior grain
vitamins
hoof supplement
gravel for driveway and access areas
lumber/tin/4x4 posts for paddock roof (and strong workpersons to help put it up)
training ( upcoming for Okalani, Baybee)
dentals (Okalani, Joey, Church, Iris)

We feel very fortunate for the support we receive.....we are thankful to Traumhof (www.traumhofdressage.com), Dr Mike Alberts, Dr. Julie Page, Dr. Maci Paden, my volunteers, Cenex, Strohs, Jim Ward, The Jones Farm, Cam and Carrie Reeves (training), Beth Anderson Ness (http://starrvalleyfarm.com) (lessons for Lizzie), Meghan Markham (http://www.mmdressage.com)(lessons and showing Max). We cannot do what we do without supporters, donations, volunteers.....thank you all.

Life is interesting...curves, straight shots, switchbacks.....you learn many things along the way...patience, tolerance, backbone, courage, ..sometimes you have to think about what it is that you have learned...sometimes it hits you smack in the forehead....our most important lesson is loving each other......

Kiss like you mean it, hug hard, say it often, say it softly.......say it loudly....

Pony Up fortune for tomorrow:

It is not where you thought you left it.....

Thursday thoughts...

Many of you know that my mother is terminally ill. Although I am infrequent in my blogging, hardly a day goes by that I don't think about it, but other things come up...and my priorities are rearranged. Life seems very fragile, emotional and somedays it is hard to think of putting a smile on my face......somedays I cry a lot. It is hard when someone asks how my mom is....awkward and hard for people to see my tears well up. Dying is a hard business for the patient, the family and the friends. Nothing comes easy, nobody wants to give up...it is easy to try and deny reality...but there are things you have to do, things you must say and breaths you must take. I am a "fixer"....and this is something I can't fix, can't mend, can't change......I hate it. There is nothing I wouldn't do to take it all away. The horse rescue business goes on.......horses are still taken care of, although my volunteers have taken on extra responsibilities and given me a lot of precious time with my mom. I thank them for their generosity and kindness and patience. I have days I am cranky, days I am tearful....and days I just don't want to talk....they take it all in stride...my volunteers, my friends. It has been so long since I wrote.....We have two new horses......Joey, a Quarterhorse gelding from the Enumclaw Auction kill yard and Derby (Kitty) from the Emerald Downs sale. Derby is currently residing at the Jones Farm until my life settles down. Joey has a pending adoption...he is a nice little horse who deserves a great life on a nice farm. We like him a lot. Derby (Kitty) is a big three year old TB filly......very beautiful and built like a tank. We were fortunate enough to have folks fundraise for us and Iris got her paddock filled with sand ...plus she got a full set of boots to protect her feet. So far she loves the sand and it drains nicely. Sand is very expensive but in this case so worth it. We are preparing for winter at the farms.......weekend chores keep us busy for a full day and then some. We moved the ever growing manure pile, spread sand, built bridges across our bio swale ditch, we are in the process of cementing the bridge ends so the timbers will stay in place, we cleaned the large paddocks, picked rocks, groomed all horses (bridle paths, banged tails, washed tails)....we cut some alder trees down from around the barn, patched some roof holes....still need to spread some gravel (does it ever end?)....still need some stall mats, still need to clean gutters on both barns, we changed all light bulbs to fluorescents to cut energy consumption down...we cleaned and re-designed the cat room (really nice job), broomed the cobwebs down.....in the midst of ordering hay....and we will order more sand for the short paddocks, plus put away some stall pellets....so we are busy as usual and always making a chore list. Thank God for the tractor...our best piece of equipment in the whole world! We have horses ready for adoption.......Lizzie is going nicely under saddle......thanks to her training by Cam Reeves and the courtesy lessons of Beth Anderson Ness and the courtesy riding of Sarah B....Sarah is riding and housing Lizzie to give her a lot of experience. Sarah reports Lizzie as bold on the trail and wanting to be the lead horse. Lizzie is a big girl of 16.2H....ready for you to ride dressage or trail...good manners, easy to handle....nice looking! Lizzie's teeth have been done, she is healthy and sound. No buck, no rear. We also have Baybee...a handsome Appy/Tb gelding, tall, well built......nice sport horse prospect! Raise him your way...healthy and sound, good weight, easy keeper! Call us or email us if you have interest or send someone our way..... Come and join us for our Wine and Dine Fundraiser on October 22nd, Gig Harbor Golf and County Club in Gig Harbor, WA at 6pm. Tickets are 28 dollars each or 50 dollars for two......prepaid in advance via paypal or check. Paypal to Rosemary@ponyuprescue.com or mail checks to PO BOX 1023, Olalla,WA 98359. Lots of great auction items.......yummy dinner and good folks! Come and join us. Pony Up fortune for today.......... Say it outloud or no one knows you said it at all.

Thursday thoughts

Many of you know that my mother is terminally ill. Although I am infrequent in my blogging, hardly a day goes by that I don't think about it, but other things come up...and my priorities are rearranged. Life seems very fragile, emotional and somedays it is hard to think of putting a smile on my face......somedays I cry a lot. It is hard when someone asks how my mom is....awkward and hard for people to see my tears well up. Dying is a hard business for the patient, the family and the friends. Nothing comes easy, nobody wants to give up...it is easy to try and deny reality...but there are things you have to do, things you must say and breaths you must take. I am a "fixer"....and this is something I can't fix, can't mend, can't change......I hate it. There is nothing I wouldn't do to take it all away.

The horse rescue business goes on.......horses are still taken care of, although my volunteers have taken on extra responsibilities and given me a lot of precious time with my mom. I thank them for their generosity and kindness and patience. I have days I am cranky, days I am tearful....and days I just don't want to talk....they take it all in stride...my volunteers, my friends.

It has been so long since I wrote.....We have two new horses......Joey, a Quarterhorse gelding from the Enumclaw Auction kill yard and Derby (Kitty) from the Emerald Downs sale. Derby is currently residing at the Jones Farm until my life settles down. Joey has a pending adoption...he is a nice little horse who deserves a great life on a nice farm. We like him a lot. Derby (Kitty) is a big three year old TB filly......very beautiful and built like a tank.

We were fortunate enough to have folks fundraise for us and Iris got her paddock filled with sand ...plus she got a full set of boots to protect her feet. So far she loves the sand and it drains nicely. Sand is very expensive but in this case so worth it.

We are preparing for winter at the farms.......weekend chores keep us busy for a full day and then some. We moved the ever growing manure pile, spread sand, built bridges across our bio swale ditch, we are in the process of cementing the bridge ends so the timbers will stay in place, we cleaned the large paddocks, picked rocks, groomed all horses (bridle paths, banged tails, washed tails)....we cut some alder trees down from around the barn, patched some roof holes....still need to spread some gravel (does it ever end?)....still need some stall mats, still need to clean gutters on both barns, we changed all light bulbs to fluorescents to cut energy consumption down...we cleaned and re-designed the cat room (really nice job), broomed the cobwebs down.....in the midst of ordering hay....and we will order more sand for the short paddocks, plus put away some stall pellets....so we are busy as usual and always making a chore list. Thank God for the tractor...our best piece of equipment in the whole world!

We have horses ready for adoption.......Lizzie is going nicely under saddle......thanks to her training by Cam Reeves and the courtesy lessons of Beth Anderson Ness and the courtesy riding of Sarah B....Sarah is riding and housing Lizzie to give her a lot of experience. Sarah reports Lizzie as bold on the trail and wanting to be the lead horse. Lizzie is a big girl of 16.2H....ready for you to ride dressage or trail...good manners, easy to handle....nice looking! Lizzie's teeth have been done, she is healthy and sound. No buck, no rear.
We also have Baybee...a handsome Appy/Tb gelding, tall, well built......nice sport horse prospect! Raise him your way...healthy and sound, good weight, easy keeper!
Call us or email us if you have interest or send someone our way.....

