Friday, August 26, 2011
Photobook Fundraiser Project 2012
We are in need of high quality photos (jpeg formats) to be considered for our 25th anniversary photobook, slated for early Spring 2012. We've had lots of OU photography students, journalists, media and former staff/volunteers come through our doors over the years, and I'm sure you've got a gem to contribute! Credit will be given if your photo is selected. General topics we are considering: Laughter is Good Medicine! The Darker Side of Rescue A Work in Progress The Last Chance Corral Family Foal Season A Lid for Every Pot ....and then yet to be determined. If you've got something dramatic, artistic, humorous...send it along with your contact information. This is a project headed up by Karen (Caribou), so you can also cc: emails to ktinsley@columbus.rr.com with attachments (cuz the lcc computer is rather slooowwwww.) The end result will ultimately be for sale on line, with some copies available at Equine Affaire 2012.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
HAPPY 2011!
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Delaware All Horse Parade!
Hey Everyone!
We are heading up to the Delaware All Horse Parade tomorrow! If you are into horses, be sure to check it out... it is definitely something worth reserving a few hours to go and see! We will be riding in it for the first time ever, and will be taking horses that are available for adoption as well as horses that have already been adopted! If you are interested in riding your LCC Alumni in it with us, PLEASE give us a call TODAY so we can work something out! If not, show up with your friends and family and cheer our horses on!
Happy Trails!
Rachel
Last Chance Corral
We are heading up to the Delaware All Horse Parade tomorrow! If you are into horses, be sure to check it out... it is definitely something worth reserving a few hours to go and see! We will be riding in it for the first time ever, and will be taking horses that are available for adoption as well as horses that have already been adopted! If you are interested in riding your LCC Alumni in it with us, PLEASE give us a call TODAY so we can work something out! If not, show up with your friends and family and cheer our horses on!
Happy Trails!
Rachel
Last Chance Corral
Friday, August 20, 2010
Ponies, Ponies, Ponies!!!
Hey Everyone!!!
Whenever we have space and are financially able, we like to go to sales and pick up some horses and ponies with potential. We usually go to Sugarcreek, but our involvement with recent horse repos there caused us to be "unwelcome"... for the time being at least. We decided that it was best to let those emotions subside for a little while and go to another sale. On August 14th, we went to the Mount Hope horse sale. As luck would have it, we were able to save 6 ponies! We hauled home that night in the rain and put them up for the night, anxious to see what "treasures" we found the next day (after the bute wears off, haha). Luckily, all of the ponies that we have are sound of body and mind and are looking for new homes! Check out the ponies on our website to see what could be trotting around in your pasture! They vary from 5 years old and green broke to 10 years old and child safe. Check them out... if you know of someone who is looking for a medium-large pony... we have it!
Here is a breakdown of who we have right now...
Shiraz: 8 year old 13hh black and white paint mare
Pleasure: 10 year old 13.2hh Haflinger mare
Yoder: 5 year old 14.2hh Haflinger gelding
Dazzle (Rose): 9 year old 14hh red roan paint mare
Daisy: 9 year old 13 hh Haflinger mare
Molly: 7 year old 13.1hh bay Haflinger X mare
We also just got two new TBs in... Precision and Possum... so check them out online... if you are looking for that special event horse... these guys are super special and are looking for a career that will get them in the limelight!
For those of you who are into the "smooth rides", you should definitely check out Carlita!! She is a 5 year old Paso Fino... typical Paso, just a sweetheart! She is bay and beautiful, and is looking for her next home to come and swoop her up for a lifetime of trails and fun!
Glory has been here awhile, and not because there is anything bad about her, but just because we are looking for the perfect home for her. She is a 21 year old Westphalian mare that has been there and done that. For anyone looking for a great hunter pace horse, this girl looooves the trails! She will not be adopted out to a home that will use her for lessons, though, she has been retired from that life forever. Like most gray horses her age, she does have cancer, but she has had the same unchanging lump since she was still in the show ring, and it does not affect her soundness at all! Give this girl a chance and see if you think you might be the perfect someone for this extra noble mare!
On another note, we will be heading to Delaware County's All Horse Parade in September! Everyone up that way should come on out and see the awesome display of horses that are in the parade... it's quite a sight! We will be in the parade with some LCC horses that are up for adoption!
Here is a picture of Pontiac a few days before he was adopted... in the kitchen!! This baby is a super special member of our family, and we are excited to see how he grows up! Congratulations to his new family... you really have a good one! Pontiac's video will stay up on YouTube to show people just how awesome a nurse mare foal can be!! Search "LCC Pontiac" to see it!
Happy Trails,
Rachel
Whenever we have space and are financially able, we like to go to sales and pick up some horses and ponies with potential. We usually go to Sugarcreek, but our involvement with recent horse repos there caused us to be "unwelcome"... for the time being at least. We decided that it was best to let those emotions subside for a little while and go to another sale. On August 14th, we went to the Mount Hope horse sale. As luck would have it, we were able to save 6 ponies! We hauled home that night in the rain and put them up for the night, anxious to see what "treasures" we found the next day (after the bute wears off, haha). Luckily, all of the ponies that we have are sound of body and mind and are looking for new homes! Check out the ponies on our website to see what could be trotting around in your pasture! They vary from 5 years old and green broke to 10 years old and child safe. Check them out... if you know of someone who is looking for a medium-large pony... we have it!
Here is a breakdown of who we have right now...
Shiraz: 8 year old 13hh black and white paint mare
Pleasure: 10 year old 13.2hh Haflinger mare
Yoder: 5 year old 14.2hh Haflinger gelding
Dazzle (Rose): 9 year old 14hh red roan paint mare
Daisy: 9 year old 13 hh Haflinger mare
Molly: 7 year old 13.1hh bay Haflinger X mare
We also just got two new TBs in... Precision and Possum... so check them out online... if you are looking for that special event horse... these guys are super special and are looking for a career that will get them in the limelight!
For those of you who are into the "smooth rides", you should definitely check out Carlita!! She is a 5 year old Paso Fino... typical Paso, just a sweetheart! She is bay and beautiful, and is looking for her next home to come and swoop her up for a lifetime of trails and fun!
Glory has been here awhile, and not because there is anything bad about her, but just because we are looking for the perfect home for her. She is a 21 year old Westphalian mare that has been there and done that. For anyone looking for a great hunter pace horse, this girl looooves the trails! She will not be adopted out to a home that will use her for lessons, though, she has been retired from that life forever. Like most gray horses her age, she does have cancer, but she has had the same unchanging lump since she was still in the show ring, and it does not affect her soundness at all! Give this girl a chance and see if you think you might be the perfect someone for this extra noble mare!
On another note, we will be heading to Delaware County's All Horse Parade in September! Everyone up that way should come on out and see the awesome display of horses that are in the parade... it's quite a sight! We will be in the parade with some LCC horses that are up for adoption!
Here is a picture of Pontiac a few days before he was adopted... in the kitchen!! This baby is a super special member of our family, and we are excited to see how he grows up! Congratulations to his new family... you really have a good one! Pontiac's video will stay up on YouTube to show people just how awesome a nurse mare foal can be!! Search "LCC Pontiac" to see it!Happy Trails,
Rachel
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Delaware Classic Results!
Hey There Everyone!
The Delaware Classic this year was one of the smallest ever. There were only about 1/5th of the horses that are usually there, the extreme heat and big bugs discouraging anyone who actually showed up from having TOO much fun in the heat. Surprisingly enough, we were still able to make $18,000 at this fundraiser... thanks to all of you who "rallied" for the horses yet again! Wander was adopted, and Pontiac is still looking for his forever home. It was quite a shocker that no on e wanted him, but then again, he IS a paint, and hunters aren't usually too fond of the "colorful" guys. Not to worry, he will find his forever home, no problem! With a personality like his, what's not to love?
On another note, our next newsletter will hopefully be out by this Thanksgiving. This means that we should start... umm... LAST month. With all that there is to do around here, "that dang newsletter" always seems to get shoved back and postponed, until we are all here at the farm proofreading in between cleaning stalls and typing and editing until 2 in the morning. Procrastinators we are. Soooo, in an effort to have our stuff somewhat "together" by the time that our actual deadline rolls around, we are starting NOW. Well, we are trying to. This is where we need YOU. If you have adopted a horse or foal from us, PLEASE send us a picture of them doing something fun with you. If you want to write a short paragraph about your horse and what they mean to you, etc, that would be great too... and we will publish it in the newsletter!
Before and after pictures of our nurse mare foals are ALWAYS welcome... it's amazing how nice those cutie pies turn out! You would be surprised how many people come to the farm and say they don't want to adopt because they want to breed their {insert common breed here} mare this year for that "dream baby" they've always wanted. They don't want a "throw away" foal that doesn't have papers. We tell them "well, we can MAKE papers... if that's what you are really shopping for, haha". People don't understand that PAPERS do NOT make the horse. We have seen horses with papers that we wouldn't want to breed for ANYTHING, and have seen other grade horses that are just DROP DEAD gorgeous. We do try to convert these people, though, and with your help sometimes we do- and sometimes even find a home for a baby. I have brought out pictures countless times of YOUR babies all grown up to show these people that YES, these nurse mare foals ARE nice! If you have sent us an "after" picture, I have probably used your baby as an example!
So look at it this way, you are not only getting to show your baby off, but you are educating the public about nurse mare foals and how wonderful they CAN be, and in come cases, you might even be preventing another foal from being born.
Oh, and as a "horsie" public service announcement, it's HOT HOT HOT now and the BIG horse flies are out. If YOU wouldn't want to stand in the sun all day with big bugs attacking you, please don't make your horse do it. Make sure that your horse has shade during ALL hours of the day, and if your pasture is in the sun for a few hours, bring 'em in! I know that most horse sprays DON'T take care of the big bugs, but we found that Pyranha fly spray works for most of them. As you are filling your horse's water trough (with cool, clean water... even if it's clear, stick your hand in it to make sure that it is not too warm... that's just gross), spray your horses. Our horses mob us while we are filling the tubs here because they know they get a "cool down". Remember, they may be horses, but they like a cold shower as much as YOU do! I throw some ice cubes in their grain too... It gives them a cool quick treat to munch on as they are having breakfast or dinner.
