Stories about some of our horses

DoubleHP Minerva - our Warrior Horse Goddess

2011-12-21T08:31:00.000-08:00

Tried to get some new photos of the horses today but they were all snoozing. So I took some close ups instead. Here's Minerva, our Warrior Horse Goddess.

We rescued Minerva from starvation as a yearling. Not long after that she and her mama Jasmine appeared as poster children for Unwanted Horses in a national "Unwanted Horse" conference in Washington, D.C., in June 2008. I suppose I somehow gave permission for the photo to be used, through a survey or membership or something. Though I don't remember specifically but I cannot say for sure that I did not either.

here's the link to the online document/presentation from this Forum.

http://www.nal.usda.gov/awic/pubs/FTAAProceedings/unwantedhorseproceedings2008.pdf

On Page 85 you will find our poster children.

here is that photo I still have on my computer.

I took the photo, just a couple of days after we rescued this herd.

wow, they were pretty sad looking, weren't they!

I guess they really did look the part - unwanted.

funny thing is, they really weren't.

Turns out all of the horses from this herd are now excellent riding horses. Well, except for Mama Jasmine, who is now in horsey heaven. What a tough gal Jasmine was though. emaciated, broken hip, could barely walk partly due to no hoof care, her emaciated yearling Minerva right by her side and, in addition to all of this, Jasmine was 3 weeks away from giving birth to another foal, our Hero.

Because they are serioulsy neglected, does that mean necessarily that they also are unwanted?

I don't think so.

I think the term "unwanted" is unecessary.

These horses were neglected, to the point of inhumane treatment, which is a crime.

Seriously! Even in South Dakota, this is against the law.

Let's be placing the blame where it belongs: On the irresponsible owners.

"Unwanted" makes it sound as though it's the horse's fault.

But it's not! It's the owner's fault. And, in this case, as with most of them, the owner was also the breeder.

These were not "unwanted" horses.

They were neglected horses.

They were irresponsibly-bred horses.

That is human error.

Let's start putting these things in prespective.

Quit blaming it on the horses.

The fault lies with the breeder and/or owner.

In any case, we are so happy to have rescued this herd a few years ago. We answered the call for assistance from a nearby animal shelter that is no longer in existence. We were supposed to "assist" them but ended up doing the whole thing, including taking over responsibility for all expenses and placement of the horses. Fortunately, we had several other experienced horse people join us and were able to accomplish this unexpected mission.

Minerva has grown up to be a fantastic riding horse, a natural "Western Pleasure" prospect who also has some pretty great "Reining Horse" moves. Don't laugh at me. I know some things about Reining, and I have had two trainers confirm this for me.

Well, anyway, we had snow last Christmas.

Here's Minerva a year ago.

Making Snow Angels I think!

You bet she's a poster child.

But it's not for Unwanted Horses anymore.

It's for Warrior Horse Goddesses.

in mythology, Minerva the Roman Goddess was born in an odd way. She burst from her father's brain, already fully grown and wearing warrior attire. In one legend, Minerva the Roman Goddess tells a competitor, "challenge your fellow-mortals as you will, but do NOT compete with a Goddess!

oh, and we should mention: Minerva is available for sponsorship with riding privileges here at New Hope Horse Shelter near Crooks/Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

Please please please not the S word

2011-11-28T20:27:00.001-08:00

Shadow has become quite the tuff guy. here are some photos of him from the last week or so.
BACKGROUND: same situation as Bella. It's too disgusting to tell again. but you'll find the story here if you look around a little.

These first photos are Shadow playing with the biggest horse here, HotShot.

Shadow is 2; HotShot is 20!

now those are some nasty looks, boys!

Shadow and Hero

ok, these guys are definitely up to something. Hero, Shadow, Prince.
all 3 rescued from starvation.
Hero was rescued 3 weeks before he was born,
Shadow has too long of a rescue story to tell here,
Prince was rescued as a yearling and now he is 10.