Come and join us for our Wine and Dine Fundraiser on October 22nd, Gig Harbor Golf and County Club in Gig Harbor, WA at 6pm. Tickets are 28 dollars each or 50 dollars for two......prepaid in advance via paypal or check. Paypal to Rosemary@ponyuprescue.com or mail checks to PO BOX 1023, Olalla,WA 98359. Lots of great auction items.......yummy dinner and good folks! Come and join us.


Pony Up fortune for today..........
Say it outloud or no one knows you said it at all.

So so Saturday

Up early.......drive to barn, let chickens out, let barn cat out....feed horses, take over my shift for taking care of my mom. Hot morning already, wash laundry, empty trash, lots of watering to do in my mom's yard and the Pony Up garden...horse troughs to clean, pastures to water, manure to pick up. As I always say, the chore list never quits. We have a lot to do today, amongst keeping an eye on my mom. I take a few minutes and watch my mom sleep...in sleeping she seems to be more comfortable and with her comfort, I feel better.

Iris is having trouble with her feet......chronic foot problems since we got her...not just blind, but lousy feet too. We were able to solve part of her problem with putting shoes and pads on the fronts....and now it seems we will have to do the same with the hinds. Winters is approaching and I am very apprehensive as to how we will keep Iris dry......her feet demand it. The weather is very dry right now and her feet are terrible. Washington is wet for six months out of the year. We need to start making some plans for how we will keep her comfortable....sand paddock and LOTS of stall pellets, pads on her feet. ...I am having some anxiety.. we love Iris and so do a hundred other folks.

When it rains.....it pours. While we are cleaning and working today, we discover that Joey has cut his face near his eye and it is swollen/ugly......we put some hot packs on it, get the scabs off.......and then place his fly mask on him. He is a good boy to work on, very patient with us..such a good boy. He is still nursing a swollen knee too, so we have not been on him yet.....but what a dream to haul, handle and work on. He came from the kill pen........he deserved better so we brought him home....just a little quarter horse gelding, nothing fancy, but he is well built and solid and we give him an A plus on his personality. Need a trail horse? Come see Joey!

Baybee is growing into a handsome boy.......he is huge! He kicked the stall wall last week (at his TB buddies Ollie and Jones) and he was lame for a few days...but doing better now. We have been working diligently on him picking his feet up without kneeling or laying down....today he allowed his feet to be cleaned without any drama. He really is a beautiful colt........someone will get a great horse......Need a project? Come see him...for adoption.

We are having our upcoming auction/dinner fundraiser in late October. We are so excited! Thank you to Jen B and Tara for heading this up. My time is not own lately...and it is a blessing to have them take charge of this for us. It is going to be a gala event and we want you all to come!

We built a new manure bin today for the far paddocks......thank you Ryan for taking charge of it.......and thank you to Susy for your undying loyalty and work....you are such a help..both of you. We also moved the ever migrating stall mats back......we have stall mats out in front of each stall so that when it starts raining....(as it ALWAYS does up here.)...horses will not have any mud in front of the stalls or loafing sheds.......we have LOTS of mats. People remark about it..and we laugh about it.....but they are totally necessary.

Speaking of our chore list.......it goes on and continues.....hogsfuel, gravel, sand....shavings bin...finish manure bins...buy more hay...buy more stall mats..(yes, we could use more!)...hay is always needed as our residents have big appetites! We need to raise funds for training, for dental work and medical care. Those sorts of things take a big bite out of our budget. Horses in training have priority in dental work.

We are thankful for our supporters.......and we give a big shout out to Cenex, Strohs, The Jones Farm, Cam and Carrie Reeves, Maci Padden DVM, Mike Alberts DVM, Julie Page DVM, Ray DeCent DVM, Lietz Hay, Beth Anderson Ness, Meghan Markham. Chalice Farms, .......we have so many people who help us.....we are very grateful.

I also thank my volunteers who have allowed me to take a break in my schedule, so I can spend more time with mom. I cherish every minute.....and I could not do this without you.

Pony Up fortune for tomorrow:

Say it out loud.....sometimes you just have to "say it out loud".

Enjoy your week!

Salutions for September

A new month......the farm is still busy, we are still busy, life goes on. Chores to do, lists to write and rewrite....sometimes I think I write them a million times.

The rescue is full! We took a new horse in last week, named him Dante and then promptly changed his name to Joe...or Joey.....a little chestnut quarter horse down on his luck with no place to go. Great manners and good disposition.....what's not to love? Joey will be available for adoption after an assessment ride this weekend...currently he is happy eating grass and hanging out. He has been dewormed and his feet will be trimmed this weekend.

We still have Baybee....and he is growing like a weed......so very tall and handsome and um.......spoiled. What did you expect from us? Manners? we forgot all the daily handling a baby horse needs. For two weeks he was quiet as a Mouse, meek and mild mannered......but now, he is comfortable with the routine, feels safe and he turned into a regular yearling...nippy and coltish. He may make the rest of my hair turn gray...baby horses...yikes. He also cannot give you his front foot to clean or handle.....he simply goes to his knees......you let him up and try again.......he lays down. Such drama.....we should have named him Hollywood.

We never got much of a summer but fall is definitely in the air now.......cool mornings, fog and of course it is dark earlier. Really brings to mind the fall chores and the winter chores that we need to get done.

We got most of our drainage ditch done or as we love to call it.."the bio swale"......sounds fancy huh? It really is just a ditch but we will call it whatever you like as long as it drains water. We have planted grass in it, made bridges across it........all is well with the ditch.

We say goodbye to Strohs Feed ......a long relationship with all of them and we will miss them and all they have done for us.....goodbye girls! We will see you around. Thank you for everything.....you are such good friends of ours!

Let's see .....the chore list goes on.......this weekend we will finish re-fencing the pony paddock, cut off fence posts along the bio swale, cement bridge placements, start on the manure shed, rock pick the arena, groom horses, clean out the big water tanks in preparation for winter...reset mats outside of stalls, buy more hay...go to the dump, clean out cat room, set out rat stations, cut brush along fence and take Joey for a test ride.

Our winter wish list for anyone who cares to see it:

Cement in the aisle way in barn......it gets slippery when it starts raining..it is really necessary for safety sake of horses and volunteers.
Gravel.....need to top off stall paddocks.
Sand...to top the gravel off in the stall paddocks.
Hogsfuel...for the paddocks at barn #2...to keep mud down and rocks out of hooves.
Hay fund.....we intend to store more hay for winter, we now have a second building and it provides more storage. We are full with inmates, so the hay goes fast. Local hay is great for the pony and the easy keepers but we also have to have timothy or orchard grass or a mix.
Railroad ties....to provide the back of the new manure bin
Three gates for the bottom of the long paddocks...this enables us to turn horses in or out easily.
Two gates for barn #2...to help seperate horses at feeding time.....stall kicking and fighting by two unnamed horses...ummm..just sayin....
Two mats for Iris' paddock, so that she has no mud at her doorway.
Two pallets of stall pellets......one at each barn. Iris will HAVE to have pellets as her feet cannot tolerate wet.
Psyllium pellets......we feed Psyllium pellets one week out of the month
Small amount of lumber to close in Beavers stall entrance...he currently has no wind break.
Salt holders for each stall...those little cheap ones.
We would love to have a sponsor for Iris... Iris has to have aluminum shoes about every six weeks, complete with pads in order to keep her feet healthy and pain free.
We could also use cleaning volunteers or morning or evening feeders. Some of the volunteers have full time jobs...and while we are grateful for their time...sometimes they could use a break.

