Sunshine Saturday

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pony Up fortune for tomorrow:

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

Days go by

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pony Up fortune for tomorrow:

Express your complete lack of confidence in the situation.

Wine on Wednesday

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Enjoy your week.....

Pony Up fortune for tomorrow:

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

Silence on Sunday

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pony Up fortune for tomorrow:

You will finally know.