Pony Up Rescue for Equines Blog

Christmas 2011

2011-12-21T18:26:00.000-08:00

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

2011-11-25T18:26:00.001-08:00

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?

2011-11-05T19:48:00.000-07:00

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

2011-10-20T10:28:00.000-07:00

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

2011-10-02T17:51:00.000-07:00

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...

2011-09-29T20:50:00.001-07:00

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

2011-09-29T19:50:00.000-07:00

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

2011-09-10T18:27:00.000-07:00

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

2011-09-01T21:07:00.000-07:00

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

2011-08-20T20:27:00.000-07:00

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

2011-08-09T20:59:00.000-07:00

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

2011-07-27T19:21:00.000-07:00

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

2011-07-17T22:21:00.001-07:00

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/animalservices.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

2011-07-06T21:49:00.000-07:00

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!

2011-06-30T19:29:00.000-07:00

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

2011-06-28T18:43:00.000-07:00

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...

2011-06-26T20:10:00.000-07:00

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

2011-06-26T19:27:00.001-07:00

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

2011-06-18T18:09:00.000-07:00

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

2011-06-08T18:08:00.000-07:00

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

2011-05-27T19:33:00.000-07:00

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

2011-05-21T19:47:00.000-07:00

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

2011-05-15T18:29:00.000-07:00

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......

2011-05-14T16:48:00.000-07:00

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

2011-05-11T19:34:00.000-07:00

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

2011-05-06T19:50:00.000-07:00

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.

Towards Tuesday

2011-05-03T21:26:00.000-07:00

Is it Tuesday already?

Max went to the LPSDC schooling show on Sunday....he was a great boy! Went in the ring like a trooper and schooled at training level. He is still a little out of shape, but got scores of 64 and 65 (okay the judge was very generous!) We are very pleased with the work Meghan did with him! See Meghan at www.mmdressage.com...we want to give her a big shout out! Thank you Meghan!

I volunteered for the afternoon gatekeeping shift at the dressage show. It was fun and I got to see a lot of folks and lots of great horse flesh! Annie, your boy Chaos was lovely! I vote him "Most Beautiful Coat" of show award!

Trying to plan out farm chores for summer, how to campaign horses for adoption, fundraising ideas and etc. We are booked full at Pony Up.....but we have some great horses for adoption. I think positively and know that we can get two or three adopted by mid summer...or else we just become a sanctuary....right? We need more land, more money......more volunteers.......blah, blah, blah. I need another job to support my committment...or I need to win the lotto. Buy me a ticket because right now all my spare money goes to hungry horses.

It is almost time to buy hay again. Funny how that happens, huh? They go through hay like water through a sieve. I think my mom taught me that saying...what is a sieve?

This weekend we have our garage sale...Ryan graduates, Susy has an anniversary.....and Jones comes home. Long story....but we honor our committments...and take back our horses when it doesn't work. No ones fault...sometimes it just is what it is. We love Jones.

We are supposed to have good weather this week! Surprise and relief! I can do with some more warm weather to dry paddocks out and lift my spirits.

Lots of nice horses at the Enumclaw auction slaughter yard lot...I wish we could help someone this month, but we are full and I don't do our own horses any favors if I over commit. Lotto...where are you? If you can help one of them.....please do, or adopt one of ours and we can help one.

Pony Up fortune for tomorrow;

A random act of kindness is a life saver for someone you don't know.

Steal away Saturday

2011-04-30T22:26:00.000-07:00

Up early to the barn, trying to outwit the local eagle and the local hawk, who now see the Pony UP farm as a "fast food chicken place". Five of my hens are gone...poof.. SOOOOOOO, we decided that the chickens cannot run free any longer or else they will all be gone. Susy, Ryan and I worked on some fencing and a new coop to keep them safer....I will let you know how it goes. Chickens were not impressed with the new residence...not one bit. We had to clip wings and then put them bodily to bed tonight.
and then....we had our big day at Chalice Farms to show off our Pony Up horses. Long day but very productive.....thanks to Lea of Chalice Farms and her crew.....and thanks to all my friends who helped today.....Sarah, Jessie,Brenda, Hannah, Ryan, Susy, Barb, Kathy.......I couldn't have done it by myself...thank you so much for loving these horses! The exciting news is that Cooper is broke! We didn't know it...but Jessie was our test pilot and climbed on....he was so good! We are proud of him, he looked beautiful under saddle...such a nice trot and so athletic! WOO HOO!!
Meghan has done a great job with Max and we are so excited to see them go tomorrow...

I also want to thank Jen and Tara for bringing us a lovely gift! I will take pictures of it tomorrow..it is fabulous! Nice to meet your boys! Next time bring your trailer so you can take a horse home!

Long day and I am tired...tomorrow will be another long day...up early to take Max to the horse show, then an afternoon of volunteering at the same show! Come and see us at Green Hills in Gig Harbor. Max is on stage at ten in the morning...he would like a big audience, so bring friends.

Off to bed, hope your day was as good as ours...

Pony Up fortune for tomorrow:

You won't know unless you try.

Fast and Furious Friday

2011-04-29T21:47:00.000-07:00

The week has flown by........new job, new routine..busy weekend...deep breath!

Pictures of Cooper, isn't he simply lovely? Dressage, hunter, eventer.......he could be anything....and he looks so good, feels so good.....enjoy the pictures. Also pictures of baby birds in loft. Ugly, but sort of cute?~

Come and see Cooper tomorrow at Chalice Farms!
Then see Max on Sunday morning at the LPSDC schooling show at Green Hills in Gig Harbor~

Pony UP fortune for tomorrow...
It takes one to know one.

Monday rolls around........

2011-04-25T15:40:00.000-07:00

Spent the morning in ER (not for me...family member).....must have used every Blackberry application there was to update, or look at and pass the time......I got Facebook loaded to my phone and even managed to load pictures from it. Just when I was starting to hate my phone and long for something else.....it comes through like a champ. Family member home and resting.....things are ok for now.

A huge thank you to Caryn for all the help in the past year......we will miss her.....thanks for all of your time, effort and support..it was fun! Good luck in school and with your horses.

It is raining again.....kind of chilly outside...definitely jacket weather today.....hoping for a sun break soon. I had to blanket Lizzie this morning.....she was standing in the rain, shivering...would not go in her shelter...so I got the blanket back out, covered her and voila, her shivering stopped.

Don't forget the Ride and Review at Chalice Farms next month! Beth Anderson, Dannelle Haugen (see information at http://chalicefarms.com/clinics)......we will see you there if you are participating! Beth and Dannelle are both capable riders/instructors/trainers....the day should be fun!

Louie had a horrible weekend, he was sure there was something in the woods...the normally comatose Louie became a snorty, prancing, nervous wreck.....and nothing would calm him.....he wouldn't eat, had diarrhea...and was snorting so loud I could hear him clear across the farm. I looked in the woods, looked on the side road, looked up in the trees, looked at the nearest neighbors......nada.....I saw nothing...but he sure did. Finally this morning he is calmer and resumed eating. Must be the local werewolves or something equally as scary.

Don't forget to come and see Max at the schooling show at Green Hills....we expect him and Meghan to take first place! Just a warning.

Enjoy your chilly afternoon.

Pony Up fortune for tomorrow:

Count your blessings instead of your worries today.

Happy Easter Sunday

2011-04-24T11:15:00.000-07:00

Sorry to see the rain come back for Easter morning....we had such a beautiful day yesterday. I hope you have a great day with family and friends!

Yesterday with the beautiful weather, we were able to get the new building framed in and siding will be next.....and then we will have extra hay storage or an extra stall.....it is such a nice building.....we did a great job on it!

We also took Lizzie down to Chalice Farms....Sarah introduced her to the jump arena, lunged her a little, had Hannah sit on her and ride her a bit. Lizzie was a good girl for ...a mare! I am not a mare person...too much drama. Anyway the weather was good and we enjoyed ourselves. Thank you to Lea for the use of the arena....the farm looks beautiful and we love Fiona! Thanks to Sarah and Hannah for working Lizzie.

Don't forget next weekend at Chalice Farms between 2-4, we will have the Pony UP horses adopt-a-horse-a-thon.........treats will be served! Come meet us and our horses!

Also mark on your calendar......May 1st.....the Lower Puget Sound Dressage Club schooling show..(www.lpsdc.com)......Max will be showing in the morning......training level one and two....with Meghan Markham riding him!www.mmdressage.com...we are thankful for the help of Meghan. I watched her ride Max last Friday and he looked GREAT!

Next on the agenda is the Pony Up Tack and Garage sale.......May 7th (Saturday) from 9am to 3pm......all sorts of stuff, western, english (dressage mostly)....plus some great garage sale stuff.....barn stuff, housewares, clothes, light fixtures.....all proceeds benefit the rescue. There will be parking in our arena, from the side road.
If you have items you would like to donate.....give us an email...we can pick the items up if you are in our area.

I lost another hen yesterday......didn't even see it, but she was missing at bedtime. I looked around this morning......no feathers......no nothing....just plain gone. Lots of predators with families to feed, I guess. My mistake to let my chickens free range...but they love getting bugs from the manure pile and taking sun bathes in the arena. I may have to make a pen.

Ryan graduates in two weeks! We are so proud of him! He will also start an engineering job at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard towards the end of May.....way to go Ryan! We will have a little Pony Up Party for him mid month to celebrate his success.

We have baby pigeons in the barn. Don't get me wrong.....I hate pigeons in the barn. We have two fake owls..we chase them off and yet, Mrs. Pigeon snuck in two eggs, stealthily hatched them and then I found them. I am no baby killer....I will chase them off when they are big enough to fly away. I do have to say that they are cute...I had a short amount of time where I thought the mother was not coming back...the babies felt cold......I held them in my hands and warmed them...then thought about how I was going to feed them,,,,,,googled it on my phone......then thought I should give it a while.....so I put them back.......returned later to see Mommy feeding them.......phew.....what a relief....I wasn't cherishing feeding baby birds.

The swallows are back too and they are making necessary nest repairs, surveying the best sites for new nests and already catching bugs. We love them. Yesterday sure seemed like spring.....a very welcome warm day....really lifted everyones spirits.

Off to the races.......enjoy your day....and I hope the sun comes out for at least a while!

Pony UP fortune for tomorrow:

A stranger offers advice.

Thoughts on a Thursday

2011-04-21T18:54:00.000-07:00

The weather has been pretty good the last two days...a tiny bit of rain, a good amount of sun....cold in the morning and fairly warm in the afternoon. We have let Ollie and Cooper out on pasture for the last two afternoons and they have loved it...they don't want any hay at the end of the day and they feel great! The grass is so good for them....I wish we had grass for everyone.....big green pastures...one of my big dreams.

Monday, Ryan and I delivered the donkeys to the Clark County Fairgrounds.....we met the donkey transporters for Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue.......nice professional folks.....I was sad for the donkeys to go....I cried for a while after we left.....you think of how far you have brought them and what they have been through....I just had to get a grip on myself.......it isn't the first time we have sent someone off to a new adventure..but I never get used to it....we get attached to all of them....donkeys or horses or chickens........it doesn't matter. Thank you Ryan for going with me and for handing me a kleenex without saying a word about my tears.

Wednesday, Sarah and I groomed inmates at the small Pony Up barn.......washed Churchie's legs.....combed tails, pulled manes...the usual grooming stuff. This morning, I took the trash away from Nina's barn....cleaned stalls and scratched Blue's back for a long while......he came to me asking for grooming.......which is odd for him....he is and has always been standoffish. In the afternoon, I put plastic up on the new shed building...we have more work to do on it....another couple of walls and a doorway.....then we can put hay in it. We are always short on hay space.

We have our upcoming adoption day on April 30th......at Chalice Farms....between 2 and 4pm....snacks and drinks will be served......horses will be walked around.......Pony Up volunteers will be there to meet you....Thank you to Chalice Farms and Sarah for putting this together!

Max is still in legging up training and doing well......such a good boy! Meghan likes him and is doing a fabulous job with getting him in shape....Max will be shown at the Lower Puget Sound Dressage Schooling show on May 1........come and see him ..such a beautiful boy.

We also have our tack/garage sale coming up on May 7th......9am to 3pm......all kinds of stuff....some western , some english.......and a lot of garage sale stuff.....come see us.....and pray for sun!

Pony Up fortune for tomorrow:

Don't forget when you leave why you came.

Seriously Saturday

2011-04-16T07:57:00.000-07:00

It is not raining..but it is cold......I am thinking about turning the heat on...and then I decide I won't.....I won't be here long enough to really enjoy it...off to the barn in a few minutes.
We have a lot of chores today.......gravel, lumber......a thorough cleaning, sort through and plan our tack/garage sale (pray for weather that is sunny)...plan our donkey road trip for Monday, and assign some volunteer tasks.
I went and rode Max yesterday for a little while.....it has been a long time since I rode...various reasons that are too boring to go into, but anyway Max was a good boy, looks lovely under saddle. Thank you Meghan for legging him up, trimming him up and making him look beautiful! Training level here we come!
Thanks to the folks who have donated to our tack sale...Tina H, Beth N, Carmen F...we are going to have some really great items......tack trunks, bridles, western saddles, english saddles, english bridles, saddle pads, horse blankets, sheets, boots, ........as well as some garage sale items. Come see us May 7th from 9am to 3pm. If interested in presale.......we have a nice Prestige dressage saddle, some hunt seat saddles (Stubben and Passier), a set of weymouth bits, .......email me or call me. Most of the saddles are mine.....most are 18" seat, med tree, long flap....

Beth, it was great talking to you and catching up......see you soon!
Carmen, thank you for your generosity.
Sarah........thanks for your support and friendship.
This has been a long week, full of surprises....

Enjoy your day.....

Pony Up fortune:

If you lie, keep a notebook, so you can remember what you said...

Thursday..Thoroughly

2011-04-14T11:26:00.000-07:00

Cool, gray day......up early and to the barn. Prisoners waiting for breakfast...I am scolded by the tossing of a head, the laying back of ears, the banging of the gate...everyone is hungry. I tell them to hang on....let chickens out, let cat out....feed chickens, and THEN throw hay......but hay isn't enough...they WANT grain and so the banging, short neighs, head tossing continues. I don't fall for it usually, I make them settle down or I will have a huge chorus of chaos. Winston in particular creates a scene like something from the Black Stallion..he can rear, buck and kick in a twelve by twelve stall and make you think he is coming right out of it.
We simply shut the top door and ignore him....or else it is like feeding a fire..the next time he really acts up.

It is cold this morning and I regret having taken the blankets off......but it is mid April and gee....they should be out of their coats by now. Then I remember last year, I think I kept blankets on until June or the middle of June...it was lousy weather last year.

Max is coming along fine...probably glad to be working and living in a regular barn. He is signed up for the Lower Puget Sound Dressage Club schooling show....May Flowers...on May 1.......come and see him!

This weekend, we have a list of chores....things to do, people to see......horses to brush, clip, blankets to take to the cleaners, a few things to build and some fencing to put up..the usual list of things to do include cleaning up manure, raking up old hay, cleaning barn stall doors (messy eaters they are!)

Monday I take the donkeys to Vancouver to catch a ride to California to go to Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue. Great folks......good program...we are sad to see the little guys go, but this will be a better place for them, out of harms way, good donkey food and experienced donkey staff. We simply do not have room for two extra bodies at this point.

I start a new full time job at the end of the month and I will no longer have Fridays off...but I will make a little more money to feed the hungry mouths we keep and that is a priority.

I had someone call yesterday and say that unless I took their horse, they were going to shoot it. I can only do so much...We only have so much land, we only have so much money....I cannot wave a wand and make everything better. I seriously wish I could....these types of calls upset me..I can give resources but we are at capacity and it is no help to our own residents if I overcrowd or overcommit financially.
These are certainly heartbreaking times for all of us.

Off to run errands........enjoy this gray Washington day as best you can.

Pony UP fortune for tomorrow:

It is no mystery.

Pictures from today...Cooper and Ollie

2011-04-12T21:07:00.000-07:00

Thoughtful Tuesday

2011-04-12T09:06:00.000-07:00

Rambling thoughts on a sunny (at least right now) Tuesday morning. It has been a whirlwind week, always so much to do, places to go and of course people to pay. Horses are expensive.......if you are reading this and you own horses, you know what I mean......if you don't own horses, imagine yourself unfortunate but financially sounder than the rest of us who have them. Vet bills, hay, shoeing, training...and what I can incidentals......supplements, treats, boots, fly sprays, ointments (I love this word!...it sounds good when you say it, doesn't it?)

Yesterday Max went to a barn for two weeks of conditioning and beauty treatments, so that he can attend a schooling show and be ready to show his beautiful self for our open house adoption (sponsored by Chalice Farms and Cutter Creek) ...he is so ready to be adopted! We will also have Cooper, Lizzie, Louie and Blue on hand. Snacks will be provided as well as refreshments......we will probably have a mobile tack shack available. I am very appreciative of the gals who have helped put this together...I am very fortunate......thank you Annie, Sarah, Lea, Meghan...you all have huge hearts for these horses. Look for the flyers at your local feed or tack store....or email us for more information.

I am looking for help in grooming the Pony UP horses for the adoption events......we need mane pulling, tail banging, brushing/trimming of whiskers.....also volunteer handlers for the events! If you can help and are experienced.....give us a shout!
As well, if you would like to host an adoption event, we would be happy to bring the whole herd...okay, well maybe not Beaver...but the rest!

