When it Rains...

Well, remember how I said awhile ago that when it rains, it pours? Here we go again.

Aside from having non-stop rain for the last few days, April (our foundered Walker mare) had to be put down today. She had too much rotation in her front feet, and despite special shoeing, medications, etc, she was still extremely painful and could hardly walk.

Hershey Kiss went to Pete's for a check-up, and Pete determined that the reason that he wasn't getting any bigger, despite the BEST care, was because he had an absorption problem. He would eat and eat and eat, but wasn't getting any of the nutrients from the food. He was slowly starving to death, and the decision was made to have him put down. That's two. Now get this. Blue, April's Walker 'boyfriend', had a severe breathing problem. We took him to Pete's to have a specialist work on him, and he never woke up from the operating table. That's three. Which further proves that things DO come in threes. On a smaller scale, our big mare, Tilly, is lame because of an abscess in her front hoof. That, in a way, is good news, because she is not permanently lame in that foot.

On a lighter note, Julie found a new home a few days ago... with a wonderful girl who has high hopes of competing at high (REALLY high) levels one day. Julie is going to get her well on her way, and we wish them the best of luck!!! Congrats on your new pony, Judith!
So send a good thought our way, everyone, we surely need it right now.

Why is everything bad happening to us??? How come the horse abusers across the country don't have horrible days like this??? I guess it's because they don't take their horses to the vet, so they don't know that they have a problem. Whenever I think it couldn't get worse, I just remember... at least we're not one of them, right?

Well, I have to go soak a foot (Tilly's abscess), give Stoner his medication, and rotate horses... by that time it will be feeding time, and you won't hear from me again until tomorrow... or the next day. I might have a day off tomorrow. Who knows? I just roll with the punches. You have to if you are involved in horses... and you REALLY REALLY have to roll with the punches if you're involved in horse RESCUE.

Happy Trails, the horses are calling!
~Rachel "Stretch"

We've got an 'eye' for cute babies!

Hershey Kiss (above) is finally available for adoption! This foal may not look like much right now, but he will be Okie Dokie. Hershey was lactose intolerant and had a terrible time with with his digestive system throughout his first two months. Despite our best efforts he just could-not, would-not flourish. Our vet gave him the once over.... then the twice over. He is now eating "big horse" food and vitamins, etc, and has started to turn the corner. What he REALLY needs is green grass and that is something that we just can't provide!! He is a bay Morgan X and is waiting every day to be welcomed into your home! He has had his shots, been wormed, and even had his first hoof trimming done!! If you can offer this sweet baby your love, give us a call!

Who else is available for adoption?? Spencer is, for sure! (pic below)
(Victoria decided to do the following write-up... to tell 'the story' of Spencer's eye)
Spencer Tracy: "Spencer" is growing up to be quite a stunning specimen! Spencer got his name for two reasons... First, because Tracy fell in love with the little tiny pre-me when he initially arrived at the farm. Secondly, he was just a handsome fellow that seemed to possess an old soul... or was he only acting? Spence grew and thrived like a squash plant on a manure pile.

One morning, Tracy came to me with panic in her voice- Spencer had torn his eyelid... REALLY torn his eyelid. it was hanging by about a 1/4 inch piece at the front of his eye. We quickly got our colt to Milliron Clinic where Dr Smith surgically corrected his injury. We brought him home, grateful for the wonderful job that he did. His eyelid was saved, and all of his lashes too! Needless to say, our elevated mood was shortlived. The little dickens managed to itch, rub, and render the surgery "undone" Two days later, there he stood with his delicate little eyelid hanging by a thread... just as it had BEFORE surgery! Back to Milliron Clinic we went. Spencer underwent his second surgery on his eyelid. Once again, the skilled hands of Dr Smith. masterfully restored the colt's eyelid to a more normal arrangement.

The next morning, the clinic called me saying that Spencer could FINALLY come home. Before I even got to the hospital (NO, I don't even have to make this stuff up...) He pulled it apart AGAIN! No Way... it's UNBELIEVABLE! I was pretty sure that you can't perform 3 surgeries on one thin eyelid, so I figured that he would just lose his eye. I also figured that instead of putting that colt under EVER AGAIN- this would seem like the perfect time to geld him, and that would make it more difficult to raise that hind foot to itch the lid... or sutures from the eye removal itself.