OK, that's my preaching for the day, if you haven't been checking out our YouTube videos, it's something cute and lighthearted to do, and is well worth your time (yes, even if you have dial-up). So sit down and check them out!
PS. Someone is posting advertisements with tons of links that send you to Asian sites... DO NOT click on these links, because I do not know if there are viruses attached... so watch out. I have asked whoever it is to stop, and right now, I have just been deleting the comments. So please ignore them... Thanks, and sorry for the "blog clutter"!!!
Happy Trails!
Rachel
Last Chance Corral
The Delaware Classic this year was one of the smallest ever. There were only about 1/5th of the horses that are usually there, the extreme heat and big bugs discouraging anyone who actually showed up from having TOO much fun in the heat. Surprisingly enough, we were still able to make $18,000 at this fundraiser... thanks to all of you who "rallied" for the horses yet again! Wander was adopted, and Pontiac is still looking for his forever home. It was quite a shocker that no on e wanted him, but then again, he IS a paint, and hunters aren't usually too fond of the "colorful" guys. Not to worry, he will find his forever home, no problem! With a personality like his, what's not to love?
On another note, our next newsletter will hopefully be out by this Thanksgiving. This means that we should start... umm... LAST month. With all that there is to do around here, "that dang newsletter" always seems to get shoved back and postponed, until we are all here at the farm proofreading in between cleaning stalls and typing and editing until 2 in the morning. Procrastinators we are. Soooo, in an effort to have our stuff somewhat "together" by the time that our actual deadline rolls around, we are starting NOW. Well, we are trying to. This is where we need YOU. If you have adopted a horse or foal from us, PLEASE send us a picture of them doing something fun with you. If you want to write a short paragraph about your horse and what they mean to you, etc, that would be great too... and we will publish it in the newsletter!
Before and after pictures of our nurse mare foals are ALWAYS welcome... it's amazing how nice those cutie pies turn out! You would be surprised how many people come to the farm and say they don't want to adopt because they want to breed their {insert common breed here} mare this year for that "dream baby" they've always wanted. They don't want a "throw away" foal that doesn't have papers. We tell them "well, we can MAKE papers... if that's what you are really shopping for, haha". People don't understand that PAPERS do NOT make the horse. We have seen horses with papers that we wouldn't want to breed for ANYTHING, and have seen other grade horses that are just DROP DEAD gorgeous. We do try to convert these people, though, and with your help sometimes we do- and sometimes even find a home for a baby. I have brought out pictures countless times of YOUR babies all grown up to show these people that YES, these nurse mare foals ARE nice! If you have sent us an "after" picture, I have probably used your baby as an example!
So look at it this way, you are not only getting to show your baby off, but you are educating the public about nurse mare foals and how wonderful they CAN be, and in come cases, you might even be preventing another foal from being born.
Oh, and as a "horsie" public service announcement, it's HOT HOT HOT now and the BIG horse flies are out. If YOU wouldn't want to stand in the sun all day with big bugs attacking you, please don't make your horse do it. Make sure that your horse has shade during ALL hours of the day, and if your pasture is in the sun for a few hours, bring 'em in! I know that most horse sprays DON'T take care of the big bugs, but we found that Pyranha fly spray works for most of them. As you are filling your horse's water trough (with cool, clean water... even if it's clear, stick your hand in it to make sure that it is not too warm... that's just gross), spray your horses. Our horses mob us while we are filling the tubs here because they know they get a "cool down". Remember, they may be horses, but they like a cold shower as much as YOU do! I throw some ice cubes in their grain too... It gives them a cool quick treat to munch on as they are having breakfast or dinner.
OK, that's my preaching for the day, if you haven't been checking out our YouTube videos, it's something cute and lighthearted to do, and is well worth your time (yes, even if you have dial-up). So sit down and check them out!
PS. Someone is posting advertisements with tons of links that send you to Asian sites... DO NOT click on these links, because I do not know if there are viruses attached... so watch out. I have asked whoever it is to stop, and right now, I have just been deleting the comments. So please ignore them... Thanks, and sorry for the "blog clutter"!!!
Happy Trails!
Rachel
Last Chance Corral
Thursday, July 22, 2010
2010 Delaware Classic
Hey Everyone!
Here is a blog to remind everyone that our Delaware Classic will be help this Saturday (July 24th) at the Delaware Fairgrounds! Come on out with your Last Chance horses and parade them in the arena while Victoria reads their story over a loudspeaker!
Show up and show off your baby!
Here are the links to our foal "Picks of the Year"! Wander and Pontiac are big strong boys now and are absolutely STUNNING!!! These pictures are NOTHING... wait until you see them! For now, though, you can check out their YouTube videos...
Here are pictures of the boys now... they are pretty amazing, huh?
Click their names to see their videos!
Wander
Pontiac
Also, we have been doing videos of horses and foals available for adoption.
If you click on LCC's YouTube Channel, it will take you to all of our current and past horses for adoption!
Happy trails!
Rachel
Last Chance Corral
Here is a blog to remind everyone that our Delaware Classic will be help this Saturday (July 24th) at the Delaware Fairgrounds! Come on out with your Last Chance horses and parade them in the arena while Victoria reads their story over a loudspeaker!
Show up and show off your baby!
Here are the links to our foal "Picks of the Year"! Wander and Pontiac are big strong boys now and are absolutely STUNNING!!! These pictures are NOTHING... wait until you see them! For now, though, you can check out their YouTube videos...
Here are pictures of the boys now... they are pretty amazing, huh?
Click their names to see their videos!
Wander
Pontiac
Also, we have been doing videos of horses and foals available for adoption.
If you click on LCC's YouTube Channel, it will take you to all of our current and past horses for adoption!
Happy trails!
Rachel
Last Chance Corral
Friday, May 28, 2010
Blogs are Rare These Days!
Hey Guys... I'm soooooo soooooo sorry that we haven't been able to blog recently. It is NOT because there is nothing interesting here going on at the farm, actually, it is quite the opposite. Babies, babies, and more babies make it difficult for me to sit down and type on the computer... and when I do, there is always something that I could be doing instead with the babies, so the blog has kinda been put on the back burner. I will keep trying to do it, though, but keep your expectations pretty low. Thanks!
~Rachel
Dear Blogger Pals,
I'm sorry to say that we have been unable to blog a lot lately. Foal season has us up against a wall with work. There simply aren't enough hours in the day. Yesterday, I started at 7am and didn't finish until 1am. We are all weary and a little burned out- but cheerfully go about our business (well maybe not so cheerful about all of the diarrhea). Instead we will offer you a selection of short videos put together by Rachel. Our dear friend John Chun sent us a video camera and the program to make movies, as well of daily offers of encouragement to make these shorts. We dedicate these to John.
Always help the horses,
~Victoria
To get to our "YouTube Channel", copy and paste this link:
http://www.youtube.com/user/LastChanceCorral#p/a
OR, click HERE!
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Twice Out East
Here is our official statement on the Twice Out East situation. Because we were not the first one's to publish this, people assumed that we were not aware. We were actually aware before anyone else, and we showed up at the sale to try to save her. Here is Victoria's statement in blue.
I’m sure if you are a regular reader of this blog you are well aware of “Lexie’s Story”. After we exposed a horse person turned bad (Evildoer#1), we inadvertently put ourselves and the LCC animals in harm’s way. This incredibly unconscionable, cruel being set about to “take us down”. She conspired with a friend of hers to do so. She set the friend (Evildoer#2) up as an adopter, paying her to lie to us to take these horses. Her friend (Evildoer#2) met the criteria for adoption, and left with two horses, only to turn them over directly to Evildoer#1. In less than a week (we hadn’t even had time to check up with the horses) these horses were brought up to the Sugarcreek sale by Evildoer#1. In addition to conspiring to do not only this, she (premeditatedly) took a razor blade to one of the horse’s inner lip. This was done in an attempt to render the horse’s tattoo illegible. Rachel high-tailed it the 2.5 hours to the sale house to get our horses. We were able to secure the freedom of one of our horses for the price of $175. The killer buyer wanted more money than we had on hand to “purchase” our Thoroughbred mare, Twice Out East. Luckily, he had no intention of sending her to slaughter house. His routine was to hold Thoroughbreds hostage (threatening to send them to Canada/Mexico) until a rescue could afford to free them. In this case, freedom cost over a thousand dollars. This was a horse that we showed CLEAR TITLE to at the sale.
Twice Out East is now safe in the hands of Greener Pastures rescue. The LCC put $300 towards her purchase price, and would like to thank everyone else who has helped us save her. We will be working with the ASPCA to prosecute all parties involved in this conspiracy to maim and murder. Things will be forever changed here at the corral. Never again will an adopter be “innocent until proven guilty”. We will assume that everyone is capable of causing harm until otherwise shown to be legitimate. All of this comes on the tail of losing our beloved vet AND our attorney. If you have ANY legal expertise in this area that you would like to share in regard to this situation, please contact us. In the mean time, we will update you as to what transpires on this blog. Pictures are included of Twice Out East when she was here, and at the sale house. There are also pictures of her sliced lip.
Sincerely,
Victoria
I’m sure if you are a regular reader of this blog you are well aware of “Lexie’s Story”. After we exposed a horse person turned bad (Evildoer#1), we inadvertently put ourselves and the LCC animals in harm’s way. This incredibly unconscionable, cruel being set about to “take us down”. She conspired with a friend of hers to do so. She set the friend (Evildoer#2) up as an adopter, paying her to lie to us to take these horses. Her friend (Evildoer#2) met the criteria for adoption, and left with two horses, only to turn them over directly to Evildoer#1. In less than a week (we hadn’t even had time to check up with the horses) these horses were brought up to the Sugarcreek sale by Evildoer#1. In addition to conspiring to do not only this, she (premeditatedly) took a razor blade to one of the horse’s inner lip. This was done in an attempt to render the horse’s tattoo illegible. Rachel high-tailed it the 2.5 hours to the sale house to get our horses. We were able to secure the freedom of one of our horses for the price of $175. The killer buyer wanted more money than we had on hand to “purchase” our Thoroughbred mare, Twice Out East. Luckily, he had no intention of sending her to slaughter house. His routine was to hold Thoroughbreds hostage (threatening to send them to Canada/Mexico) until a rescue could afford to free them. In this case, freedom cost over a thousand dollars. This was a horse that we showed CLEAR TITLE to at the sale.