Thank you to the people who have visited my mother or brought her food or flowers or cards......you will never know how much it has meant to her...but I promise you, it has meant the world. Please keep her in your prayers....such a rough time for all of us and we love her so much.

Pony Up fortune for tomorrow:
Life is exactly what you make it and then some.

Enjoy tomorrow.....tell you mother you love her.

Sunshine Saturday

Again, my blogging lacks...
life is time consuming, life is fragile......hard to keep up, hard to keep sane.

My mother is home from the hospital and we are taking care of her, my sisters and I. She wanted to come home and so we brought her home. We have lots of things to sort out and we are enjoying the time we have with her. She is being kept comfortable and was able to sit in the sun for a little bit today. She is an amazing woman and I am so proud to call her my mother.

We had a record breaking adoption this morning. I took a mini horse in at 8am and he was back in a trailer and on his way to a new home by 9am. Congratulations and thank you to Carolyn O. I hope he will be everything you wanted...and I am so glad to have him in a quality home such as yours.

Today was hot and sunny. We worked this morning on some fencing repairs and also moved some dirt, cleaned up the manure pile, scrubbed water tubs, picked up manure, and rocks. We gave sandclear again to every one...it is so dusty and it seemed like Church was feeling a little punky......we also let him in the grass paddock for several hours and it seemed to lift his spirits...at dinner time, he ate and seemed perkier.

I have a couple of women who are putting our fall fundraiser together...they are making great progress......tons of great auction items! Thank you to Jen and Tara...you rock!

Horses still at the Enumclaw auction yard....two mares and a gelding......all nice horses and they deserve a home...they deserve a better ending. Please pass the word and see if there is anyone you know that may be interested.

Harsh feelings earlier this week......people say mean things....I am a little emotionally raw.......and I feel like snapping back. All I can say is this...come and visit Pony Up...if you come away thinking our horses are lacking care....I will be surprised. One of our horses left this week and he got to his new home and it was discovered he had lice....ooops......Pony Up horses are not generally lousy...but in this case, another horse we brought home from the auction did have lice and they were next to each other...and so I guess we should have checked the new guy out better....but my time has not really been my own with my mother's illness....it just happened..Pony Up horses are not living in filthy conditions.....everyone has had louse powder at that barn....problem solved. There were no horses who dropped weight, lost hair or died.....just sayin.
It is easy for people to sit back and criticize what rescues do...real easy. I am not saying that some rescues do not deserve criticism...but I know this rescue does not.

Did you know that at Pony Up:
stalls are cleaned twice a day (volunteers and myself)
water is changed daily, tubs scrubbed weekly
all horses are blanketed in winter
all horses have shelter
all horses have gravel paddocks to keep mud down in winter.
horses fed twice a day ( we don't owe the hayman any money)
barn is swept once a day, loose hay raked up daily, paddocks picked daily
hay bill is about 600 per month (again, we don't owe the hayman any money)
grain, supplements, beet pulp, sand clear, dewormers cost about 550 a month.
when there are no donated funds....I pay the bills...this includes farm mortgage, electricity, shoer, hayman, feed store, vet, diesel for the tractor, gas to pick up horses/transport horses, farm maintenance.
I work a full time job to support the rescue.
Horses are always (if they appear sound) sent to a professional for evaluation to see if there are issues under saddle or soundness problems with work.
Horses who are sent for training evaluations have dental work.
Horses who are sound and sane for riding are shown and worked at different venues by volunteers.
There is not an endless amount of funds in our bank account and I simply make the best choices I can with what I have. All horses are fed, dewormed, hooves trimmed, housed and adequately cared for. Pony Up does not have a thin horse in the herd. Instead of ragging on a rescue that you don't know......get off your butt and go see the facility, the horses, the efforts.....volunteer and make a difference or open your own rescue..give up your time, your efforts, your money. As I see it, we are taking care of horses that no one else wanted, that no one stepped up for.....and we are doing the best we can. If you want to complain and badmouth us...please do so because you have first hand knowledge, not because you "think" this or that. I am proud of our accomplishments, our volunteers, and our adopted horses and their new families.

Here is our video and what we do...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fd530-yFBvY

Thank you again to my volunteers and to those of you who have visited my mother or sent cards or flowers. She appreciates it all.

Pony Up fortune for tomorrow:

Lend your strength, lend your hand and give your compassion.

Days go by

I haven't blogged......have only Facebook updated....busy times for us all. My mother has been seriously ill , ... it is emotionally consuming and then some. My mother who taught me to love animals ..hard to see someone so full of life become so ill. I appreciate if you keep her in your thoughts....or send her a card in the mail and tell her something funny or thoughtful.
Send cards to Toni ..PO Box 1023, Olalla,WA 98359.
Thank you to my volunteers and friends who have freed up my time these past two weeks.

Time flies by........Blue has been adopted and went to his new home this week. Iris has made plans to go to Oklahoma to Triple O Equine Sanctuary.....she will be with other blind horses and in a dryer climate. This Washington weather is too damp/moist/wet for her poor feet. She got shoes and pads on this week and is walking much better..but damp/wet mud is not good for shoes/pads with bad feet. It also looks like Okalani will be adopted and we are still working out the details...we will keep you posted.

This past weekend we went to the auction and bought a yearling out from under the kill buyer....barely... My very first horse auction.... I hated it. Heartbreaking and maddening....someday I will tell you how the bidding works there......under handed cheater is a term I would use. Horses sold to imaginary folks in the back when the bidding didn't suit the auctioneer and then those horses were found in the kill pen, because after all....he can get folks to pay a 500 dollar ransom after the fact.....he simply rakes in the dough by taking advantage of the rest of us. Put them in the kill pen and get more money than you got in the auction ring....nice huh?

Anyway, we brought home a yearling. We love him..he was very well behaved and tolerant. We worried he might have been drugged because he was so nice....but alas..he is as nice today as he was on Sunday....and he is lovely. Tall, lanky, beautiful head, short back, long legs....oh, I love him a lot.

We bought some hay in Elma....nice fresh, cheap.......and the horses love it. We are going to get more on Sunday to stock up for winter. This will be supplemental to our regular timothy/orchard grass and a steady diet for Beaver.

Jones kicked Ollie in the leg, layed it wide open....no stitches..but lots of swelling....Ollie would simply hold his leg out for us to dress and clean.....he felt very sorry for himself. Rebecca learned equine first aid and Brenda was a good teacher. Thank God for those two, because I was at work.. thank you ladies!

Still a lot of chores on our list....I feel winter and rain coming...and I get anxiety about making things right for the upcoming months of wet rain and snow. We need more gravel and sand...more sand and gravel..that is our mantra. Stall mats, gutters cleaned, a gutter installed here and there....roofs patched...gravel spread....still need some pony paddock fencing put up....just need the time to do it.

Ryan worked on our pony pen...we had really gone to the auction to get a mini for him...but there was only one and well...we didn't get him...but he went to a good home...but another will come along and so we prepare. Who said it? Be proactive rather than reactive and you are never surprised? Maybe it was me....the planner.

Enjoy your week.....call your mother, tell her you love her!

Pony Up fortune for tomorrow:

Express your complete lack of confidence in the situation.

Wine on Wednesday

Home for a bit after a long day.. still more chores to do tonight prior to dark....emails to answer, dogs to feed, clothes to wash...the list never stops...and this is not even the farm list.

I am thankful for my volunteers who have lightened my load this week as my mom had surgery today. It is a relief to have extra hands...thank you! My mom came through the surgery, got out of the recovery room and is resting...pretty comfortable and pain free right now due to a strong cocktail of painkillers.

