Smokey's Smokin' News Update from Shane:
NEWS FLASH: The 2010 summer camp dates have just been posted.... get all the details on the "Kid's Camps" page ~!!!!
Hello Friends, it's me Smokey! It's my job is to keep everyone up to date on the farm happenings. Check in with my news page and I will catch you up in a flash!
Well, this past year was interesting. We said hello and goodbye to a wonderful group of horses that needed saving. We were proud to assist in placing some super-nice horses & ponies with wonderful, loving families. Shane was a HUGE part of our 2009 as well. Our old buddy Shane is back and getting stronger every day and is well... healthy as a horse again thanks to the many people who have been helping him!
Our camps filled up and went off without a hitch as usual and fun was had by all! Lessons continued, almost daily... and I had a great time making lots of new friends. We ran a couple of P.A.L sessions, which you know I love! We welcomed new boarders and filled all the stalls here! The annual Play Day was a blast and the Christmas party was too!
There were improvements made to the farm as well. We added a few strands of electric wire to all our 3-board fenced fields to better secure our enclosures. I really liked sticking my head through the fence to reach whatever was on the other side, but my mom was totally sick of my mane being rubbed out, not to mention all the boards I broke...whoops. The electric does the trick to keep my whole body in the field now (RATS!!!)....and my mane has never looked better! What else, what else... the round pen was partially rebuilt and made stronger & in my opinion, more lovely & better then ever. Now we have a nice view when we're in there! We put up a new run-in shed and built another paddock too! We rubber matted the stalls in back of the indoor, oh, we built a tack room in the middle barn too... and most recently, we got rid of the ugly silo by the indoor... goodbye and good riddance to that thing. We are all loving the improvements & can't wait for the next improvement... better lighting in the outdoor ring!
All in all it was a happy and productive year here with the exception of the last week of 2009, which proved to be a very sad one. Our friend Thor passed suddenly and unexpectedly. It's hard to believe he's gone. There was never a sweeter horse, or a horse that brought so many smiles to so many faces. There was absolutely no way to be anything but happy in his presence. We were so fortunate to know him, so fortunate that he was our friend.
May you all have a very blessed 2010,
~Smokey
Thor
Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.
When a pet dies that has been especially close to someone here, he goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends, so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water, and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.
All the animals who had been ill or old are restored to health and vigor. Those that were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and time gone by.
The animals are happy and content except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.
They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent. His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.
You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from the heart.
Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together...
Just before Christmas we unexpectedly and unfairly had to say goodbye to our friend, Thor. The pain of his passing is indescribable. He was loved dearly and will be missed dearly by all who had the privilege of knowing him. Our farm will never be the same without him.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Chris & Gretchen, Thor's wonderful mom & dad.
Rest in peace Baby Huey
Meet FRF's Newest friend:
Hi my name is Trig. I arrived at FRF a couple of weeks ago. I am a super nice boy & look forward to meeting everyone!
I went though the draft auction at New Holland a few weeks ago, then went through the Camelot auction after that. I was purchased by the house and was in risk of shipping to slaughter. I am 10 years old and 17.2 hands. I am healthy and sound. I sustained nerve damage of some sort and have a hard time keeping the right side of my mouth closed. My vet thinks this nerve damage was most likely the result of some sort of trauma, possibly a kick from another horse. This nerve damage may be temporary or permanent... only time will tell. In the meantime, I have my vet's blessing for riding and I am also broke to drive both single & double. I can't wait to show everyone here all the cool stuff I know! Check out my video below so you can see just what a big sweetie I am!
See you around the farm... ~TRIG
Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ciYDKYmAAy0
A Letter from Shane:
Dear World,
This Thanksgiving I am thankful. Thankful to the people who are helping me to live again. I was once a bright, happy, vibrant, chubby boy when I lived at Fox Ridge Farm 2 years ago. Life was good. I was one of the higher-ups in the herd, I had my best friends Fred & Homer to play with every day. My stall was always clean and I was never hungry. I was looked after, I was safe, I was happy, I was healthy, I was loved.
