Air Force Assistance!

Today was a special day. We were blessed to have a group of volunteers from Eglin Air Force base who came out with their own tools ready to assist in clearing the fence lines, which was much needed before the temps get into the 90's. They worked hard and actually enjoyed it! They loaded down the trailer with limbs and will be back next week to begin again where they left off. Having volunteers to give of their time and labor is the lifeline of horse rescues. We simply could not do it without all of the hardworking dedicated people who support us. PER would like to thank the squadron and all the others who have given of themselves in the past and those who help in the future!

Dee Dee

Dee Dee was rescued in January 2009, when her owner surrendered her and another horse to PER. She was emaciated and had "gotten down", so her owner had been hanging her in a makeshift sling using a saddle girth to help her stand. When we first saw her, she just hung her head and walked away, seemingly giving up. (see first photo)

In her early rehabilitation, she developed a serious sinus infection and it was necessary for the vet to insert a catheter, so her sinuses could be flushed daily. Miraculously, she made a full recovery!

In December 2009, she was adopted by Alice of Havana, FL. Dee Dee is now a beautiful show horse winning blue ribbons! She pulls a cart and is now in training to be in lead line with the important responsibility of carrying a three year old girl into the show ring. Alice and all the locals love her very much. (We do too)

Jack

Jack is a cute little donkey that everyone loves. He has a bray that sounds like a trumpet. He was rescued in July 2009, along with a horse, two pigs, four goats and one dog. All of the animals had no water and poor Jack was tied to a tree tangled up in the dog's chain. He was thin and very thirsty. He was eager to be rescued, as were the others.

Jack needed to be gelded right away, so we could make him adoptable. At first, he didn't want anything to do with us, but that quickly changed when he realized that he was going to get food, water and plenty of petting! He loves to back his rear up to you for a good rump scratch. He is full of personality!

About a month ago, Jack developed a hoof problem called White Line Disease; which is a seperation of the hoof wall. The vet had to remove a large part of his hoof, thus opening it up for infection and major discomfort. But thanks to a brilliant farrier, who donated his services, Jack received a special metal "plate" to cover the open wall, so that his hoof could grow back and eventually the plate would be removed. Jack is not lame and or in any pain. We are so grateful to this special man and also to the vet who worked to make this happen. And I know Jack is very happy too! He is home now and back to his trumpeting! We really missed him!

Maggie

Maggie was rescued with Ginger in March 2008 from the junkyard. Her and Ginger were a pair for sometime and were once dubbed Morning and Night and then Laverne and Shirley. Upon their separation, when Ginger was adopted the second time, that was when their names changed. Maggie May has got to be the coolest donkey of all time. She loves her privacy when the days get hot and buggy; she spends the afternoons enjoying the privacy of her little house that was built by one of our volunteers using privacy fence for siding and billboard material for a roof. It is unique and Maggie is proud to call it her own. She is also very uncomfortable if she is dirty and loves being groomed. She sleeps in her house at night and demands that it be cleaned daily with her shavings fluffed up to make a fresh bed. She loves to be talked to and will listen intently with her ears perked forward. I am still amazed to this day that she has not been adopted. She would not require a lush pasture, because she has weight issues (not caused by us). She would make a loving pet and companion for anyone who wants a backyard buddy.

Ginger

Ginger is a small, but very cute mule. She was rescued in March 2008 along with four others who were living in a junkyard. After torrential rainstorms, they were forced to stand in water 24/7 and the owner refused to move them to a dry location. They were all literally standing in a pond with no where dry to lay down. In addition, they were always getting out (I don't blame them). We were finally forced to seize them and when taken before a judge, we were awarded custody of all five of them. Ginger has been adopted twice and returned to us. The first time she was returned, it was because her owner, who also had Maggie (more on her tomorrow), was moving and had no where to keep them at her new home. The second return was because Ginger who is very herd bound said that the barn manager could not lead her to the barn without her bolting back to her buddies! Oh well, the old saying is true, mules are stubborn. But this mule is so sweet! As long as she is close to her pasture buddies, she is very content. Lately, we have been working with her to stop her bolting; hopefully we'll have good news to report on that at a later date.

Racer

Racer is Raven's colt. When he was rescued with his mother, he had never even been touched by humans. He was like a wild skittish deer. Today, he is a calm, sweet and very loving horse. Of course, he has his "Arab" moments, he can't help that, but when I watch him being worked with by our volunteer trainer, doing natural horsemanship, I am so amazed at how smart and what a quick learner he is. Our trainer really enjoys working with him; Racer has a lot of personality and is quite comical. He is going to turn three at the end of the summer, so we'll spend the next fews months getting him desensitized and learning ground manners. He is already proving to be an excellant horse and someday someone will be lucky to call him their own.

Raven

Raven is a very special Arabian mare that in the beginning, required a lot of TLC. She was rescued in April 2008 along with her colt, Racer, who at the time was only 4 months old. Both Raven and Racer frequently roamed Hwy. 168 and Raven was not being fed adequately. After working with the owners for several months, the owner finally realized that it would be in the best interest of both horses to surrender them to PER.

Raven was fostered by two different homes and returned because she just "wasn't right"; she was exhibiting signs of mild colic on a regular basis. We decided to have some tests run on her, which were conclusive; she had grade two ulcers. She was put on a paste for 30 days that rid her of them, but the vet advised that she live a stress free life grazing in a pasture somewhere. She still is a little off at times, but she always gets over any mild discomforts on her own.

Because of a possible reoccurence of severe ulcers, we have never evaluated her under saddle or ever asked her to do much of anything except stand quietly for the farrier or to be groomed. Raven has some minor trust issues, but has a very nice personality. She loves my horse, Daisy and is quite content to be close to her roaming around in the pasture making a great pasture ornament. We hope to find her a home one day where someone wouldn't mind adding her to the family. She is quite a looker; I don't know why someone hasn't already adopted her!

Little Richard

Let me start out by introducing the rescue horses that we have at our quarantine/isolation facility. That happens to be my house; all three acres of it! Yes, we are full and seeking foster and adoption homes for these special equines.

I have the honor of fostering Little Richard, Jack, Ginger, Maggie, Raven and Racer. I used to have four horses of my own, but to make room for horses in need, I am now down to one palomino mare, Daisy. I have owned her since she was two and now she is thirteen. I guess you could say she is a "keeper".

I will start with Little Richard. He was rescued in December 2009. He was a good stallion at the time, but now he is a GREAT gelding! He is a beautiful Thoroughbred standing almost 16 hands.

He would have died this past winter. He already had that "empty stare" that we have seen before when a horse has already given up. But thanks to the PER rescue team, volunteers and our awesome veterinarian, Little Richard has blossomed and he is doing very well. Anyone who fosters or adopts this horse will be very blessed!

Tomorrow, I'll introduce you to another very special equine! See ya! Diane

Starting a new era

This year is a new beginning for many things in PER. We have a new board of directors which comprise of nine wonderful, talented and fundraising oriented people. We are looking at creating new and different ways to stay afloat in this economy.

This blog was created mostly to keep you apprised of what is going on behind closed doors, especially with the horses! I hope that this blog proves to be interesting, as many things happen beyond the realms that you just don't realize.

Rescue horses are unique and special and the steps taken to make them trust and bond again can be quite interesting to say the least.

I don't claim to be a "writer", but I will do my best to keep you updated.

I hope you enjoy, Diane Lowery