This rescue program is a labor of love. Sometimes we get our hearts broken, sometimes our hearts burst with pride. We have disappointments, setbacks, mountains that seem impossible to climb....days when we need more than we have.....and days when we have to say no. I hate to say no......I see a needy horse and my immediate thought is to help it, without thinking it through....but when we are full to capacity, I have to say no......I have to offer resources, I may offer hay ..but sometimes it kills me inside to know that I could not really help in the way I wanted to. It is the problem with rescuing.....knowing when to say when, how much you can afford, how much room you have and how to sound out the word "NO". I have seen rescues take on too many horses....and they run into money troubles, the horses suffer for it....and then the rescue needs to be rescued. Sad...intentions start out well and then get overwhelmed and underfunded. I do encourage you to check out rescues that you support ...personally or by someone you trust.....or ask your vet. Rescues will never mind a visitor and especially a volunteer. There is never a shortage of work to be done, all horses need attention, manure needs picked up.....boards need nailing......coffee needs sharing. You will probably not walk into the Taj Mahal......but you should be walking into well fed horses, clean stalls, clean water supply, safe fencing, not over crowded facilities. We have mud....in the summer we look more like the part we want to be...but right now, we face mud, like many of the rest of you in Washington.....we manage and we do not leave horses standing in mud...all have dry stalls/short paddocks with solid footing. My volunteers and myself take good care of them, they are well loved.........while they are here, they are OUR horses. Many come to us with broken spirits, broken bones, starved bodies.....a far cry from the showhorse they may have once been.......the pride stripped naked from them until just their mortal humble soul shows.....and we take them in and do what we can....in some cases we love them until we can only give them a final kindness.....in the best cases we send them off to be loved by someone who has chosen to adopt them... adopted with known limitation or adopted to become a showhorse again.....it all works.

Enough of my rambling this morning.....

We are still trying to put together funds for Cooper's training, we need a sponsor for a horse who needs to go to permanent retirement (300 a month)and we still have a wish list for the farm.......we always appreciate help ..be it monetary or items.
We will be holding a tack sale in May, perhaps in conjunction with a local horse show....if you have items to donate......we would love to have them or come by and purchase something!

Enjoy your slightly sunny day!

Pony Up fortune for today:

Do not look at the grass below your feet, look instead to the horizon.

whoa it's Wednesday

2011-04-06T10:09:00.000-07:00

Beautiful morning so far......a little wind, but the sun is out, filtering through the trees......I let Georgia and Boyd out to play early this morning and they are just plain tuckered out.....both sound asleep...gentley snoring.......the cat is on his condo, enjoying the sun coming through the window and I am writing lists, answering email and of course drinking coffee...laughing at some of the facebook posts.....generally glad we don't have snow like Jen does! sorry Jen!

Thank you to Sarah for holding Lizzie........you know the more time you spend with her, the more you like her! There is a method to my madness.

Pony Up will be volunteering at the May Flowers dressage show (Lower Puget Sound Dressage Club)......if you want to volunteer on our behalf.......let us know? I am gatekeeping in the afternoon. LPSDC has been very supportive of Pony Up and it is a small way to pay them back and keep our name in front of other horse folks! If you can't volunteer, come and watch.......

Thank you to Rebecca, Brenda and Caryn for feeding faithfully.......two of my favorite girls! I couldn't do it without you.

Good luck to Ryan this week on his state test! We have our hooves crossed! You will do great!

Anyone have a live trap? We need to catch our barn cat and give him/her the once over...and perhaps a neuter job...I think it is a boy. He sustained some type of injury in the last two weeks and of course, I cannot get close to him nor even see him for more than a few seconds.

Off to the races........

Pony UP fortune for today........

Today will bring you a pleasant surprise.

Just plain Tuesday

2011-04-05T09:36:00.000-07:00

I got to sleep late this morning,...the rain has finally stopped, it is windy and the sun is peeking out just a little (for a minute or two) as I write this. Quiet house, dog toenails click the tile floor......the cat is playing with a plant leaf......so many sounds if you just listen..the quiet is not really quiet.

The shoer comes today to do Lizzie's feet, Sarah is coming to hold her and keep her from nipping the new shoer.......the nipping just came out of no where, like a mouthy youngster. Annoying...yes, sometimes they are annoying.

Yesterday, I arrived at the barn and Winston's 3/4 blanket is now 1/2 a blanket and it is on upside down. He says he doesn't know how it happened. There definitely is no repairing it now. I took it off and he had to borrow one that was a little too small.......he is a big boy in an 86 blanket and an 84 is a little snug but adequate to keep him warm.

Chores and errands to do.....going to lunch with an old friend...looking forward to it. Feed store and Fred Meyer.......have to make a plan to enlarge the chicken coop.......we have 15 chicks........like a whole new flock and so we need some room.
We also need to cement our aisleways in the barn.....rats have made our mats uneven....our tame rats who will run right across your foot if you don't scream. We hate to poison things.

The resident squirrels are making a nest in our washrack stall......I don't have the heart to move them. They are quite tame...yesterday I took them a bag of shelled walnuts and they had a grand time "squirrelling them away".

A note to Sammi.........God bless you and keep you angel girl.......we all love you.

Well, I am off and running.......enjoy your day......

Pony Up fortune for today:

It isn't like you didn't know it.

Salutations Sunday

2011-04-03T10:21:00.000-07:00

Slept in.....let dogs out, made coffee......read email........home by myself for the second week in a row...soon to be third. The house is quiet......no TV, no radio.....just me and the dogs. I throw sweats on, my glasses and off to the barn. It is cold, but not raining, although it looks like it could rain any time and I believe it will rain before the day is over.

I get to the barn, greeted by whinnies and braying.....let the chickens out, let the cat out, count chicks and then throw hay. Something catches my eye about Winston....oh.....half of his blanket is hanging, ripped from the front of his chest to the middle of his tummy....he is non plus about it......no big deal....I get scissors and cut it off, so now he has 3/4's of a blanket. There will be no repairing this. Almost the end of blanket season.

My mother comes outside and tells me the donkeys escaped last night. HOW? Apparently they opened the latch on the gate......they were on her deck, ate her plants, went through her garbage and chewed on her car. They also scattered two bales of hay in their little barn. I have tied the gate shut until further notice. Anyone want two cute donkeys?

We had two people come and look at horses for adoption yesterday......they looked at Max, Lizzie and Cooper. Cooper is not quite ready for adoption until we have him assessed under saddle. I won't send any unknowns to adoptive homes until we know how they act and if we have any issues...not fair to the horse or the new home.
Anyway, one person wants to have Max come and visit, see how he is in the arena. She would be a very good home and does just the sort of riding he needs. We are keeping our fingers crossed! Cooper will go to the Jones Farm next weekend for a couple of weeks. Lizzie was a bad girl yesterday and has learned to nip........no more hand treats.

Temporary interruption by a Bull Terrier gone bad. I was wondering what the noise was and it is Georgia..........who has a couch pillow, de-stuffed.......and very happy with the results. If you ever had a Bull Terrier, you know what I mean. I took the pillow and then she took the remote control...........I took the remote control and she took the baby gift from the counter......I give her an appropriate toy and take the baby gift. She doesn't want the toy....she thinks the baby gift is better.
I offer her another toy and she goes back for a couch pillow. OY VAY.

The weather yesterday was so nasty that we did not do much in the way of chores. We spread hogsfuel in my mother's yard for the donkeys. Again, thank God for the tractor....and Ryan.

We checked on Yukon yesterday. He is happy and being well cared for. We dropped grain, beetpulp and a wormer for him. He is fat. :)

A few chores to do today, some friends to visit and the regular routine for the horses......the weekend went by quickly...never enough time it seems.

Enjoy your week......

Pony UP fortune for tomorrow:

You really should explain.

Free Form Friday

2011-04-01T10:08:00.000-07:00

10:00 and all is well. I am sitting here listening to the rain, drinking coffee......the house is quiet except for the distant snoring of a sleeping dog. I have to go to work today and so my chores at the barn are done. I love a quiet house.....you can hear the softest creak of the floor, every thump from a cat jumping off the counter, the sound of running water in the gutters, croaking frogs from my pond.......such a chorus...comforting quiet sounds.

I gave up my plan to supplement the big horses with local hay. Why? because it doesn't make good bedding in my opinion, but it does in their opinion...Beaver is eating it nicely, Louie is eating whatever he gets because he is always SO hungry...but the rest of them say "No, we are NOT eating it" and "we cannot be forced"..."we will simply starve and folks will turn you into the Humane Society"...so I caved in. No more local ...just fresh expensive timothy/alf mix. It keeps them fat, the way they like.

The mud is seriously depressing. No matter how much we try to avoid it...it is there because we have hooved animals and a rainy climate. More land would help....like maybe the five acres behind us or to the side of us......I will have to get a second job or win the lotto. I will feel better once summer is here and we have dust and flies to complain about. Right now, summer seems a long way off, doesn't it?

Pony Up will have a couple of adoption days at local barns in the next two months. We will serve refreshments and snacks......plus show off our adoptables! Lizzie and Max are both rideable and beautiful......waiting for the right person!
We will also be taking Cooper to the Jones Farm for a couple of weeks of evaluation to see what he knows and how his tolerance is.. Cooper is a lovely boy to handle, much like a large labrador.....he loves to be scratched and will gladly groom you back if you let him...(we don't!) Max will go to Beth Anderson for a few weeks of legging up and then he is ready to go for the season. All of them are lovely.
We have one lone pasture pet........Blue......he is not suitable for riding and needs to be just a pasture ornament. His back is swayed, he has bad hocks......but he has a good disposition and is an easy keeper........he would look great amongst a backdrop of cattle.....or sheep....or ducks?

This weekend we will enlarge the donkey paddock....they have been in my mom's front yard (where SHE wanted them....!) and now they have annilated any landscape (like I said they would)........so they need a bigger space. She has been doting on them and they are happy little guys!...but busy, definitely busy! Also very adoptable...if you need more pasture ornaments or guard donkeys!...but they must have adequate housing and pasture space...they don't put up with any interlopers either....dogs must stay out of their yard!

Off to do other chores.......get ready for work...make more lists.

Thanks for all the support and friendship....we cannot do it without you!

Pony Up fortune for today:

It's not who wins the battle.......it is who wins the war.

Too far gone Tuesday

2011-03-29T20:06:00.000-07:00

The last week has flown by......I am behind in my blogging duties......work, farm, home.........so much to do and generally not enough time.
It is wet and rainy again.....the forecast calls for rain for the next two weeks? YIKES. Where is spring? I removed horse blankets for a few days last week and then put them right back on. Most blankets survived the winter and will be able to be cleaned and used again. Some winters are harder than others on blankets.
Pastures are still muddy/soggy and ugly. A few days of rain or a few days of sun sure makes a difference........but, umm...we want the sun...for a few months at least.

Georgia, my Bull Terrier is completely over her stomach troubles.....almost like new...and still trying to eat whatever comes her way......like a baby putting things right into it's mouth.....and of course with me grabbing whatever it is, prying her jaws open and pulling it out.

The horse shoer was out on Saturday and four of our residents got trims....Beaver, in particular, grows his hooves out quickly and he has to be trimmed frequently. He has a love/hate relationship with the shoer....... but he was pretty good for the shoer...and the shoer was pretty good to him. Next week, the rest of the crew will be done....shoes on Max.....shoes on Lizzie's fronts.

Somehow in the last week, I have tweaked my knee and it is painful. ...advil, hot/cold packs......it is slightly swollen. I am getting old and I think I need Adequan or Legend to help me get along.

Time to buy hay again, the fatsos are eating some good local grass, but the rest are quite uninterested and so they must have the premium, expensive hay that they have come to love.

Please, for your horse's sake.....teach him or her to do something. I see so many horses who are green broke, barely broke, not broken, "need a refresher", "need someone to bring them along", "nine years old and not broke"....."good broodmare".....ugh..We DON'T need another broodmare, we don't need another mediocre registered foal, or unregistered foal......have a plan, give your horse a job, teach him a discipline and then when you cannot keep him or her....at least they have something to fall back on. A horse that knows how to do "nothing" is not readily marketable. If you give your horse away, check to see where they are going, check references, follow up.....if you really don't care.....euthanize him or her....spare them the suffering. There are few homes for pasture ornaments and even fewer "good" homes...I am not saying it can't happen......but the probability is not in your favor. For those of you with your head in the sand.......slaughter is alive and well....south of the border and north of the border...people will take your "free horse and sell it for a few bucks... off to slaughter they go. Google horse slaughter if you want to see the graphic reality of it.....I warn you, it is violent and ugly. If you cannot provide a home for an indefinate period.....don't buy a horse.

Enough of my soap boxing......but is is pretty depressing out there if you are a horse...or if you are a horse rescue. My heart breaks everytime I have to say no.

Enjoy your week...

Pony UP fortune for tomorrow:

You are not alone.

Time for Tuesday

2011-03-22T19:04:00.000-07:00

Long weekend, long week.....but on the bright side....the sun was sort of out yesterday, basically out today and looks like tomorrow it might be out for like half the day! I can deal with that......nice to not have any rain for a change.

Last weekend, we worked on a making an old shed new.....for the donkeys. It needed a new roof and a partition, plus a little fencing. Good as new now......no leaks and the donkeys are happy. They have eaten every pine tree in the paddock, but they are happy. Thank you to Rick, Susy and Ryan for helping all day.....you guys are troopers! Rick, we didn't know you were so handy....hmmm....?

We also got some hay donated by Bernie and Mark.....thank you very much! The horses and donkeys are eating it just fine. We appreciate your generosity and so do the horses!

Lizzie has finally calmed down and settled in to the Pony Up small barn. She was very fretful with new friends.....new sounds and a new shelter...but all is well now.

Almost time to take blankets off for the season, but it is still a bit cool at night. Max gets cold easily and so does Ollie......so we are careful to blanket them well into the spring.

It is still raining free horses out there.....I see ads frequently and word of mouth travels to us almost every day. I wish for a bigger budget, more land, a bigger barn.......so we could do more. It is frustrating to be limited, but important that our residents are well provided for while they are here. If we are spread too thin, it is not good for anyone. Hopefully we will have some adoptions this spring........we have some really great horses! Spread the word for us.

I was driving along today and the landscape is still drab, but starting to be dotted with brilliant green.......the metamorphosis has begun and slowly but surely it will turn to a beautiful spring...one day we will open our eyes and everything will be green and blooming. I went for a walk in the woods the other day and I saw nettles pushing up....not that I love nettles, but spring brings them to us too.

I bought new grain feeder tubs last week......rubberized ones, so that certain horses cannot break them off their walls....these are sort of flexible, black rubberized tubs....very nice and so far, so good.

Thank you to Rebecca, for feeding in the morning a couple of times a week.......a treat to have two days off in the morning. You are doing a fine job and the ponies love you!
Caryn.......you are a lifesaver as always and Brenda too.....my Pony Up girls..what would we do without you?

Ryan got a part time job, as he graduates this spring from college. We are so proud of you and glad to have you as part of the Pony Up crew...again, what would we do without you? Mr. Pony UP maintenance man and chief engineer.

My dog Georgia is recovering from her intestinal blockage.....everything seems pretty normal and she is back to her over active self...and trying to eat everything that is not bigger than herself.

This weekend, we have more chores.....they really never stop.....winter chores, spring chores and summer chores. Paddocks to gravel, manure piles to move, fill dirt to get, posts to put in, siding to put up.....an office to build, sand to put in the arena, a drainage pond to dig, flowers to plant........horses to groom, horses to work......if you have horses you know what I mean.

Tack sale next month.....location to be announced and also April is offically "Adopt a Pony UP Horse" month. Horses will be seen at a couple of different farms....sort of a showcase adoption effort....come see our residents! Details will follow in the blog......thanks to Sarah for putting this together.

Off to do home chores.....then off to bed....long day...and I am TIRED!

Pony Up fortune for tomorrow:

To have a friend, be a friend........you know who I mean.

Typhoon Tuesday

2011-03-15T18:59:00.000-07:00

The rain continues, torrents, buckets, cats and dogs.......ad nauseum. I am really sick of it......I know I keep saying that, but surely you feel that way too if you live here. Sure there are signs of spring.....plants emerging from the earth, buds on trees, horses shedding, the days are suddenly LONGER.....but it continues to rain.
I look forward to some sun and some good news.

This last week has been a nightmare and my prayers are with the Japanese people. I cannot fathom the pain and anquish of a Tsunami and an earthquake.....and how frightening it is to have the nuclear disaster looming. I think of Japan's animal population too and what a horrible situation it is for them. I can only say prayers.

The disaster of last week makes you think of emergency plans....for your family, for your animals. I guess we never think it can/will happen to us......but we should all make a plan today.....there are many good places to get ideas. Have a meeting place, have some basic supplies, bottled water.......packaged food.

With all the rain we have had, we have been fortunate.......no flooding and the stalls are dry......each horse has a dry place and of course is blanketed. Lizzie has had a hard time adjusting to not living in the horsey Hilton (Jones Farm) and she has finally decided she can stand in her Noble shelter to keep dry(er)......she gives me anxiety when she stands outside in the pouring rain.

Blue has had his blanket changed about three times in an effort to keep him dryer....he loves to stand outside in the downpour as well as Lizzie. I try to tell myself that they know what they are doing......but don't they have a brain about the size of an orange? We love them anyway..but not everyone of them is the sharpest knife in the drawer...except the ponies.

We will shortly be bringing Yukon home, as his foster family has some different arrangements in mind. We thank them SO MUCH for taking such great care of him for the past two years.....he has probably never had such great care in his whole life.
We think that Yukon is probably too old to be considered for adoption, as he is 25 this year and so we will find a permanent retirement for him....we like the Jones Farm of course......he would have a HUGE pasture with another old guy, a loafing shed and no mud. We are space compromised at the moment ..and so we think he may go directly to the Jones Farm. Yukon is a great horse and he deserves a wonderful retirement.