A while today to reflect on what we do and why we do it...... somedays everything is so worth it and somedays we think we are hardly making a difference..somedays are tiring and trying.....somedays everything is easy. I always try to remind myself that what we do is worth it to every horse that comes through our door......can we help every horse? No...and that itself is a sad fact...but we help who we can, when we can to the best of our ability and lots of horses are the better for it. My volunteers can pat themselves on the back for the horses that are in new loving homes and perhaps competing in local competitions....or some are just pasture pets in beautiful scenic pastures enjoying a great life beyond what they had. and that is what makes it worthwhile.

Hmm...so far we have had 87 hours (according to the news) of summer here....and today is a testimony to it......gray, overcast, drizzle......hey..knock it off...we want dust and flies and brown grass!

Okalani has settled in, had her feet trimmed, been preg checked (she is NOT pregnant) and we like her a lot. She is very pretty, well built, good disposition and so far no trouble....no mare drama either! I love a mare with no drama. She will rest a little, finish her quarantine and then get back to work. She should be a beautiful dressage horse or hunter.... We have taken to calling her Lilly...

We still have a chore list a mile long....gravel to get...more fencing to put in..*how does that work? we are ALWAYS doing fencing......well, we are always improving it or moving it. We got hay put in the new shed and we realized we had not given the hay truck enough room to make a good turn...so out comes a post and we move a small stretch of fence. Not a big deal. We have ROCKS to pick...a bumper crop this year. The horses are using their new bridges and we actually widened a couple of them ...let's just say that Cyrus likes to go over his bridge at about 90 mph...and I was worried..so we widened them.

Iris, it seems, has her own fan club on Facebook.......but also recently seemed to pick up someone who made some threats towards her. WTH you say? We agree........who threatens a blind horse? Anyway, we have made some security changes to ensure Iris' safety...and Iris is currently safe and sound...although on a diet! Iris likes to eat...and she will just keep eating and eating.

Our Pony Up list of needs for the next few months....

Grass hay
gravel (pea gravel for ingress/egress of bridges)
a blanket small enough for Iris...about a 75/76
rice bran
salt licks
two stall mats (for outside of Iris' stall to prevent mud)
joint supplement for Jones and Yukon
4x4 top rails for fencing
fly predators
Iris dental funds
Okalani dental funds

We also would like to sell our horse trailer or maybe trade up for a three horse...must be tall 7'6" at least, extra wide, prefer goose neck, but will consider bumper pull. Our trailer is in good shape, slant load, 7'6" tall, extra wide, 2 horse, Thurobuilt, 2006, tack room in front. email if interested in trade or sale?

Enjoy your week.....

Pony Up fortune for tomorrow:

If change is what you wish, be the change you wish for.

Silence on Sunday

It has been a busy couple of weeks for us....we have been working! We got our swale done, our bridges built and the cross fencing put in.......let the water come! Only one small injury when I dropped a railroad tie on my foot and squashed it.....my foot is still swollen but I am walking and working.

I am happy to announce that Blue has been adopted by a wonderful family near Edmonds....Sabrina and girls! We are very happy for Blue...he has been a horse who is often overlooked. This is a fabulous home with very nice people!

The weasel is still living in the barn. I love him and his little face! He is a voracious hunter of rats, birds, mice and ...mmm......rabbits! I had no idea they ate rabbits..but apparently he does because he was chasing one down in the pasture....we diverted him for the sake of the rabbit...but I don't know what happened after we left. I guess weasels have to eat too...I just don't want to see it.

We also brought home a new mare from the kill pen....picked her up Saturday. A Thoroughbred mare, seven years old, bay of course.....very pretty *aren't they all?..she looks a little pregnant to me, so we will have her checked......maybe not but maybe so.....but anything is possible. Her name is Okalani.......we are working on a barn name for her.

We are ready to buy hay again.....gosh we go through a lot of hay. Ready to buy gravel again.....but not ready for this fall weather we are having...enough is enough...we have mud again after this week. I hate it.

The farm looks lovely with everything in bloom.....we have currants, raspberries and lots of flowers..
The eagle has given us a reprieve and we have not lost any chickens for a week...perhaps the salmon runs are starting to come in and he will leave us alone for a long time.

I wanted to commend everyone for the great work on saving the remaining kill pen horses this week. It was looking very dismal and through Facebook friends...we got them all saved...some very generous donors and generous home offers ...what a great bunch of folks.

There are about 15 horses/ponies being held by Pierce County.......they need to get adopted quickly....if you can spread the word..or adopt, please do so quickly........things have turned from bad to worse and these horses and ponies need homes....lots of ponies! Here is the link.....remember they need to get adopted quickly! http://www.co.pierce.wa.us/pc/​abtus/ourorg/aud/animalservice​s.htm

Enjoy your week.....thank you for all of your support and kind words! We can't do it without our friends!

Pony Up fortune for tomorrow:

You will finally know.

Working on Wednesday

Finally......July 4th is over. I hate July 4th.....animals lost, confused, dazed, people's houses burned down, kids injured......it makes no sense. Trying to watch two barns during the "festivities" about made me crazy......thank God for Ace (not for me, lol)...I am almost six feet tall but no match for a 1500 lb Thoroughbred who is having major anxiety. He alternately wants to be with you or be running the fence....and you must be quick to get out of his way. Anyway, we survived again...and I can only hope that fireworks are outlawed in this county next year. Too many people who don't know when to say when (two days before, three days after...up until three in the morning) or who have to have the illegal reservation fireworks...talking 1/4 sticks of dynamite.Funny because no one wants you to drink and drive, but apparently it is okay to drink and set off fireworks....in dry, hot weather, in residential neighborhoods....go figure....not to mention the folks who neglect to lock up their dogs or cats and then wonder why they ran off. IQ testing ...seriously.,,,you mean your dog was upset over 1/4 sticks of dynamite going off?

Last weekend, we got a lot of things done around the farms....weed eating, fence building, ditch digging, bridge building, paddock cleaning...we are making a bio swale to deal with our drainage problems at the Pony Up barn, complete with crossing bridges for the horses to use in order to get down to the lower pastures. On Sunday, I dropped a railroad tie on my foot.....and squashed it....very swollen, purple and sore.
We built a fence between Iris and Blue..worked just great until Blue knocked it over with his big fat butt.....a convenient scratching post that he cannot resist. We don't have hot wire on it because of Iris....but I may have to put some on HIS side, although it defeats the purpose of them being able to touch and groom each other other the top......back to the drawing board.

We have a weasel in the barn.......I love weasels. I watched him for a long while as he was investigating rat holes in the barn..he was very curious about me and not very afraid. This is the "borrowed" barn and there are no chickens.....so Mr. Weasel is welcome.

Thank you Debi C. for your recent donation...your money is used for putting shoes on Lizzy. Lizzy was getting a big crack in her front hoof and shoes were necessary. Her feet look great!

The weather is suddenly hot and gorgeous......I am loving it! The garden loves it too and finally everything is blooming.

Iris had three young girls come and groom her this last weekend.....they braided her mane, brushed the bird poop off of her and then worked on Jones...who also appreciated the attention.

This weekend we will work on finishing the swale, spread some dirt around, groom the arena, release the fly predators, plan some activities for fund raising and find more hay. We got hay last weekend but it wasn't enough...we need more....we are feeding a small army and when the weather changes again, we will resume feeding the pony down the road....who is fat and sassy right now on his grass paddock...but anyway it will be an extra mouth to feed.

Thankful as always to my group of volunteers....Brenda, Rebecca, Susy, Jen, Ryan and Sarah....

Pony Up fortune for tomorrow:

Forgiveness is over rated in this matter.......

Pony Up needs YOU!

Iris before and after......