Meanwhile back at the ranch... I was bound and determined that I could improvise a device to prevent any further repeat performances by the brilliant Dr Smith. A thick head bumper, a hard salad bowl, a foal halter, some straps from a suitcase, a power drill, waxed thread, and a determined Victoria at the helm... oh yes... necessity is the mother of invention! Best of all, Pete saved his eye... AGAIN, and the contraption worked. The results speak for themselves! ~Victoria
Can you guess which eye had the surgeries???Pretty amazing, huh? It's the bottom picture (his left eye). I think that it looks even better than his REAL eye! Haha. Way to go Pete!

But seriously, if you are interested a tall in adopting either of the babies, PLEASE give us a call... (740)-594-4336

Happy Trails, the horses are calling!
~Rachel (Stretch)

Who loves Morgans?? WE DO!!!

I know I already posted a blog today, but I can post something else, so here I go!

"Sadie". A 4-5 year old Morgan X mare. 15.1hh. She has had her shots, she has been wormed, and has had her feet done. She supposedly drives, but we haven't done it with her. She rides as well, Stacey came down and rode her, and she was really a treat! She is ready for you to take her home and make something out of her. She is sooo sweet and willing- who knows what she could become? Adoption Fee: $500Please call the farm if you want more info, or if you want to come on out and see her! (740)-594-4336. Call us. We don't bite, and hey... you just might end up adopting that 'one special horse' that makes a difference in your life as a horse person!

Happy trails, the horses are really calling now!
~Rachel 'Stretch'

New Thoroughbred Information

Here are some pictures of the new Thoroughbreds we just got in. We gave them all barn names, and they are as follows:



1. Gray Mare: "Workin' Girl", 16hh. This mare is a NICE mare, built like a Quarter Horse. She would be excellent for barrel racing, as she has that little western jog. She can, however, extend out (as you can see in the picture) into a NICE english trot. I will be working with her to get her to relax... maybe someone can use her in the western world??



2. Black Mare: "Desire", 16.2hh. This is a big, bold mare with courageous movement. Perfect angles, up and down. If I were looking for a prospect, I wouldn't need to look any further, and neither should you. She is everything that you "desire"... that is , if you want to win!



3. Black Gelding: "Doppler", 16+hh. Scopey movement! He is a classy, friendly, gentlemanly, eventer-type prospect. He has incredible movement, and is extremely easy on the eyes. He is sound as a dollar. He just came off of the track two days ago, and is enjoying his new found freedom. He can even tell you if it's gonna rain, because he uses Doppler radar. However, he is NOT going to work for the weather channel. He wants to go and work for you!


4. Bay Gelding: Kessler. 16.2hh. He seems even bigger than that, he stands so regally. His previous owner paid $150K as a weanling. He free jumps in the pasture, and shows great promise. He just needs more time and training, as do all of these thoroughbreds.



I posted all of their ages on the last blog. You can call for more information. Please understand that these horses are straight off of the track and they all need further training. I am going to be the only person working with these TBs, and unless Karen or Stacy come out to ride them, they will only be worked with with the spare time that I have. I will try, though, to mess with at least some of them every day, but I can't guarantee how much. As for adoption fees, all of them are available for the fee of $500, and we will raise the price as they improve. They are, however, up for adoption now (as prospects).

I'm going to go play with one of them right now... so I've gotta go! I'll definitely keep everyone posted on their progress... or even better, you could come one out and see for yourself!!

Happy Trails, the horses are calling,
~Rachel (aka Stretch)

Attention English Riders!

Yesterday afternoon, we got in four NICE Thoroughbreds. These horses are straight off of the track, and are race fit and built BEAUTIFULLY! Karen and I are going to ride them later today (as soon as the paddock dries up a little) and we will post pictures as soon as we know a little more about them. Their info (as we know for sure) is as follows:

1. Two Dollar Yo, 2002 Gray Mare, will be a silver gray.
2. Whitey's Dream, 2004 Black Mare with small star.
3. FJR One Two Three, 2003 Bay Gelding with star, strip, and two hind socks.
4. Golden Starlight, 2000 Black Gelding with star and two front 'lil socks!
They are exceptional, and we will let you know as soon as they are ready to be adopted out!