This weekend we will move horses around..bring Max back to Pony UP, take Lizzie back to the borrowed barn (so I will quit clenching my teeth)......Louie will share a paddock with Max.......Cooper will go with Ollie and all should be good......I hope.

We will need hay again soon and so I will pursue that tomorrow. We have some hay being donated to us by Bernie.......we thank her for thinking of us!

Patti, thank you for your donation today.....we appreciate you thinking of us.

After such a week, I am thankful for:

friends who are really friends.......
volunteers who love our horses.......
family who understands why I love horses.........
a good job.....
a sense of humor.
the humility of others who make me find my own ..

Pony Up fortune for tomorrow:

What you think you know, is maybe not what you know........you know?

Softly Saturday

2011-03-12T19:50:00.000-08:00

I am up, oh so early......my Bull Terrier, Georgia is sick.....she vomited several times during the night and is lethargic.....I offer her water and she throws up..so I get up, shower, call the emergency vet clinic, call Susy to feed horses and off I go.
Emergency vet= large estimate for possible intestinal blockage. Negotiations to a potential three thousand dollar bill......and I leave her there...possibly against my better judgement, but she is sick and I know she needs fluids...I am supposed to check in later tonight. Please keep fingers and toes crossed for Georgia.

I come back home and today is the day we must take the pregnant mare home. We have grown very attached to her and it is hard on all of us. She loads like a good girl and off we go.......Dolly, Caryn and I. Dolly looks really good and her foot is healed up from a nasty wound....we send her home in good flesh and also halfway shed out (a sure sign that spring is really coming)
On the way back I take Caryn to an Indian food lunch...first time I have eaten Indian food...it was good! Then we go to Strohs and buy some railroad ties and a new bed for Georgia. Back to the farm ........where Ryan and Alex have worked on framing in the new shed and also put up another light fixture on the inside of it. We switch horses and donkeys around in paddocks.....then feed and talk about the day. My truck won't go in four wheel drive.....I almost get the trailer stuck while putting it away....it is really the way my whole day went.
Did I mention it rained like hell most of the day? Maybe I didn't because I didn't want to sound like I was complaining.....but I AM complaining. Enough is enough.
Didn't I say this same thing last year when it was raining clear into July?
I will have to buy hay again for the small barn......and we still really need to move horses around, but today we decided to wait for a NON rainy day.
Max will come back to the Pony Up barn, so we can work him, Lizzie will go back to the borrowed barn, so she can RELAX.......and Cooper will become Ollie's new pasture buddy. The plan sounds good in theory......but we will see how it really works ...
Max will have to share a pasture with Louie....the donkeys will get their own paddock within reach of my mom........she loves those little guys.

Next weekend we have to get gravel again......to gravel some spots in the driveway, regravel the paddock runs and put new gravel down for a base in the new shed. We never have enough gravel...it would seem.

The bear was back.....got into our garbage cans, tipped them over.....dragged stuff out......every garbage can was raided....chicken scratch eaten......we would have suspected Beaver, but alas, he was in his paddock with the gate closed....and even though he can be a Pony Houdini, it didn't appear that he actually was able to lock himself back in.

The mother hen is doing well with her "adopted" chicks...they are eating, drinking and starting to get real feathers already......gosh, they grow fast. She is a very good mother...shows them where to eat and keeps them toast warm. So cute to see them peeking out of her feathers........little legs here and little beaks just barely poking out.

Sunday tomorrow,,,,,,,,the weekend has flown, hasn't it?

Enjoy your day tomorrow,...relax, rest and reflect.

Pony Up fortune for tomorrow:

Remember the feeling........

Tuesday comes and goes

2011-03-08T20:58:00.000-08:00

Lizzie came home today......Sarah was so very gracious ...she went and picked her up....put her in her paddock, fed her, watered her and voila......Lizzie is home!
She instantly came into heat and the boys are hypnotized...Winston especially. I had to repair hot wire fencing when I came home because , as I always say........Mares = drama...and boys will be boys. Lizzie looks gorgeous, toned up, shiny.....ready to be adopted by an intermediate rider who is good with a green horse. Lizzie is big bodied and strong. Our plan is to trail ride her, get her some buff muscles and make someone fall in love with her.

Now, for some shameless begging on my part......the horse above is an old mare who deserves much better than sitting in a kill pen waiting on the slaughter bus. How about some final dignity......? Doesn't someone have a loafing shed, a small pasture where she can spend a last summer? Pony Up can help transport her.
Or simply adopt one of our adoptables and she can some and spend the summer with us. We currently have no room at the inn until we get an adoption...maybe a group of you could rotate months? She is old and tired......some good food, a roof over her head....some scratches on her withers. Please consider any options that you might have that could help her. If six of us could take her for a month each.....or ?
Email or post ideas. She could also get a retirement spot at a farm I know...for about 330 a month. Anyone?

The weekend is already full of plans......and we have some new volunteers coming to meet us and our horses. I hope the weather will be hospitable. We have some painting to do, a little fencing and a little building. We need to move the donkeys to a new paddock too. ...it was supposed to happen last week, but the weather got the better of us....and so we stuck to a basic plan of doing our electrical work.

I was freezing all day today, dreaming of Hawaii.......the smell of a sweet ocean breeze, sand on my feet......sun on my body.....all I can say is soon...soon! I need a vacation that is for sure.

Pony Up fortune for tomorrow:

Do not look a gift horse in the mouth, simply take the lead and go.

C'est la vie Sunday

2011-03-06T19:21:00.000-08:00

Oh what a nice day today, a little sun, no rain, so much warmer.....I have spring in my bones again. I got up early, went to the barn, fed everyone, fixed the retaining wall railroad ties (again)...people keep running into them!...then put up some solar lights, let Dolly out into the big paddock. Dolly's leg is healed and there is no reason to restrict her in a small turnout any longer. She was so happy to get out and move around....and roll in the dirt and sniff noses with Church.

I went to clean Beaver's stall and he pushed past me as only the naughtiest of ponies will do....whereby he LEPT onto the hay bales that were stacked on the other side of his gate... and then he jumps up on the hay and quickly makes his way onto the second layer.......giving me much anxiety about how he was going to get down. He did this same thing yesterday but only climbed onto the first layer....so ummm.....here he is on the second layer, with hay bales moving.......I am worried about a leg going in between bales.........yesterday I smacked him....today, well, I don't want a castrophe on my hands, so I talk sweetly to him and offer him some grain........whereby he JUMPS off the stack...runs the length of the barn and busts out the door........LOOSE. Oh, but then he stops to eat the bowl of chicken scratch........I grab a halter and go to him as he is inhaling the last of the scratch.....he backs away, ears forward, body upright........he is ready to jet away from me. I need better bribery.....I go back and get grain.....shake it in the bucket......he reaches for it, I nab him.....and he tries to make a break for it, so I lean all my weight backwards..........and he leans his backwards too......I slide across the entry mat like a water skier. There is NO stopping a pony who has his mind made up. I run when I hit the dirt....and then YANK his head toward me....okay, I have him under control for the moment and I open the barn door and lead him back......he runs for the hay again.......I divert him and get him into his stall, slam the gate.....and then I call him a little bastard pony. I tell him that Sarah took the wrong pony....he should be working his fat little butt off instead of Wally..I tell him that no one will ever adopt him. He rolls his upper lip back and bares his teeth at me. I bare my teeth at him.......then he puts his little ears forward and reaches my arm and licks it. ...it works.....I take back everything I said.

I slipped chicks under my hen early last week and took her eggs from her. She couldn't quite get the hang of setting on the eggs....she would routinely take two hours off, the eggs got cold and then she would go back and sit on them for 22 hours...no good. Anyway, the chick thing works well and she is being an excellent mother, she hasn't left them once......coos to them, sits on them to keep them warm......they love her and listen to her. It is so cute to see them peeking out of her wings and breast feathers. Today she showed them the finer aspects of the manure pile, she scratched and then called them to see the delicate grubs she found.......seven chicks of her own....all purebred, and even a couple just like her.

Saturday, Ryan and I got the wiring down to the new shed, a light with a photo cell installed, then patched holes in the metal roof (we used previously used metal roofing)...we are so green, aren't we?! Part of the wiring involved digging a long trench, laying conduit and rewiring existing receptacles......the new light is great!.......Next, we have to side the shed, put a gravel base down, and then mat it.
Rebecca cleaned and kept the rooster at bay...I am teaching her to pick him up, so he can be put away when he becomes annoying. He hates most volunteers......I have offered to put him in the stew pot.....but my mother won't hear of it.

Lizzie is coming home Tuesday and I guess she will live in the new shed until I can make some sort of plan on who really goes where. Sarah has offered to go and get Lizzie for us........thank you so much.....you have no idea how much time this saves me! You are a blessing....do you want Beaver????

Hay delivered today.....it was supposed to come Tuesday, but it is here early...he must have called me twenty times and finally got me,,,,,,,,then he came and put the hay into the loft. Nice fresh smelling hay...I hope they love it. I fed it to them for dinner so I guess we will see in the morning.

Anyway, more chores to do tonight....
Enjoy your week

Pony UP fortune for tomorrow.

Nagging doesn't help.

Sunlit Morning on Saturday

2011-03-05T07:19:00.000-08:00

Up early and treated to SUN through the trees.......no rain, and a few scattered clouds. Yesterday ended with pouring rain and I really thought it would continue throughout the day today........anyway.....I am enjoying the sun and lightness this morning for as long as I can.

A hello to Paul M. of Pittsburgh, PA.........and thank you for thinking of us! Can we send you a picture of one of the inmates? They love to pose for thank you cards and give funny faces for treats...you can have your choice!

Yesterday, Mary, Shelli and I cleaned paddocks, stripped stalls and scrubbed water buckets.....plus the donkeys and the pregnant mare got groomed, which they both loved. Then I took the rest of the day to take my mom furniture shopping and then to lunch at the Olive Garden, followed by going to the feed store, bank and a quick stop at Pier One Imports........a fun day! ....then home to feed the inmates again, where I was greeted by Susy......Susy finished the feeding, put the chickens to bed and fed the ponies down the street, while I headed to the "borrowed" barn, fed them dinner, tucked them in and then headed home to cook dinner. A long day....I was ready for bed by ten.

I don't quite have my whole day figured out for today.......we are working on the shed, the lighting for the new shed and the driveway gate, moving the donkeys to a new paddock, maybe taking Dolly home.....maybe not.....and I have to find time this weekend to go and get Lizzie......wish I had three more days. I am hoping Dolly is adopted today by some folks who have been admiring her....and the same with Lizzie.....it would be great to not have to move them again.

There are lots of "rescues" who have suddenly needed to be rescued themselves. Montana Large Animal Sanctuary literally had hundreds of animals that they just walked away from.....animals who in the end had not been properly cared for, not fed properly, no hoof care, left with water tubs frozen... other rescue groups within Montana have stepped up and are trying to place animals....llamas, horses, ponies, donkeys, bison, cows......people blindly sent their animals to this place called a sanctuary, hoping for a safe retirement place for their old horse or donkey.....and look what has happened. Please remember that anyone can look like anything from their website.......please do a site visit prior to donating your animal and then please follow up...also get references. There are over sixty horses who are waiting on someone to take them home.....lames horses, blind horses, horses who had behavioral problems, old horses....it is a crying shame to be left like this. Here is a link to some articles about the whole sordid mess:

http://rtfitch.wordpress.com/2011/01/14/horses-rescued-from-montana-large-animal-sanctuary/

http://missoulian.com/news/local/article_4493f2c8-22c2-11e0-bbbf-001cc4c002e0.htm

These folks are helping to place donkeys and horses:
www.montanahorsesanctuary.org/
Do not be confused by the similarity of the organization names.

If there is anyway you can help, or adopt.....the organizations who are helping these animals are listed....make a call, send an email, adopt an animal. These animals did not commit any crimes.

Thank you to our many supporters and friends....we appreciate your help and friendship........we couldn't do it without you.

FFFFFFFFriday already?

2011-03-04T07:46:00.001-08:00

The cold and wet continues......snow, rain, wind.....broken branches littering my yard. It is March and I am definitely ready for spring. I keep saying that like a mantra gone bad. It is funny how the sun can instantly lift your spirits....I was driving home yesterday at lunch and the sky was dark...then broke loose with an onslaught of hail which lasted for about five minutes........then just as suddenly over and the most beautiful blue sky appeared.........makes you remember that dark and menacing skies can morph to something beautiful in an instant. Nature..gotta love it.

Lizzie is done with her basic training and is ready to come home. We have two families interested in adopting her, so we will wait and see who raises their hand first....both are approved. That doesn't mean YOU cannot still raise YOUR hand!Lizzie was reported to be an angel for all of her training. We really cannot say enough good things about this mare. She is easy to load, good for her feet, bathes, clips, hauls nicely, learns quickly...no fuss. She even takes fly spray unlike some, umm.......geldings I know. Honestly, Ollie, who is from the track, will have you believe that he has NEVER been bathed or sprayed with fly spray...EVER....he is twenty years old and you would think he would be used to it by now. Anyway, I digress......Lizzie is healthy, friendly and a good sized mare........a great companion for someone.

Cooper is a prima donna. He does not like to leave his 12 x 24 stall......it is simply too wet and he prefers to stay inside and not let his huge feet touch the mud.
He has a nice big paddock, but it doesn't offer a full view of the other geldings and so he stays inside. He likes a pile of pellets to pee in, he needs his feed bucket fastened to the wall (or else he dumps it and hauls it around the stall).....He is wearing a blanket and obviously used to it. Maybe he has been someone's pampered boy at some time.....we will never know for sure.

I was called about six times this week for horses needing places to go. It breaks my heart to say no, but we are full until we have a completed adoption. I could raise my hand and have fifty horses, but financially we do not have the budget or the space or the man power. My volunteers work hard during the week to take care of what we have. We also have to remember that we provide feed for the pony down the street and for Yukon, who is in foster care. Yukon is too old now to be adopted..he is 25 and should have a semi retired life as he deserves. He is well cared for where he is, blanketed, huge pasture and two other horses for company. He still has get up and go....Liz still rides him every now and then. He is such a good and gentle boy....I am glad he has a good retirement. Anyway, we go through a lot of feed and make sure each horse gets just what they need every day......beet pulp, rice bran, timothy pellets, Strategy grain, good quality hay, ........most of our horses are on the bigger side and they eat a lot. So until we win the lotto, we have to take care of what we have, adopt out to quality homes when we can and take a horse in when we can....

The donkeys will be moved this weekend to their new paddock. They will be closer to my mom and she will have better access to them. They are putting some weight on, their hooves are now in much better shape, they are friendly and little beggars too. They hear the driveway gate squeak and they start braying because they know that someone is coming who could offer treats or scratches.

The pregnant mare is HUGE. She is not supposed to be due until June, but she is already as big as a house and an eating machine. She is shedding like mad......and we brush loose hair off of her daily.......it just keeps coming....so it must be spring, right? The mare is not fond of us touching her big belly, but touch it we do...and we love to feel "junior" kick....sometimes you can see the really big kicks. He is active, that is for sure.

Well, off to the races so to speak.....enjoy your weekend and think of us in the cold tomorrow.......we are doing a wiring project on the new shed, as well as matting the floors. I hope it isn't freezing outside...but more than likely, it will be raining, I am sure.

Pony Up fortune for today:

Do not fan the fire........

Still wet and cold Sunday

2011-02-27T19:23:00.000-08:00

I wake up to a cold house..look out the window and we have more snow. Ugh. I am already cold and the thought of going out THERE into the snow is not appealing.......so I stall...I turn the gas fireplace on full blast, drink coffee, read the weather report, find another weather report.....decide that the first weather report is much the same as the second....so I read email, develop a "to do" list for today...drink more coffee....then put about eight layers on and get in the truck. I make the drive to the barn and the roads are not that bad. I arrive and I am met by hungry horse faces...who then grunt and snuffle and give fake whinnies as I make my way to the barn. I tell them they are not starving.....to calm down. I let chickens out, the barn cat out and I see that the raccoons have been at the barn during the night....why? the chicken food dish is turned over, the water is turned over and there are raccoon prints in the snow.
The barn cat eats and then retreats back to her "warm" kitty house....I don't blame her.
I put insulated gloves on, take hay to everyone, then I start on grain........the hot water pipe was frozen yesterday but Ryan and I fixed it, so it works this morning. Piping hot slop for everyone....even Beaver gets hot water soaked timothy pellets, which he thinks is a real treat.

No squirrels in the feeder this morning.......lots of chickadees and robins who look hungry.

I give the warning every once in a while......but here I go again. You must be careful when you sell or give your horse away.........Please do a home check, get references from a veterinarian, use a contract......do not trust everyone you meet because there are some bad folks out there who don't give a rip about your horse or you or really anything....if you cannot keep your horse, research your options, make a plan, do your homework. You are not doing your horse any favors if you don't keep his best interest at heart.....it often isn't money you are after..but PLEASE......don't think that because you give him or her for free to a "nice" family that the family is nice....anyone can sound nice, any well dressed person can speak a good game.......get references, see where your horse will live......make a contractual agreement. I have seen the worst of the worst. Euthanasia is a better option than starving to death in someone's front yard tied to a tree...

Our economic times are still challenging. Horses are expensive....expensive to feed, expensive to vet, expensive to shoe....consider your options.......buy in a co-op situation, buy in bulk, supplement hay with good quality local hay, learn to give shots yourself, deworm regularly, feed clean and good quality hay and always have fresh water available, have a dry place for your horse to stand.......split vet calls with the neighbor, ask for a discount, shop prices. You will be surprised at how rates vary for different procedures.

Monday will be here tomorrow......and soon March.......hopefully March brings spring.....and then more sun, green grass, dryer pastures......higher hopes.....bigger smiles.......and soon summer. I can hardly wait. This has been a long winter already, hasn't it?