Twice Out East is now safe in the hands of Greener Pastures rescue. The LCC put $300 towards her purchase price, and would like to thank everyone else who has helped us save her. We will be working with the ASPCA to prosecute all parties involved in this conspiracy to maim and murder. Things will be forever changed here at the corral. Never again will an adopter be “innocent until proven guilty”. We will assume that everyone is capable of causing harm until otherwise shown to be legitimate. All of this comes on the tail of losing our beloved vet AND our attorney. If you have ANY legal expertise in this area that you would like to share in regard to this situation, please contact us. In the mean time, we will update you as to what transpires on this blog. Pictures are included of Twice Out East when she was here, and at the sale house. There are also pictures of her sliced lip.
Sincerely,
Victoria
Thursday, February 11, 2010
BABIES!!!
Hey Everyone!
We have BABIES!!!!
Check our website later on today! They will be put up online with pictures and descriptions as soon as possible! Here are the really quick descriptions, though!
Sorry this post isn't longer, but we have a list a mile long to do!
1. bay colt (TB type)
2. black and white paint filly (QH type)
3. red and white paint filly (QH type)
4. dark bay/black filly (TB type)
5. chestnut filly (QH type)
If you are interested in adopting, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE read the requirements BEFORE you call. This will save you time, and save us time as well!
Thanks!
Rachel
We have BABIES!!!!
Check our website later on today! They will be put up online with pictures and descriptions as soon as possible! Here are the really quick descriptions, though!
Sorry this post isn't longer, but we have a list a mile long to do!
1. bay colt (TB type)
2. black and white paint filly (QH type)
3. red and white paint filly (QH type)
4. dark bay/black filly (TB type)
5. chestnut filly (QH type)
If you are interested in adopting, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE read the requirements BEFORE you call. This will save you time, and save us time as well!
Thanks!
Rachel
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
TOOO MANY HORSES!
Hey There!
Congratulations to Lisa White of Vinton County on her adoption of Lethal Whiskey. She took him home today, and is looking forward to having the awesome guy take her two children in some horse shows this summer! Good luck Whiskey!!
While one horse got adopted this week, we still are sooo overstocked with horses. People just don't like to adopt in the winter... summer seems to remind everyone that they loooove horses and want one of their own. Though homes are few and far between for the horses this winter, they still need us and sometimes even demand our help. We acquired four more quite unexpectedly, and here is their story...
The other day, Victoria received a call from someone who had fallen on hard times (like everyone else in this present economy...). After the father lost his job, it became impossible for the family (with 7 children) to continue to provide suitable care for the horses. Victoria decided that this was a special case that definitely needed our help. These horses needed us, and they were immediately put high on our priority list. We headed out to look at the horses and see the situation that they were in. When we arrived, we were glad that they were NOT emaciated. They were a little underweight, but they were not starving. Luckily, these well meaning owners called us BEFORE their horses became skeletons. There are so many that aren't as lucky... you know the story...
But back to the horses. There were four of them, and they were in a barn/shed/overhangie-thingie, all fenced in. Their pasture was just a bunch of churned up mud, and needed at least a season of no-horses and reseeding before it should even have a goat on it, let alone four horses. Barbed wire attacked both Victoria and I as we went to "assess the situation", even though it was clear almost immediately that we HAD to get these horses out. About 45 minutes later, all four horses were loaded up and we were on our way home.
The horses were in pretty bad shape otherwise, though. Dan and Handy had about 3 extra inches of toe that were unnecessary, and all of them were in need of a farrier, a deworming, and a 'super-soaked' bath. For the next few days, Ali, Tracy, Victoria and I all worked on these horses- cutting endless mudballs off of them and trimming back their toes so they could break over in the front... our farrier isn't due to come out for a few weeks!
Now, though, the horses are happy and healthier, and now we know what they really are and how much they know (and don't know) about being ridden.
Here is a breakdown of the horses... they are also listed online. There are a bunch of photos on their web pages, but they are all muddy... it was the first day we got them. I will add some photos of us riding them and of them all squeaky clean as soon as the rain stops and the mud goes away... at least a little!
Here are the new boys!
Lieutenant Dan: 20 year old bay Quarter Horse gelding. A retired reining horse, Dan is safe for a beginner! Click HERE for more information on Dan the Man!
Handy: 15 year old black and white Paint gelding. He is a retired barrel horse, and would be great for the intermediate rider looking for a new trail partner-in-crime! Click HERE for more info on Handy!
Hootie: 6 year old black and white Paint gelding. Hootie is broke to ride and is quiet (though still green). He would make the perfect *insert your discipline here* horse ever! Haha! Click HERE for more information on Hootie!
Kipper: 12 year old chestnut Saddlebred/QH gelding. 14.2 hands tall. Kipper is mannerly and lovey-dovey on the ground, but when you try to ride him, he gets extremely nervous... almost like he has never been ridden. He needs to be "re-started", and he is free to a good home. Click HERE for more information on Kipper!
Congratulations to Lisa White of Vinton County on her adoption of Lethal Whiskey. She took him home today, and is looking forward to having the awesome guy take her two children in some horse shows this summer! Good luck Whiskey!!
While one horse got adopted this week, we still are sooo overstocked with horses. People just don't like to adopt in the winter... summer seems to remind everyone that they loooove horses and want one of their own. Though homes are few and far between for the horses this winter, they still need us and sometimes even demand our help. We acquired four more quite unexpectedly, and here is their story...
The other day, Victoria received a call from someone who had fallen on hard times (like everyone else in this present economy...). After the father lost his job, it became impossible for the family (with 7 children) to continue to provide suitable care for the horses. Victoria decided that this was a special case that definitely needed our help. These horses needed us, and they were immediately put high on our priority list. We headed out to look at the horses and see the situation that they were in. When we arrived, we were glad that they were NOT emaciated. They were a little underweight, but they were not starving. Luckily, these well meaning owners called us BEFORE their horses became skeletons. There are so many that aren't as lucky... you know the story...
But back to the horses. There were four of them, and they were in a barn/shed/overhangie-thingie, all fenced in. Their pasture was just a bunch of churned up mud, and needed at least a season of no-horses and reseeding before it should even have a goat on it, let alone four horses. Barbed wire attacked both Victoria and I as we went to "assess the situation", even though it was clear almost immediately that we HAD to get these horses out. About 45 minutes later, all four horses were loaded up and we were on our way home.
The horses were in pretty bad shape otherwise, though. Dan and Handy had about 3 extra inches of toe that were unnecessary, and all of them were in need of a farrier, a deworming, and a 'super-soaked' bath. For the next few days, Ali, Tracy, Victoria and I all worked on these horses- cutting endless mudballs off of them and trimming back their toes so they could break over in the front... our farrier isn't due to come out for a few weeks!
Now, though, the horses are happy and healthier, and now we know what they really are and how much they know (and don't know) about being ridden.
Here is a breakdown of the horses... they are also listed online. There are a bunch of photos on their web pages, but they are all muddy... it was the first day we got them. I will add some photos of us riding them and of them all squeaky clean as soon as the rain stops and the mud goes away... at least a little!
Here are the new boys!
Lieutenant Dan: 20 year old bay Quarter Horse gelding. A retired reining horse, Dan is safe for a beginner! Click HERE for more information on Dan the Man!
Handy: 15 year old black and white Paint gelding. He is a retired barrel horse, and would be great for the intermediate rider looking for a new trail partner-in-crime! Click HERE for more info on Handy!
Hootie: 6 year old black and white Paint gelding. Hootie is broke to ride and is quiet (though still green). He would make the perfect *insert your discipline here* horse ever! Haha! Click HERE for more information on Hootie!
Kipper: 12 year old chestnut Saddlebred/QH gelding. 14.2 hands tall. Kipper is mannerly and lovey-dovey on the ground, but when you try to ride him, he gets extremely nervous... almost like he has never been ridden. He needs to be "re-started", and he is free to a good home. Click HERE for more information on Kipper!
Monday, January 18, 2010
Updates and "Just-so-ya-knows"!
Hey There Everyone!
Everything has been running smoothly around the farm. The recent warm(er) weather has caused the ice to melt, and we all know what that means (poop-mud-muck) YAY! The horses have been kept in for the past few days to give the paddocks a chance to drain (made possible by Victoria's endless 'hoe-ing' so the water will flow out), so they are all ready to get outside and get some fresh air!
Anyway, we currently have 6 horses here and two partying at Leah's farm! Raffles (who just came back from his foster home) was quickly adopted by someone who loooves gaited ponies! See? There IS a lid for every pot, as Victoria always says! Amidst all of the drama circling our lovely Lexie, there is some silver lining. Lexie was adopted yesterday by a young girl that is especially talented training Thoroughbreds off of the track. She was actually interested in Lexie BEFORE her whole "nightmare adventure", but at the time, had too many horses in her barn. As soon as she heard that Lexie was back with us, she was determined to make sure that nothing like that ever happened to that beautiful mare again. I'm sure that we will be getting pictures of Lexie in her new home shortly (instead of in the kill pen!!), and congratulations to Katie on the adoption of this WONDERFUL mare!
So here is a list of the horses that we currently have for adoption. Click on their names to go to their webpages!
~ Whiskey (AQHA)
~ Flower (Arab)
~ Burke (QH X Haflinger)
~ Pia (TB)
~ Teak (QH)
There are all on the website, so check them out and give us a call if you are interested in them!
www.lastchancecorral.org!