These photos were taken last week.
Here's a more recent update on Shadow: Last night, we noticed Shadow had a couple of lumps under his chin/jaw area. One of them was open and draining. Of course you have to think the S word. (that would be strangles). But, he hadn't been around any horses except this herd. No other horses had come here. The main lump wasn't quite in the right place to be strangles. His appetite was fine. His temp was fine. No other horses had any symptoms. Anway, we put him and Bella in the 2 in/out pens by the little barn. And today Dr. Jensen came. She is thinking NOT strangles. Possibly some weird injury that abscessed and now has opened. But just to be sure (I told her I was pretty motivated to find out for sure if possible), she took a sample of the gunk that is draining, and also a blood draw. And we should know something in a few days. Oh, and Dr. Jensen took Bella's stitches out today while she was here too.

update: Dec. 21, 2011. Shadow is back out with the herd. His owie did drain quite a bit but is all closed up now. still a little bump there. we will never know what it was. The lab results came back as real low positive for strangles type stuff. But he never had a high temp, never acted sick, no other horses had symptoms, and after about 2 weeks he rejoined the herd.
Also, Bella's shoulder is healing up great. It looks really good. nice and flat and all closed up. She'll always have the scar there but at least we got rid of the big ball of scar tissue/skin hanging there, and hopefully the flies won't like it as much now.

Bella's Shoulder Thing

2011-11-26T16:37:00.001-08:00

About a week and a half ago Bella went to Dakota Large Animal Clinic to see what could be done about her shoulder.
BACKGROUND INFO: Bella is one of the horses that we were asked to help rescue in Lincoln County in Oct. 2009. The whole herd was later given back to the neglectful owners. Then, in March 2011 we got a phone call saying that Bella had been seized again, this time in Minnehaha County, and was headed for a loose (slaughter) horse sale. This is all a really long confusing and disgusting story. But we ended up buying Bella and Shadow for $406 each, from the cattle feedlot guy that the State had given the horses to. We could not believe how horrible Bella looked again. And this after 40 days in court/State appointed care. She is still only 3 years old now. And all of this had already happened to her. More than once.

Somewhere, sometime, in between the 2 "rescues" (NOT) that we knew about, Bella got a terrible shoulder injury and it was not treated and ended up with a great big ball of something. scar tissue or something, just hanging there to get caught on something and scraped and scratched and rubbed up against everything.

Here's how it looked this past summer. Don't worry, we kept this pink ointment on it to keep the flies off. We had to wait until fly season was gone to have it worked on.

So anyway, about a week and a half ago, off we went to the Vet Clinic.

Dr. Jensen shaved around the big lump.

Scrubbing

Blocking (numbing)

Now this is what you call a horse getting "worked on." As Dr. Jensen was cutting and sewing on Bella's shoulder, Todd was trimming Bella's hooves.

Bella is a very beautiful 3-year-old. And we hope this injury area will close up and not "leak" anymore, so the flies won't be so all over it next spring. That scar will be there of course. But as bad as that looks, it is nothing compared to Bella's scars that we can't really see. The emotional scars from severe neglect. But Bella, like most of our rescued horses, is very forgiving. She is nice and friendly and has even had a saddle and rider on her a couple of times. We'll see what next spring brings. But this winter, Bella just gets to eat and drink and go in the barn whenever she wants to. Last year at this time, I'm thinking Bella was feeling pretty miserable. They were seized in Jan. 2011. So in Nov. 2010 they were probably not doing so well.

Bella, summer 2011, New Hope Horse Shelter

But look at her now! Isn't she beautiful! Bella. became a permanent resident at New Hope Horse Shelter in May 2011. No more neglect Miss Bella. You are home. And safe.

Here's another photo album of Bella and Shadow.

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150413175885284.618743.424380895283&type=3

And, if you would like to donate toward Bella's Vet and farrier expenses, just use the Donate button at our home page here.

Or send check to DoubleHP Horses, 25337 470 Ave, Crooks SD 57020. We are a 501c3 nonprofit, and donations are tax deductible. Thank you.

update on Baylee's white line disease

2011-11-23T19:07:00.001-08:00

January 17, 2012. I didn't really want to do a separate post right now. but guess what! uh huh. Baylee has rejoined the herd. during the day. still stays in at night for now. just ease her back in to it. so far so good. and she is so happy. she is such a little alpha mare. squealing at the boys. herding the mares around. so nice to see her being a horse again!