Pony Up provides a safe haven for needy horses. Currently Pony Up has several horses for sponsorship. What is sponsorship? 30 dollars pays for a hoof trim, 17 dollars buys a sack of senior grain, 5 dollars will pay for a dewormer, 13 dollars pays for a bale of hay, 15 dollars pays for a sack of rice bran, 2.00 will buy vet wrap, 150 dollars will pay for a dental, 35 dollars will pay for vaccinations, .........sometimes we need a new water tub or a feed tub or a gate gets broken or we need gravel or we have to put diesel in the tractor........the expenses add up.

The past year has been tough financially for all of us.

I think it is safe to say that we have all cut corners and made sacrifices. ...I know we have. Personally and business wise too.

Through it all the Pony Up residents have not suffered, all are fed, extra supplements fed when necessary and we have had some help along the way via the kindness of supporters and volunteers. We do not have the luxury of buying a lot of extras.....all work at the farm this year has been done by my wonderful staff of volunteers. I cannot thank these folks enough for their gift of time

What does it take to run a horse rescue?

Time...day in/day out....it is hard to take a day off and I never "forget" about the residents we take care of.

Volunteers.......for cleaning, feeding, maintenance and fundraising activities.

Money.....I work a full time job to pay for the mortgage, power bill, taxes, maintenance and most of the expenses of the residents (vet bills, hay, grain) when there are not enough donations to support them. I have days when I think I must be crazy.....I could quit work, shop at Nordy's, and be home at 4:30pm each day...but I know we make a difference, even though it doesn't seem huge.

We have seen many rescues fail. I am very careful in what we undertake and I refuse to let us fail....

part of not failing is not taking on more than we can budget for, have room for or have volunteers for.

We could raise our hands and have fifty horses tomorrow.........I sincerely wish we had the resources to do so...but we don't....we are limited by space, finances and people.

It is important to take care of the horses we have custody of.

We wrote our mission statement to say that we took in horses with "sport horse potential"........that we were not a "sanctuary"......well......we are a sanctuary to a few horses who had nowhere to go.....they have no "sporthorse" potential........but they deserved a safe place to go and when you really think about it....would we turn our backs on a horse who could not jump or run fast? Does a horse who jumps and runs fast deserve to live more than a horse who was worked beyond their capacity, a horse who served their master well and then was thrown away?The answer is no.....we love them all....they all have a spirit and they deserve a chance to live.

I would have probably said we would NEVER have taken a blind horse, but we took Iris and now we all take care of her....she is well loved......she has a special gentle spirit and has taught us a lot in the short time we have had her. It makes me shudder to think about her at the slaughter lot.

We welcome visitors and volunteers......we welcome donations to help us support our residents.....we ask you to help us help those who can't help themselves. Consider adoption, consider fostering.....consider rescuing. If you see a horse who needs help, please do the right thing...........you may be all the horse has to count on. ..don't turn your back.

Everyday brings new hurdles, but we remain steadfast in helping horses.

Tuesday goes on and on

The saga of the injured mare.
I am angry.
Tired of dealing with flakes and crazies.....this mare has had numerous ads on Craigslist, offering her for sale at different prices and then suddenly the price dropped way low because of an injury... which can heal (per the ad).....regional champion, 4H horse, priceless mare, perfect pedigree......yeah...but too bad she is carved up like a Christmas ham. The person pulling all of this crap identifies herself as Rachel Tanner.........up near Forks, Washington. I normally don't pull a FUGLY horse of the day type of deal....but this woman has caused the suffering of this horse, wasted my time, wasted everyone else's time and is a FLAKE. I have made veterinary arrangements, shipping arrangements, taken time off of work, ....... I am told she does this type of crap quite often....either wants to sell a horse or buy a horse you have...but doesn't have any money but has plenty of references. After all of this...believe me.......she has NO references. She stated to me that she was surgery tech, and to someone else she said she was a vet tech......she told me she treated the wound but couldn't get it to stop bleeding.....she told someone else that she stitched it because she was a "vet tech"......she says she has no horse trailer and that there are only two in town......well....that is a lie...amongst others you told Rachel. We understand you operate a horse ride business in the local area and that you have a horse trailer. Very interesting Rachel........very interesting.......not sure how you came to own this horse or even if you do, because it seems like you lease a lot of horses or try to.....anyone reading this that has leased a horse out in this area.......yep..you better go check it out.

Rachel.....I have no words to describe you. You leave an injured mare for days..but keep trying to sell her because the "injury is not that bad"......hmmm? You told me that you couldn't stop the bleeding, you didn't have antibiotics.......you didn't have the means to care for this horse.....you had to leave town in five days......and YET.......after telling me to come and get the mare.......you didn't bother to call back with directions or an address. There is no excuse .....no words...you are a real piece of work.

You have been reported Rachel......I have your pictures, your emails and phone messages.......everyone will be wise to your stories from now on.......but I guess your reputation precedes you in your local area......except that now you have moved on to further distant locations ..you have placed ads on Snohomish Craigslist, Tacoma, Seattle.......hoping to find someone that you can scam?

I ask everyone to share this..and beware if Rachel comes calling for help or to lease/buy your horse..........back away, back far away....

Our growing list of things to do...

We are probably going to have to have a volunteer day in the next month.....so many things to do to prepare for winter. Yes...I said it.WINTER...rain, snow, cold....water that just won't go away. I dread it but feel we must always be prepared.

We have to provide better drainage and so we have consulted with the county, read online articles, talked to land developers......and we have come up with a plan. We will create a "swale"......(I love that word..because it reminds me of slew and then I think of Seattle Slew..one of my favorite horses)..but I digress.......more about the water. ...our large paddocks get extremely muddy during the winter because of water run off and so we will create a swale, fence it off and create land bridges for the horses to cross them. This means we create a low and wide ditch, plant it with natural grasses and bullrushes, fence it off.....and make a rain garden/low level swamp/pond deal where it empties. This is an entire weekend project.....means we need a post hole auger for our tractor........anyone have one we can borrow?

The rest of the list goes like this........

gutters on the few loafing sheds that don't have one.
Grade at one end of paddock to facilitate drainage.
Another rain barrel to collect water at edge of barn.
Clean gutters,
scrape paddocks and re-rock them
add sand to top of paddocks
lengthen short paddocks in order maximize winter areas.
add top rails to some of fenceline where ..umm...a certain, fat mare is bending it over...to get grass.
build manure containment bins......this involves cement bottoms and cement wall dividers.....
drag paddocks and plant more pasture seed.
put a drain line along east wall of arena
drain pipe to take excess water from arena to rain garden/pond/swamp.
rebuild berm at borrowed barn to stop water from entering barn.
Hogsfuel at borrowed barn paddocks to help with mud.
slider door on new hay storage building
more sand in arena to help it drain
create rock filled drain holes by water tubs ..so that water can be poured into and soaked up, rather than run off.
order more gravel to create road base by upper loafing shed ...help drain standing water.
build covers for short paddocks......
fix light at outer paddock
replace GFI outside shower rack
push manure pile back at borrowed barn,
get brush cutter for overgrown blackberries at borrowed barn
gravel in driveway at borrowed barn
buy more hay
did I say buy more hay???

see ..the list never stops....you think you have come a long way, and then you realize you have a long way to go.

Shine on Sunday

Beautiful weekend.......got a lot done and still have a lot to do. You know those lists I talk about? I add to them all the time..you cross one thing off and then add another.
Yesterday Ryan and I worked on seperating Iris' paddock, put dividers up in her previously huge stall and then a board fence........cut brush and weed eated the front area of the barn. Then we worked on reading Jones' tattoo....(more on that later!) We worked all day and in the end, Iris got a pasture that is safe, she can touch Blue over a board fence and also nuzzle him over her stall divider.....she loves it! He...well..he is okay with it....he is sort of a grumpy guy.