Here is an update on the whole Lexie thing ( seen on the last blog). Since it is MLK Jr Day, all of the offices that we need to contact are closed. In order to get the consignment slip that the "bad lady" used (and autographed) to sign Lexie up, we have to have "the big dogs"write a letter to the auction owner, then he will send us anything we need. This will all happen tomorrow, so hang tight for the names of the guilty. For now, we're just tiptoeing through the legal mumbo-jumbo at this point, but at least everyone is being cooperative! We'll see what comes of Victoria's research.
For some reason, I can't put pictures up of the horses online, so I am posting pictures of Whiskey on here. Here is a link to Whiskey's YouTube video (I'm warning you now... it's not a high quality one... the ground was hard, and it was cold, but you will get the general idea of how he moves and acts...)
Thanks for reading!
Happy Trails!
~Rachel
Everything has been running smoothly around the farm. The recent warm(er) weather has caused the ice to melt, and we all know what that means (poop-mud-muck) YAY! The horses have been kept in for the past few days to give the paddocks a chance to drain (made possible by Victoria's endless 'hoe-ing' so the water will flow out), so they are all ready to get outside and get some fresh air!
Anyway, we currently have 6 horses here and two partying at Leah's farm! Raffles (who just came back from his foster home) was quickly adopted by someone who loooves gaited ponies! See? There IS a lid for every pot, as Victoria always says! Amidst all of the drama circling our lovely Lexie, there is some silver lining. Lexie was adopted yesterday by a young girl that is especially talented training Thoroughbreds off of the track. She was actually interested in Lexie BEFORE her whole "nightmare adventure", but at the time, had too many horses in her barn. As soon as she heard that Lexie was back with us, she was determined to make sure that nothing like that ever happened to that beautiful mare again. I'm sure that we will be getting pictures of Lexie in her new home shortly (instead of in the kill pen!!), and congratulations to Katie on the adoption of this WONDERFUL mare!
So here is a list of the horses that we currently have for adoption. Click on their names to go to their webpages!
~ Whiskey (AQHA)
~ Flower (Arab)
~ Burke (QH X Haflinger)
~ Pia (TB)
~ Teak (QH)
There are all on the website, so check them out and give us a call if you are interested in them!
www.lastchancecorral.org!
Here is an update on the whole Lexie thing ( seen on the last blog). Since it is MLK Jr Day, all of the offices that we need to contact are closed. In order to get the consignment slip that the "bad lady" used (and autographed) to sign Lexie up, we have to have "the big dogs"write a letter to the auction owner, then he will send us anything we need. This will all happen tomorrow, so hang tight for the names of the guilty. For now, we're just tiptoeing through the legal mumbo-jumbo at this point, but at least everyone is being cooperative! We'll see what comes of Victoria's research.
For some reason, I can't put pictures up of the horses online, so I am posting pictures of Whiskey on here. Here is a link to Whiskey's YouTube video (I'm warning you now... it's not a high quality one... the ground was hard, and it was cold, but you will get the general idea of how he moves and acts...)
Thanks for reading!
Happy Trails!
~Rachel
Saturday, January 16, 2010
LCC Girls Gone REPO!!
Hey Everyone!
This blog was written by Victoria. Her story is in blue! Are you ready? This is a doozie! More information will be posted on this topic, but this is all that we can post for now (before these people are proven guilty in a court of law... ya know). But trust me, the names of the guilty WILL be made known.
Friday started out like any other day at the corral. Caring for horses, answering phones... but ended in a late night "repo-rescue". The events started to spin out of control with a phone call from a North Carolina rescue, informing us that one of our Thoroughbreds was at the Sugarcreek slaughter sale. "Lexie in Lingerie" was indeed a Last Chance Corral horse that had recently been adopted by someone that we assumed was trustworthy. I immediately called the person on the phone and was surprised to hear the auctioneer in the background. she WAS at the auction! At this juncture I have to step back in time by three hours... when this same person called me to see if I was going to "be around" that day. I said yes, and she said that maybe she would stop by. Was she making sure that we weren't going to be at the sale? In this conversation, she went further to say that she wasn't going to the sale herself, actually she was "driving the opposite direction that day". So now we have her AT the sale and denying any culpability. Meanwhile, calls are flooding into the LCC in regard to Lexie's presence at the sale. I then called the sale house and got in touch with the owner who was more than cooperative. He told me that he would guarantee that he would not let the horse go through the sale and would hold her for us until we could get there. Then, magically, Lexie could not be found! Neither could our "rogue" adopter! She was seen, however, seen loading Lexie back into her trailer then making a mad dash for home! At this point it would be our word against hers and things could get messy. Well, "things" were already "messy" and emotions were running high! There was, however, a blessing coming our way via the internet. One of our "detectives" at the sale house was not only able to ID Lexie by her tattoo but took several photos of her IN THE SALE HOUSE! At that time, thought, the photos had not yet made it to our computer when Rachel spearheaded a Repo Team and headed towards West Virginia to save this horse from becoming "further disappeared". I stayed behind to man the phone. Boy Howdy! Let me tell you that the phone lines were crackling with fire!! Back and forth, accusations, denials, directions, and the assorted nervous craziness that a situation like this can foster. While Stretch (Rachel), Tracy, and Roger drove through the dark towards god-knows-where in West-By-Gawd-Virginia, the photos came through! PROOF POSITIVE!! There was our Lexie- in the kill pen at Sugarcreek! Undeniable, irrefutable evidence! When the Repo Team got to this person's residence, Lexie was there, as was a police officer. She had actually called the police on herself seeking their aid. Long story short, Rachel ended up pulling the pictures up on the officer's computer, had the police officer look over our adoption contract, and he eventually agreed with us. (I am making this part sound ever so much more SMOOOOTH that it actually went down... suffice it to say that a certain part of Tracy's anatomy was threatened to be kicked). Lexie now stands safely back in our barn. Thank God that the horse world is small. We can't all be in all places at all times. So we watch each others' backs. Joan, Renee, Cathy, and Beverly helped Lexie in a profound way on Friday- they saved her life. I have learned a valuable lesson- ALWAYS have a camera! Take pictures, LOTS of pictures, and document the situation! Without the photos, we couldn't have proven so quickly that she was our horse. Thank you to all of the eyes and ears that watch over these creatures. NEVER underestimate the power of teamwork! ~Victoria
Crazy story, huh? I thought so. I included pictures of Lexie at the sale (sent in by our many helpers) and pictures that we took of Lexie today... for your comparison! What do you think? It is her? That's what we call EVIDENCE!!!
These are the pics that were taken AT Sugarcreek... thanks to Lexie's guardian angels!
Here is the winning body shot of Lexie in the kill pen!
Here is a head shot of Lexie at the sale.
Tattoo, Anyone? How much more proof can you get?
These are the photos that we took today of Lexie for your comparison.
Here is a head shot that you can compare to the picture taken at the sale.
Check out this side shot... Doesn't this horse look like the one that was in the kill pen?
Doesn't this LH sock look IDENTICAL to the one in the body shot taken at Sugarcreek?
This tail shot shows the hair that was clipped from the sale tag that she "supposedly" never had!
Happy Trails,
~Rachel
This blog was written by Victoria. Her story is in blue! Are you ready? This is a doozie! More information will be posted on this topic, but this is all that we can post for now (before these people are proven guilty in a court of law... ya know). But trust me, the names of the guilty WILL be made known.
Friday started out like any other day at the corral. Caring for horses, answering phones... but ended in a late night "repo-rescue". The events started to spin out of control with a phone call from a North Carolina rescue, informing us that one of our Thoroughbreds was at the Sugarcreek slaughter sale. "Lexie in Lingerie" was indeed a Last Chance Corral horse that had recently been adopted by someone that we assumed was trustworthy. I immediately called the person on the phone and was surprised to hear the auctioneer in the background. she WAS at the auction! At this juncture I have to step back in time by three hours... when this same person called me to see if I was going to "be around" that day. I said yes, and she said that maybe she would stop by. Was she making sure that we weren't going to be at the sale? In this conversation, she went further to say that she wasn't going to the sale herself, actually she was "driving the opposite direction that day". So now we have her AT the sale and denying any culpability. Meanwhile, calls are flooding into the LCC in regard to Lexie's presence at the sale. I then called the sale house and got in touch with the owner who was more than cooperative. He told me that he would guarantee that he would not let the horse go through the sale and would hold her for us until we could get there. Then, magically, Lexie could not be found! Neither could our "rogue" adopter! She was seen, however, seen loading Lexie back into her trailer then making a mad dash for home! At this point it would be our word against hers and things could get messy. Well, "things" were already "messy" and emotions were running high! There was, however, a blessing coming our way via the internet. One of our "detectives" at the sale house was not only able to ID Lexie by her tattoo but took several photos of her IN THE SALE HOUSE! At that time, thought, the photos had not yet made it to our computer when Rachel spearheaded a Repo Team and headed towards West Virginia to save this horse from becoming "further disappeared". I stayed behind to man the phone. Boy Howdy! Let me tell you that the phone lines were crackling with fire!! Back and forth, accusations, denials, directions, and the assorted nervous craziness that a situation like this can foster. While Stretch (Rachel), Tracy, and Roger drove through the dark towards god-knows-where in West-By-Gawd-Virginia, the photos came through! PROOF POSITIVE!! There was our Lexie- in the kill pen at Sugarcreek! Undeniable, irrefutable evidence! When the Repo Team got to this person's residence, Lexie was there, as was a police officer. She had actually called the police on herself seeking their aid. Long story short, Rachel ended up pulling the pictures up on the officer's computer, had the police officer look over our adoption contract, and he eventually agreed with us. (I am making this part sound ever so much more SMOOOOTH that it actually went down... suffice it to say that a certain part of Tracy's anatomy was threatened to be kicked). Lexie now stands safely back in our barn. Thank God that the horse world is small. We can't all be in all places at all times. So we watch each others' backs. Joan, Renee, Cathy, and Beverly helped Lexie in a profound way on Friday- they saved her life. I have learned a valuable lesson- ALWAYS have a camera! Take pictures, LOTS of pictures, and document the situation! Without the photos, we couldn't have proven so quickly that she was our horse. Thank you to all of the eyes and ears that watch over these creatures. NEVER underestimate the power of teamwork! ~Victoria
Crazy story, huh? I thought so. I included pictures of Lexie at the sale (sent in by our many helpers) and pictures that we took of Lexie today... for your comparison! What do you think? It is her? That's what we call EVIDENCE!!!