Pony UP fortune for tomorrow:

Can you offer understanding when you don't understand?

BRRRRRRRR on Saturday

2011-02-26T07:43:00.000-08:00

Very cold the last couple of days.....water tubs that never thaw have to be broken, warm water offered while we feed, hot mash in the morning and evening, blankets....heat tape on pipes, water spickets get covered with insulators, heat lamps in the chicken house....okay, I am officially tired of winter. Just a week ago all of my plants were beginning to peek out of the ground, the hydrangea was budding green leaves and yesterday the leaves were frozen and lifeless. It never got over about 25 yesterday and today the weather forecast says possible snow again. YUCK.
Hard to clean paddocks when the piles are frozen stiff.

Yesterday I was feeding the whole farm crew and just about to add sunflower seeds to the bird feeder, when I noticed what looked like the tip of a tail in one of the holes........hmmm. I take the bird feeder down, open the top and sure enough...there is a red squirrel stuck in the feeder. I have to take the feeder apart to liberate him (her)......he runs straight up the tree and then stops to scold me in a loud shrill voice. It didn't seem to damage his psyche.......as he came back minutes later to eat seeds again.

I took advantage yesterday of an afternoon off, did some shopping, made an early dinner for later, took some of said dinner to my mom, fed the pony down the street (doesn't that sound like the lyrics to a song?)...I also took him water because I figure if they don't feed him, they probably don't care if he has water either...put the chickens to bed, then Brenda and I scared each other almost to death...neither of us knew the other was in the barn until we almost ran smack into each other.....she didn't hear me and my mind was a million miles away and then brought to the present in a millisecond of a short scream. HA.

Anyone for a Siamese cat? A friend's renters moved and left their Siamese cat.......outside of course. He is cold and wondering where his family went. Sealpoint I think...not that it matters of course. I haven't layed eyes on him yet...just trying to find someplace for him to go. I don't know why his folks just left him, ....very cruel and why not just take him to the Humane Society? Out of sight, out of mind I guess. People....

I guess I am off to start my chores....this is my late morning and I am LATE.

Enjoy your day and email me if you want that cat???!

Pony Up fortune for today.......

Give them what they ask for.

Twilight Tuesday

2011-02-22T19:43:00.000-08:00

Busy....busy....busy....here we are and it is already Tuesday.
The weather on Sunday and Monday was gorgeous, today not so much and now snow on the way! I was hoping we were over the hump and sliding on into spring....but NO!...snow for the next two days.

Saturday afternoon, Ryan and I got the roof put on the new shelter........okay, Ryan did most of the work and he did a great job. This weekend we will put sides on it and block the floor in. Then we might move the prisoners around until we have everyone in just the right spot.

Sunday I went and picked up a hotwalker that was donated to us.....a four horse. We will probably sell it, so if you are in the market, give us a jingle! We just don't have that much room and ummmmmmm...no one really works that hard at this farm...except me and the volunteers. I thought maybe the pony could be trained to use it...but he has other ideas about what he will tolerate and what he won't.

Keep your fingers crossed.....Lizzie has a potential adoption! We are so excited for her. Her training is coming along so well and she is such a nice mare....someone will get a very good horse and she will get a home like she deserves.

Cooper has come to be known as "Moose" in the barn....he is big and gangly......thick brown fur, big feet.......all he needs really is a rack of horns.
I have had more than three people say he resembles a moose and you know how those names stick. He is eating like a house on fire. We just up'd his feed, dewormed him on Sunday, will deworm him again on Friday and start him on some rice bran. If Lizzie gets adopted he will go to the Jones Farm next...no reason for him to wait...he is not sick or lame and does not seem to be a pyschopath in any sense of the word. He is going to make a nice horse for someone too.

The donkeys......well, we all love them...little cuddly boys they are....only Willie brays...Waylon is more the quiet type. Visitors come to the farm to see them, pet them and feed them treats....they like their pictures taken with the guests.

I had hay delivered tonight....a ton and a half to the small barn and this weekend we will get three ton more for the big barn. Big horses have big appetites. By the way, the diet grain was a bust......NO ONE lost any weight...so back on the Strategy Healthy Edge....maybe small portions and less beet pulp. I did cut the rice bran back...only the pregnant mare and the donkeys get it....before you get carried away...the donkeys are thin, they don't get grain, but we do give them some beet pulp with rice bran, so they can gain some weight and all the local grass that they WON'T eat......LOL.....they refuse the local grass and so they get timothy like the big horses. I give in to this right now because they are thin, have bad fur and are always hungry.......but when the fat comes back......no more extras.

It is cold out tonight......I wrapped pipes and disconnected hoses. I left the stray cat a nice bed next to the water heater...and shut the regular barn cat in her room.
Everyone should be comfortable..I left the light on in the chicken coop too, so the girls wouldn't be cold.

Thanks as always to our supporters and volunteers.......we couldn't do it without you.

Pony Up fortune for tomorrow:

It will strike you like lightning.

Freely Friday

2011-02-18T20:46:00.000-08:00

Long day.......ending with the donkeys getting their little hooves trimmed, as well as Cooper and Church. The donkeys were so very well behaved as was Cooper. The donkeys were content to stand still as long as they were being scratched on the neck......Cooper was unconcerned with the shoer, but very concerned with chewing the lead rope and trying to get the zipper on my coat....a regular ham! I think Cooper must be a young horse.......he is so coltish...did I tell you how much we liked him? We like the donkeys too....they are just no trouble at all.

Tomorrow, we work on finishing the new loafing shed, order some hay, clean up paddocks/stalls......groom horses, bang tails, plan the new building.....drink coffee and probably complain about the weather.

One of our hens is sitting on eggs.....she is a first time "setter" and she doesn't quite get the hang of it....she sits on the eggs for most of the day, but then will leave them for a couple of hours....long enough for them to get cold....then she comes back and sits on them again. I think tomorrow, she is going to get some chicks under her after dark.....if you know what I mean....the same thing we did last year...it works wonders. The hens are always so surprised, like "wow" that was fast, wasn't it?" It makes it easier on all of us. Maybe next time she will really get the hang of it.

I got a good look at our pony down the street during daylight today.......she now appears well fed, full fleshed and looks nothing like the skeleton she was at this time last year. One of the things that makes it all worth while....a horse who looks and feels better because of us.

Lizzie's training is coming along.....she is under saddle and being a well behaved mare........no buck, no bite....pretty quiet....she should be home in two to three weeks and ready to be adopted.

Enjoy your weekend.

Pony Up fortune for tomorrow:

Cold hands, warm heart.

Work week winding

2011-02-16T20:40:00.000-08:00

Wednesday evening....cold outside and it will probably freeze.....chance of snow, so the weatherman says. I say NO....just go away and let spring commence.

I went and got the forgotten rice bran, stall pellets...visited a while with the Cenex crew......drove back, collected eggs as I head counted my hens....they were all there.....then fed the horses, filled water tubs, filled cat bowls (stray cat and Miss Kitty)....cleaned Winston's stall....I swear he had 100 lbs of poop today.....all nicely piled in the corner of his stall. Beaver was wet and dirty......lord only knows what he was up to today, but it didn't look good. Donkeys are LOUD and want a treat. Shelli is coming in the morning and she will spoil them rotten....so I give them a little beet pulp with sunflower seeds and they quiet right down.

Max is for adoption......very handsome big boy......17H 1600 lbs, picture attached with this blog. He is 14 years old, not suitable for jumping due to some arthritis, but is fine for trail, low level dressage....he could be your lesson horse...not a lesson horse..but a horse for you to take lessons on...and he could benefit from hock injections/Adequan. Adoption fee of 600 dollars.

We cannot say enough good things about Cooper....at least currently! He is very sweet, loves to lean into you, smell your hair, pull at your coat...like a youngster. He has good stall manners and is very polite. We are working on putting some weight on him. He will get his feet trimmed on Friday afternoon and another deworming shortly thereafter. He has a very deep whinny when we come to feed him and then he grunts and has learned to bang the stall door ...thanks Max! Max is the king of banging the stall doors and now it sounds like a chorus......of course everyone is dying to eat.

Off to bed......early to rise.>>I doubt it will make me wealthy or wise......I have horses......I should have my head examined.

Pony Up fortune for tomorrow:

If nothing matters.........everyone loses.

Wet wet Wednesday

2011-02-16T06:06:00.000-08:00

Perpetually late...perpetual task lists.....one crossed off and another added to the top. We need to buy hay, I bought grain yesterday, left the store without the rice bran....need to go back today, need to go the store....need to ...???
I am fifteen minutes off my schedule this morning...so I must fly.

Lizzie was actually under saddle yesterday and is being a very good girl, no lameness issues yet (keep fingers crossed) and she had her teeth floated. Turns out she had really bad teeth and her mouth was probably very sore, so she is going in a hackamore until we know the pain has gone away. Her weight is good, which is a wonder, considering how bad her teeth were. I would bet she has never had her teeth done...ever. Sad.

The pregnant mare is still with us until we can work some details out...but she probably has a new home, just waiting for confirmation. Her name is Dolly and everyone loves her. She came to the farm with a bad leg wound, but it is almost healed and she is walking much better. She loves her foot soaked and will now hold it up for us. We watch the baby kick and move.......it is very active. My volunteers spend a lot of time with her...grooming and petting. This is a very sweet mare...one of the nicest we have known.

Well, I am off to start my work day....also will scout around for hay today and see what is available. There is some real junk out there.

Enjoy your day.......

Pony UP fortune for tomorrow:

Do not carry a heavy heart by yourself.

Gelding Clinic

2011-02-15T19:02:00.000-08:00

Tacoma Equine Hospital is hosting a gelding clinic on Feb 28Th. for $50.00 the surgery will be done by one of the 3 Drs on staff and include necessary medications for the procedure. Priority will be given to financial need and rescue horses. Both testicles must be descended and horse halter broke and safely handle-able. Limit 2 horses per owner. Limited spaces available-email for more information or application form.

You may call Tacoma Equine Hospital (253) 535-6999

Monsoon Monday

2011-02-14T19:17:00.000-08:00

Can you say RAIN? WIND? We have had it all.......currently no power. I got to the barns and used my truck headlights to feed and I think I actually got stall pellets in the right places in the stalls. Branches everywhere and power is out for fifteen miles or more away. When you least expect it, I suppose. I am running on generator power.....best investment we ever made!

Lizzie enters her first week of training...she got her teeth done today......another horse with the WORST teeth. Gee whiz......doesn't anyone pay attention to teeth? No training can be done without it.....and tomorrow, Lizzie will start with fresh teeth and begin to be a saddle horse. She really is a pretty mare and has a great disposition. Of course, you know, there has hardly ever been a horse that I don't like........and if it is bay.....well, all the better. You can forgive almost anything with a bay horse...at least I think so.

Cooper is a love. I wish he could talk and we could know where he has been and what he knows. Right now he knows that we feed him and he calls to us......softly, then more loudly to get us to know where to exactly drop the feed.

The pregnant mare suddenly has a HUGE belly. ...now where did that come from? Her leg is so much better and she is so used to soaking it, that she sees us coming and begins to lift her leg up for us. I am sure it feels really good.

The eagle got one of my hens. I hate him some days. I know he has a family to feed, but gosh, I wish he would go elsewhere.....like maybe Brenda's house! She has chickens.

Lots of plans for the upcoming weekend....work of course.always work. We need to have some fun I think. Maybe a huge party.....? Maybe just coffee and doughnuts...

I bought grain today and most of it is still on my truck seat..too dark to unload it....I forgot the rice bran and will have to go back for it. I should have paid closer attention....I get busy and lose my brain.

A big thank you to the Lower Puget Sound Dressage Club for the donation! Thank you and we will be using this for hay....we seem to go through a lot of it as the machines never stop production!

Off to let dogs in again and settle them in for the night.

Pony Up fortune for tomorrow:

From your lips to God's ear.......it works out.

Random Thoughts on a Sunday

2011-02-13T19:31:00.000-08:00

Up early...in the shower, drink coffee...go to barn. The sun is out this morning which is a great surprise to me.....I expected rain. As I travel our country road I see a beautiful rainbow ending just there and then over there as I move towards it.....so beautiful this gift from nature. On down the road and I see the pony we feed......scrounging for the last bits of hay from the evening prior. I think I might throw her some hay on my way back home..who cares if they don't like it? I feel outspoken today...a pony needs to eat doesn't he? This year the pony doesn't look emaciated and I suppose the owners don't even notice, don't even care...but I do. If I have to get a second job, that pony will eat until the day it dies.

I get to our barn......horses are looking at their watches....you are like five minutes late! I let the chickens out, I feed the cat......I throw hay.......the donkeys are BRAYING......and then I dole out the grain. The pregnant mare softly whinnies.....and I feed her grain first...my heart swells a little to see that her leg is better and she is more relaxed with us and I pet her a while after I give her grain.

Beaver is throwing a fit.....he wants grain. I give him a handful...and I tell him that is it.....no more. He is fat......too fat...and he doesn't need grain...but it doesn't stop him from wanting it. We have nut cluster treats in the cupboard and I give him one of those. He loves them. They have almonds, honey and squash seeds.....I am sure they must be good for him. Winston bends his head this way and that, so he can have one too. Church turns his nose up....he wants a carrot.

I clean stalls, fill waters.........Ryan comes and we work on a few detail items......then I clean buckets....take the trash out.....and then I must head home. I have a dog psychiatrist coming to my house today........LONG story...no time for it today.......but I have a certain Bull Terrier who has issues....we love her to death, but issues are issues.....and they must be addressed.

I go back to the barn in late afternoon, and Erin brings us some local hay for our donkeys and Beaver (shhhhh...don't tell him its local!)...Christine E. brings us a check from LPSDC.....from their dessert auction.........Thank you so much! This will be used for a hay purchase this next week.

Cooper has settled in and he is eating well. He is a little worried ..but when I am doling the grain out, he suddenly has NO manners.....he bangs the stall and whinnies at the top of his lungs......I tell him to chill out......and then Max starts in.....and he can really bang the stall door. Max is huge.......Max needs more exercise.

I am thankful for friends today.....I have some of the best!

Pony Up fortune for tomorrow....

Rest easy..it is not an oversight.

Rain soaked Saturday

2011-02-12T16:59:00.000-08:00

What a long day! Wind, cold and then the rain started! Well, we worked anyway....demolished the old pony shed, put in a new gate, and started a new shed....this time it is plumb...I mean it's square? level, even....and looks great!
I had a full compliment of helpers.....thanks to all of them and thanks to Arrow Lumber for the great deal!

Cooper is settling in......still eating like a house on fire! He loves beet pulp///grain and his big spacious stall. Brenda groomed him today and he was a good boy. We like him a lot! Picture above is him in his new paddock. I expect him to look completely different in three weeks. Anyone who knows his background, please let us know.

The barns are full again.....almost time to buy hay, spring dental floats....deworming, feet trims.......it never stops!

We have had thirty fence posts donated and we will put these to good use! The last part of the farm can be refenced. We also had a nice blanket donated by Mary V and we have used it on the pregnant mare.

Oh we are anxious for spring....no more rain please!

Pony Up fortune for Sunday........

Let your heart loose today.

Free Fall Friday

2011-02-11T17:37:00.000-08:00

Cooper is home!

I have to say, contrary to popular speculation.....Cooper appears to be a Thoroughbred. He is about 16.1, lanky.....plain brown.....small than my TB.....but let me say this....he has superb manners....loaded like a pro....hauled like an angel......he waited nicely in the trailer while we went in the store for snacks.. and he simply ate and ate and ate. We unloaded him in the driveway, he walked calmly to the barn.....and we put him in his stall, he found more hay and that was that. No fuss......no drama. He was still eating when I left...sort of like a house on fire.
He is thin, dirty and has longish feet......but he should clean up fine and shine in no time. We will deworm him in the morning and then give him a good brushing, bang his tail and feed him some treats.
We will take some pictures tomorrow..next to my own TB for those doubters and you can see his size. My own Tb will probably not stand still for long and it is supposed to rain, so we will see.
All in all we are pleased with Cooper.

Lizzie went to the training barn today and she also was a very good girl....loaded right up, hauled nicely......got out nicely......no sweat...no fuss. She will have her teeth done and be started under saddle. We did notice that her hind pastern is a little swollen. No heat....but ?

A lot to do tomorrow...I am already tired.

Thanks Shelli and Caryn for the help today!

Pony Up fortune for tomorrow:

Forget about troubles for today.

His name is Cooper, so says Lilja!

2011-02-10T20:03:00.000-08:00

Lilja is our volunteer's daughter.....and we gave her the responsibility of picking the name out of the hat!

COOPER it is!

Thank you Lilja!

Ok...let's chose a name!

2011-02-10T19:17:00.000-08:00

Okay, we have narrowed names down to Cash, Brown, Cooper, Rielly, and Dante........

Not sure how we will chose.....draw a name from the hat? Let someone pick ...and who?
or throw a dart?

The plain brown gelding needs a name.

I think I will let Sarah's daughter Lilja draw from a jar! That will be fun?

Mr. Plain brown horse will be picked up tomorrow....and at the same time Lizzie will leave for thirty days training. YAY!

Beautiful weather today.......we thoroughly enjoyed it, hope you did too!

Two boys saved

2011-02-09T21:20:00.000-08:00

Thanks to our friends and supporters......Pony Up has saved a plain brown gelding from the kill pen.
He is said to be friendly and a big boy.....and of course he is bay. I always love a bay horse, of course.

The gelding with the blaze was purchased outright this morning by a private party. He had been our first choice..but the plan is to try and get all horses out of the kill pen, so we took our second choice......the plain brown gelding who was in with the blazed gelding. We don't have any history, but then we usually don't get much history.......so it is kind of like a Christmas package......you don't know what you have until you have it in your hands. No worries about being plain brown.,,,it doesn't make him good or bad....his coat will shine anyway.