Note: Our quarantine for Strangles has been lifted... so we an continue to adopt out horses and bring more in. Please call if you are interested in any of our horses that are for adoption. If you don't see what you need, please either call the farm or email me, our website is down yet again, so nothing can be updated on it.

Happy Trails, the horses are calling!
~Rachel "Stretch"

Hey! We have HAY!!!

Hey everyone (or should I say HAY??)!!

For the past week or so, we have been picking up and stacking hay. LOTS OF HAY. Victoria got a lead on some excellent 2nd cut for $3 a bale, and since things are so rough here at the farm, we jumped at the opportunity! So as I am sitting here, trying to get my core body temperature back down to the high nineties, there is still another 105 bales that need to be unloaded, the horses need to be fed, and we are currently finishing up on our Penicillin routine on the horses. Sorry I don't have time, but we are shorthanded on the farm (come on out and volunteer if you want to have more blogs). I'm out like disco!

Happy Trails!
~Rachel (Stretch)

Babies in July!

Our babies are now available for adoption. Since we were attacked by strangles, we couldn't take any horses to the Delaware Classic. We were saving the babies (Spencer and Hershey Kiss) for the Classic, and since we didn't take them, they are obviously still here. Now, they are up for adoption. Spencer is our Haflinger cross and Hershey Kiss is our Morgan cross. Call the farm for more info!

The 'S' Word

You wanna bet that I can make all horse owners cringe with one word? Here goes... STRANGLES. See? All of you are quaking in your boots, aren't you?? Now imagine having strangles on your farm... and imagine that nearly all of your horses are infected with this "horsie strep". A nightmare? Yep!

I am sorry to report that our farm has come down with strangles. Since it was over two weeks since we went to the Sugarcreek sale, we were sure that we had escaped 'the sickness'. But, one of the horses that we rescued was carrying it. Needless to say, the farm is on lock down. No horses are coming in, and no horses are going out. That should change within a week or so, we are already approaching the end of the plague. After that, we are going to be heading back to 'things as usual'.

On a lighter note, John Chun bought us a NEW NEW NEW computer with all of the bells and whistles. This will make it soooo much easier to put horses online, and keep the blog updated. Lets all give a BIG round of applause and a thank you to John Chun! We really couldn't do much without him!

Even with people like John Chun, we are still struggling. Normally, our summer donations are as follows (approx):
$1,500 from TB charities
$5,000 from Blue Horse Charities
$20,000 Delaware Classic
$15,000 Private donations, etc
All of the funds above go toward hay for winter, summer farm upkeep and repairs, payroll, etc...
This year, we are working with $10,000... instead of over $40,000.
Which means, that as autumn comes around, we might have to close our doors temporarily until our financial situation improves. We'll see, hopefully a miracle gets dropped on us sometime soon!
Happy Trails!
Rachel

Calling all Shopaholics!!!

Ever have to go to your local tack shop and buy something for your horse?? Ever stand in line thinking, "I wish the proceeds from my purchase would go to a good cause...". Ever think a horse product you are buying is grossly overpriced?? Then you should come on out to the Last Chance Corral Outfitter's Outpost! We finally have our tack shop open, full of used (and some new) horse products! You can get everything from a new saddle to brushes to blankets here at the Outpost, and you definitely can't find better prices anywhere! Better yet, all of the items were donated to us, and 100% of the sale price goes to rescuing more horses!!! It's a win-win-win situation! So come on out and see if anything catches your eye!

Happy Trails! The horses are calling!
~Rachel (Stretch)

'Ello, Govnah!!

Today we had a taste of England down on the farm. A wonderful English lady named Val came from Newark today and adopted Burke! He is such a sweetheart, and she absolutely fell in love with him! He will be heading home early tomorrow morning to green pastures... and a flock of sheep! Val informed us that she will be renaming him 'Silk', because in England, Burke is a negative name... a burke is a geek!! Our Burke (Silk) is definitely NOT a geek. You learn something new every day, huh? Best of luck Val and Burke (Silk)!!!