OK here is the rest of (previous) the story: PLEASE KEEP IN MIND THAT THIS STORY HERE WAS WRITTEN APPROX. NOVEMBER OF 2011.
time for a Baylee update. Last February (2011) Baylee was diagnosed with white line disease. she has had minor lameness/thin sole type issues on and off most of her life (she's 12), but this was a new kind of lameness. And sure enough, a new kind of situation. We have never dealt with white line disease here before. Since February (2011), Baylee has been to Dakota Large Animal Clinic lots of times. She almost jumps up on the Xray blocks all by herself she has done it so many times. Our last trip to DLAC was November 16 (2011) . Baylee has been doing great now for the last month or so. But Dr. Jensen wants us to stay safe for an entire year (so, until Feb), before we let Baylee out with the herd and do whatever she wants, like run hard, etc. At one point in all of this, our only option other than euthanasia was to have her tendon cut. Which, of course, we did. and it was the right decision. But a cut tendon is a cut tendon, and she will never be 100% on that leg. But right now, if she's on soft ground like the sand in the riding arena, she looks pretty dang good and we look forward to riding her again next spring/summer. Baylee loves us and loves it when we ride her. I know that sounds dumb, but Baylee loves attention and she really does like to go riding. She is sad that other horses are being ridden and she just has to stand there and watch. The other thing about this whole deal is that early on, in Feb., Dr. Jensen had to cut away a big chunk of Baylee's hoof. To get in there and clean out the diesease. And it takes approx. a year to grow a new hoof back. have you heard of terms like "separation," "rotation," ??? usually you would hear about that if a horse got into the grain room or overdid the lush spring pasture grass and "foundered". Well, some of the same stuff happened here. not feed related. But as the white line disease destroyed her good hoof tissue, etc., the layers of her hoof began to separate which caused her foot bones to rotate, because things weren't holding things into place anymore. Anyway, these Xrays and photos will help you understand a little bit. As we went through this process, we tried many different types of shoes and pads. And at one point we were pretty sure there was an abscess but the farrier and Vet could not find it for sure and this went on for over a month. Baylee got so sore during this time that I seriously did consider euthanasia. Because at this time her "rotation" wasn't all that bad. And we just couldn't figure out why the extreme soreness. And then, finally, an abscess blew open and drained. WE also closely monitored the Bute and Banamine for Baylee. She had to have something for the pain, but I also didn't want to overdue these products. because long-term use of these can cause other problems. One really big thing that helped Baylee was a great big gel-padded boot. Sometimes, I just think that even though shoes do provide support and something in between the foot and the ground, a shoe is still really hard metal. And if the sore spot is in direct contact with the shoe, that's no better than the hard ground. And for a while we really couldn't pinpoint THE sore spot, so we tried this boot. And I think it's what finally gave Baylee enough pain relief to just walk kind of normally (well, with this boot on) and grow some hoof. Of course we checked often, and it did get a little moist and squishy in there. So we would go back and forth on the boot. And now she is bootless, shoeless, and I think painless.
Here are some visuals from this journey, which began almost a year ago.
REMEMBER TO CLICK ON THESE PHOTOS FOR THEM TO ENLARGE.

this was in February 2011. I kind of remember Dr. Jensen saying something like "what in the world!" as she was looking at this on her screen. So I knew it might not be too good. You can see the big black hollow area and also the beginning "rotation."

This is how much of her hoof was cut away and cleaned out. Of course there was already a big hollow area there, from the disease.

March, rotation getting worse.

April, even more rotation. I think it looked even worse than this before the shoe. At this time, our options were either euthanasia (Baylee was really sore at this time) or try cutting the tendon, which is what we did.

This is the same day in April, right after the tendon was cut and a different shoe put on. I don't remember if we left this shoe on or not. but you can see here there was some immediate relief, as far as rotation. at least her bone wasn't going to poke through the bottom of her foot anymore.

May, 2011. not sure if this is the shoe we went with, but you can see the change in rotation. isn't that neat?

this is July. Baylee was really really sore at this time, even though things look better. this was during the invisible abscess time. we tried shoe on, shoe off, soaking, wrapping, digging, everything. finally an abscess blew open and drained. She was still really really sore for a long time though. so who knows.

Now look at this one! This, I learned, is what you call negative rotation.

this was in September. This is when she got the big gel padded boot. Along with a different trim. She was still really sore at this time. but week by week, as her hoof grew out, she got better and better. and in late Oct. or so, she didn't need the boot anymore.

Here we are Nov. 16, 2011. headed back the right way. No shoe, no boot. a little limp, and a little sore on concrete. but she always was. the entire barn aisle is now lined with rubber mats. and baylee has a medium size pen to walk out in to with very soft ground. We always keep a "buddy" in for her. We spend a lot of time with her so she doesn't get depressed or just give up. It's not easy for her being away from the herd.