We will pick the gelding up on Friday and bring him home to quarantine.....let him chill out a little, rest and then see what he knows....if he is sound and how he moves. He undoubtedly needs his teeth done, we know he needs his feet trimmed......and he needs to be assessed under saddle.

He needs a name........and we are taking suggestions....please feel free to drop a name in the hat.

The donkeys are happy......they are getting so much attention. I think we are fighting over who gets to feed them and groom them. They are mannerly little guys and have caught on to begging for treats like fire takes to straw. They do not bite or kick, but they sort of stick to you like a wad of chewing gum. The horses have gotten over their initial "what the hell is that?" and are just giving them casual looks now, like when they bray. Beaver of course, has general disdain for them...nothing new.

Today was beautiful......blue skies......sun......and tonight it is freezing...hopefully that means that we will have another good day tomorrow.
Lots to do on Saturday....we will tear the pony shed down and put up another shed for the donkeys. It never stops!

Enjoy your day tomorrow.

Pony Up fortune for tomorrow:

Make that call......someone is waiting.

Kill Pen

2011-02-07T23:14:00.000-08:00

I am in the kill pen awaiting my fate.
I was left here by my owner....they didn't leave me with anything, not even my name. No kisses goodbye, no note to tell any prospective owner what a good boy I am or how old I am or how I like carrots.
I am in a smelly, dirty paddock with other horses and we are all scared.
The slaughter bus comes next week for those of us who do not have homes by then. I hope I won't be one of them. I am still young and in my prime.

Pony Up has offered to take me in, but my bail needs to be paid or I can't come.
If you want to help, please make a donation to Pony Up and note it as bail for me.

A few dollars will help me. No one wants your children to go without or for your mortgage to be short......but if you have a couple of dollars....it will help me and if my bail is made, it might help my friends. Some of my friends are old and some are injured. We all want out.
If you can adopt one of my friends.........leave a message here and we can direct you.

You can paypal funds to Rosemary@ponyuprescue.com

thank you. I need a name too.......

Trying to raise some funds......look what we have

2011-02-07T22:44:00.000-08:00

We have some items for auction to highest bidder, please leave a comment with your bid.

1. Parelli bridle, maybe tried on....but hardly used, looks brand new.
2. Parelli pad, looks brand new
3. Parelli hackamore, looks brand new
4. dressage saddle zip up saddle/carrier cover, green with black fur on the inside (fake fur of course!)

We are trying to raise bail for a gelding in the kill pen. Lots of horses ended up in the kill pen this month.....

Donations may be paypal'd to Rosemary@ponyuprescue.com

High bidder will have Parelli item ups'd to them.

Remember.....leave your bid and your first name in the comment section. Bidding ends on Friday morning of this week.

Good luck!

Post script

2011-02-05T22:57:00.000-08:00

A post script to yesterday......
The horses were very upset with Grace's passing. I expected Louie to be the most upset..but I was wrong......first of all Church got frantic and he created such a fuss, I had to let him out of his short run and into the long paddock. He ran and screamed and then ran until he was exhausted....but secondly, my own boy Winston, was very upset......so we let him out with Grace's body. He went to her, sniffed her, licked her, nudged her and then screamed at her, then he took the blankets off her body....stood with one hoof on her for a while, then licked her some more......then stood with his head down by her, in the rain for over an hour. It was very sad to watch. I finally caught him up and took him back to the barn into a new paddock. He seemed to be over it and was happy to be in the main barn again. He never made a peep the rest of the day.

Our vet was right in that you have to let them grieve.......you have to let them get over the loss too.

Thank you Dr. Julie for your kindness and support. Thanks to the rest of my volunteers who were there with me and with Grace.

simply Saturday

2011-02-05T18:21:00.000-08:00

Saturday morning..drizzly and gray. I am tired this morning, drag my feet, drink coffee, feed dogs.....get into the shower. My bronchitis is back. Stress, cold weather, allergies.....cough, hack, sneeze......enough already.

I drive to the barn, all is very quiet. I expect to see Grace doing her slow amble towards the barn..but I don't and my heart sinks a little, my eyes well up and I swallow hard. All I need is a sign from somewhere...just a little something....but it doesn't come and I carry on.

No one else has arrived yet. I let the chickens out, feed hay, mix grain......let the cat out, feed the cat.....throw chicken food and then start cleaning. I am still feeling the sting and trying to think of other things, so I start making a list of what needs to be done and then Aspen arrives. Aspen is a youngster, full of questions and I hope she will not ask about what happened with Grace. I sent her parents an email and I hope that will answer her questions..but I steel myself anyway. I keep her busy. She is our chicken house cleaner, egg gatherer, cat food dish washer and she loves to groom Beaver. She never asks......and I don't talk about it. I introduce her to Dolly and talk about the foal...then Susy arrives and I send Aspen to work with her on grooming the devil himself. I soak Dolly's foot and clean her wound....then I spend a long time with her, braiding her mane and feeling like a kid again as I lose my thoughts in her mane.

One of our friends came yesterday afternoon and we assessed Lizzie under saddle. We are delighted to see that she accepts saddle and bridle without a fuss, then Kari gets on her, I hold my nervous breath......and Kari askes her to go forward....well, she doesn't have good steering or forward controls but she was really sensible and did not freak out. Very green broke.....but ready to start. That is a reliet. She is a nice big bodied mare, very lovely disposition and good conformation. Won't take much to get her going.

I have posted pictures of Dolly. Dolly is available for adoption to a good home. She is pregnant and due in late May or early June. Please NO first time horse owners. You must have proper facilities and references. Dolly may never be rideable. She is sweet to handle, picks her feet up nicely, easy to lead and work around in the stall. The foal will be purebred and registerable. If you are interested in young paint foals, we are helping to place some. Good quality stock, all registered or registerable...Color Me Smart and Scribbles bloodlines. Email us if we can hook you up?

We have two vistors at Pony Up. Waylon and Willy. Also available for adoption.
Both intact males, need gelding contract. They are wormy and underweight...bad feet......but we dewormed them first thing, the farrier will be out and they are eating as we speak. They love treats...a little shy......but sweet.

Pony Up fortune for tomorrow:

Run like the wind and gather the storm.

Friday

2011-02-04T07:29:00.000-08:00

Friday is here, after a few days of blue sky, cold temps and NO rain, the rain is back this morning.
I officially am sick of the weather...ready for spring or let's just jump to summer.
It's one of those days I feel sorry for myself. Things to do and take care of today that I don't want to do, that I would rather hand off to someone else and yet, handing it off is not the right thing to do. Running the rescue makes me the responsible one and the one who must use her logical brain today, rather than her emotional brain.
The old mare is tired, and although she is eating well, she has a lot of pain and barely made the walk into the barn the last two nights. So I make the decision for her to see the vet today. I will hold her until she is gone. She won't suffer anymore and we won't worry anymore. Because I work full time, I am always worried that one of the old ones will fall down and not be able to get up, or worse, fall in the stall and then thrash around. I couldn't live with myself if that happened and so I know this is the right thing to do. Of course I consult the vet and the other volunteers to second guess myself. The thing is.....we aren't going to make Grace ten years old again. Her time with us has been good......she has eaten well, had shoes on, been blanketed......a far cry from where she came from. It breaks my heart to know how she previously suffered and how the owner who gave her up, blamed it on age, blamed it on our economy and then said she was so glad for us to take her and she would repay us by coming out and working. We never saw her again...not a phone call, not an email.....nothing. Grace was emaciated, had a completely split hoof up to the hairline, barbed wire cuts on all four legs, hardly any teeth and a bad hip. Taking care of old horses requires dedication ...blanketing in the winter, extra calories, dental care and the right food mix. It is not rocket science, but if you just want to throw them out in the pasture with six other horses and hope they get enough....you are stupid and heartless (talking about you Grace's former owner...I said stupid and heartless). Anyway, we have loved Grace. She has been a character and we will miss her gimping up the hill to greet us. She will get to see her beloved Tarbaby today and I hope they gallop the skies.

Pony Up fortune for tomorrow:

Love returns.

Twice on Tuesday

2011-02-01T22:34:00.000-08:00

I slipped up.....I guess I should have described our new mare as "sorrel and white".....funny how sorrel seemed right out of reach of my vocabulary!
She is feeling better tonight, not as nervous, ate all of her grain *laced with medication) and ate the better part of her hay. The electric fence had her scared......I guess she never has seen one before. She came to us for scratches tonight and drank some warm water. I soaked her foot this morning, then volunteers soaked her foot around 11 and then Susy and I soaked it again at 6pm. I wrapped it in an icthamol sweat for overnight to see if we can get the swelling down and the infection out. She was a doll to handle.
I emptied the hoses and turned faucets off...because it will freeze hard tonight. I then left Pony Up and fed "our" pony down the street (whose weight looks stellar, I might add).....then headed for barn number two.
I find Ollie in a sweat...walking circles in the stall, kicking and cocking his head to the side like he is looking for snakes.
Why?
No see-ums.
Anyone else might think he is colicky...but he has been my horse for about 15 years and February brings no see-ums and a neurotic Ollie......he cannot stand them landing or biting him......he frets, he looks at his tummy, he kicks....he sweats and walks the stall and begs you for help.

so anyway, I take his blanket off and try to get him to become calm. I talk to him in a soothing voice..he walks off and kicks some more...he groans a little to add to the effect.
He kicks and walks a circle in his stall......right around me and then turns his butt to me and slams it into me.....
why?
so that I will rub his tummy, and the inside of his thighs.....so I do.....and then he lifts his leg out and high so that I can get all the parts. He is very worried.....and he is 1500 lbs.....and prone to being excitable....he is a TB....he is a drama queen.
Next step is Corona Ointment.
I slather it on his tummy.
Then I get the fly spray.....spray his legs, his belly, his neck.....his chest....and then I take a damp cloth and clean the outside of his sheath.
He is immediately quieter.
Why don't I have any benedryl?
He needs it.
Hell, I need it.
I spray more fly spray and realize that I have it all over my hands and now I will probably have some neurological disease. ...and then I start coughing because my stupid lungs are still congested from who knows what...from way last November...and I think it has permeated my jacket.......I take my jacket off and I am sweaty.
I very nearly considered calling the vet......to give him a tranquilizer or some IV benedryl (anything...I am reaching here....)
My throat is sore. I smell fly spray and nothing else. Lovely.
I wipe my hands on my pants......throw his blanket back on, stand with him, rub his tummy again.....consider more fly spray.
I give him his grain, he vacuums it. I feel better.
He stands a little to the side, kicks his belly a few times...I pat him, he sighs.
all is well.
Good grief.
I go home and it is almost nine. Late dinner. Glass of wine........tired...and ready to go to bed.....but more chores to do...

Pony Up fortune for tomorrow:

I am all ears.

Swell Sunday

2011-01-30T15:27:00.001-08:00

The mare is home....she has a pretty nasty wound on her front leg..infected and she had quite a lot of mud stuck to her legs and belly. We washed/disinfected her legs, soaked her hoof, got most of the mud off....and then blanketed her. She is a nice girl...chestnut and white, good manners, was easy to clean up.......her name is Dollie. She is a registered mare (APHA) who will have a registered foal in a few months. We have some time before foaling to get her leg healed up...fortunately.

I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised to see that she was not starved. Her weight is okay but she has a nasty injury and was very muddy. Her owners were kind folks who wanted better for her and I understand that. We had been sort of led to believe that we were going to see a lot worse and I was a little tense. We were sad to leave Dollie's foal behind......a young stud colt, nicely marked....but we were asked to find him a home with some nice people...so if you are interested, please email me? He is registered. I do not know Paint bloodlines but have been told these are well bred horses. I can probably recite the names if you need them?

Dollie is 18 and probably not broke. She deserves a retirement from breeding and babies. Very pretty face, nice markings and easy to handle. She will probably make a nice trail mare or companion.

Anyway, the day turned out better than we expected. Dollie will see the dr tomorrow for her leg. Right now we have her in a mudfree small turnout to keep her wound clean.

More details tomorrow.

Pony Up fortune for tomorrow:

It is just one slice of the pie.

sigh.........Saturday

2011-01-29T17:54:00.001-08:00

Rain, of course it rained and we did stand in the barn for a while and talk.....I got so cold I had to go in the tack room and turn the heat on.....full blast.
We cleaned, folded some blankets, Susy vacuumed cobwebs......we drank coffee and talked about spring projects like it was just around the corner.

We will be picking up a mare tomorrow.....heavily pregnant and injured....
I must be out of my mind. One turns into two.......and a baby is a three year committment......and they aren't even TBs......Paints.......Paints...I have never had a paint and now I will have two. Deep breath....you know sometimes I pray for courage......I pray for strength and I pray for adoptive homes......today I pray for all three as I dive face first into taking on this project. Don't get me wrong....I love all horses and all horses deserve a chance, especially a pregnant mare who is sick.
We have a foaling stall available to us. There are enough of us to socialize a baby properly......but a baby is a lot of committment, a lot of time.....a lot of effort......oh, but you have to love that wobbly kneed little package at first glance before he turns into a large brat. My luck will bring a stud colt...I just know it.

Anyway, we could use some help. If you want to donate or heck..if you want to adopt......please call us, email us..stop by......we would love some help.

I may be certifiable by now.....crazy.

Just a day in our lives. Everything eventually calms down......gets to normal...and we will survive.

Pony Up fortune for tomorrow:

Do not look a gift horse in the face.

Feeling Friday

2011-01-28T18:28:00.000-08:00

Gross weather today.....simply gross....rain, cold, and chores to do anyway. I was wet, no hat, cleaning stalls/paddocks with Shelli and wondering why Shelli wants to volunteer on a day like this? Heck, even I didn't want to volunteer....I wanted someone to pay me.

We cleaned stalls, fed every one and then I moved horses around again.....I put Winston up in the arena turnout so he can stretch his legs more...and of course, I had to put Louie somewhere that Grace could see him because she goes ape if she can't see him. Mares = drama even when they are old! and of course everyone screamed bloody murder when we moved them. It was cute to see Beaver and Winston doing some mutual grooming.....screaming like a couple of old ladies and nipping each other on the shoulder.....then grooming like crazy......a little pony and a GREAT big Hanoverian. Funny...and where was my camera?

It is supposed to rain again tomorrow, so chores will be limited or else we will just stand in the barn a lot and drink coffee and talk about the things we could have done if the weather was nicer.

I noticed more plants pushing up from the ground today, and buds on the hydrangea bush. Spring is coming at least in the ground.

Our chore list continues......the trailer needs washing, we need a drainage ditch around the wash rack, cement in the barn aisle, one more stretch of fence through the woods, our Pony Up building erected, the arena leveled and compacted, SAND of course and top rails on the arena fence. I am a slave driver...I know it. I laughed when someone called me an "over achiever".......Ha. I just dream big.

Our place is not fancy, but it is safe and we are beginning to love it more and more. We just wish we could stretch the acreage a bit. Maybe when I win the lotto?
I get sentimental when I think of all the time, effort and love that it takes to run this place. I am blessed with the best people who help me and a family who supports me. Nothing else matters most days.

Get ready for our tack Sale in March......we have lots of stuff....and if you have something to donate..send it on over!

Pony Up fortune for tomorrow:

Say it out loud.

Winsome Wednesday

2011-01-26T19:59:00.000-08:00

The first news of the day is that Jones is OFFICIALLY adopted! WOOO HOOO! Congratulations to Jones and to Cutter Creek (Annie..thank you!) We are so grateful for Jones to get such a great home and I know he is too! I can tell you he is not missing us one bit.....
This is how it is supposed to go.....we take horses in and then they get a home like this and a new career! We are looking forward to seeing Jones in some hunter shows this spring. Pictures please?

We have a new routine we are trying this week and I am such a creature of habit...I suck at any type of change. A couple of my volunteers are feeding/cleaning in the morning, so I can go straight to work and this morning, I totally forgot...and so I stopped and fed.......and then Rebecca called me and said "DID YOU FEED?"......ummm, yeah....I did. Anyway, I trust that by next week, I may fall into the routine and maybe I can go to the gym or sleep in a little.....maybe. Thank you Rebecca and Shelli for the break.

We had a Pony Up visitor for Grace this evening. Her secret friend Jaime stopped by...brought her treats, some pellets and brought me some wine.....they had a nice visit and Grace loved the cookies...but had to keep an eye on Louie just the same. Jaime helped me feed and listened to the weird noises in the barn.....rats? I don't know...but the noise is strange. Anyway, thank you Jaime...always nice to see you and your mother.

We get a visitor and I take blankets off to show horse flesh and weight to them...I like visitors to know that horses are well fed and cared for. It is easy for people who are there everyday to take it for granted....but I always feel like people who donate and bring us things have a right to know that horses are well fed and healthy.
Jaime, you can chime in here if you want? LOL. Grace's weight is good although she has been through some trauma the last few days.

It will be Thursday tomorrow and that means it is Friday night to me...this has been a long week......I am tired...mentally and physically. I wear my heart on my sleeve and sometimes it gets heavy. The loss of one of our horses stings...and the sting stays with us a while....sometimes I would venture to say that we never get over it.....but eventually we find our way around it.

Thanks for the notes......send a note to Cutter Creek and thank them for the adoption of Jones!

Pony UP fortune for tomorrow:

You never know how it ends.