Everyone seems to be calling asking when we are going back to Sugarcreek, and what they can do to help. I understand that it is exciting... rescuing horses from the sale, but what happens to the horses AFTER the sale is just as important! Until the horses that we have already saved (and committed our services to) are adopted out into loving homes (or foster homes) we can't save any more. So if you are one of the lucky (and few) individuals that hasn't filled ALL of their stalls quite yet, PLEASE consider fostering! There are hundreds of horses passing through every Friday that would LOVE a second chance! If you (like most horse people) can't squeeze another horse, pony, or mini on your property, spread the word and harass your horsie friends!

One idea that Victoria has had for the longest time is to motivate riding stables (where you ride, board your horse, etc...) to keep one stall available for LCC 'foster children'. Then, they could take in one foster horse at a time, place it, and foster another. That would open up so many potential homes for that foster horse, and it would also spread the word about the Corral, and in turn, allow us to save more lives. It could turn into an 'adoption outreach' of sorts, and who knows how many horses could be saved?? Consider pitching that idea to that big 'equine facility' near you!

To answer everyone's questions, here is a recap:
1. Yes, we are planning to go back to Sugarcreek!
2. No, not until the Sugarcreek horses we already have have been adopted out.
3. Yes, as soon as we have set a date, I will make sure EVERYONE knows via this blog.
4. Yes, you CAN help... either by adding to our Sugarcreek fund when it gets closer to sale time, or by getting someone you know to foster/adopt a horse that was saved on the last trip.

Last year, we only went to Sugarcreek once... lets try to go at least two more times this year!! As a challenge, let's see what we can do!!

There's some crazy person outside honking their horn, so I have to go 'investigate'! Haha.

Happy Trails, the horses are calling!
~Rachel ('Stretch')

Does anyone like surprises???

So get this...

We dropped Echo off at the vet to be put down, right? Today, though, Victoria found out that Pete (our awesomely awesome vet) decided that he was just too sweet for any of that. Pete found him a retirement home with Todd Swearington of Amesville, where he will be a companion-only horse for the rest of his life. Todd's horse (another LCC alum) needed a friend, and Echo was just what was needed. Don't you just love surprise endings to life stories???

Spencer and Hershey Kiss graduated (yet again) to the bottom barn where they will be led and messed with daily. We need to start playing with them so they will be perfect gentlemen by the Delaware Classic!

We are now down to 8 horses, so we may be seeing another Sugarcreek trip on the horizon! We still have 3 left to place from the last sale (Rolling Stone, Raffles, and Julia) and as soon as those are adopted out, we will probably be heading north for more! Spread the word if anyone you know needs a good trail horse (Stoney), an exquisite pony (Julie), or the perfect project pony (Raffles). The sooner these are placed (or possibly fostered) the sooner we can bail out more from Sugarcreek!

The horses are calling, Happy Trails!

~Rachel (Stretch)

When it Rains...

We have all heard the saying, 'when it rains, it pours'. Around the Last Chance Corral, we are finding that the saying 'things come in threes' is also true. Since having to put my horse down (Echo), we have discovered that the Gypsy/Fresian gelding that we just aquired has some serious neurologic issues. He went into Pete's with the intention of being put down. Pete agreed that he was definitely neurologic, but gave us some new meds to try on him. If they don't work, Quinn will be making a final trip to the vet as well. Keep him in your thoughts and prayers, we love this little guy and he deserves the best.

Well, Echo and Quinn make two, and since things come in threes, there had to be one more. This one hit us the hardest by far. Gerda, the resident black German Shepherd, crossed rainbow bridge today at the age of 14. She served Last Chance every day, and was always ready for a hard day's work. Gerda dedicated her life to taking care of the farm, and it will never be the same without her. Her spirit lives on, and she will be greatly missed.

Hopefully that's all the bad news that I will have to report for a loooong time- like I said, though, when it rains, it pours. It has obviously been pouring here recently, so the best that we can do is look up to the sky and look forward to the sunny days ahead. Send a good thought our way, we surely need it.

Happy Trails, the horses are calling,
~Rachel (Stretch)