Only a couple more months Baylee Bob. Hoping so much that everything stays ok with this foot. and that Baylee can be running with the herd by Valentine's Day.

here's how much her hoof has grown back. So it's just that bottom darker part that is not new growth.

compared to this, from February. is that amazing stuff?

In Honor of Stormy, a very special horse

2011-11-03T17:57:00.000-07:00

A Video link honoring Stormy, a very special horse who helped a lot of people figure a lot of things out

Wendy sent us this video the other day. Stormy recently went to heaven. About 8 years ago we raised money for Stormy's surgery (navicular issues), Wendy adopted him, and trailriding they did go. Our Veterinarian had determined that Stormy was an excellent candidate for this surgery, and it did work. It gave Stormy many more years of doing what he enjoyed. Trailriding. Stormy was also an excellent... therapy horses in Wendy's EAGALA program. Since summer or so they had been struggling with soreness issues again, and the Veterinarian determined that Stormy was NOT a candidate for a second surgery. They kept Stormy comfortable for several months with special shoes and meds. It gave Stormy some time to show Rocky & Roman (2 of our other rescued horses now living with Wendy) around the place, and to teach them some things. Stormy was a very special horse to all who met him, and we thank Wendy and Matt so much for giving Stormy a second life. An excellent life. I know they miss Stormy very very much. He was a special guy.

Don't let them take you to a second place

2011-09-09T09:14:00.000-07:00

Update on Bella and Shadow.

When we were young girls and would have some speakers come to PE class or health and safety or a similar class like that (ok, this is a few years ago); sometimes they would talk about rape and kidnapping. One thing that has always stayed in my mind is the advice to "never let your kidnapper take you to a second place." Do whatever you can, fight with everything you have, to try to get away and get to safety. if they move you, if you get in a car with them and go someplace else, your chance of survival goes way way down anyway. I dont know if this is still the advice that is given, but back then it made a lot of sense to me.

I think about this with Bella and Shadow.

Some of our volunteers had the privilege to meet these nice young horses back in Oct.2009, when they were rescued from starvation. Shadow was only a few months old and already taken from his mommy. Bella was about a year and a half. Shadow was 1.5 BCS; Bella was a 2. Loaded with worms. Shadow just wanted to lie down all the time, and pretty soon he couldn't even get up by himself. He spent 2 weeks in the horse hospital at DLAC. Anyway, we only got to care for them for a short time. Long enough to get them all on their way to health. And then we were rudely dismissed and no one would tell us anything about the case. That is because there was no case. The horses (8 total) were all returned to the neglectful owners.

In March 2011, when we heard they had been starved and taken from owners again, we were not surprised. But when we heard they were headed for the loose horse sale, per actions of the legal system, we were devastated. How could this happen to these little horses. How could so many different law enforcement and animal protection type entities be involved in this and let this happen to these horses who had already been through so much.

Anyway, fast forward to now. Our rescue org. owns Shadow and Bella, and they have been promised a forever home with us. They could be adopted out, but we do not know how they are going to turn out.

If they wouldn't have gone back to the owners the first time around, they would be entirely different horses than they are today. Beautiful Bella, now she has this huge injury area on her right shoulder. This was not there when we knew her the first time around.

we rub this ointment on Bellas shoulder injury area several times a day

Because if we dont, this is what happens. the flies have opened it up a bit this fall.
After fly season, we will take her to the Vet and have them do whatever reconstructive work they can to this area.

She also is not sound. This was not the case back in 2009 either. We had a sneaking suspicion she may not be sound. And our farrier noticed that the appearance of her hooves made him think she had founder in her history. Well, Bella had a couple of rides with us a few weeks back. She is sooooooooooo nice. But the second ride, when she trotted some little circles for us, showed us her lameness. Kind of subtle at times, but it is definitely there. She runs and plays and everything, but at a trot & turn, she is lame.

off to the vet. Xrays show there is some rotation in her right front. Her left does not look bad. It is not a case of grass founder. It is injury, stress, trauma, lack of proper nutrition & hoof care, "mechanical," genetic? take your pick. or maybe some or all of the above. There IS a chance with extended, consistent proper nutrition and hoof care now, she will come around. Time will tell. And her lameness is not severe. So perhaps shoes would take care of things too. In any case, we are just going to give Bella some more time. We did not ride her anymore after that second lesson. Unless she gets worse, we'll just wait until next spring and proabably re-xray and make a plan from there.