Then everything changed... My neglectful ex-owner moved me. She left me in the care of a heartless barn owner that in her own words: couldn't separate me from the herd so I could get my food because "it would be too much extra work". In fact she barely fed me enough to keep me alive.
Thank God for Judy, Homer's mom, she ran into my ex-owner on a Friday. She was informed that I had an appointment to be euthanized the following Wednesday. The old barn owner and my ex-owner starved & neglected me for 2 years, then the plan was to euthanize me after the unbelievable damage they caused my body. This is something I cannot understand because I am a good boy. I could have been sold, I could have been given away to someone who would have loved me and cared for me properly. Anyone would be lucky to have me. Instead my ex-owner kept me and caused me to suffer for a long time unnecessarily. She could have moved me from that horrible barn she was boarding me at, but she didn't. She did nothing to help me. The barn owner in charge of taking care of me also did nothing to help me.
My ex-owner and the barn owner did not love me and did not care for me.
My ex-owner and the barn owner never missed a meal, while I was being starved to death.
My ex-owner and the barn owner cleaned themselves while my skin was left to rot away.
My ex-owner and the barn owner went to the doctor if they got sick, they went to the dentist to take care of their teeth. Neither of them did those things for me.
My ex-owner and the barn owner saw my condition, saw my health failing, saw my eyes starting to go blind and did nothing to help me.
I am a good boy. I am still a good boy.
Saturday calls were placed and my ex-owner agreed to give me to Fox Ridge Farm. This is the one thing that this owner did for me that was right. My moms are certain this was done for my ex-owner's financial benefit though. It's an easy out... there will be no vet bill to put me down. There will be no fee to have the meat-wagon haul my dead body away. Either way, I am happy again.
...I arrive at Fox Ridge Farm on Sunday. I take a deep breath as I stumble off the trailer. I am home again. I am unrecognizable as Shane to my old friends. Those who knew me wept. Those who met me for the first time wept. Grown men wept at the sight of me. My condition is horrific. The stench of infection coming from infected & abscessed teeth is stomach turning. The sight of my unimaginable rain rot that covers much of my body is shocking. My coat, once beautiful is now hard and skin and hair are matted together forming scabs. Fungus and bacteria have been left to consume my body. My eyes are infected & ulcerated, no longer clear and bright. I am a walking skeleton. Of the 4 shoes I am supposed to be wearing, only 2 are left and one is hanging on by a single nail. It hurts to walk. My feet like the rest of me have been neglected for a long time and are split and cracked.
The vet was called and came to see me the very next day. I scored a 1 on the body condition scale. On this scale a 0 is dead, I am a only a small step above dead. The vet ran blood work on me, all is fine except my protein levels. They are low and directly related to malnutrition. The old barn owner that starved me tries telling everyone that I was sick and wouldn't eat... The blood work says differently & doesn't lie. The vet says differently and doesn't lie. I say differently & my appetite doesn't lie. All I've done now for 3 straight weeks is eat. I have never refused any food put in front of me. I was not sick, am not sick, I was starved plain and simple.
The vet says my teeth are in horrible condition and like the rest of me have been completely neglected. Plus there are definite infections happening in my mouth too. The vet wants to sedate me to address them but cannot. In my weakened, malnourished state sedation will kill me. We have to wait until I am strong again. For now the vet says I must go on antibiotics to start addressing the unknown problems in my mouth. Even with my mouth a mess, I eat. I am never without food now. I eat, I eat, I eat, I eat, I eat... something my ex-owner and the barn owner did not afford me for a long time.
The vet also puts me on 2 types of antibiotic ointment for my painful eyes. Worming and vaccinations have to wait for now too. Both could also kill me.
I am eating again! It's marvelous! Did I mention I eat!!!