These are the pics that were taken AT Sugarcreek... thanks to Lexie's guardian angels!
Here is the winning body shot of Lexie in the kill pen!
Here is a head shot of Lexie at the sale.
Tattoo, Anyone? How much more proof can you get?
These are the photos that we took today of Lexie for your comparison.
Here is a head shot that you can compare to the picture taken at the sale.
Check out this side shot... Doesn't this horse look like the one that was in the kill pen?
Doesn't this LH sock look IDENTICAL to the one in the body shot taken at Sugarcreek?
This tail shot shows the hair that was clipped from the sale tag that she "supposedly" never had!
Happy Trails,
~Rachel
Monday, January 11, 2010
We're Waiting... and waiting...
Hey Everyone!
Lots of new and exciting things have been happening here at the farm in the past few weeks! Horses have been coming and going, and I can proudly say that EVERY horse that we currently have up for adoption is on the website. if a horse is on our website, it is available for adoption!
Here is what has been happening around the farm:
We have the foal barn ready! The nurse mare farms have given us a "heads up", so we are expecting the "come and get 'em" phone call ANY DAY NOW!!! Even after you have been here awhile, the anticipation is still there, and those cute little babies are ALWAYS going to be cute, no matter how many we see! This is a picture of the foal barn as is right now... this is probably the last time you will see it empty until next summer!
We still try to go on occasional trail rides... Victoria LOVES to ride in the snow- but the rest of us prefer our core body temperature to be above zero, so it doesn't happen much. This obviously limits the amount of training that we can do, as well as sale videos and stuff like that. Farm projects are officially put on hold during baby season anyway, but the recent snowstorms jump started that for us this year!
Currently, we only have FOUR horses at the farm! This is only going to last a few hours, though, because Tracy and Victoria just delivered some to their new homes, Burke and Cruiser (who is not currently up for adoption) are partying at Leah's farm, and Victoria and Tracy are bringing a couple home with them tonight. So actually, we aren't down in horses, but for a few hours anyway, I can feel like we "have room" for the billions of horses that are trying to get here.
We have a special mare named Pia right now that needs a very special home. She is a 18 year old TB mare, and she came to us as a starvation case. She is BEAUTIFUL, and she has a kind eye. The problem with her is... are you ready? She is too old to be a baby maker anymore. That's it! She is sound and ridable (no beginners, please), and her ground manners are exquisite! Check her out on our website... Click HERE to go to her page!
I think that that's all for now, folks, but I'm sure that I will have plenty of computeratin' to do as soon as the girls get back with the new horses! As for right now, I'm off to organize all of those "hard to find" items in the milk and medicine room. It's never fun to have a baby that needs care NOW waiting a few extra seconds while you are tearing the room apart looking for that darned whatever-it-is that's hiding from you, ya know?
Happy Trails,
Rachel
Lots of new and exciting things have been happening here at the farm in the past few weeks! Horses have been coming and going, and I can proudly say that EVERY horse that we currently have up for adoption is on the website. if a horse is on our website, it is available for adoption!
Here is what has been happening around the farm:
We have the foal barn ready! The nurse mare farms have given us a "heads up", so we are expecting the "come and get 'em" phone call ANY DAY NOW!!! Even after you have been here awhile, the anticipation is still there, and those cute little babies are ALWAYS going to be cute, no matter how many we see! This is a picture of the foal barn as is right now... this is probably the last time you will see it empty until next summer!
We still try to go on occasional trail rides... Victoria LOVES to ride in the snow- but the rest of us prefer our core body temperature to be above zero, so it doesn't happen much. This obviously limits the amount of training that we can do, as well as sale videos and stuff like that. Farm projects are officially put on hold during baby season anyway, but the recent snowstorms jump started that for us this year!
Currently, we only have FOUR horses at the farm! This is only going to last a few hours, though, because Tracy and Victoria just delivered some to their new homes, Burke and Cruiser (who is not currently up for adoption) are partying at Leah's farm, and Victoria and Tracy are bringing a couple home with them tonight. So actually, we aren't down in horses, but for a few hours anyway, I can feel like we "have room" for the billions of horses that are trying to get here.
We have a special mare named Pia right now that needs a very special home. She is a 18 year old TB mare, and she came to us as a starvation case. She is BEAUTIFUL, and she has a kind eye. The problem with her is... are you ready? She is too old to be a baby maker anymore. That's it! She is sound and ridable (no beginners, please), and her ground manners are exquisite! Check her out on our website... Click HERE to go to her page!
I think that that's all for now, folks, but I'm sure that I will have plenty of computeratin' to do as soon as the girls get back with the new horses! As for right now, I'm off to organize all of those "hard to find" items in the milk and medicine room. It's never fun to have a baby that needs care NOW waiting a few extra seconds while you are tearing the room apart looking for that darned whatever-it-is that's hiding from you, ya know?
Happy Trails,
Rachel
Friday, December 18, 2009
We've Been Busy!
Hey Everyone,
Sorry for neglecting the blog recently, we have just been so busy around the farm! For those who were wondering, the Christmas party was a huge success, we raised around $10,000!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you to all who donated items, time, and money to the big event. We couldn't have done it without all of the support. By the time that the party rolled around, not an inch was available for displaying more items- we even had to stack some items! The music, food, and friends were great, and it never ceases to amaze us what can be done if we all get together to help the horses (especially the babies!). Jenny put a video/slide show together for us with pictures from the party. Here is the link to see the video... click on it and it will pop right up! Christmas Party Video!!!
Now that the party is done with, and we raised enough money to jump start foal season! Several big donors definitely made this possible, but EVERY SINGLE DONATION made a difference. Now we are focusing on getting the barn ready for the babies. They could be knocking down our doors as soon as January 1st, and preparation time is wearing thin! We have several new horses in, go to our website and click on the "Available Horses" page to check them out! We also have three others horses besides the one listed, but we are waiting until we can ride them and get a feel for what they are really like! Two of them are older TBs (a mar and a gelding), and the last one is a KA-YOOT Morgan/Quarter Horse that is just a DOLL! These horses will be available for adoption as soon as they are up to date on their feet, weight, and worming. Keep checking the website for more information. Also, most (if not all) of the horses on the website have been updated... lower adoption fees, new pictures, etc, etc. Check it out, and spread the word!
Here is just a goofy picture of Rex... our staff member of the day!!! Rex is such a big part of the farm, we don't give him enough credit for ALL if the work that he does (*wink*wink*)! We love Rexie!
Happy Trails!
~Rachel
Sorry for neglecting the blog recently, we have just been so busy around the farm! For those who were wondering, the Christmas party was a huge success, we raised around $10,000!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you to all who donated items, time, and money to the big event. We couldn't have done it without all of the support. By the time that the party rolled around, not an inch was available for displaying more items- we even had to stack some items! The music, food, and friends were great, and it never ceases to amaze us what can be done if we all get together to help the horses (especially the babies!). Jenny put a video/slide show together for us with pictures from the party. Here is the link to see the video... click on it and it will pop right up! Christmas Party Video!!!
Now that the party is done with, and we raised enough money to jump start foal season! Several big donors definitely made this possible, but EVERY SINGLE DONATION made a difference. Now we are focusing on getting the barn ready for the babies. They could be knocking down our doors as soon as January 1st, and preparation time is wearing thin! We have several new horses in, go to our website and click on the "Available Horses" page to check them out! We also have three others horses besides the one listed, but we are waiting until we can ride them and get a feel for what they are really like! Two of them are older TBs (a mar and a gelding), and the last one is a KA-YOOT Morgan/Quarter Horse that is just a DOLL! These horses will be available for adoption as soon as they are up to date on their feet, weight, and worming. Keep checking the website for more information. Also, most (if not all) of the horses on the website have been updated... lower adoption fees, new pictures, etc, etc. Check it out, and spread the word!
Here is just a goofy picture of Rex... our staff member of the day!!! Rex is such a big part of the farm, we don't give him enough credit for ALL if the work that he does (*wink*wink*)! We love Rexie!
Happy Trails!~Rachel
Friday, November 20, 2009
Just for Your Favorite Cowboy!
Hey There!
You know how you go to the Equine Affaire or Quarter Horse Congress and it seems like you are the only one without a cowboy hat?
Doesn't it get old having to say "Yee-Haw" without a hat?
Don't we all agree that every gentleman looks much-mo-better in a nicely shaped cowboy hat?
Are you the only cowboy or cowgirl in your family, and whenever you go out for dinner, you stick out like a Thoroughbred in a field of Shetlands, wishing that your family members were also wearing hats?
If you answered 'yes' to any of the above questions, you won't believe what I am about to tell you.
We have as many cowboy hats as you could ever want. In every size, in every color, and in every style. From Stetson to Seratelli, we have you covered (literally!) Come on out to see our selection- but be sure to call all of your family and friends for their hat sizes first! These hats are valued from $85 all the way up to $200, and we are letting them go for 60% off! Your choice!
If you bring a nice gift for the auction, we just might give you an even better deal than that!
The pictures below are of just some of the almost 350 cowboy hats that we have!
Give the farm a call, and come on out to pick yours (and your friend's!).
We also have English and Western apparel, english boots, english saddles, blankets, and tack, all at unbeatable prices and all brand new! A tack shop went out of business and donated a bunch of their brand new merchandise to us- and it's all brand new! From shampoo to saddle pads, we surely can complete your Christmas list!
You know how you go to the Equine Affaire or Quarter Horse Congress and it seems like you are the only one without a cowboy hat?
Doesn't it get old having to say "Yee-Haw" without a hat?
Don't we all agree that every gentleman looks much-mo-better in a nicely shaped cowboy hat?
Are you the only cowboy or cowgirl in your family, and whenever you go out for dinner, you stick out like a Thoroughbred in a field of Shetlands, wishing that your family members were also wearing hats?