Personally, I think all of these things are related. The shoulder injury, the foot. it's all on the same side. and she sweats at that shoulder injury spot which means it's nerve related. But we'll never know her story for sure. All we know for sure is that this is not how Bella was when we cared for her back in 2009.

And Shadow? Well he's actually doing ok. He hasn't grown much. Still looks like a pony with a big horse head. Stunted from starvation? probably. He's only 2 now. And lived most of his previous life in a state of starvation. He too has little dents and scar tissue feeling type areas all along his right shoulder/neck area. And we have to really stay on top of his hooves. His right front one will turn to a nasty thrush like condition if we do not take care of it on a daily basis. WE also had his backs xrayed. They almost looked a little clubby or ring boney or something. His xrays actually dont look too bad though. no sign of ringbone or arthritis or anything nasty like that. And I have to say, I think they are straightening out a bit now. He has never been lame since we brought him here. But we do have to watch his feet and hooves constantly and closely.

Now these 2 might turn out ok or they might not. Right now, I would say Shadow is going to be fine. Might not have excellent perfect looking body parts and feet, but he is NOT lame and he is very very nice to work with and be around. Bella? not sure. Time will tell.

What we ARE sure of is that these horses are really beat up. They got really really beat up after we were dismissed from "the case" back in 2009-2010, and I'm sure it didn't help matters any when, in legal custody this year, Jan-March, they were crammed in a truck or trailer and taken to a feedlot and fed like cows and received no dewormer and no vet care. Before we rescued them again. And gained ownership of them. Finally.

They never should have gone back to these owners the first time. These offenders never should have been able to take these horses to a second place. It did indeed get a lot worse for Shadow and Bella. And for their herdmates, some that died last winter out in the snow, starved and frozen. And some that did go through that loose horse sale and on to slaughter. It just got worse and worse and worse for them.

That is why these cases need to be dealt with immediately and aggressively. And correctly. There needs to be some consideration given to the horses. We need to quit worrying about "property rights." Property rights have no place when the property is a living breathing animal, especially if it's barely living and breathing because it is starving and freezing to death. Property rights should have no place in those cases. Property rights are for tractors and buildings and things. Not for our animals. Certainly not for animals that are starving. We need to quit protecting those owners. And start protecting these animals. If we want to decrease the number of these horse starvation cases in our area, we need to quit sending the horses back to the people who will surely starve them again. And allow them to reproduce at the same time! These people typically dont buy hay. Often these people dont even own a property and have been kicked out of the place they were renting. We need to quit sending the horses back with these offenders who dont have a place for the horses to go anyway.

Because it is true, if the neglectful owners take them to a second place, or a third place, or place after place after place (and we all know those people, the ones who just keep moving the horses around from county to county) the horses' chance of survival gets less with every move.

Don't let your attackers take you to a second place. I'm sure if the horses could do anything about it, they would. This is why we have animal protection and law enforcement entities. For animal welfare, for law enforcement. Not for protection of the neglectful animal owners. We need to remember who the victims are here. And not just send them off to slaughter. Good grief. It's not their fault they were born and treated like this. At least they could be given a chance.

Well, Bella and Shadow have that chance now. It might be too late for them to be 100% sound and healthy. But one thing is for sure. Their offenders will never move them to another place. They are safe. With us. At New Hope Horse Shelter.

If anyone would like to help sponsor Shadow and/or Bella, we would be most appreciative. And so would they. We estimate it costs about $200 a month per horse at our shelter. And these horses do have some special needs. We do hope they will both be riding horses, but we cannot guarantee that right now. And we would be irresponsible to do so.
We are 501c3 (Horse Help Providers, Inc.) so donations are tax deductible to the full extent according to law.
Send checks to DoubleHP, 25337 470 Ave, Crooks SD, 57020
or paypal to doublehphorses@aol.com

Shadow and Bella

2011-08-01T12:55:00.001-07:00

The two sorrels are Shadow and Bella. They were recently added to the herd at New Hope Horse Shelter. The buckskin, Star, welcomed them. The horses have fly masks and boots on.

Shadow and Bella, before they came here, had a horrible life.

Bella used to be called Flicka. But we changed her name, because we already had a Flicka here.

In Oct. 2009, our volunteers helped with a seizure of 8 horses in Lincoln County. Shadow and Bella were two of them.