I did have a set back though on Tuesday. Something bad happened. Something very bad. While walking to my paddock I stopped a few times and started having involuntary muscle spasms. All of the sudden, I could not breath, I could barely stay standing. I was running and panicking, my eyes were bulging and I was gasping for air. One of my moms says it was the scariest thing that's ever happened to her. She thought I was going to die. I thought I was going to die. One of my moms held me while the other ran for the phone to call the vet. Then, 2 -3 minutes after it started, it was ending.... slowly I was starting to take in air again. The vet said I may have had a mild heart attack and was going into shock...or it could be some sort of disorder that years of starvation has brought on. I am awaiting results now to see if I am HYPP positive. Hopefully we can get to the bottom of it. Seizures in horses are serious. We panic, we run, we break legs, we become impaled on fences, and worse. Thankfully it has not happened again and I've been feeling just fine. I know I have an enormous amount of people praying for me and that's what I need now most of all, lots of prayers.
The same day as my seizure/shock episode Kenny comes to do my feet. It's marvelous! Kenny's marvelous! The world is marvelous again! I know I surprised him that I could stand to get new shoes on! I know he had his doubts when he saw me. Like everyone else, he is appalled by my condition. He works his magic like no other farrier can and my shoes are on! Joy! Relief! I am walking so much better. My moms were inching along with me, now they're rushing along side of me to keep up.
It feels so good to feel good again!
I have some serious shout outs to make here. There is a group of amazing people that have donated their time, their money, medications, blankets, senior feed, and cookies to me. I am forever grateful, my moms are forever grateful. Words cannot begin to express my gratitude to the following people:
Laurette, Al, & Kathleen,Merusi
Michelle & Ben Hoch
Christina & Rob Gerczak
Gretchen & Chris Sly
Elke & Jamie Gutierrez
Wendy & Cina Gabel
Allison, Paul & Gabby Gunther
Carol Templer
Denise Merusi
Donna Cerio
Laura Quigg
Manibel Arias
Janice Anderson
Kathryn Tracy
Margaret Tremain
Patricia Matteson
Linda O
Thanks to those who didn't identify themselves and left cash bundled up w/ a little note that said "For Shane" and thanks to those who donated to me and wore ribbons for me at the Play Day on November 29th.
Thank You
Thank You
Thank You
From the bottom of my heart thank you.
It's such a blessing to know there are so many WONDERFUL people that are standing up for me, standing up for the terrible injustice that was done to me.
It's a blessing to know so many are praying for me, pulling for me, and helping me to have the best possible happy ending that I can.
I know many of you live far away, I know I won't get the chance to meet many of you in person. I will keep you all updated on my life right here on the news page and will supply pictures of my improving condition too. You have touched this horse's life beyond measure and I am so grateful. Grateful to be loved, grateful to be appreciated, grateful to be home.
With much love and much gratitude,
~Shane
Hi Everyone,
It's been a few weeks now and I've been feeling great....just wanted you all to know. I was happy to hear that animal control visited my old barn and then called the SPCA to pay them a visit too. Hopefully, both agencies are now keeping an eye on my old friends that still have to live there. I am grateful to the people who placed those calls. I am grateful for the tremendous support, donations, kind words, and love that I can feel right down to my horseshoes.
I am amazed and touched that donations are STILL coming in. Just when I thought humans were the enemy, so many wonderful and caring people have graciously given so that I can get well again. I am so thankful to Michelle Hoch and her amazing band of friends that have pulled through for me. I am so grateful to Susanne Meslans, another wonderful person that I have never met but who sent a donation to help with my expenses. I am so grateful for my Uncle Jaime, who has been a constant blessing to me since my arrival. I am so grateful for Diane Billingsley who also sent in a donation and a lovely note, saying how she is hopeful that one day I will be adopted by a decent & caring human being. I feel secure that I will Diane... and if there is no one out there for me, I will remain right here, safe and loved. Thank you to the Bryan family, Janet & Emily, for your extremely generous donation! Thanks also to Christine Murphy. Your kindness has impacted this horse's life more then you know. It's afforded me the comforts that have been absent for far too long in my life.