If you answered 'yes' to any of the above questions, you won't believe what I am about to tell you.
We have as many cowboy hats as you could ever want. In every size, in every color, and in every style. From Stetson to Seratelli, we have you covered (literally!) Come on out to see our selection- but be sure to call all of your family and friends for their hat sizes first! These hats are valued from $85 all the way up to $200, and we are letting them go for 60% off! Your choice!
If you bring a nice gift for the auction, we just might give you an even better deal than that!
The pictures below are of just some of the almost 350 cowboy hats that we have!
Give the farm a call, and come on out to pick yours (and your friend's!).
We also have English and Western apparel, english boots, english saddles, blankets, and tack, all at unbeatable prices and all brand new! A tack shop went out of business and donated a bunch of their brand new merchandise to us- and it's all brand new! From shampoo to saddle pads, we surely can complete your Christmas list!
Here are some pictures of SOME of the hats that we have... so come and get some!
Even J-Dog is shopping for a hat!
The wall-o-hats is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!
Even J-Dog is shopping for a hat!
The wall-o-hats is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!
Happy Trails!
Rachel
Rachel
Monday, November 16, 2009
Mailing List Woes!
Hey Everybody!
Here is our invitation for our annual Christmas party. Our mailing list is "compromised" at the moment, so we wanted to let everyone know before they make plans for the fifth of December! To read this invitation, click on it, then zoom in on it... otherwise, it's blurry and difficult to read!
But about our mailing list...
Picture this:
You have a mailing list.
Your mailing list has over 2400 names on it.
You have it saved to Excel.
Excel is a complicated program, yes?
Yes.
You go to try to send out an invitation to everyone on your mailing list for the Christmas party.
You transfer the names and addresses to Word to make mailing labels...
... only to find that Excel has alphabetized the last names of the people on the list...
...AND their zip codes.
So now, good-old Excel is telling us that everyone with a last name that starts with 'A' lives in a city with a zip code that starts with '1'. Nice, huh?
Needless to say, this is a problem. We are currently spending our lives on www.whitepages.com to search to make sure that the listings we have are correct.
SOOOO, if you are unlisted, please email us your address if you want to be on our mailing list. We do not send junk mail, but you will get our awesome newsletters!
Actually, if you love us and want to save us some time, please call or email us with your name and address, even if you are listed, so we can get you back on our mailing list!
Thanks, and Happy Trails!
~Rachel
Here is our invitation for our annual Christmas party. Our mailing list is "compromised" at the moment, so we wanted to let everyone know before they make plans for the fifth of December! To read this invitation, click on it, then zoom in on it... otherwise, it's blurry and difficult to read!
But about our mailing list...Picture this:
You have a mailing list.
Your mailing list has over 2400 names on it.
You have it saved to Excel.
Excel is a complicated program, yes?
Yes.
You go to try to send out an invitation to everyone on your mailing list for the Christmas party.
You transfer the names and addresses to Word to make mailing labels...
... only to find that Excel has alphabetized the last names of the people on the list...
...AND their zip codes.
So now, good-old Excel is telling us that everyone with a last name that starts with 'A' lives in a city with a zip code that starts with '1'. Nice, huh?
Needless to say, this is a problem. We are currently spending our lives on www.whitepages.com to search to make sure that the listings we have are correct.
SOOOO, if you are unlisted, please email us your address if you want to be on our mailing list. We do not send junk mail, but you will get our awesome newsletters!
Actually, if you love us and want to save us some time, please call or email us with your name and address, even if you are listed, so we can get you back on our mailing list!
Thanks, and Happy Trails!
~Rachel
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Get Ready For Winter!
Hey Everybody!
Just so everyone knows, this puppy is STILL looking for a home. He is a 10-12 week old Heinz-57 pooch that is lovable and ka-yoot! He is great with kids, dogs, and cats, and is pretty much house broken. If you are interested in adopting him (because everyone needs a free puppy!), call the farm! Just remember, YOU might not need another puppy, but this puppy NEEDS YOU!
If you were having a good day, I'm about to wreck it with the next sentence. Winter is coming. Horse lovers know that that means a bigger hay bill, and longer hours making sure that their horses are truly comfortable. For the new horse owners that thought a horse would be such a great idea in the spring and summer (when their pasture was full of grass)... YES, you are going to have to feed old Bucky in the winter time. It is going to cost a LOT more than in the summer time. This involves BUYING hay and grain, making sure that their water doesn't have a 6 inch layer of ice on top of it, and making sure that your horse is not shivering off all of his weight. Now I'll be the first one to admit that dealing with horses in January when everything is slushy, muddy, and FREEZING cold is NOT appealing. In fact, I HATE busting up a frozen water tank then reaching in to pull out sheets of ice. We have all been there, though. The family gets together for Christmas dinner and during the festivities, you have to break away (hopefully dragging an unsuspecting cousin with you) to take care of the horses. It no big deal, it's just something that we do because we love our ponies. Sadly, there are people out there that have the whole "they can just eat the snow" mindset. These are the same people that have neighbors calling us off the hook telling us that there are skinny horses eating trees next door. This winter is going to be exceptionally bad because of the economy... if people have a choice to feed their family or feed their horses, which do you think will win? This is going to create an unremarkable need for our services, which is going to become increasingly difficult through the winter into foal season.
Something that we try to do is play 'Secret Santa'. We can only do this when we have surplus, but if we see a skinny horse shivering in a field, and we can't get in touch with it's owners to see if they want help, we will drop a winter blanket off at the house, or throw it some hay. It is not solving the problem, but the horse sure appreciates it. We can't do this, however, if we are struggling to take care of the babies that we are going to have in no time at all. This is where you come in. Your help, in any form, is greatly needed and appreciated. If you have a picky Thoroughbred that won't touch first cut hay... toss it our way, we ALWAYS know of underprivileged horses that would LOOOOVE some hay that is less than desirable for any other horse.
Shavings are always in demand at our farm, we are already stressing out about how to get enough to get us through foal season. Bales of shavings cost $4-6 a bag, and with the amount that we go through a day, the cost is daunting. We have been let in on a little secret, though. A big supplier is going to sell us bags of shavings for $3 a bag... as long as we buy a semi-load at a time. That cost to us (are you ready?) is $3500 a semi load. Add that bill to the never ending orders of $4000-a-load foal milk, and foal season is 'SPENSIVE! We made a promise to horses, foals especially, to do the best that we can. If you take care of them correctly, horses are expensive even if they are healthy... let alone if they need medical care like the one/two hundred babies that we get in every winter/spring! If you or anyone you know would like to get a tax write-off and donate shavings (or money towards shavings), any amount is helpful! There have been many times when we are down to 'that one last bag', and it just so happened that the bag was donated by someone who said that they "just came to drop off a bag of shavings... sorry it's not much!" People don't understand that every little bit counts and makes a difference. Come on out to volunteer, or even just to look around. I just got done taking a family on a tour with Victoria... people that have lived here for years and have driven by daily, but have just never stopped. This family FINALLY did, and were amazed by what they saw. If people come out to the farm to meet us, meet the horses that we save, and experience the Last Chance Corral, dogs and all, they will definitely be more likely to spread the word than if they just receive a newsletter from us once or twice a year. Help us help the horses, and spread the word!
Happy Trails,
~Rachel
Just so everyone knows, this puppy is STILL looking for a home. He is a 10-12 week old Heinz-57 pooch that is lovable and ka-yoot! He is great with kids, dogs, and cats, and is pretty much house broken. If you are interested in adopting him (because everyone needs a free puppy!), call the farm! Just remember, YOU might not need another puppy, but this puppy NEEDS YOU!
If you were having a good day, I'm about to wreck it with the next sentence. Winter is coming. Horse lovers know that that means a bigger hay bill, and longer hours making sure that their horses are truly comfortable. For the new horse owners that thought a horse would be such a great idea in the spring and summer (when their pasture was full of grass)... YES, you are going to have to feed old Bucky in the winter time. It is going to cost a LOT more than in the summer time. This involves BUYING hay and grain, making sure that their water doesn't have a 6 inch layer of ice on top of it, and making sure that your horse is not shivering off all of his weight. Now I'll be the first one to admit that dealing with horses in January when everything is slushy, muddy, and FREEZING cold is NOT appealing. In fact, I HATE busting up a frozen water tank then reaching in to pull out sheets of ice. We have all been there, though. The family gets together for Christmas dinner and during the festivities, you have to break away (hopefully dragging an unsuspecting cousin with you) to take care of the horses. It no big deal, it's just something that we do because we love our ponies. Sadly, there are people out there that have the whole "they can just eat the snow" mindset. These are the same people that have neighbors calling us off the hook telling us that there are skinny horses eating trees next door. This winter is going to be exceptionally bad because of the economy... if people have a choice to feed their family or feed their horses, which do you think will win? This is going to create an unremarkable need for our services, which is going to become increasingly difficult through the winter into foal season. Something that we try to do is play 'Secret Santa'. We can only do this when we have surplus, but if we see a skinny horse shivering in a field, and we can't get in touch with it's owners to see if they want help, we will drop a winter blanket off at the house, or throw it some hay. It is not solving the problem, but the horse sure appreciates it. We can't do this, however, if we are struggling to take care of the babies that we are going to have in no time at all. This is where you come in. Your help, in any form, is greatly needed and appreciated. If you have a picky Thoroughbred that won't touch first cut hay... toss it our way, we ALWAYS know of underprivileged horses that would LOOOOVE some hay that is less than desirable for any other horse.