Shadow was a weanling. He was weaned way too early and we don't know why. Except that now we have listened to his former owner speak in court, it is clear that she knows nothing about horse care and ownership. Shadow spent 2 weeks in the hospital; for a while he could not get up by himself. Bella was a 2-year-old.

We were not a part of the legal case. But all 8 horses were given back to the owners. Dont even ask. We have no idea. We were not kept informed of what was going on.

Then, in January 2011 these same horses were taken away from the owners again. This time in Minnehaha County. Though nobody bothered to tell us about it. Every day we think about this, that, except for a spurt of rescue, Shadow was starved his whole little life until we acquired him; and we are amazed that little Shadow is even alive.

The owners got the horses back again! well, at least this time they had to pay some money for them.

Shadow and Bella's owners did not want them back. So, just days before they were to go through a loose horse sale, we found out about this and went and purchased them before the sale.

State and county officials seized the horses in January 2011. We acquired them in March 2011. This is how they looked when we got them this time. They either must have been nearly dead in January, or they did not receive proper food and care in the court appointed caretaker's home. We have good reason to believe the last choice here. They received no vet care and were fed cornstalks. They were not dewormed even. And no one ever called our rescue organization to help.

Flicka here is Bella. and the "rescue" referred to was nothing like a rescue at all. the horses were crammed in a trailer and hauled to a cattle feedlot. All of them together. Mares, stallions, big ones, little ones. No deworming, no dental checks, no bales of hay. they were fed like cows. cornstalks as a main dish. We know all that now, we did not at first.

They were in terrible condition again. This is not good for young horses to have "lived" like this for most of their lives. During the time when they are growing and developing. Or trying to anyway.

We do not know how they will turn out, but we do know they will never go through starvation again.

To read the complete story, read Apache's story.

Some closure for Apache, still so so sad this happened

2011-07-30T15:33:00.000-07:00

Yesterday there was a trial regarding the herd of Apache, Shadow, Bella, those horses.
It was not a criminal trial (even though several horses died); it was a civil trial.
The judge ruled that the guy who leased the land and gave permission for others to bring their horses there, Bert Reif, needs to pay the bill that Jeremy McGregor submitted for the time the horses were kept in his feedlot near Montrose. The County does not have to pay the bill, Bert Reif does.
And that was the purpose of the trial: Money. The Judge suggested to Bert that he try to get some money back from the other horse owners involved.

Rosey Quinn, who was recently fired from Second Chance Rescue Center, was there in support of her friend Bert. They gathered together with Bert's attorney and some of the other horse owners involved, in what sounded like a strategy discussion with topics of court orders and whether someone's credibility might be questioned if that person testified.
Bert participated in (actually we were told he helped Rosey organize, but we don't know that for sure so we'll just say he participated in) one of Second Chance's final fundraisers: a ranch rodeo at the fairgrounds in Sioux Falls.

Some of the horses in this case, actually many of them, went back to the owners again. 7 of them were run through the loose horse sale at Mitchell in March. We know at least 2 of those and probably more went to slaughter buyers, including Apache.
Related to Apache, we found who raised Apache! We weren't even looking, it just kind of fell in our lap. He was very well cared for as a baby and was a valuable registered Paint. Bert bought him when Apache was a weanling or yearling, not sure on that age. Funny (not really) a lot of the trial time was taken up by whether Bert owned Apache or not. Why couldn't he just show the registration papers with his name on it? or proof of purchase?

People like Jeremy McGregor and Rhonda Loges who was a partner with Jeremy McGregor's dad Jim (according to Jeremy) in this horse herd, testified that the 3 Paints Diamond, Apache and Tory were not owned by Bert and so they would not let Bert take them when he came with the trailers. Those 3 Paints went to the MItchell loose horse sale (Rhonda manages that sale) under the ownership of McGregor. We are quite positive that Apache and Tory were both bought by kill buyers. Bert bought Diamond back for $500. Or someone bought him for Bert, as Bert was not allowed to bid at the auction. Anyway, the reason we did not end up with Apache along with Shadow and Bella is because Rhonda told us that Bert owned Apache and Bert wanted all of his horses back. And she was to let us know if for some reason Apache became available.
So which is it Rhonda, did Bert own Apache or not? You told us he did, and that's why we couldn't buy him. You told the Judge Bert did not own Apache, so you could justify why you and Jeremy didn't put him on Bert's trailer when Bert came to get him.
So Apache, a beautiful nice registered Paint went to slaughter instead of coming to DoubleHP.
There is no need for things like this to happen.
People who mistreat the horses in the first place are of course the ones who start the horses on the death road. But when other people are given control of the horses, people with no experience or interest in horse rescue whatsoever, and send them to slaughter instead of to a legitimate horse rescue/adoption program, well, that's just mean.
Wouldn't it be nice if Jeremy McGregor would give us our $800 and some dollars back?
Perhaps as a memorial to Apache and the other horses that he sold to kill buyers. And he says he rescued them. Any way you spin that one I don't think you can get rescue out of it.
the bill he submitted includes rescue costs. He said he had to pay other people out of pocket to haul the horses. But we learned later in the trial that it was acutally Jeremy and his dad that hauled them. anyway, this was no rescue. let us all be clear on that. and for a guy like McGregor to think he has the right to use that word associated with his actions, well, ... this was no rescue. that's the best way to say it.

