I am a slacker!

OK seriously, that was WAY TOO LONG to go without a post. I apologize!

Let's see, what all has transpired the last few days. Smokey, Charmer, and Schatzee ALL got adopted. (YEAH!!!) Smokey was only here for three days, and someone from the EAP clinic fell in love with him! Charmer has been tried by several interested buyers, but he was just adopted today, and will be going to his new home tomorrow. Schatzee was adopted and is destined to try life as a barrel racer. Hopefully all three work out brilliantly in their new homes!

We had a sad day this Thursday. It was decided that it was time for Tango to be laid to rest. Something was very wrong internally, and at 38 years old, we decided it was not fair to her to try to mess with it anymore. It was her time. Since our post two weeks ago, she had lost a drastic amount of weight, despite having a fairly healthy appetite. It was sad to see her go! Victoria said she knew when that mean old mare would let you walk right up to her and pet her, it was time - that was so un-Tango!

Triumph went to Pete's to have the boob implanted in his eye, but unfortunately, it didn't work out the way we planned. Despite the boob being only an "A" cup, it is too big and unwieldy to fit behind his occipital orbit. It appears that whatever trauma caused his eye to swell also caused some damage to the socket itself, and as a result, it is oddly shaped. Pete tried to take some of the silicone gel out of the boob itself to make it smaller, but the consistency of it doesn't allow for that. A big thank you to Liz White, who coerced an unsuspecting cosmetic surgeon to donate the boob! Also a big thank you to John Chun, who is an endless fundraiser and cheerleader for Last Chance. He spreads the word for us online, and as a result, the donations have poured in for this little guy. Now for the good news from Pete: Triumph has gained 147 pounds in three weeks. That is a new record for Victoria! He is happy, healthy, and absolutely blossoming with all this good food and love! He is still learning his basic manners, but he has improved by leaps and bounds, and he is truly a smart boy who is wanting to please. Chuck arrived to trim his feet this week, and he wasn't fazed a bit. Can you see the weight gain? (I apologize for the poor photo quality, they are cell photos. I finally got my beater camera back this week, so you will soon be inundated with better pics!)

Triumph received his first bath EVER yesterday! He was a little anxious on his blind side, but he was a gem on his good side. Victoria removed his stitches, which was an interesting experience in and of itself. (Note to self: remove stitches from impatient unhandled horse's eye BEFORE spending thirty minutes making him stand still to be bathed.) He was jumping around so much, she was afraid her surgical scissors would stab him in the face, so she switched to the big blunt-tipped scissors. (A HUGE thank you to Laura Woolf for the following pics!)

King has also received a much-needed hoof trim and bath. His bad hoof looks much better now that it's all cleaned up, thanks to Chuck. He is much more comfortable on it. He has not been back to the vet to be weighed again, but he has definitely gained a significant amount of weight. He is starting to look like the impressive boy he must have been before this ordeal! This 18 hand Percheron weighed less than 1000 pounds when we got him. I can't imagine what he weighed when he was originally rescued! King was very mannerly during his bath - we all suppose he has been bathed before. I am REALLY HOPING to start him under saddle this week - I just need a strong ground person to hold the lead rope! Poor Tracy, all 95 pounds of her, just gets carried off by him... ha, ha.
I have ridden Teddy several times since his return, and I remember why I liked him so much every time I ride him! He is so athletic and knowledgeable. I have shown him to several people and he has done so well, but he just isn't what anyone is looking for right now, I guess. This is an impeccably sound, well-mannered, awesome horse. His adoption fee is a steal! If anyone has any questions about him, I would be happy to answer them. Teddy has the sweetest, most soulful eyes... I can just hear him begging for attention whenever I'm in the barn.

Leah has been out a few more nights to ride Mack, and she really does get better every time she climbs on his back. The last time we went out, I took Charmer bareback and she took Mack. He is finally starting to make her work a little! She is not intimidated, though. Another week or two and I think she'll be brave enough to start cantering.....

I have shown Burly to one or two interested folks as well, but no takers yet. Brutus is sound enough that he gets to go out for ten or so minutes a day for now. He will still have another year or so of stall rest ahead of him, but then he will be completely sound - worth the wait for a ten year old imported German Warmblood! And what an incredible mover. Asti is without a buddy since Schatzee was adopted, so I put her out with him. It's the first time he's gotten turned out with another horse in who knows how long - at LEAST 5 months! They were so cute together.

I think that covers almost everyone. OH, someone is coming to see Yuri next weekend!! Do keep your fingers crossed for him. I feel bad for him all the time, he never gets enough love or attention. It is hard to remember to mess with a young guy like him when there are horses that need ridden!

Two more horses are coming in tonight. A big thank you to Michael Hiehle for driving all the way to TOLEDO to pick them up for us. How generous! A thoroughbred mare and a fancy large pony mare. Keep an eye on the site for updates.

There is a very cool charity The International Blessed Broodmare Project that has sent us a very generous donation last week. They sell unpainted model foal resins and donate part of the sale back to Last Chance and Pure Thoughts to fund nurse mare foal rescue. Check out the foal resin here. If you are a model horse collector, what a neat gift to buy for someone else or yourself - and help us out at the same time!

We have made a very nifty improvement to the foal barn. Those of you who have visited before know that our foal barn is built onto the house. Just inside the door is the milk room. Smart foals know the milk comes from that door, so they suck, lick, spit, and chew ALL OVER that door and the window right next to it. Since they're over there all the time mouthing the door, they also all poo there, so invariably, there is a lot of foal poo in the house. Enter Victoria's newest, most brilliant creation. We built a partial wall with a gate. Now no foals eat the door. You can bring out a load of milk buckets and shut the door behind you without foals in the house or dogs in the barn. We are installing boot scrapers by the door to limit the amount of poo making it through the door. Best of all, we can park a little muck bucket back there, and keep on top of the foal-poo-picking shenanigans. (Foals always want to eat all the poo in the barn, so to prevent the spread of infection, we TRY to always stay on top of picking the barn.) What an awesome idea. ; )
Looking into the barn from the house: (The milk room is to the right, the pop fridge is to the left)


Looking into the house from the barn:

OK, I know it isn't "Last Chance News" but I have to share. I took my filly, Asti - she is an almost-three-year-old nurse mare foal - out on her SECOND ride ever today. We went bareback in a halter. She went across the road, in the creek, up and down banks, through the woods... she is absolutely AMAZING. I don't know how I ended up with such a good one! ; ) Here is a pic just for bragging rights... OK, then I will stop posting about my own darn horse! I suppose we can totally get away with calling it LCC News because she IS a nurse mare foal. Testament to how healthy, quiet, sound, amiable, and drop-dead gorgeous these foals can end up! ; )
OK! Whoohoo! We're up to date! And I'm seriously going to stay on top of things this time! ; ) Don't hesitate to email me and tell me what the heck you want to hear about..... And have a happy Sunday!