So often Sunday

2011-01-23T18:23:00.001-08:00

Lots to do today, I thought it would be another beautiful day, but it was only so so..it rained a little with gray skies all day. None the less, the usual work needs to be done and then some. I always find something else.
Today, Ryan and I work on fencing....fixed some loose posts, tightened up some stretches of wire, cleaned up old lumber from the back of the barn and ran a temporary fence line through the woods. It doesn't sound like much, but we worked all day.....
Grace is not eating much, still very shaky on her feet, she layed down a lot today and I checked on her several times.......the first time I made her get up...I was worried and nervous.....the second time I got a grip on myself and let her lay there. At dinner time, she was still not sold on the idea of eating...We sliced apples for her and she ignored them. I can only say that I am not ready for a second.....so I ask her to please hold on....please.
I made a new squirrel feeder today too....and it works great. I was tired of the raccoons tearing up every feeder I got.....who knew that raccoons wanted sunflower seeds?
We built a big fire to burn up the old lumber and it was nice to stand next to...and warm up for a little while.
Our old friend the eagle came by today and surveyed the chickens......too many people around and so he didn't stop.....I had really forgotten about his visits and how fond he is of chicken dinner.

We surveyed our waiting list and found that out of four waiting horses, all four had found homes........which is a good feeling. I hope they all are GREAT homes.
It gives us breathing room and rest for pasture areas.........spring will be here and I hope the pastures are green and lush.

Enjoy your week.

Pony Up fortune for tomorrow:

Look behind you several times.......then move forward.

Soliel Saturday

2011-01-22T18:07:00.000-08:00

Thank you for all the kind regards for Tarbaby. It was a hard day yesterday for all of us who loved him. He had quite a reputation in the community and was a well known horse. His past was not that great....but he had a lot of love and good care with us during his stay at Pony Up. Valerie.....you let him down without so much as a backwards glance....I want everyone to know your name as the person who abandoned him and never looked back. Don't ever let there be a next time.

Grace is still very upset and calls out. Yesterday, we let her stay with the body, sniff him all over and when she seemed upset, we let her come back to the barn. Today she has latched onto Louie and is very fretful to the point of exhaustion if he gets out of her sight. We moved horses around until I was practically crazy today...and finally, Grace is in the middle paddock, surrounded by handsome men....but she still does not want to eat. Her legs are shaky from pacing....and so I worry about her. We soaked her abcessed foot today and she was very good for us, let me clean and squeeze and rinse......no worries...she stood still as a rock.

It was a beautiful morning. I got to the barn first and opened up doors.....let chickens out, let barn cat out, doled out the chicken food, cat food and then played with the squirrels for a while....they are not afraid of me anymore...and I can practically touch them....they are so cute with tufted red ears and their shrill little voices. The jays are busy at my mom's feeder stealing peanuts and a couple of gray squirrels fight over corn cob treats......a peaceful morning and I feel like maybe spring will happen after all. I notice that some of my plants are just busting the surface of the dirt....and some buds on the current bush.....I trim some of the old plants back......clean some pots out.....I am getting spring fever already.

We had a full compliment of volunteers this morning....Mary, Susy, Sarah, Aspen, Rebecca and Ryan......we got a lot done....scrubbed some walls, cleaned paddocks, cleaned stalls, scrubbed water tubs, fixed a gate, moved stall mats back into place, put a new receptacle in, fixed a leak in the roof and fixed some leaky gutters. We have a mountain of manure to move......fill dirt to get, sand to get, some fence posts to be put in (fencing chores never stop).....some fences to tighten up, some paddocks to scrape, horses to groom, and next week.......all horses get a deworming. Already that time again.

I took Ryan and Susy to lunch to celebrate Tarbaby's life and we talk about future plans, what we need, what will help us and how we will achieve the things we want and need. Dream big......keep your eye on the distance...I have a good group of folks...Pony Up is a good group of folks.

Thank you to Cenex and Nutrena for the donation of grain today! What a great surprise.. I went to buy a new pitchfork, Show Sheen, beetpulp, dog food and wow...also got ten bags of grain! Grace eats a lot of grain...and beet pulp.....since she cannot eat hay...so again, thank you for your generosity.

Tomorrow some more fencing work....Beaver has an escape route all planned but we caught him and will put an end to it. The weather is supposed to be nice again and I will take blankets off for the early afternoon....so the convicts can get some sun on their backs and dirt in their souls.

It was interesting to note that when I took blankets off today, the blankets looked like they had shrunk.....only they hadn't.....it was expanding bellies and butts...the Pony Up horses are ......umm.....well......FAT. All of them. I smile when I type it...FAT...okay, not like foundering, blubbering fat......but FAT. I bought some diet grain for a couple of them. I laughed when I saw "diet, low calorie grain"......HA...ummmm , why don't we , they or whomever just reduce the amount of grain, quit giving grain or ? DIET GRAIN???
Okay, I bought it. They love grain.... Beaver and Louie never get grain because they are Macy's Parade balloons.....Grace needs full calorie grain.....but Church, Ollie, Winston, Max, Blue....all fatso's...so they get the diet variety.....we will see how it goes.

Pony Up fortune for tomorrow:

“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it."

Tarbaby

2011-01-21T11:59:00.001-08:00

I am very sad to tell you that Tarbaby died this morning. We let him and Grace out for a while in the arena.......They both rolled in the sand, played a little, then Grace was tired....but Tarbaby continued to buck, rear and play....... he came running up to the stall, reared and then fell over ...already dying. I got to him, he whinnied a little and then passed away. I have not cried so hard in such a long time......like losing your friend.
We have loved him for the past year and a half....we will miss him. He has been the horse that has kept me going when I thought I couldn't do it anymore. He sang for his grain slop each morning and it always lifted my spirits to hear him sing his "give me grain" song.

For those of you who asked, Tarbaby was 25'ish, perhaps a little older. A Thoroughbred, tattoed and very handsome...of course, love is blind, so if he had any conformation faults......we didn't see them.

RIP Tarbaby....you were a good boy.

Thank you Mary and Jason for the help this morning.

Blustery Sunday

2011-01-16T21:06:00.000-08:00

It has been windy all day, without so much as a break.....and did I mention is was raining too?
Susy and I cleaned this morning in the rain and the wind....drank coffee, talked about horses, gave Grace some "scratchies" and then decided the day was too miserable for almost anything......where is spring? While I was dumping wheelbarrows.....I did spy some of my plants starting to come back in my garden and that alone gave me some hope that spring will return before I float away into oblivion.
Jones has been at Cutter Creek for a little over a week and he is being treated like royalty....massages and beauty treatments, pretty girls to fuss over him and he got to run in the sand arena without a blanket and then roll! Pure heaven. It looks like he might get adopted.......such a lucky boy!...and someone will be lucky to get him too.....one of our personal favorites for sure. His pasture mate is lonely for him...and is having to resort to sharing the fence line with Beaver...now that is DESPERATE.
We got Beaver's half wall up just in time.....he was standing in the corner tonight taking shelter from the wind......sometimes it works out just right.

We allowed Grace to go into the bottom field where there is less mud, easier for her to get around.....and Tarbaby had a fit....screaming and pacing and Grace ignored him. Mares are fickle like that.

Blue destroyed his Rambo blanket and so now he is wearing a hand me down rain sheet, but at least he is dry. Louie got Max's old blanket and Max got a new blanket....so far so good with everyone else. If you have size 87 blankets........we can use them. Louie and Max are both 87's......Ollie and Winston wear 84's...Lizzie wears an 82....Beaver won't wear one at all........Tarbaby wears a 80 and Grace and Blue wear 76's. We should have really called this Big Horse Ranch or something catchy like that.

The weekend went by fast, we got lots done, as usual and keep planning for more.

Thank you to Sarah and Cutter Creek farm for helping Jones! It means the world to us.

Pony Up fortune for tomorrow:

She still shines.

Sequel Saturday

2011-01-15T19:00:00.000-08:00

Up early.......can't find my glasses......turns out glasses had an "accident"......which means trouble for me. I am blind as a bat. Normally I wear contact lenses. Contact lenses are ordered.......but late...which means I am relagated to wearing GLASSES. Except, this morning, my glasses are broken.
I cannot drive, cannot read.....cannot hardly get dressed. Problem. Scotch tape....duct tape. I have to go feed, run errands....I can't sit around and wait for glasses that work. Why don't I have a spare pair? Good question.
Anyway, off to the barn with glasses and tape. I hope there are no photographers waiting.
Nope..only horses and chickens and a barn cat or two.
It is raining.......of course it is raining. But at least it is fifty some degrees...I clean paddocks with no jacket.
I forgot my coffee at the house and hope to make some at the barn, but I forgot to buy said coffee...so I am out of luck.
Rebecca show up, Ryan shows up,Mary shows up...and Aspen shows up.......and we clean paddocks, stalls, water tubs, scrub and scrape floor of barn, clean buckets....hang up wet blankets.....and the build a half wall in the pony shed , so that Beaver has a wind break. Aspen cleaned the chicken house and scrubbed stall doors...filled waters.
We soak Grace's foot, as she has an abcess in the hair line. She is really not in favor of it, but she allows it as best she can.
We do some electrical work. The outdoor receptacle is not working,the GFI burned up....so..........
Ryan and I go to Lowes to get stall pellets......on sale for 3.49.....as well as a new GFCI receptacle and some staples. We come back to replace said receptacle and meet the bodyworker who has volunteered to work on Grace....Vanessa.
Grace is body sore and off in her hips...she walks with a couple of limps and is not all that stable. We appreciate the help and Grace is pretty patient while the work is done. We agree that Grace has some issues in the hips/pelvis region.....some severe issues...but Vanessa does her best and Grace seems to like it. We thank you Vanessa!
Ryan and I put up a new shelf to help better organize our stuff....shampoos, fly sprays, medicines, supplements......all shelved now. Big improvement.
Our new friend Mary shows up and brings Grace a blanket......it fits perfectly and is a beautiful red color.....Grace looks lovely. Thank you to Mary and Lucy for thinking of us.

Susy....we missed you today and hope you are feeling okay? Susy is about the nicest person on earth.......we love her.

Thank you to Sarah for the help with Bonnie. As you know, Bonnie was humanely euthanised yesterday and Sarah was there for her. We hope she is running free with a large flock!

We continue to plan for next spring and summer.....concrete floors in the barn, a new pony stall complex, sand in the arena.....better drainage.....the list never stops.....it only grows. We are fortunate in what we have accomplished.....due to a host of volunteers and supporters. We want this to be a good place for a horse to come to....and so we strive to improve what we have. We dream big.

Pony Up fortune for tomorrow:

Imagine it times ten.

Thursday Rain falls and falls

2011-01-13T19:37:00.000-08:00

It has rained all day...water, water everywhere, coursing through streets, making furrows through pastures...making soggy creatures out of all of us.
Although I dried my hair this morning, it was wet again by the time I really left for work. I should have put a hat on. I think of these things like some rocket scientist ex post facto......I have a hat, it is at the barn and still I think perhaps I really don't need it because I will just be a little while.....go figure.

Almost like a vacation this week......I have have all kinds of help and I feel like I haven't done my share. I am off for half the day tomorrow and have lots to do....order hay, get grain, get stall pellets, vet appointments, Fred Meyer......don't you love Fred Meyer? It has everything.

I made the painful decision to have Bonnie euthanized. Painful for me but better for her. It is no life to never walk again, never hang out with other chickens and she is very thin...probably not getting enough to eat. I am selfish to ask her to continue. RIP Bonnie, we love you.

Jones is still at Cutter Creek and soaking up the attention, being a good boy and working like a pro. He is a great horse for someone and he really needs to get out more. He is a beautiful boy.

Saturday we have visitors at Pony UP...some new volunteers and some folks who want to see the farm.

Grace is settling in. It is apparent that she is arthritic, a little spoiled and has a hard time keeping warm. I double blanketed her during the rain, even though the temperature was up, she was cold and wet. Not a good combination for an old horse. She seems to be eating just fine and looks forward to her slop. We were short on smaller blankets, so I had to use a bigger blanket over top of another......she seems much warmer tonight.

Pony Up fortune for tomorrow:

The path is lit before you.......

Manic Monday

2011-01-10T18:46:00.000-08:00

I wake up early to SNOW......which means I have to hurry so I can have everything nailed down before I leave for work. You just never know if it is going to really snow or just come and go. I can't take chances.
I decide I should feed at both barns in case anyone has trouble getting there......I cannot remember if Brenda has an early morning today or just what....so I leave and feed at our borrowed barn first....Everything is okay........no frozen pipes...no bleeding horses...all noses are accounted for and hot grain is fed.
Off to the next place.
Did I mention my four wheel drive is not working? It isn't. So I take the car....all wheel drive.....but not really a farm vehicle......just the same, it gets me there.
I pull up to barn number two.....
let chickens out, let cat out, get Bonnie out.......take insulation off water faucet, hook hot water up........soak alfalfa cubes......throw hay...feed Bonnie, decide it is too cold for Bonnie to hang in her underwear....put her back in cat room with water/food....mix grain........check water, throw chicken scratch, put cat food out..fill up squirrel feeder......check alfalfa cubes...squeeze alfalfa cubes....shred alfalfa cubes......I decide I HATE alfalfa cubes.....so labor intensive. Grace cannot chew hay.....and so she must eat slop........senior grain, beet pulp, either hay pellets (soaked) or alf cubes (soaked).......I am allergic to alfalfa. Supposed to wear gloves.....but I don't take the time this morning and my hands swell.....then itch.....turn red.......then I decide to put the gloves on....but my hands are wet and I struggle with the damn latex gloves for a while....in the meanwhile I have touched my face.....and now my face itches....
I have two shirts on so that I can make it to work in a clean shirt....and I have a coat on.
I decide that I should move the gas can from the shed to outside the barn. I pick up the gas can by the spout and pull it up and towards me......it sprays me with gas.
I look at my watch.......no time to go home......my gloves let the gas go right through and to my skin. Great.
I go to the sink and run hot water over hands with soap......they are bright red now.
I smell like gas...that ought to be popular at work.
Do I have clothes in my car? Nope...they are in the truck.
Okay...I am ready to leave........I pour Grace her soaked slop and then decide to undo the hose. It has a quick connect.
I reach down and un do it......I am sprayed on the leg with water. ...I forgot to turn the spicket handle.
I give up.
I am short on time and must get going.
Into the car....I smell like gas.
I shed one shirt. My forearm smells like gas...not the shirt.
I put another jacket on. Look in the mirror.....my nose is bright red. Great...I am Bozo the clown.
I think about allergy shots.

Off to work. It snows on and off all day, but nothing really sticks. It is cold when I return to the barn.
Greeted by our real barn cat.......she is hungry......I put her in the cat room with Bonnie, close them in...feed the horses and go through the same routine with Grace's slop.....but I have gloves on.
Pretty soon I hear the profound wailing of the stray feral cat who comes and eats/sleeps in the barn at night. He/she is hungry and anxious for me to leave the barn, so he/she can eat. I call to him/her and he/she answers but will not come in the barn. I make a bed out of hay and horse blankets......hoping he/she can get warm.....I leave plenty of food out and some fresh water. I wondered where the mouse carcasses were from....not from our real cat....she doesn't catch mice.

I close the barn up, take hay to the pony down the street.......go home........glad to get into clothes that don't smell like gas....

just another day.

Pony Up fortune for tomorrow:

an old friend will call.

So So Sunday

2011-01-09T19:03:00.000-08:00

Cold this morning, almost freezing....I am anxious to get to the barn.....check on Grace.....check on Louie....Louie was fretful without Jones yesterday and he cried and paced for a long while before hanging over the fence with his new friend Grace. Grace was really unimpressed with him but tolerated the nuzzling....Grace is generally unimpressed with us and not sure she belongs back here. I try several different blankets on her and find that most of what we have is HUGE........so I have to make something fit.

Lots to do today.....it really never stops. Scoop manure from stalls and paddocks, straighten blankets, sweep barn, wash feed tubs...put Bonnie in her underwear.....check water, call hayman, go to Lowes...buy insulation (Is it really going to snow?).....decide to run a new waterline to the back of the barn because I am really tired of wrestling the hose........Ryan works on the fifth wheel ALL day....pretty soon it's dark and time to feed, turn heat tape on, turn warming light bulbs on......and close the barns up.

Time to reflect on the past year and all we have accomplished. We tend to forget I guess. .......we have put new arena fencing up, new gates on two ends of the arena, built a wash rack, built a chicken coop, put down about a million mats, fixed the pony barn, put up several stretches of non climb fencing, poured cement, put new light fixtures in the barn and outside the barn, got a new hotwater heater, put a sink in the barn, put up an automatic gate on the driveway, fixed the electrical panel, built another loafing shed, shoveled gravel, moved manure piles, took some trees down, adopted out Breeze, Promise, Vinnie and Wally. We also lost Jake, Sully and Mercy. We have gained volunteers, lost volunteers, met new veterinarians, met supporters, held fundraisers, and had some fun, as well as shared our sorrow. It was a good year. We know we need a bigger farm, a larger budget, we need to do more grantwriting and fundraising. It is expensive to care for horses.....you all know that. We are thankful to the people who donated time, money, food, tack, veterinary services (Dr. Julie Page, Dr. Mike Alberts, Dr. Maci Paden), also the Jones Farm (Cam and Carrie). Lower Puget Sound Dressage Club, The Mowries, .....and to our shoer Jim Ward. I can never express enough thanks to my constant volunteers......Ryan, Caryn, Brenda, Susy, Rebecca, Carmen, Shelli......you all work hard and I could not do it without you.

Some of our goals this year are:
Improve drainage in the lower fields
sand in the arena
adoption outreach newsletter on a quarterly basis
Veterinary clinics on a quarterly basis (seminars and hands on)
Improve grant writing
Selection of two periodicals for advertising
attend schooling shows with adoptable horses
Host a schooling show in August to benefit the rescue

Off to another week of work and more work.

Again, thanks to all of you who help us.