Shavings are always in demand at our farm, we are already stressing out about how to get enough to get us through foal season. Bales of shavings cost $4-6 a bag, and with the amount that we go through a day, the cost is daunting. We have been let in on a little secret, though. A big supplier is going to sell us bags of shavings for $3 a bag... as long as we buy a semi-load at a time. That cost to us (are you ready?) is $3500 a semi load. Add that bill to the never ending orders of $4000-a-load foal milk, and foal season is 'SPENSIVE! We made a promise to horses, foals especially, to do the best that we can. If you take care of them correctly, horses are expensive even if they are healthy... let alone if they need medical care like the one/two hundred babies that we get in every winter/spring! If you or anyone you know would like to get a tax write-off and donate shavings (or money towards shavings), any amount is helpful! There have been many times when we are down to 'that one last bag', and it just so happened that the bag was donated by someone who said that they "just came to drop off a bag of shavings... sorry it's not much!" People don't understand that every little bit counts and makes a difference. Come on out to volunteer, or even just to look around. I just got done taking a family on a tour with Victoria... people that have lived here for years and have driven by daily, but have just never stopped. This family FINALLY did, and were amazed by what they saw. If people come out to the farm to meet us, meet the horses that we save, and experience the Last Chance Corral, dogs and all, they will definitely be more likely to spread the word than if they just receive a newsletter from us once or twice a year. Help us help the horses, and spread the word!
Happy Trails,
~Rachel
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
We Want an OLD Horse
Hey There!
Believe it or not, we need an old, quiet, non-ridable horse. There is a store that keeps a horse for a mascot, and they have had old, retired horses as their main attraction. Their past horse was too young and exuberant for the job, so they need a quiet old timer for the store. The horse will be in the store 5 days a week, then it will be on a farm for the weekend. While in the store, the horse will be fed treats and loved on all day! Here are some pictures of the stall and paddock at the store. This horse will be loved, and this is a great way to provide an alternative to an older, retired horse. If you are looking for a retirement home for your old (think 20+) horse, give us a call! Thanks!
Happy Trail!
~Rachel
Believe it or not, we need an old, quiet, non-ridable horse. There is a store that keeps a horse for a mascot, and they have had old, retired horses as their main attraction. Their past horse was too young and exuberant for the job, so they need a quiet old timer for the store. The horse will be in the store 5 days a week, then it will be on a farm for the weekend. While in the store, the horse will be fed treats and loved on all day! Here are some pictures of the stall and paddock at the store. This horse will be loved, and this is a great way to provide an alternative to an older, retired horse. If you are looking for a retirement home for your old (think 20+) horse, give us a call! Thanks!
Happy Trail!
~Rachel
Allow Yourself to be Educated!
Please excuse the font sizing. Our blog is malfunctioning... following the colors will help you see the 'flow' of things better.
Hello All:
A previous post this year that included a student's YouTube documentary video brought a lot of hate towards the Last Chance Corral. This is damaging not only to us, but also to our cause, and ultimately, the horses that we save. After receiving hate mail and comments, we tried at first to justify and explain our actions. To no avail. The negative energy continued, criticizing and tearing us down. Several people even promised to make sure that they tell everyone they know NOT to support us. Our replies and efforts to defend our actions did nothing but fuel the fire. Over the past few months, we though about how to close this issue, while educating the public. We decided that since all of the negative energy was coming from people who are NOT licensed veterinarians, what could be better than get some veterinarians to give their educated opinion? Here it is. All comments will remain posted on this blog, I will not delete anything. Hopefully people will realize the truth and reform their opinions. If not, everyone is entitled to their opinion, and if they choose to be ignorant and let their emotions prevent them from being absolutely humane, they may. The text in blue was written by Victoria.
To Whom it May Concern: I have an update on “humanity” in regard to euthanasia by bullet. I received a great deal of “hate mail” after the release of Kyle’s documentary/film made during last year’s foal season. You can’t believe the impact that those letters had on my emotional well being. I was devastated. This will be my final statement in regard to this matter. I will try my best to be brief and succinct.
died.
I am not a veterinarian, but I did do some research on this topic. Here is what I found. I made sure that my sources were from nothing less than licensed veterinarians. Please set your emotions aside and read this with an open mind. -Rachel
The horse world is full of controversy. What should be acceptable? What is considered humane? Sometimes, the answer is clear cut. Other times, the issue at hand can be debated until the end of time. These issues, almost always regarding animal safety and welfare, evoke strong emotions from both points of view.
Hello All:
A previous post this year that included a student's YouTube documentary video brought a lot of hate towards the Last Chance Corral. This is damaging not only to us, but also to our cause, and ultimately, the horses that we save. After receiving hate mail and comments, we tried at first to justify and explain our actions. To no avail. The negative energy continued, criticizing and tearing us down. Several people even promised to make sure that they tell everyone they know NOT to support us. Our replies and efforts to defend our actions did nothing but fuel the fire. Over the past few months, we though about how to close this issue, while educating the public. We decided that since all of the negative energy was coming from people who are NOT licensed veterinarians, what could be better than get some veterinarians to give their educated opinion? Here it is. All comments will remain posted on this blog, I will not delete anything. Hopefully people will realize the truth and reform their opinions. If not, everyone is entitled to their opinion, and if they choose to be ignorant and let their emotions prevent them from being absolutely humane, they may. The text in blue was written by Victoria.
To Whom it May Concern: I have an update on “humanity” in regard to euthanasia by bullet. I received a great deal of “hate mail” after the release of Kyle’s documentary/film made during last year’s foal season. You can’t believe the impact that those letters had on my emotional well being. I was devastated. This will be my final statement in regard to this matter. I will try my best to be brief and succinct.
I was first instructed on this technique while attending vet school, where we used a ‘captive bolt’ (pneumatic 22 caliber) to euthanize equine. I have only performed this under the most dire of circumstances when no other option was available.
Last Friday, a starvation horse was brought to the Last Chance Corral. The kind people that transported him meant him no harm, however, the trailer they used was a stock trailer and the mats had no tread. It was raining that day, and so the mats were slick, allowing the horse no traction. When the trailer pulled in, all I could see was the horse’s nose and his distraught, panic-filled eyes. He was stuck in the rear corner, head up, knees tucked under, balancing on his brisket. His back legs were splayed to either side. This was BAD. This is not a position that a horse can assume without damage. We were able to pull the horse out of the trailer. His back was broken, he would never stand again. 
We stayed with him, sheltering him from the driving rain, offering him what minimal comforts we could while keeping him from thrashing. His front end was still useful, and so he kept attempting to rise. We held him for eight and a half hours until a vet could get there. At that point, the horse was humanely euthanized by an equine surgeon. The method he employed was a 22 caliber pistol. Because of all of the bad press I received, this horse suffered untold misery for eight and a half additional hours, only to meet the same end that could have been provided. To those of you who held my hands tied, I can only say this. SHAME ON YOU!
Shame on you for condemning me over something that you could never imagine yourself doing, or even imagining that it is humane. I will ask you to put aside your emotions and allow these PROFESSIONALS to EDUCATE you.
-Victoria Goss, President and Founder of the Last Chance Corral
Here are the responses of two veterinarians when we asked them if they thought euthanasia by bullet is humane:
“Humane? This is the ONLY 100% guarantee of a quick, painless death.”
-Abbott P. Smith, DVM and equine surgeon
“There are only two concerns I have with euthanizing a horse with a bullet. First, the person with the gun might trip and fall and shoot a bystander or themselves. Secondly, if the person is uninformed, they might not perform it correctly. It is totally humane when done correctly. I euthanized my own horse that way.”
-Daniel Stradley, DVM
died.
I am not a veterinarian, but I did do some research on this topic. Here is what I found. I made sure that my sources were from nothing less than licensed veterinarians. Please set your emotions aside and read this with an open mind. -Rachel
The horse world is full of controversy. What should be acceptable? What is considered humane? Sometimes, the answer is clear cut. Other times, the issue at hand can be debated until the end of time. These issues, almost always regarding animal safety and welfare, evoke strong emotions from both points of view.
One of these issues, horse euthanasia, has plagued the Last Chance Corral in recent times. In Athens, Ohio, there are no licensed veterinarians that will do emergency house calls- especially on a Sunday night. One such evening, we had to make the difficult decision to end the suffering of one of our orphan foals. This baby was dying, and we realized that making it wait until the next morning to euthanize it would be cruel… and that’s if it could make it to the next morning.
The barbiturates used to euthanize animals are controlled substances, meaning that veterinarians have to log and report every time they use the drug and the amount used. It is not legal for anyone other than a licensed veterinarian to possess these drugs. That factor combined with the reality that a veterinarian could not be obtained to perform the euthanasia after hours on Sunday forced us to make an extremely difficult decision. Though the foal looked fine externally, her organs were ‘calling it quits’. She was premature due to an induced labor, and because foals do not develop outside the womb, the baby’s organs were not able to take the demand of continued life.
It was evident that this could not wait until the next day, when we could trailer the baby to a veterinarian. Victoria was forced to euthanize the foal by gunshot, using the very technique that she was taught in vet school by licensed veterinarians. An Ohio University student was present at the time and documented the euthanasia. Pictures leading up to the euthanasia were compiled into a documentary video and put on the internet. We grieved for the little soul and turned our energy and attention to the many other orphans that relied on us. Then, we waited for the storm that was sure to come.
The internet is a dangerous thing. Anything posted on the internet is guaranteed to be seen by all- educated and ignorant alike. The way people percept anything depends on their present level of education and their own personal moral standards. Unfortunately, with the click of a mouse, everyone is subject to everyone else’s opinion- whether they like it or not. There is not an ‘online professor’ to correct mistakes when people spew misinformation. It is up to those defending themselves to shed light and information on the overly emotional and misinformed.
The storm came less than a day after posting the video. Hate mail arrived instantly, and large Last Chance Corral sponsors were contacted and told to never donate to our organization again because we shoot foals. This is not only hurtful to us, as we are hoping against hope to do what is right for the foals, but it is harmful to the organization that struggles to fulfill a promise made to ‘the nurse mare foals’- to do what we can to save as many as we can. Horse lovers were appalled and horrified that we would shoot innocent baby horses, and argued that even if the baby needed to be euthanized, it should have been done with the intravenous serum… the supposed ‘only humane method’.
Now remember what I said earlier. It is a right for people to have their own opinions and to state them freely, no matter their education or lack thereof. What most people do not understand, though, is that euthanasia by gunshot is not only an acceptable way to end a horse’s suffering, but it is the preferred method among veterinarians. Here are the facts. Quotes from Veterinarians ONLY are included, and both the lethal injection and death by gunshot are discussed.