Here is my new photo, you can clearly see that I'm filling out. My back and hindquarters look a little funny due to the horrendous rain rot I had. My friends spent hours and hours bathing me, medicating me, & cutting the hair off my back tiny piece by tiny piece with little scissors. The vet said I am healed!!! Now I have soft peach-fuzz growing in. Ahhhhh...life is good! My eyes have healed as well... and so has the infection in my mouth! I am getting stronger & healthier every day! When I first got here, I tried to roll and could barely lift my legs off the ground, then when I tried to stand I would crash back down. Now I get up and down with ease and enjoy rolling and rolling and rolling!! Walking up and down the hill to my stall was also hard for me. I used to have to stop and take breaks, now I drag whoever is leading me. Yes, I am feeling much better!
Thank you everyone!
~Shane
p.s. Love you my mommies...
Another Shane update:
Taaaa Daaaaa.... Check me out now!
This picture was taken January 12, 2010. I am still steadily gaining weight, as you can see.
Today I have the biggest and most important announcement to make: "I am offically searching for a new owner"! Since I'm so good, I would like a good owner too. If you know someone looking for a dashingly handsome boy who is good and sweet and knows how to appreciate and reciprocate kindness, please mention me. I took someone for a ride today, for the first time in a loooong time, and guess what... I was amazing! If you'd like to see me in action, just check out the "horses for sale page" and you can see a video of me!
OK, well, back to my feed pail,
~Shane
2009 Play Day:
Details are now on the "Shows" page. My mom will also post info on the bulletin board in the big barn. I don't know much yet, but I do know this... the date is Sunday, November, 29th. Rain date is Sunday, December 6th. As always, this show is open ONLY to students & boarders of Fox Ridge Farm. Riders, bring your friends & family to watch you compete in fun games on horseback. Then we'll all enjoy a pot-luck style BBQ after. Show starts at 8a.m. sharp. OH MY GOODNESS..... I can't wait!!!
FOX RIDGE RIDERS CLUB:
The Fox Ridge Riders Club (FRRC) is headed for it's 5th meeting, which will be on January 16th! Be there or be square! Current members please do not forget to bring your project books.
In our first 2 meetings, members learned how to take the horses vital signs (temperature/pulse/respiration) as well as other ways to detect possible health problems, such as: gut sounds, hydration, & CRT/capillary refill time. We logged in our horse's vaccination information and even measured and weighed them... It's fun to learn about the horses we all love to ride!
For our 3rd meeting we focused on Shane's poor condition. We learned about the effects of malnutrition & starvation on his body, the body condition scale, and we also learned about rain rot and other skin conditions.
In our 4th meeting we practiced pulling manes and clipping.
On another note... the club tee shirts came in, they are nice, but I must say I was slightly disheartened to see that my face was not on them. Though I guess the logo is nice too....let's just pretend that the logo horse is me, ok?
Anyway, about this club, all students are invited & encouraged to join! You may join at any time. Please check out the "Fox Ridge Riders Club" page for details.
DISCOUNTED MOMMY LESSONS:
Fox Ridge Farm would like to offer all the moms of any child that rides here, an opportunity to take lessons for the discounted price of $25.
We appreciate all the moms and the running they do for the kids. This is Smokey's way of saying "thanks mom!" Great idea I had, wasn't it?! Whoop whoop, go Smokey, go Smokey...
NEW HORSES:
Welcome Troubadour & congratulations to Elke & Jamie on your beautiful new boy! Welcome Achilles & congratulations Spector family on your beautiful new boy! Both of these great horses can breathe easy now, but that wasn't the case a month ago when they both were in danger of shipping to a Canadian slaughter house. These horses and many many more have been saved and placed in wonderful, loving homes thanks to the rescue organization, Another Chance For Horses. Thanks Christy & everyone at AC4H for your tireless efforts to save these guys. Because of you, we have been blessed and honored to meet & house some of these fabulous souls who would have been lost without you.
As far as Troubadour & Achilles, I am reminded of a famous line from the book Black Beauty:
"And here my story ends. My troubles are all over, and I am at home..."
WELCOME HOME BOYS!!!