Today was gorgeous, warm......I thoroughly enjoyed it. I fed this morning, chased the eagle away from my hens twice (he is persistent!)turned a couple of horses out on grass, cleaned water troughs, moved some hay.....then went and did some home chores (gardening, washed some clothes) went for coffee with my husband, then came home and got onto the barn chores again. I cut the Scotch broom out of Iris' paddock...cut some blackberry brambles....let the divider down in the stall and built it a little higher....I was worried about legs getting caught or you know...the 100 things that horses can do if given a small space.

We have tracked Jones' tattoo down and he is Dr. Elmo. He raced.......(are you ready for this?) 91 times. Gosh...he was a racing fool......lots of wins. No wonder he has pin fire marks and leg wrap scars. Jones is 20. A little older than we thought and it explains his tendancy to want to buck going into canter (at least to me)...his back probably hurts......arthritis, nerve...sacral/lumbar pain. He deserves a rest, don't you think? and some dignity. Gotta love those old race horses...we sure do.

We have been involved in trying to help a severely injured Quarter horse mare....owners cannot afford vet care, the mare has a really nasty injury to her forearm and upper leg. I cannot divulge all the details but it is a weird situation and the horse is three hours from us. We have been told to come and get her, then told to wait, then not heard from them......and then suddenly "come and get her RIGHT now".....unfortunately we cannot just drop and run....committments and other appointments. We have tried to hire someone to go for her....no one seems anxious to do this job.....we have arranged veterinary care but the horse was not dropped off for the appointment...we are now waiting to see if some mutual friends of friends can go and get her.
I am very upset the mare did not get care when we arranged for it...and I hope the resulting infection is not out of control. We are asking for help with veterinary costs. Seems like we are always asking for help...this has been a slow donation year and we really have had to work and be resourceful....but this time we are asking for help and all donations are tax deductible, as we are a 501C3. The horse will not be returned to the owner. The mare is registered, and was a good trail, youth horse. If someone else is interested in taking her...please email us...we will require references and a site inspection. We would appreciate if you would share this story...so we can get the mare safe.

Another week ahead of us......hopeful that the weather will hold.....we really need some summer.

Pony UP fortune for tomorrow:

There are no words for the experience.

So wet again Saturday

Up at 4am this morning to pouring rain.....sigh. Where is summer? I went back to bed, up at 7, made coffee, showered, drove to barn.....I was cold.....put my jacket on and wondered if this was October or January.....my hair frizzed up and then curled....sigh again.....no keeping it straight in this weather.
I let the chickens out, fed the horses, ran some errands, back to the barn......not much to do in the rain, Susy was not feeling well so we sent her home to feel better...she is such a trooper! Ryan and I went to the local auction house to see if we could get a deal on an auger for the tractor......we didn't....we looked around and decided to come back next time.......went to the feed store, went to lunch, then drove up to check on Yukon. We took him for a short walk, let him roll and decided that tomorrow he could go out in a short paddock. He is feeling much better, has been off of bute for two days.......his leg is still swollen, but he is walking pretty good. He has been on a diet and has lost a few pounds. We are pleased with his progress. Keep him in your thoughts!

We moved Iris to a smaller paddock this week. This paddock is in between two others and so she has company on both sides......she is VERY happy. Ollie ...not so much! He had to move to the other side of the barn aisle and he doesn't like it..........so, we are making plans to split the large paddock in two, so that Iris can share it with Blue...they can touch over the fence and touch over the stall wall....it should work just fine. Ollie can be moved back to the other side with Jones and they can go out to the big pasture to graze during the day. Such prima donnas those geldings!

Our chore list grows........sand to spread, ditches to be dug.....fence lines to put up...a new rolling door......replace a GFI receptacle.....it really never stops..I always expect that one day I will show up and there will be nothing to do! Ha...that will never happen. We got four ton of hay put up in the loft....trying to get a storage going. When the sun comes out we will be busy!

Tomorrow we will go and put a small temporary paddock in for Yukon.....so he can walk outside without going totally hog crazy. Also another feed store trip and time to drag the large paddocks.

I am pleased to say that all horses found homes outside of the kill pen this month. Quite a relief.

The adopted horses are doing well.....Cooper is being loved and doted on, Max has found his own heaven and Louie is being spoiled........just like we like it! Thanks to all adopters for helping these horses out.

Enjoy your weekend.

Pony UP fortune for tomorrow:

Don't forget your compassion......spread it around today.

Wednesday ramblings

Yikes, I am way behind on my blog!

Where did I leave off?
Beautiful weather this last weekend and on Saturday we got a lot of things done....worked on filling in the ditch at the side of our driveway and got most of that done. Susy and Rick started on getting the rolling door on the new shed and it is almost complete. We had a new volunteer........Laura......and we groomed horses, cleaned the barn, cleaned water tubs and then got more sand dumped in the arena......we almost have enough sand to conduct business! The sand is such a big deal, as it will allow us to work horses and have safe footing....what a blessing to find it so cheap! Thank you Steve!

Iris has settled into our routine and we have settled into hers. She is beginning to be a bit of a prima donna.......I called her a young Helen Keller the other day as she threw a bit of a fit over not being handed grain once we opened her stall door. We tried her special fly mask on her and she was not going to have any part of it until she got her grain. We worked out a compromise...okay...well, we gave her her grain. The fly mask can be worked on later. She is getting around her paddock well enough to eat grass under the fence, which makes me chuckle...I would not have imagined a blind horse reaching under or over a fence.

Cooper, Louie and Max are doing well in their new homes. We are fortunate to meet some very nice people and even more fortunate when those people adopt from us. I never like to worry and so sometimes I am choosy, some may say "picky" about homes. Oh, well....that is just how it has to be...they have to have something better than what we can give them.....or they don't go. I have learned my lesson...casual, convenient adoptions can be worrisome...and I simply don't like to worry. Anyway, congratulations to Kathy, Carolyn and Carolyn.......(not a typo...actually TWO Carolyns!)

This weekend more chores....as usual......manure pile to be moved, sand to be spread, fencing to be put up and of course paddocks/stalls to be cleaned.

Four horses got hoof trims on Monday and four more will get trimmed next week. Lizzy will get front shoes because she is so flat footed and she has a crack in a front hoof that will spread if we don't intervene.

It was cold and rainy today....a shock from last weekend. I wore a jacket all day and here it is ...June....this sounds increasingly like last summer...and today when I came home........there were fallen maple leaves in the grass....lots of them. Now what could that mean? Early fall? Good grief!

We would like to thank Drop Dots for all of their support.....they collected donation money for us at the local farmers market and also gave us ten percent of their weekend earnings! Thank you for thinking of us! See Drop Dot's website at www.dropdotcookies.com.

Christine E...you are a gem! Thank you for all you do for us...I am so glad I met you and that you are my friend. PS ...Iris loves you!

We helped to get a young and injured TB mare out of the kill pen this week. Way too much drama......we just want to help horses, not start a character assassination contest. We were accused of trying to raise money for our own benefit instead of for the mare......untrue...if we need money for our farm, I am the first to say so. My intent was to help another rescue get this mare and get her quickly..there simply was no other way to get her out fast...we DID get that accomplished and the mare is safe as well as being treated for infected wounds. There should be no problem in helping......or accusations by parties who do not have facts......this is about helping horses. Thank you for those who support us and trust us.

Speaking of the kill pen, there are still some good horses looking for homes......please check out the auction horse forum for details.........you may go directly to the Enumclaw Sales Pavillion and buy a horse. Please have a look and share on your facebook or email...these guys need help quickly.

Thank you again for your support and kindness!

Pony Up fortune for today:

Pay kindness forward so that someday you will receive it when you most need it.