Pony Up fortune for tomorrow:

The path of least resistance is for the lazy.

Saturday Grace

2011-01-08T16:50:00.000-08:00

Lots to do today.....not enough time....so we spread people out. Rebecca came early and cleaned/fed......then I came and scrubbed water tanks, spread some shavings in Beaver's stall, moved Winston's mats back to a normal position, fed chickens......then hooked the trailer up and we went and got Grace. Brenda stayed to meet the shoer and Ryan made phone calls for me....we took Susy along for the ride. Susy is recovering from surgery so she is on very light duty.

It turns out that our dear Grace has become somewhat of a spoiled little brat...doesn't want to be lead or held.....I was met with a swift head butt when I tried to lead her to the trailer. We had a discussion and she came to her senses. She loaded nicely and trailered nicely.......She is blanketed and in the barn tonight.....sort of back to her dear self. The boys were glad to see her and she was sort of glad to see them.

Ryan ran some errands for us and I scrubbed stall mats for the afternoon. Sarah came and got Jones to take to Cutter Creek. He will have a spa day tomorrow and get an evaluation under saddle by three event riders. We are keeping our fingers crossed that someone will like him. He is a beautiful boy.......loads and hauls nicely too.

The forecast calls for snow this week. Yikes! I am not ready for snow....not ready for more freezing temperatures. I need to order more hay. I feel a little nervous not having the barn FULL of hay.

We have some stall work to complete tomorrow.......a halfway in the pony stall, for a wind break......and some work on the old RV. The chore list never stops...really.

Pony UP fortune for tomorrow:

Your deceitful behavior is not necessary.........tell the truth and everyone wins.

Let's talk about Michael Vick...warning GRAPHIC discussion and photos

2011-01-04T19:23:00.001-08:00

So let's talk about Michael Vick. My blog....my opionion...my forum.

I am sick of the notion that we all just forget his hideous behavior.....

but is he just a "dog fighter"?

Hardly.

This man committed heinous acts of torture against living creatures. The kind of stuff that serial killers start with....think Ted Bundy...think Jeffery Dahmer. The kind of stuff that makes you want to vomit when you think of the horrible suffering that occurred. I don't think the really bad stuff was publicized or perhaps people just quit reading when they read "dog fighting"....I don't know.
Dog fighting is hideous in it's own right......but the torture that occurred.....Mr. Vick participated in it, directed it, filmed it and by all accounts laughed as it went on in front of him.

Can you say SOCIOPATH?

The psychopath/sociopath is a social predator. He is ruthless, manipulative and often charming. Once referred to as “moral imbeciles,” psychopaths exhibit a marked lack of conscience. They are callous, remorseless and spectacularly self-centered, willing to use and abuse others to achieve their ends, and they are inclined to blame others.

I had a late night Facebook discussion with some folks about Mr. Vick. There was the same old response......"hasn't he paid his dues?"..."can't we just go on and let him live his life?".(can't we just watch him play football?).....well, I guess he has paid his dues as sentenced.....but that doesn't mean he developed a conscience while he was in prison.....you cannot grow a conscience if you never had one to start with.......it just means he knows what he needs to say publicly in order to play football and make a lot of money off of all the football fans. It frankly makes me sick.
He can parade around the county doing his little talks and speeches....but what I want him to do is to take pictures of the dogs he tortured, electrocuted, fought, hung and show them to the kids he is talking to.....I want him to answer how it ever occurred to him that torture was pleasurable......I want him to answer how he decided to clamp jumper cables to ears and throw dogs into swimming pools?

I even had a couple of folks reply who said..."you aren't one of those who equate the lives of dogs with humans?"

What?

Umm.....you aren't one of those folks who think that animals can't/don't suffer? or do you think it just doesn't matter?
Who made you God?
My dogs are part of my family......they are not vegetation......they are not stuffed toys.....who are you to tell me how to value their lives?

When you have someone who lacks humanity.....one who has less conscience than a bottom feeding fish....do they deserve some Godlike status? Do they stand on a pedestal above the rest of the world?? NO, they do not.
The word "torture" isn't only used when involving humans. Dogs feel pain...dogs suffer....dogs scream. This person tortured for his pleasure.
Read the account here.........
http://articles.sfgate.com/2009-11-03/living/17117102_1_vick-dogs-vick-s-bad-newz-kennels-pit

There is no more punishment available to him for these crimes through the justice system....the best punishment is to turn him back into the shadows to "nobody status".....take his hero status away.....NO more football. This guy has no redeeming value except athletic ability.....he is no role model. What happened to the days when football players really were genuine guys....not morally bankrupt gangbangers wannabes? And what happened to the discerning public? Will we tolerate anything now?
Without football he can really be the loser that he is. Football players come and go ......make him go.

Happy New Years Day

2011-01-01T15:29:00.001-08:00

Welcome to the first day of 2011! Sounds like something out of a George Orwell novel, doesn't it?

We started off the morning like any other Saturday.....because there are still hungry horses, still horse manure piles to pick up, hay to sweep, things to fix......It is really cold this morning as it has been for the past several mornings.

There were fireworks last night much to my chagrin......I hate fireworks.....the dogs hate them and so do some of the horses. Seems like we cannot avoid them. Anyway, I was not totally surprised to find that Ollie had a deep gash in his face this morning, blood everywhere......he hates fireworks and I really should have tranquilized him...but he is in the new barn and it is not close to neighbors and is surrounded by woods.......so anyway, I was wrong!!!!!!! He needed stitches.....right over his eye. Poor guy....swollen eye and sweaty body.......he is very tired today.

Then back to the barn and chores to be done. Rebecca cleaned the barn and washed Beaver's tail. Beaver has chronic diarrhea.....and we have chronic tail washing....it will clear up in the spring...until then we wash away. We built a fire and burned up some of the extra scrap lumber from behind the barn....cleaned the chicken coop and collected eggs. Got a few things moved around in the barn for ease of working conditions....more hot chocolate in the cupboard. We made plans for our new building and developed a lumber list. I love to build things.....I can hardly wait.

We bought more gate openers......a better keypad and some tubing for water....defrosted hoses......hung up Chippy's feeder so the cat can't get him....we need to work on better water access at the far end of the barn so that we don't have to drag hoses all the time.

All horses had hot mashes this morning and psyllium......there is so much dirt in the new hay......I almost feel like sending it back. Hay is always fickle......good, bad, indifferent......stemmy, brown or green.....lush or lackluster......always something. I am sure prices will continue to go up and am considering buying some local stuff to allow daytime forage/fillage. These big horses eat a lot.

Because it is so dry out, I have allowed access to the large fields during the day. Tarbaby and Churchie played and bucked and kicked for several hours yesterday...it keeps their stalls cleaner too.

Enjoy your New Years day!

Pony UP fortune for tomorrow:

The same old routine becomes something new.

Time out Thursday

2010-12-30T07:27:00.000-08:00

Ok,...I have been sick.......I am really hoping today is a turn around day. I have not been to work all week, saw the dr yesterday......have about 15 prescriptions.....ugh, enough already, enough. I slept most of the day yesterday....such a waste of a day.

The weather has turned cold again, some folks have snow, but not us....I have to say I am glad. Snow = drama. I turned all the heat lamps on last night, the heat tape and undid hoses so that we don't have anything frozen this morning.

Ryan got the manure pile moved this week and spread the left over gravel pile on the driveway, then put a new light fixture up in the tack room. We moved the benches inside from the weather, put a new blanket hanger up, moved the small refrigerator and put a towel rack up in the barn. Thanks for the help Ryan....what would we do without you?

Grace is having some problems in her new home. We are unsure if it is pain related or just what. The vet will check her out this week and we may bring her home and send one of the geldings out in her place......at least for a while.

Jones should be going to the Jones Farm when I get a chance....maybe Friday if I no longer feel like a truck ran me over...maybe today if I get out of the shower and say I feel great. Jones will get a two week "legging" up so he can get on a work schedule and get adopted. He is such a nice horse for someone, we are surprised he is still with us.

Off to the barn to feed.
Enjoy your day.

Pony Up fortune for tomorrow:

There is no such thing as a FREE horse.

Merry Christmas Morning

2010-12-25T07:18:00.000-08:00

A Merry Christmas morning to all of our friends and family! I hope you have a perfect day with your family and friends.

Thank you for the Pony UP gifts.....sunflower seeds, carrots, some kittie krinkles for Ms Kitty, alf pellets, white erase board, photo album, wine basket, grain, beet pulp, horse cookies, peanut butter balls... all put to the best use~ Thank you Christine, Susy, Caryn, Rebecca, Brenda, Sarah...you guys are the best!

The weather is ...um ...surprise...rainy and cold.......no snow and no wind. Everyone is bundled up at the barn. When we put Bonnie in her underwear, we give her an extra layer of hay around her. Beaver has been doing his best to reach Bonnie....reaching over, trying to reach through.....STRETCHING his little pony neck as far as he can. He is curious but deadly.. he does not like chickens in his stall and apparently is not fond of them hanging from the rafters either. No worries.....he cannot reach Miss Bonnie....he just wishes he could.

Thursday night the horses were all worked up....couldn't settle down, especially Tarbaby.....looking at the woods. I shone the flashlight and what do I see? several pairs of eyes staring at me. Hmm. Down to the woods I go.....shine flashlight into woods.....yell......the eyes go away. ...back up to the barn, tell Tarbaby he can relax, turn lights out.......Tarbaby goes ape again. ..turn lights on....okay, shine the flashlight.....there are the eyes.....sigh.....back down to the woods.....throw rocks, clang a bucket....tromp around.....back to the barn. Fog is rolling in.....looks like a scene from Hounds of the Baskervilles.........and then coyotes run across the pasture. Big ones. .........all is quiet......I think they just wanted to cross the property....perhaps check to see if chickens were in bed......turn lights out. Tarbaby is eating and quiet.

When I returned to the barn yesterday morning, all was quiet.....horses quiet....all is good. I let chickens out, fed cat, hung Bonnie up, threw hay and then went in to my mom's house......came out five minutes later and something has killed the rooster....broken neck, laying in the yard. I must have surprised it when I opened the door to come out. This was our young rooster...he was huge....rip poor guy Clyde.
Must have been something that could not carry him off quickly......he weighed about 15 lbs. The rest of the chickens were in the barn hiding. Fortunately we had two roosters....the hens need a rooster. I imagine rooster one is glad that rooster two is gone........more women for him. The farm is a survivor game for the chickens. You don't expect one to get nabbed in broad daylight.

Today, I will clean and feed , then come home........save most of the work for tomorrow, today is a holiday!

Enjoy your Christmas day!

Pony Up fortune for tomorrow:

Spend more time than money.

Bonnie Wednesday to you

2010-12-22T20:28:00.000-08:00

Pictures of Bonnie in her sling for those of you who wonder what a chicken looks like in her underwear.

Edited to say that Bonnie is gently cared for by everyone who volunteers at Pony Up.
Bonnie has been our pet, and although some folks will say she is just a chicken... she is a living, feeling being......and we will care for her as long as she is comfortable.
Sure, our forte is horses......but we have compassion for all animals.....feathered, hooved, or those that come with paws.

Enjoy your day!

Merry Christmas!

Truely Tuesday

2010-12-21T19:19:00.000-08:00

December 21......my wedding anniversary.....a lovely dinner prepared by my husband and stalls cleaned/horses fed by my wonderful volunteers! thank you.

Tarbaby was colicky yesterday.....sort of....it wasn't your classic colic.....but he didn't want to eat, he was agitated, pawed in the stall....and had small poop piles...Ryan and Sarah kept an eye on him through the afternoon and by evening he appeared to be fine. Poor old guy....we love him so.

Thank you to Sarah for the gift certificate and the white board.......we will have a written feed schedule posted shortly! (I promise!)

We miss Susy.....get well soon and come back!

IT will shortly be Christmas. I ended up finishing my shopping on Amazon.com. Lame I know...but I really was short on time. I do not get an A for effort but I do get an A for completion.

Carmen put Bonnie to bed tonight and the rest of her flock and the barn cat! Great job Carmen....Bonnie is easy to love, isn't she? Even though she is just a chicken..she talks and makes a fuss over her food, likes to get into her sling and likes to sleep with the cat. Pictures soon...I promise. What? you say you have never seen a chicken in men's underwear? Well now you will.

I went to the barn down the road tonight and was greeted by a friendly bat....he was touring the whole barn, flitting and swooping on insects, around my head and then gone. I like bats. Of course I do. If you ever saw one up close, they are so delicate, fragile and beautiful. I really would have one for a pet if I could......

Not much new with the horses.....Beaver had a child visitor and he was not impressed.....he showed BAD manners in grabbing carrots and he would have given a big PUSH to the small child if he could have managed it. Sigh......there goes his career. Not for the faint of heart is this pony....but if you have a sense of humor.....well, you might like him.

I hope your holidays are restful, happy and blessed.

Pony Up fortune for tomorrow:

If you know what you know......then you know it.

So Sunday

2010-12-19T09:54:00.000-08:00

This is the very beautiful "Jones".......for adoption!

Cold and frosty this morning...but beautifully blue. I make the trip to the barn and the valley is busy......the quad of horses to my left running their field and the "lonely" pony to my right waiting at the fence....crows in the road making a fuss over a squirrel carcass........a lone black dog walks slowly and deliberately along the side of the road and gives me a glance as I pass by.

I am a little late this morning. I get "that look" from the horses as I pull up the driveway and open the gate. I let the chickens out and they follow me into the barn, hoping for a treat or scraps like I sometimes bring....but not this morning. I give them their regular scratch mix, let the cat out, throw hay and then attend to Bonnie.

We made Bonnie a sling on Friday....Caryn and I. We shopped Walmart for a half hour...not sure what we were looking for..but looking just the same. The goal was to lift Bonnie up where she could stretch her legs and have support for her body. Not an easy task. There are no chicken slings commercially made that we could easily find...........so we ended up with size medium men's briefs.....and a lid to a circular garbage can.
In Walmart.....we were engaged in a conversation while we examined the men's briefs out of the package.....and we got some "strange" looks. You cannot explain in a few seconds that Bonnie is a chicken who needs a sling.....and that yes, her head would extend out the front of the crotch part of the underwear, so she could see......but some people only heard "her"........"head"......."support"......"crotch hole" (IDK...is there a term for that?) Anyway, we laughed, bought the underwear and trash can lid...then left.
We placed the underwear inside the trash can lid ring, rolled the band over the ring, secured it and then started the task of fashioning it for Bonnie. This starts with placing Bonnie in the underwear. Hmmm.....okay, her butt has to have an escape hole, so we cut a hole in the butt....her wings go in the leg holes...the crotch supports her breast and lets her legs dangle....and then, well, her head goes through the crotch hole...the crotch hole had to be enlarged a little to make it comfortable........okay......then we take baling twine and tie three long pieces to the ring/lid........then we suspend Bonnie in the contraption and tie the baling twine to the rafter........voila! Bonnie is suspended over the hay and we build the hay up around her, place her feeders and she is able to eat, flap her wings and seems comfortable. Mission accomplished. The shoer came yesterday, walked through the barn and remarked......"is that a chicken hanging from the rafters?" ummmmmm, yes it is. We still put Bonnie away at night to keep her safe from predators and to sleep with the barn cat.

We were visited by Christine E yesterday and she brought us grain, alf pellets, beet pulp and a wonderful basket! Thank you for your kindness and support Christine.....we appreciate your giving spirit and generosity. Christine saw Bonnie too and agreed that Bonnie seemed happy!

Louie, Church, Beaver, Tarbaby and Winston got their feet trimmed. Tarbaby's feet are not great....his disease is present and active. His feet are sore. It is emotional for us.... we bute him and keep his stall dry, but the disease is in full swing and is not curable. Immune system issue. We continue to do our best for him.

We are pretty certain that the little abandoned mare has a new home. Details to follow.....great home with good people. We are still trying to assist with a Shetland pony mare and a Hackney gelding. The pony mare is green broke, the Hackney gelding is said to "drive".......we have not seen them yet, they are a distance from us. I have asked for pictures and will post them later.

Here it is the week before Christmas already. It will be 2011 in a short while. Wierd, isn't it?

Enjoy your day, I hope you see some sun.

Pony UP fortune for tomorrow:

Fortune smiles at you.

Oh the weather outside is frightful..........

2010-12-18T07:32:00.000-08:00

Wind....again, ad nauseum.......last night, and now we have cold rain with a small forecast of snow! Dogs did not want to go outside this morning.....me either...I wanted to stay in bed. Unbelievably still sick......coughing...coughing....Nyquil.
My new mantra.
We will have a small work party this morning, share some coffee, clean some stalls, groom some horses ......the horse shoer will come to the farm at 11......then off for some errands, feed store, run grain to Yukon who is in foster care. Thank you to Liz, Doreen and Kimberly for taking such great care of him and giving him a wonderful place to live!

I still don't have all my Christmas shopping done but I actually did get a large part of it done yesterday....now just a few more things. I did not put a tree up yet either..I have one decoration up.....such a slacker.

Well, off to the races........coffee in hand.....coat on back......

Pony UP fortune for today:

It is not where you left it.....not how you found it.

Operation GELDING....

2010-12-17T07:00:00.000-08:00

LOW-COST CASTRATION CLINIC

Friday, December 31, 2010
at Tacoma Equine Hospital
3112 156th St E, Tacoma 98446

*Two No-Cost Castrations will be
given to qualified applicants*

Volunteers NeededDonations gladly accepted
Help Spread the Word!
Please forward this e-mail to a friend
and print & post at your barn

Enroll Now - Space is Limited & Time is Running Out!

sponsored by Tacoma Equine Hospital & The Unwanted Horse Coalition
illustration courtesy of Chris Ware

For more information and to enroll, contact:
Tacoma Equine Hospital
253-535-6999
info@tacomaequine.com

Please be sure your colt/stallion is halter broke, in good health, and that both testicles are present.

