Critical Need; Foster Homes!

With all that comes with horse rescue, one of the most frustrating issues actually are when we get horses back from foster or adoption homes. The reasons vary; circumstances may change in someones life, financial or health issues may arise, they are relocating to a home that won't allow horses, etc.

But then there are times, when the adopter or foster home realize that the horse is not perfect. As John Lyons will tell you, it's usually not the horse, but the people. I do understand that a lot of rescue horses, through no fault of their own, come with baggage; whether it be trust issues, health issues or just plain being irritated with people. We don't blame them; I'm sure there are reasons for this.

We strive to be very honest when we are placing our horses in foster or adoption homes; we do our very best to make sure that a horse is suited to the correct environment and handler. That may be why we still have so many seeking homes; it can be very difficult to place a horse who is aggressive towards people or other horses, they may crib, they have health issues, etc. We can only hope and pray that the right person will come along for a particular horse.

We are now facing the problem of having excess horses with no where to put them. I will post each horse for the next few days in hopes that someone out there can help us out.

Molino Memorial Festival

Thanks to all the volunteers who helped man the booth at the festival today. Even though we had to shut down early due to rain, we met a lot of really nice people and collected donations. We really appreciate the support we receive from the north end of the county. Thank you Matt and Vickie Bell, Sarah-Jane and Jessica Conti, Dawnmarie Ingwell, Velda Overbey, Jim and Joyce Gill for being there today! We look forward to working the upcoming Blueberry Jamboree in June.

Volunteers come from Brown Barge Middle School

Panhandle Equine Rescue would like to thank volunteers, Sara Goff, Ashley Schroeder, MaryClaire Dance and Deanna Genung for coming out today and doing barn chores. Thanks also to Sara's mother, Martha for transporting them. They all did a very good job! It is good for kids to learn the responsibility that comes with animals.

Education is important!

PER is grateful to Ms. Hunter's class at Brown Barge Middle School for inviting us to speak about horse rescue. The kids were very receptive and asked great questions. We feel that education is vital for the welfare of all animals in our area. Kids need to learn early on that owning animals is a huge responsibility and daily care is required. It is a commitment that needs to be taken seriously. I think the kids got that today. Thanks again to all the class for being so willing to listen! We hope to return again next year.

Eli begins his new adventure today

Due to illness, Eli's foster family had to return him back to PER today. We really appreciate all the care they gave him over the past several months. They were very sad to see him go. But thanks to another family, Eli was transported straight from there to his new foster home. We want to thank Rick and Elaine Olson and her brother, David of Bellamore Farms for opening up their hearts and home to take in Eli and provide him with plenty of hands on and lots of love, that he so richly deserves. Eli is a very special horse, he has always been very friendly and people oriented. He was born from one of our rescues, Glitter and had we not rescued his mother, his life would have been very different. He would have been locked in a stall 24/7, wearing wedge shoes and remaining a stallion for his lifetime to be used for breeding purposes. But we were fortunate to get Glitter out of that situation and Eli was born into a loving environment, where he grew up in a pasture setting with lots of companions. Visit http://www.bellamorewalkers.com/ to see Eli's new home!

Visit from the Vet

Today Dr. Hank Lee came out and did annual vaccinations. He was assisted by Beth who is interning and of course, Leigh Ann, his trusty "horse whisperer"! All of the horses and Maggie, the donkey did very well. Jack, Ginger and Little Richard did not need anything today, but Dr. Lee took the time to peek in on them anyway. He is good about that. He said that Richard looks great. He has gained a considerable amount of weight! He looked at Jack's hoof that has the plate on it and agreed with us that Jim LaClair was brilliant to come up with that idea! (To read that story, click on our blog titled "Jack") We are taking him to the clinic on Friday for Jim to do a recheck. A reporter from a magazine wants to do a story on his new shiny hoof!

Rainy Days and Mondays, Ugh!

Such is the life of rescue. When there is work to be done, it's rain, sleet, hail or snow, it's off to do the chores we go! The horses depend on us; I'm sure all of you who have your own realize all too well. When volunteers show up to help, I really don't want to send them away, so unless the weather is just too dangerous, we usually go at it to get the daily chores of mucking and watering done. This morning was especially wet, but with the help of one of our devoted volunteers, we managed to get everything done. Thank you Mimi, you are awesome!

PER Cookout

Today PER had their annual cookout. We all had a great time! It is good for us to get to know each other more on a personal level, outside of working! The food was delicious! Thank you Matt and Vickie Bell and Michelle McKee for hosting the event!