Friday freedom

Long week, I am behind on my blogging duties.....as usual, a lot to do, a short time to do it and always a new list.

Sarah and Kathy took Iris to the opthamologist on Thursday.......Dr. Sullivan. The bad news is that Iris is permanently blind. Iris had uveitis and no one took care of it, resulting in her vision loss. The good news is that Iris is not in pain. We must take extra care of her eyes so she does not scratch or injure them. The dr says Iris is in her teens and otherwise looks in pretty good condition now. We bought Iris a special fly mask yesterday and it will be here in a few days. It has eye cups in it, so that nothing can come in contact with her eyes...and hey, it will keep the bugs away too. Iris was remarkable to handle.....she is willing to try as long as you pat and talk to her. I must say that she loads better than my own horse....of course he has a million excuses. Anyway, there is no help for Iris and that makes us sad, but she is safe and I think she enjoys her life with us. I started her on probiotic with her grain and I will probably de-worm her again. We will list Iris for adoption, but it will have to be a very special home, with proper fencing, a good friend and a loving family. She deserves it.

A big thank you to Dr. Sullivan and staff....you were so very nice to us and Iris, we appreciate the kindness.

Auntie Jaime sent Iris a tail bag, made by

It's in the Bag

(Brooke Lyle Freeburg) and Brooke also sent us money that she raised by the sale of her tail bags........thank you to both! Iris will look spectacular!

Let's see....what else? Cooper is winding down his two week trial.....got his teeth floated, has learned to tie in his stall, bathe and use the hotwalker! The final decision on his adoption will be tomorrow...we are keeping our fingers crossed!

Max is living the high life in his new home! He got new boots, a new sheet....and he hasn't looked back yet...he loves it there. Thank you Carolyn for loving him!

Lizzie...well, Lizzie is a fatso and needs to get to work.......someone come and adopt her before Macy's hires her on as a parade balloon....you think I am kidding?

Blue is grumpy, as always...we should have named him Eyore. I let him sniff Iris tonight and he made a huge face, squealed like a pig and stomped his foot...I guess that means he doesn't want to be friends. Ollie, on the other hand LOVED Iris...but I think he might be a bit much for her...he wanted to be "more than friends"....okay, in his defense, he was gelded late.....he can't help it.

Last week we finished the shed and it looks great....we got hay delivered..got our grain replenished and this weekend we will install a new pump type freezeless faucet, work on fencing for Iris, move Jones to a new paddock, move the manure pile...and clean paddocks. It will be nice to have an extra day for chores.

We are grateful for our friends who help us out....there are many and I don't always publicly thank folks like I should....so thank you to Lietz Hay, M&M Dressage (Meghan Markham), Traumhoff, Dr. Julie, The Jones Farm, Christine Ericksen, Cam and Carrie Reeves, my wonderful volunteers (Ryan, Susy, Rebecca, Brenda, Jen, Mary, Sarah, Kathy, Nina, Aspen), the fans of Iris, Lower Puget Sound Dressage Club, Strohs, Cenex, West Sound Electric, Dr. Maci, Dr. Alberts, my husband, Susy's husband Rick, my mom......I am sure I missed someone........thank you just the same...I couldn't do it without you.

Enjoy your Memorial Day!

Pony UP fortune for tomorrow:

A strange scent on the wind brings your attention back to where it should be.

One whole week

It has been one whole week, plus one day since Iris came into our lives.

I said long ago that we were not a sanctuary, we did not take in horses who needed permanent placement.....I would have never considered a blind horse.......but that was before a hoof landed firmly on my heart.
Iris.
Iris who was left to fend for herself in a hell hole, Iris who willingly trusted complete strangers to lead her out to safety, Iris who is completely gentle to handle........Iris who is happy to be brushed, bathed, fed carrots. Not a mean bone in her body....an angel with four legs and two bad eyes.

Face it, I said to myself...you love horses and it is hard to pick and choose who lives, who dies and who is good enough to come to our rescue...they are all good enough......Thoroughbred or Paint, Appaloosa or Warmblood......it makes no difference...a needy soul is a soul in need.

Although we will list Iris for adoption, because even I know, that there are some homes that are better than living in a rescue. We are not the Taj Mahal, but we love them and take good care of them...they have good food and good care....but there are better situations for them to go to.....a loving home with a kind person who has a nice barn, a big pasture.....a warm heart. Evidenced many times with our adopters.....Rio, Vinnie, Breeze, Promise, Silk, Tucker, Max........even though sometimes our hearts break just a little to let them go, we know it is better for them. However....we will love Iris until someone can love her more....a promise from each of us...it isn't just me.....she has a whole host of people who love her.

Iris will see the opthamologist this next week, driven by volunteers who will give up their whole day so that Iris can be seen by a quality doctor.

Max was adopted by Carolyn........Congratulations! He is very happy....has a great barn, turn out....and a great big trailer that matches him! Thank you for adopting Carolyn! We are happy for you and Max! We hope to see you at shows this summer after this virus thing is cleared up!

Cooper is still at the Jones farm and has one more week of a trial period...he is being a good boy by all accounts! He will have his teeth done as well. Good luck Cooper!

Lizzie is ready for adoption.....we decided she is fat today and she was put on a diet. She needs a job! Come and see her!

Louie is still on vacation at Sarah's parents.....grass, grass and more grass..he loves it!

Beaver got in with Jones.......and I bet you can guess what happened....yep, the little bugger beat Jones up.....bites and kicks.....he really is a bad little pony. Jones will live.

The eagle took another of our chickens, right in front of me....arrrghhh. I hate that eagle. I went after him with the rake...to no avail. He took the chicken and flew off.

Today we finished our hay shed! all the walls are up.....mats are down.....ready for storage! YAY! Thanks to Susy and Ryan for getting this done...it is a relief to have it all completed.

Sunday.....a day of rest, I hope.....I have been so busy...I need some quiet time.

Pony Up fortune for tomorrow:

It is right where you needed it most.......look behind you.

Sequal Sunday

Did I mention it RAINED all night? Did I mention I am very weary of rain? I was worried about Iris last night and whether she would stay in the stall or be lost outside. I tossed and turned........got up and went to check on her. She was fine...dry.....in the stall. I went home and slept.
This morning she was cheery and called to us as we cleaned. We gave her a bigger water container in the stall as the smaller one was easy to tip over. She ate almost all of her hay and of course the grain pan was licked dry. I gave her some psyillium this morning, added some rice bran to her food, gave her a little more beet pulp and a little more grain. She needs some weight and her coat is dull. We love the rice bran for a horse that needs weight...horses seem to like the taste of it and the improvement is pretty rapid. Just ask Winston, my giant spotted hog......he is full of dapples and full in the flesh department too.....in fact, he probably doesn't need the bran..or the grain......and we know he needs some physical work. Beth???

Today we took Cooper to the Jones Farm where he will be vetted and assessed under saddle. He was a good boy to load and haul, a little hesitant to enter the beautiful Jones Farm barn....but came right along with encouragement. We really like Cooper...and we are keeping our fingers crossed that he will vet 100 percent and have a good assessment riding period. Jingle for him!

I came back home to find Beaver in with Jones.....Jones was hiding, had bite marks in several places....did I mention Jones is 16.3 and Beaver is 10.1H ? Beaver was standing in Jones' stall, eating Jones' hay and enjoying every minute of it?

Thank you all for your nice notes regarding Iris...Iris is a complete sweetheart. We hope we can make her very comfortable with us. I think she is relieved to be at our farm and out of the auction yard....well, anyone would be.. We will try to get an equine eye doctor apptment for her in the next week or so. She has one eye that is cloudy but the other looks clear.....but sight seems the same in both.

Off to eat dinner......relax.....