Forward email

BRRRRRRRRRRR it's Thursday

2010-12-16T19:04:00.000-08:00

The good news is that it is NOT raining....but it is cold and the fog rolled into our lives and the valley this evening. The temperature has dropped considerably and we will have frost by morning. I turned the chickens warming light on and when I left Bonnie she was curled up with the barn cat...or should I say the barn cat was curled around her. I briefly thought about why the barn cat has never decided to eat Bonnie......? Too big, too warm.....the only friend she has? I don't know.

A day off tomorrow.....a day off to get better from whatever I have....which is still hanging on. Nothing that sleep and Nyquil can't cure. Isn't that Nyquil awful?

I have Christmas shopping to do tomorrow. I am behind schedule.......no list either. That is what I call "dangerous Christmas shopping."

The shoer comes Saturday..Winston, Louie, Beaver and Church......foot trims, shoes removed.
Saturday we will also work on perfecting the lighting at the barn.....I need one more light fixture and then another switch......a photocell.......almost perfect...almost.
Thank you Carmen and Brenda for making my day, oh so much shorter today....

We will have a little Pony Up get together this Saturday night.....volunteers and friends of Pony UP. Bring a casserole, an hor d'oeuvre or some fattening dessert......and a recycle gift......something under 25 dollars. We play the "gift" game..you know the one......numbered gifts....snd so on. RSVP.

Pony UP fortune for tomorrow:

Face your fear, speak out loud.

Typical Tuesday

2010-12-14T20:28:00.000-08:00

Long day, worked for nine hours.......weather is cold. We had a major lightning storm last night complete with howling wind, sideways rain and cracking thunder. The interior of my house was lit up like a fluorescent Christmas tree on and off for about 30 minutes. I loved every minute of it........woke from a sound sleep and really never got back to sleep.......the dogs were agitated and scared......the power went off, the generator came on......and then it was time to get up.

We are trying to plan our spring tack sale.....already.....seems early I know.....but the thought of spring cannot come soon enough....really.......come on spring, come early.

I have enjoyed showing you the Pony Up horses this week and today we show you Lizzie...saved from the Enumclaw auction a couple of months ago.....a very pretty mare, big bodied and ready for a home! Like mares.?// call us.

Pony UP fortune for tomorrow:

More than one surprise will come to you.

Mute it Monday

2010-12-13T20:05:00.000-08:00

Edited to tell you that this picture is "Silk" with a cookie between his lips!

My day starts early during the week.......no matter if I am sick, tired or simply distracted.....I am up at 5am........I usually do a load of laundry, put the washer load from the night before in the dryer and then fold the previous nights dryer load.....make coffee, feed dogs, empty cat box, empty trash, take shower, get dressed, wipe sinks down, put dogs out........and then down to the barn. I always get Tarbaby's stall cleaned, chickens fed, cat fed, Bonnie fed/watered/situated, then throw hay, give grain, try to sweep barn out if I have a few spare minutes. I agonize leaving the barn in any sort of disarray...but sometimes I do. ... Then off to my "real" job for eight hours, at lunch I might make Pony UP phone calls, appointments, reference check...or buy supplies at the hardware store.......on my way home I might go to the feed store for stall pellets or grain or who knows what........then back to the barn. If it is Monday or Wednesday, one of my wonderful volunteers has cleaned and probably fed at the number one barn......any day during the week, our angel Caryn has fed breakfast at barn number two and the other angel Brenda has cleaned and fed grain at barn number two....I simply drop in there at night, pick up a few piles and throw hay...I am not the important one at this barn...Caryn and Brenda are...because they are the givers of the grain! Throw in bad weather and anything can happen.......barns flood...pipes break, horses get loose.......a volunteer has an emergency or is sick.......life goes on and horses are watered/fed and cleaned anyway in that kind of priority. Saturday morning is a group volunteer day, I take the morning feeding at barn number one and Ryan feeds at barn number two.

We are busy, I am busy.......we all work hard and we all love these horses with committment and dedication. To borrow a phrase...It takes a village to run a horse rescue...that is for sure. I couldn't do it by myself.....can't do it by myself. I have days when my body says enough already.......and then I see three hours of shoveling gravel and pushbrooming water beside a volunteer who could be doing almost anything else but this kind of work......I survive, I kick my ego to the curb and try to regroup on how to do it better.....simpler........quicker........sometimes I am successful and sometimes I need to have my wings clipped. Volunteers are good for that. I am lucky to have so many with so much talent.........Our new volunteer Rebecca who not only baked for our bake sale..but made wreaths too.......Caryn who baked, Ryan who handled the sales......Nina who baked, Caryn's grandma.......what great hands!
Sarah thank you for cleaning on Mondays and Carmen....thank you for feeding when you can........

To the folks who supported our bake sale and wreath sale......thank you........to the folks who just stopped by and gave us a few dollars.......thank you.....we appreciate your support and generosity and overall your compassion for what we do.

I am fluish and cranky today, but trying to remember my blessings and believe me......I have many.....a hot bath is coming my way, a glass of wine and an early bed time.

I am glad to report that all horses were dry during this weather.....the stalls did not flood, nor did we lose hay/grain or any of our supplies......but we did have a lot of water in barn number two.

Enjoy your week........

Pony Up fortune for tomorrow:

Other fish will fry.........

Sunday Sunday...

2010-12-12T17:54:00.000-08:00

Oh, did we have some rain......and then some! Pony Up barn #2 was flooded..we had to take gravel and build a small dike, push water out of the barn........and all while I am sick with the flu.....cough, sore throat...not a good day.
The good news is that barn #1 was dry....no leaks, no flooding.....no troubles.
We will be glad, as everyone else, when winter is OVER! Thank you Ryan for all the help, as usual!

Jones will be going to the Jones Farm for some legging up.....and then he is ready for adoption. Somebody will be lucky to get this nice boy! Beautiful and well mannered to boot!

We went to "rescue" a pony today ..but when we just about got to our destination, ...the person called and said he was gone. Just like that. Such a bad day for a drive....but we are glad the pony is safe. There are so many in trouble.

Saturday we had our bake sale at Del's and it was fun! We made a little money and met some new friends. Thanks to all of our bakers.....Nina, Rebecca, Caryn and Caryn's grandma.......such nice cookies and baked goods! THANK YOU for your time and efforts for our residents.

Not too much longer before Christmas......do you have all your shopping done? I do not. I must get busy...or get online.

Susie.,we hope you are feeling better and we miss you! Come back soon!

Bonnie's companion died on Saturday. She seemed like she was doing better but we found her dead in the nest in the morning. RIP little blonde chicken!
Bonnie is still doing well and we are building her a sling to help hold her up. Wierd, I know. ...but what is the alternative?

Tarbaby is still on bute once a day and he is feeling better, but of course not cured...he cannot be cured...but we are focused on keeping him comfortable. Rain is not helping anything..

If you are considering adoption, see us! We have several nice horses.......green horses, old horses......teen horses! Questions? ask.

We have included a photo of Blue today who wants a new home for Christmas!

Pony Up fortune for tomorrow:

Fortune smiles on those who help themselves.

Rainy day Tuesday evening

2010-12-07T21:08:00.000-08:00

Steady cold rain. I returned to the barn from work to find one of my chickens lying in the driveway, unable to move, very cold and wet....so I scooped her up, rubbed her feathers with a towel, wrapped her up and put her under a small heat lamp while I cleaned. I am not sure she will make it. I am no chicken expert that is for sure. Right now she is on my kitchen counter in a box, covered by a towel, resting a little more comfortably. Tomorrow, if she is better, she can share a room with Bonnie. I am not sure what is happening to these chickens. Bonnie's legs are paralyzed and I know that is no life for a chicken, but none of us can kill her. She eats and drinks and talks to us. We carry her around, put her in dry dirt for dustbaths and keep her in the cat room at night....we talked about it the other day and NO ONE wants to euthanize Bonnie...so there you go.

I am sick of this rain already.......wet paddocks, hard to clean.....wet horses, leaks here and there. Maybe just a day or two of sun? Maybe I need a vacation to Palm Springs or Maui? Sure....

We will have a bake sale this weekend....lots of goodies and some Christmas wreaths too, as well as some beaded horseshoes made by my volunteers.

I am saddened to see all the horses left at the auction house. Nices ones, old ones.....inbetween ones......none of them deserve to die. Hard to chose who lives and who dies. Your heart aches for the old ones, the ones who are broke to death kids horses.......and your heart will break over a blind horse being left in an unfamiliar place......how will it find food? how will it protect itself from dominant horses? how will it avoid the dangers of the crummy pens at the auction house? I hope the owner who left it can sleep well at night....it takes a special heartless individual to leave a blind horse to fend for itself. May you be so vulnerable some day....

Every week we get more and more chores done, things that make it easier to care for our horses and easier for the volunteers who come to spend their time with us. Thank you to Ryan for closing in the top of the old loafing shed.....it will make it less drafty for the upcoming winter weather we are sure to experience.

Last night I went to feed in our "borrowed" barn ...went upstairs and got the crap scared out of me. We have fake owls up there to scare the pigeons off.......and so I was expecting a fake owl...but what I ran into was a real owl........and it was loud and it took off........I almost wet my pants...I am not kidding. Those things are loud! He must be interested in the two dummy owls? Perhaps they are real lookers as far as owls go? I don't know.

We need a wheelbarrow. I must remember that. We need two of about everything lately because of the new barn. I am always running things back and forth........we could use another laundry sink too, while I am at it.....mental list.

Off to bed, I am tired and must get up a little early tomorrow.

Pony UP fortune for tomorrow:

Beauty is only skin deep...

Tuesday too

2010-12-07T06:07:00.000-08:00

Time for only a short blog this morning.

I would like to point out that there are MANY nice horses currently sitting at the Enumclaw auction, waiting for the slaughter truck. There are also several OLD horses, several EMACIATED horses and one blind horse. It takes a special, heartless creep to dump a blind horse at a strange place and then drive off for a Holiday Dinner party. I would like to meet them.
Sigh...anyway, my point is that if you have any room in your heart, your barn or your neighbor's barn......please save a life. Some of these horses are in very rough shape. I hate to think of a trip on the slaughter bus for them. I will share two pictures with you, courtesy of Auctionhorses.......one of a little gelding, sick with diarrhea, starved and older. He has nothing going for him like many of the others. The other is the blind mare....

If anyone is interested, please email me and I will pass the information to you.
We will also haul this horse for you this weekend, if necessary.

Help us to help them.

Whoops it's Wednesday

2010-12-01T19:37:00.000-08:00

We had some sun today, which felt good on my skin......and good on my brain. On the other hand my camera died and I am home sick with a stomach virus. I slept a good portion of the afternoon and feel a little better now. Too much stress, too much bad weather I think.

We sent a blanket to an old horse. The owner is trying to make him more comfortable and trying to do the right things for him. We cannot take him right now, so all we can do is help. We will gather some senior food coupons and get them to the owner as well. It is a bad time to try to rehome an old horse...frankly it is just not safe almost any way you look at it. I shudder to think about the cases we don't know about...but I can tell you this...there are horses suffering tonight.

The pony went to his new home today.... a really nice home, with another pony...a lovely pasture and nice people! They came and got him while I was lounging around the house sick. Thank you!

If you have any old blankets, I am collecting some for potential horses that we might help this winter. My want list for helping community horses will read:

waterproof blankets in various sizes
corn oil
senior grain coupons
beet pulp
hay
alfalfa pellets
veterinary certificates for dental floats...(I know...this is asking alot...but dental care for the old guys is so necessary for keeping weight on)

We are currently feeding a pony in our neighborhood who is older. His owners do not feed him and he must subsist on pasture alone which you and I know won't support a horse in Western Washington in the winter. We are allowed to feed him once a day....once a day.....gosh, well it is better than nothing...but since when is there a limit on how much you are feeding when someone else is ponying up the hay??? We wish they would simply give the old pony up....still working on it.

The week is half over......and into December we are.

Pony Up fortune for tomorrow:

Blessed are the merciful.

Tuesday Twilight

2010-11-30T20:01:00.001-08:00

This week has been so much better! Heavy sigh of relief. Back to work and sort of back to normal.
The good news is that we have a pony adopted! YAY! To a great home, with another pony, a big pasture and a lot of love coming his way. It never gets better than this.
Congrats Wally!

Last weekend we got a lot done around the barn. We put electricity to the gate and now it is not on a battery any longer. The battery kept dying....now it has power of it's own and we will put a light on the gate as well. We also put up some more exterior lights on the barn and now we have a full compliment of light around the buildings....so much easier to clean in the dark and I feel so much braver walking around the back of the barn.

We lost a chicken during the snow, or so we thought. ...but here she came on Sunday, out of the woods, sort of stumbling around, obviously traumatized......so now she is in the barn with Bonnie, the disabled chicken. I might have to change the name of the farm....The Chicken Ranch! LOL.

The borrowed barn down the road is going well. It is a lovely barn, we wish it was ours or that we could move it to our land. Perfect size and great hay storage. Some day, some day.

We got another five ton of hay delivered and believe me when I say that we have hay everywhere! In the aisleway of the old barn and stacked to the gills in the new barn. It always feels good to have hay in the barn and full grain bins....makes me relax a bit.

Tarbaby is having a lot of discomfort with his feet. I have buted him twice a day for a few days now.......he seems a little more comfortable tonight. It makes me emotional to see him in pain and I begin to have the talk with myself about "quality of life" and what if I am selfish or just what needs to be done. We will consult the vet to keep us on an even keel. He is a nice old horse who deserved a better life than what he got. He makes me smile each morning when I feed him, as he, no matter what, gets excited for his grain/slop and he whinnies and sings to me.....but is always very mannerly in waiting and always waits for you to pour it before he digs in. He gets the slop all over his face and his old man teeth hang out of his mouth and he makes pig noises........and it makes you just love him all over again. I wish I had known him as a younger horse, I bet he was quite the guy.

I am thankful for the volunteers who continue to help us with cleaning, building and maintenance. I couldn't do it alone....this is a rescue for all of us, by all of us.
Thanks to all of you who share your time and resources.

A special note to Susy.....we will miss you for a while....be safe, be strong and come back soon!

Christmas is right around the corner.....wow. I am so not ready...but I guess I never am. I should get busy!

My family adopted a new cat from the shelter......we have finally decided on a name....Samson...I am sure it will get changed to Sam in short order.....! Welcome Samson to our family. He fit right in, likes the dogs and even likes the other cats...now how did that happen...no drama? Here?

Pony Up fortune for tomorrow:

You will remember something long lost and bring it to the present.

Fearless Friday comes around

2010-11-26T17:33:00.000-08:00

Oh my gosh, what a week.........snow, bitter cold, frozen pipes, dead batteries......fallen trees, power outages that lasted for days......I am so ready for some better weather. Tired, chapped hands....the list goes on but I will spare you.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of our Pony Up friends! I hope your day was better spent than mine. I spent hours hauling water, pushing flooding water out of the barn, fixing pipes, arranging heat tape onto pipes, putting extra insulation in cracks and crevices of the well room and checking generator. Thank God for the generator..that is all I can say.....and then finally........Thanksgiving dinner. Just in time..

Happy to say that today, all is well.....paddocks cleaned, water tubs cleaned and filled, stalls scraped.......grain in the bin. Finally a quiet minute to myself and a glass of wine with my name on it. Maybe next time we will be further and better prepared.......just think, it isn't even winter yet! Yikes!

A huge thank you to Ryan for helping me today......what would we do without you? Thank you...we owe you a hot lunch! Also thanks to Caryn for helping me pre=make most of my Thanksgiving dishes....always a pleasure to have you in our home! Thanks to Brenda for taking extra care of the ponies in this ugly weather.

Horses are in need everywhere......cold weather means they should have extra hay and an extra blanket if they are old. If your neighbors are having trouble with feeding, lend a hand. We are feeding a pony who is unblanketed, old and making his living on "pasture" only.... Please help out if you are able and please call the humane society on animals who are in bad conditions......they cannot speak for themselves and depend on us.

December is right around the corner and Christmas with it. Seems too fast, doesn't it?

Pony Up fortune for tomorrow:

Courage is being afraid but going on anyhow, courage is speaking up when the room is silent......have courage today.

TOO cold Tuesday

2010-11-23T18:07:00.000-08:00

We had a violent wind storm, with snow..and now we have no power. It is bone chilling cold...in the teens. There are fallen branches and trees everywhere.....looks like a war zone.

I am fortunate to have generator power for a while. There are 55ooo of us without power..........brr. I hope we will have power by Thanksgiving. There are many folks without any heat. I hope they can get to neighbors or family.

The horses were fed extra yesterday evening and this morning and then again this evening. I brought hot water to the barn and they got hot mashes. Chickens are cold. I made a hay hut for the barn cat and she is cozy inside....shavings, hay, an old wool coat and Bonnie to keep her company. It was hard cleaning frozen poop piles from the paddocks, so I picked them as good as I could and plan on catching up when
the weather breaks.

Tarbaby is double blanketed, but he is not eating as well as I would like. I increased the warm water in his food tonight. He seems perky enough, but I worry anyway. I am a chronic worrier....I wish I wasn't.

My truck is dead.......battery dead and I have no one to help me jump it until tomorrow...so I am driving the car. Amazingly enough, it goes well in the snow. I had it loaded up today with presto logs for a neighbor who has only a fireplace for heat in this cold.

With Thanksgiving in our thoughts, I am thankful for friends, neighbors, volunteers and family. If you have something to give, give it up and give it out! There are plenty of folks in need around you.

Pony Up Fortune for tomorrow:

When you least expect it, it arrives.