We do have a Sioux Falls area horse welfare group started, and one of the things we are going to try to do is to not dwell on these cases in the past. But to work together to find a better way to deal with these cases in the future.

but yesterday was very disturbing, some of the new information that we learned about how these horses were treated, what the initial plan for them was. (initially, according to Rhonda, she was to go pick them up and take them directly to Musicks in Mitchell, which is a slaughter holding facility that ships the horses directly to Mexico for slaughter). But, she said, they were too light. (meaning Musicks wouldn't have paid her much for them). So they held on to them for approx. 40 days, just in time for Rhondas next sale! What a coincidence! And never ever in those 40 days did anyone ever think to ask us, DoubleHP, who had already nursed some of these horses back to health once, no one ever called us to ask if we wanted any of them or if we wanted to help with them.

Well, okay. I'm not going to dwell on the past. just a few minutes there. that's not dwelling, is it? Let us hope that we do indeed find a better way to help these horses, these victims. Slaughter should never be an option for rescued horses. Not a true rescue anyway. And to think that was the initial plan, the preferred option, well, ok, no more dwelling.

On a bright note, it is always a good feeling to be the good guy. The guy who is there for the true welfare of the horses.

Rocky and Roman have job offer

2011-05-13T10:36:00.000-07:00

Rocky and Roman both have a job offer to go live with Wendy and Matt and Stormy out in the Black Hills.
Wendy is certified in EAGALA and would like to try out Rocky and Roman for Equine Assisted Learning sessions.
Wendy adopted Stormy from us many years ago. He is retired from trail riding now, so Wendy is going to try Rocky as her riding horse this summer. Her husband rides Jim, but right now Wendy is without a riding horse.
So the plan is that in early June Wendy will come and get Rocky and Roman, at least for the summer.
Rocky may come back here later, but we are hoping that Roman will work out for Wendy on a permanent basis.

Roman, 2 year old paint gelding, available for adoption

2011-04-15T10:04:00.000-07:00

Roman.

Originally, we were to get Roman, along with his mom and dad signed over to us so they would not go to the loose horse sale. But the owner stood us up on our visit. We talked to the owner later, and he said he would sell Roman to us for $200.00. Or he would go to the loose horse sale. He didn't want to deal on the other 2 horses yet. Roman is safe with us now. Thanks to sponsors, we were able to raise $200 to go rescue him before the sale.
As of April 19, 2011, the owners said they had found a new, inexpensive place to keep the other 2 horses. And our re-homing services are not needed at this time. We do so hope the horses are not headed for the salebarn. The owners said they are not.
But anyway, Roman needs an adopter!

We first visited Roman on April 6. Volunteers went to meet the horses and the owner. However, the owner did not show.
Roman is very friendly. He's a 2 year old. His mama is a registered quarter horse; we don't know her pedigree yet (a copy of her papers is supposed to be coming to us in the mail). Roman's daddy is a black & white paint and I guess he has papers too.
update May 13, 2011, we do know his pedigree now.
Here's a look at Roman the first time we met him. This is NOT a case of starvation. The owners just didn't have enough money to board the 3 horses here any more.

After that first visit, with the horse owner as a no-show, we went home. Later we did get a hold of the owner and he said he had decided to NOT give us the horses to re-home. That he wanted $200 for Roman or he would take him to the loose horse sale; and was still trying to figure out a way to keep the other 2 horses.

Thank you to Roman's "stay out of salebarn" sponsors Joann Smith, Mickie Hortness, Darci Adams, and Traci Jarvis. They donated $250 for us to go get Roman and bring him to safety. And thanks to Tom & Karolynn Biegler for their general donation made shortly before we learned about Roman, that we decided to use for Roman's vet & farrier expenses.