Sarah, Carolyn...had fun today! Thanks for going with me.

Pony Up fortune for tomorrow:

The blind sometimes lead the sighted.

She had me from hello......

Beautiful day today.....warm and sunny......what a treat for all of us...horses and humans!
Yesterday we decided to go and get our blind paint mare from the slaughter yard kill pen. We had made arrangements for Saturday, but I just felt like I could not leave her there another night...so Susy and I got in the truck after work, hooked the trailer up and went to get her.
She was way in the back of the yard, locked in a smaller area. I could hear her neighing before I could see her, as we were making our way through a myriad of locked gates, pathways...a crazy connnection of metal fencing somewhat like a maze...and then there she was. A slightly odd tilt to her head.......listening.....and then I started talking to her..approached her, touched her gently and haltered her. She was filthy, lots of raw patches, scratches and little wounds.....I teared up a little thinking of how scared she must be......handed over to strangers again, in a little more than a week....who was taking her now? Susy talked to her on one side and I led her on the other, making our way out of the maze. The mare walked right along, hesitant when the footing changed, but walked on when encouraged, occasionally bumping us with her nose gently..to "see" where we were. I felt some anxiety because.......well..what the hell do I know about blind horses? Nothing. Never had one. I had no idea if she would load easily or just what might happen. I had a lump in my throat...pulse pounding in my head......those moments where you say to yourself "what the hell am I doing?" "what if...what if????" I kept my thoughts to myself, afraid to speak outloud to Susy...Susy who is game for anything...who doesn't realize how things can go bad.......I walk along, pat the mare and listen to Susy, who keeps talking to the mare...
We finally got out to the trailer.......I had Susy open the loading door, then drop the drop down window...I asked the mare to come forward and I was amazed when she lifted her front hoof up in order to step up way before we got to the bumper of the trailer......I asked her to come forward a little more, she lifted up the hoof again and rested her weight, then lifted the other foot and then boosted herself in.....what a good mare.. my gosh..big sigh of relief...2000 lbs off my shoulders....I brought her forward, shut the divider on her and she stood like a statue. We clipped her halter to the trailer tie and shut the trailer up.....got on the road and headed home. The big slaughter truck passed us on the way out of town. I hated the thought of it.
Once home, we led her down the driveway, up into the barn, walked her around the perimeter of the pvc fencing, splashed the water, threw some hay and then got her some beet pulp/grain (which she was really thrilled with) We also applied liberal amounts of louse powder as she was crawling with lice and then I was too......so gross!
This morning, I arrived to find she had eaten all of her hay, and apparently stayed in the stall for quite a while last night. When she heard my voice this morning, she made her way back into the stall and right to the grain dish.....I guess she has me pegged for the grain person. She has a great big whinny to greet you with...

Later this afternoon, I went back and bathed her, conditioned her mane and tail, used show sheen to take all the knots out and then let her hand graze for about thirty minutes. She loves the green grass. I put her back in her stall and she made her way outside, where she promptly rolled (both sides)....so there are apparently no differences in blind horses and seeing horses after a bath.LOL>

We have named her Iris. Even though I am not a mare person, she had me from hello.....I am wrapped around her hoof and she is wrapped around my heart.

Pony Up fortune for tomorrow.

Change for the good......it works.

Waiting on Wednesday

Okay, we have accepted the blind mare from the slaughter lot. We paid for her today and we will pick her up on Saturday morning...early. We have had so much support today...I want to thank you all for your kind thoughts and generous donations. We really don't know anything about her at this time, other than that she is blind, a Pinto, a mare, she is scared, starved, full of lice and probably very wormy. We will have her examined by a vet, to determine why she is blind and if she can be helped. Anyway the wind blows....the mare deserves better....imagine being left in a strange place when you are blind.
We will bring her home, put her in a large quarantine stall, get rid of her lice and then when she feels better, we will give her a friend to lean on.

We have named her Iris. Help us welcome her home and send her your best thoughts..healing thoughts.

Max is out on trial and we certainly like his potential adopter...keeping fingers crossed for everything to work out! It seems like a good match!
Cooper goes out on trial tomorrow......we are very excited for him...he has turned out to be such a beautiful boy! Gleaming coat, sleek muscles.....we are so proud of him!
Louie is on a pasture vacation and loving every minute of it. He has someone interested in him too, but they are not sure if they can commit just yet.....we are hoping so..Louie is a good boy.

Off to do some chores.......

Pony Up fortune for tomorrow.

Cloudy skies turn blue.

Finally Friday

Another week has gone by.....lots of things accomplished and more things planned!

Max has several people interested in adopting him and we should know by next week who the lucky person is! Max did well at the schooling show last Sunday, we were very proud of him. Tomorrow he gets his feet trimmed and de-wormed, so he is ready to go. We are very fond of Max and will feel sad for us, but happy for him! Every horse deserves a great home and a person to dote on him. We have to remember that that is our ultimate goal...our sadness has to take a back seat.

Cooper has a pending adoption and will go on a trial next week. Keep your fingers crossed! A vetting is planned and things look good!

I am blessed to have really great friends in my life and folks who help me. Thank you to Meghan M. (M & M Dressage) for riding/legging up Max for us, thank you Sarah W. for organizing our adoptathon and taking Louie on a vacation...thank you to Susy for helping with the tack sale, thank you to Cutter Creek for taking such great care of Jones..you guys rock.....I couldn't do this without any of you guys.

I am trying to find time to get my own horse out and worked....Winston spent six months last year with Beth Anderson Ness and actually became a riding horse, rather than a stall ornament. He was always pretty to look at, but a tendency to be silly and very green around the edges. He is a rather sensitive guy and I wanted to get some training on him without turning him into a nervous wreck. He is a horse that cannot be manhandled or forced. He can be rambunctious, fractious and lacks an attention span most days......so that is a big order for most trainers...and did I mention he is HUGE? Enter Beth Anderson Ness....Starr Valley Farms.... Beth is a longtime friend of mine and a great rider. She and Winston hit it off like a match made in heaven. I was very pleased with his training, he was brought along safely, with patience and tolerance. Anyone who knows me knows that I am very particular about who handles/trains my horses (including our rescues) I don't stand for rough handling, excessive use of the whip or working a horse to exhaustion. My big boy became a floaty dressage horse. Beth rode him through his ADD spells without batting an eye. There were times I visibly sucked my breath in when he "spooked"...but Beth just stayed with him and did not let it become a big deal. I also rode him some, but he really became Beth's horse....I tried to leave him there (as in permanently) because he really should be Beth's horse!They are such a beautiful picture together! Anyway, I had to eventually bring him home and he has mostly just sat around ...eating and torturing volunteers in the barn with his camel face antics. Time to go back to work Winston...Auntie Beth is asking after you....Ride and Review.....May 14th. Here we go! See you soon Beth.

I will take time to thank Cam Reeves also.......Cam gets Pony Up horses who lack any history on their riding skills or lack thereof....we send him everything. Poor Cam...he doesn't know if he gets a bucking bronco, a demon or an angel. I am always glad to see the Reeves family and I always know that when a horse comes home from Cam, it comes with a solid foundation (they lead, tie, bathe, walk, trot, canter)Thans you Cam for never saying no...and giving our horses the same chance as big dollar horses. You ROCK!

Thank you to Chalice Farms for allowing our motley crew of horses on your beautiful premises for our adoptathon.....it was very kind of you and we appreciate it. See you at the Ride and Review on the 14th...it will be a fun day!

Tomorrow we have our tack sale from 9am to 3pm......lots of stuff, from halters, to bridles, to saddles, pads, shoes, girths......come and see what we have.....a LARGE assortment of english bits! A pony saddle too!

Pony Up fortune for tomorrow:

Don't rain on someone else's parade.