There are currently no FDA approved euthanasia solutions for horses available in the United States. This means that the serums used are not guaranteed to work on horses. They are obviously still used, despite that fact. When the serum is used on horses, they can seizure, convulse, and often require a second and even a third injection- all while feeling everything going on around them. Though sometimes the appearance of ‘falling asleep’ is apparent, whether a reaction will take place is undeterminable before the injection is given. The injection may only be given by a licensed veterinarian, making emergency intravenous euthanasia even more difficult to obtain. Jerry Black, DVM, says “I have seen [a gun] used hundreds of times on cattle and horses and know in my mind that it is very humane and is much more instantaneous than chemical euthanasia. The animal literally knows nothing.”
Intravenous euthanasia is undoubtedly an approved and acceptable means of euthanasia in a horse. Some things must be taken into consideration, however. What if a horse with a broken leg is struggling violently, creating an impossible task for the veterinarian when he or she attempts to find a vein to inject an overdose of barbiturates? Remember, if the serum is injected anywhere other than the vein, it provokes strong, violent convulsions and an untold amount of agonizing pain. What then? What if the horse required a second or third injection, due to the convulsions from the first one?
The American Veterinary Medical Association recognized these ‘what-ifs’ and explored all possible ways of euthanizing an animal- both humane and inhumane. The results of their research are easily accessible to any member of the public, and are laid out in a clear cut format. Page three of AVMA Guidelines on Euthanasia states the following:
In evaluating methods of euthanasia, the panel used the following criteria: (1) ability to induce loss of consciousness and death without causing pain, distress, anxiety, or apprehension; (2) time required to induce loss of consciousness; (3) reliability; (4) safety of personnel; (5) irreversibility; (6) compatibility with subsequent evaluation, examination, or use of tissue; (7) emotional effect on observers and operators; (8) compatibility with subsequent evaluation, examination, or use of tissue; (9) drug availability and human abuse potential; (10) compatibility with species, age, and health status; (11) ability to maintain equipment in proper working order; and (12) safety for predators/scavengers should the carcass be consumed.
As I go on, take into consideration the criteria, and realize that a panel of licensed veterinarians produced these standards and guidelines. This should be read and absorbed with an open mind, tossing emotions aside to let knowledge and reality move in. When the subject of shooting an animal to put it out of its misery is mentioned, people tend to think of Bambi in that the animal dies an agonizing death. Realistically, the AVMA Guidelines on Euthanasia states that euthanasia by gunshot is a rapid death that provides instant loss of consciousness (p 33). They take equine euthanasia into special consideration, and mention that intravenous euthanasia is acceptable, but “these drugs may prolong time to loss of consciousness because of their effect on circulation and may result in varying degrees of muscular activity and agonal gasping” (p 18). They also state that “physical methods, including gunshot, are considered conditionally acceptable techniques for equine euthanasia” (p 18).
Doug Byers, DVM, states “I would equate captive bolt with gunshot and consider both humanely superior to lethal injection when performed properly. The public’s perception of lethal injection being the only humane procedure parlays to the standards of veterinary profession in this country- we simply do not teach instantaneous lethal trauma.” Another veterinarian, Dr Tom Lenz, shares his viewpoint and reasoning on the subject.
The captive bolt in the hands of an experienced person is completely humane because the horse is immediately rendered unconscious. It has the same effect as a gunshot when placed properly. I believe that it is more humane than chemical injection for two reasons. If you watch horses that are euthanized with the injection, many of them experience a period of bewilderment or confusion just before they lose consciousness. There is no doubt that they are aware that something strange is occurring. Second, many of the horses following chemical injection do not die quickly and require a second or third dose. With gunshot or captive bolt, the horse is rendered unconscious immediately.
It seems that if gunshot is indeed the preferred method for euthanizing a horse, the intravenous injection would lose popularity in America. All of the medical evidence states that when done properly, it is a humane and effective way to euthanize a horse without risk of convulsions or multiple attempts. If so, why is the injection ever so popular among Americans who face the decision to euthanize their horses? Karen E. N. Hayes, a veterinarian, comes with a good point in her Equisearch.com article “At Your Mercy: Euthanasia”. She states the following, “Veterinarians generally choose lethal injection or gunshot for euthanasia. In Europe, gunshot is the preferred method; in the US, lethal injection is more popular, likened to the emotional ideal of dying in one’s sleep”. The pros she lists for the lethal injection are that “if done properly, it is less violent in appearance; bloodless; quiet; and humane”. The cons are as follows and are found in the same article:
Only one type of barbiturates shuts down the brain first, before shutting down other bodily functions. Other products (such as T61 and succinylcholine) cause a heart attack or paralysis and suffocation, so are meant to be used on a horse under anesthesia. Some vets don't have the license to carry barbiturates, which are classified as controlled substances. The other drugs are cheaper and safer to carry. Regardless of drug, administration requires expertise: it must be given via vein or heart injection, either of which requires skill. If the needle misses the mark, the drug won't work and can cause a violent and painful reaction.
She also discusses the pros and cons of euthanasia by gunshot, and states that shooting the animal properly “is reliable, instantaneous, externally bloodless, and humane. The emotional/social stigma can make this upsetting for witnesses.”
There are veterinarians everywhere that feel similarly on the topic. Dr Woody Asbury has had experience with both, and shares the conclusion that he has come to.
I practiced veterinary medicine from 1956 until recently, and I administered lethal doses of barbiturates for euthanasia countless times. This technique is much slower than euthanasia by bullet, and frequently required additional injections. I had clients who would prefer a quicker method. On several occasions I used a pistol to euthanize horses. Aside from the danger of gunshot to bystanders (or administrators), the results are infinitely better with the pistol than with the barbiturates. Also, I don’t buy the ‘fear and apprehension’ problems that activists claim. There is no wild-eyed anticipation or screaming when the environment is managed correctly.
This makes one wonder, is the lethal injection really for the good of the horse, or is it just for the horse owners, who do not want to see their companion and partner be shot? Isolating your feelings from fairness to the animal must be done in order to make a wise painless decision for the animal. Anything less is selfish, and in fact, potentially inhumane.
No matter how gruesome it may seem, the public must realize that what right is not always easy. They need not condemn the very people that are trying to solve the problem and do what is best for the welfare of the horses. Those who have not been in the situations that we have faced have no right to judge. They don’t know the anguish that we experience making sure that we keep pressing on until it is evident that we are no longer helping. We owe it to the foals and horses we work with to respect them enough to set our personal emotions aside, give them one last kiss and rub on the neck, and give them a dignified, calm, and definite end.
-Rachel
We asked M. Ann Mandic, DVM, to send a few words regarding this topic to us. Her reply is in purple.
To Whom it May Concern:
I have been very concerned about some of the feedback that has been received by the Last Chance Corral regarding the student’s video that appeared last month. I feel the responsibility to express my feelings on the subject, and have pondered all viewpoints to be sure that I keep my mind open and objective. I approach this as someone who has officially worked with companion animals since 1970. My life’s work has allowed me many great joys as well as some heartbreaking times. It is not reality to have the first without the second if you are in the real world of animals.
As a veterinarian as well as a caregiver of my own family of animals, my greatest challenge has been and probably always will be to find a method that helps with the daunting decision of when loving is to let go. My prayer has always been and always will be to not give up a moment prematurely but to not linger a moment too long when death is the only kindness left to give. Once a decision to end suffering has been made, I have found it absolutely essential that I do not indulge my feelings at that time. The act of euthanasia is a task that must be performed as perfectly and precisely as anything I do in my practice. If I do not separate my emotions, letting them cause my hands to quiver or my eyes to blur, I may give my patient a moment of discomfort or anxiety, which would be unforgivable. My tears have flowed both privately and publicly after my patient is finally at peace. These are never happy times, but in some cases, my tears of sadness also combine with tears of relief.
As the years have gone by, I find this aspect of my job to be more difficult than ever. Some have asked if one “gets used to it”. I have not. Also, as the years have gone on, I have come to understand that my method of ending suffering is not the only humane method. Although I am a small animal veterinarian, I have used intravenous euthanasia on two of my own horses. Although this method is very quick, I must say that the seconds seemed to take forever. There was a time that I would have been horrified to think of anyone using a gun on any animal. I now realize that someone properly trained and self disciplined can deliver an exceptionally humane release this way.
As I watch the Foal Season video repeatedly in light of the resulting controversy, I can understand the emotions that may have been evoked seeing Victoria Goss preparing to do what she had to do. What was not seen was the anguish, the efforts, and the tears that went into that most difficult of decisions… not a moment too soon, not a moment too late. Remember, the time for tears and emotion is not while preparing to administer the perfectly placed injection or bullet.
I have seen the Last Chance Corral in action. I have been on the phone while very difficult decisions are being made. I have never seen anything except selfless, devoted, caring about the foals and horses lucky enough to find their way there. It seems that most people understand all of this for themselves, but I fear there may be some that become so upset and angry that the anger is displaced. This is very understandable, but please do not confuse the problem with the solution.
I have supported the Last Chance Corral both financially, spiritually, and professionally. I have also often wished I was not hours away, so that I could be available on a sad Sunday night, when a veterinarian was needed quickly. Please see clearly the source of your angst and frustration. Is it really the arduous, selfless, and compassionate efforts of the amazing people at the Last Chance Corral, or rather that huge part of the horse world that sees horses as things, as businesses, as little more than used vehicles? Please do not undermine the efforts of those who work so selflessly for the horses. They are sensitive people, their work is difficult, and they need every bit of support and encouragement you can give. I have learned to harness the anger and the sadness and let it become energy that can work to help change the sad circumstances one animal at a time.
I hope that I have offended no one by what I have written here, it is truly from my heart.
M. Ann Mandic, DVM
As I said before, whatever your viewpoint is, if you comment, your comment will be left up on this blog. We understand that some people refuse to learn the truth, but we felt the need to give this issue closure. We hope that it is enough, and will continue to strive to make a difference.
Thank You,
The Last Chance Corral
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