So, on April 8 we went back and paid for Roman and brought him to safety. We went to Dakota Large Animal Clinic and got Roman vaccinated, dewormed, drew blood for Coggins, a basic health exam by Dr. Tornberg, and even got his hooves trimmed by Todd Kennedy of Kennedy Equine Podiatry Clinic. Roman was excellent for everything! He is a very calm, gentle, kind 2-year-old.

Roman, making sure his health papers are correct.

After his vet and farrier check, Roman went to a short-term foster home where he could go in with some older geldings who would be nice to him. Which they were. Here he is making his first friend in his new life away from mom and dad.

Roman, contemplating his new life away from mom and dad

some of his new friends were Morgans. Here's a Morgan nose.

Roman was very comfortable in his short-term foster spot, and the adult geldings were nice to him and let him have access to the round bale.

ah, a dry place to lie down!

and unlimited hay! after a few days here with some sunshine and dry spots to lie down, and some brushing, Roman began to get cleaned up a bit.

Roman, available for adoption

After a few days in that nice short term foster spot, the weather guys started to report many upcoming days of cold rain snow mud flooding you name it. And they were right. It's been raining now pretty much non stop for I don't know 24 hours? not sure. a long long time. and off and on before that. So, before the storms started, on April 12, Roman came to New Hope Horse Shelter. He spends a lot of time in the riding arena with Baylee on the other side of the fence. Baylee can't do much because she is sore from her white line disease, which did cause some hoof wall separation and "rotation." So Roman is her friend for now. At night Roman has a double stall/pen in the small barn. So now there are 4 paints in there at night. Well, Lily doesn't always spend the night in there but when it's this rainy and muddy she does.

Please let us know if you are interested in adopting Roman. He is here temporarily, so he can get in out of the rain and mud. And look pretty for his potential adopters to come and visit him!

email us doublehphorses@alliancecom.net

Roman is easy to catch anywhere. He is very very friendly. And he likes it inside and is calm and quiet in a stall too. He is very good about all the changes that are happening to him all at once. A very good boy.

Apache's Herd

2011-03-16T09:23:00.000-07:00

We will begin to tell the unbelieveable story of Apache's Herd. We used to call it Shadow's Herd, but we are now calling them Apache's herd. As I write, Apache is very probably standing in the Bar S Feedlot at Shelby Montana along with some 1,600 other horses waiting for their turn to go across the border to Canada for the final chapter in their miserable lives: slaughter for human consumption. (of course now, March 24 2011, we know that Apache probably never was at this feedlot; he was direct shipped to the "plant" in Canada, and he is gone.)

Here is a glimpse of this feedlot in Shelby Montana. link to Animals Angels investigation.
http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.animalsangels.org%2Fimages%2Fstories%2Fpdf%2Fthe%2520slaughter%2520horse%2520feedlot%2520in%2520shelby%2520mt.pdf&h=236b9

We first met Apache in October 2009.
A DoubleHP volunteer was called to assist with the seizure of a herd of horses at a property in Lincoln County South Dakota. Volunteer took trailer and met up with Humane Officer and Sheriff's Deputy. The deputy was on the phone with the State's Attorney, who decided we could only take 8 horses. Our Volunteer strongly recommended that we needed to take them all (14 that we saw). There were so many in bad condition and the facility itself was unsafe for any horses. But we could only take 8. We took the baby colt (Shadow), Flicka, Apache, Thunder, Rio, Chant, Pretty Girl, and Spitfire.

Spitfire Oct. 2009

Apache, Oct/Nov 2009

Below is Chant who, along with Baby Shadow, would spend about 2 weeks in the hospital because they were so loaded with parasites and so run down and malnourished. They needed more than food and water.

We do have pictures of the other 3 that we removed from the property; will try to get them added later.

ok, here are the pictures of the other 3 that we helped rehab. back in fall 2009. the info. we were given are names Rio, Thunder, Pretty Girl or Pretty Girl Anita. Thunder was in the best condition of the 8. He was removed because he was a baby. a weanling. none of the babies got left behind. We were told that Thunder later went through the Corsica sale. Not sure about Rio and Pretty Girl. not sure about any of this whole thing actually.

Here are some of the poor horses we had to leave behind, because the State's Attorney would only let us take 8.

this first one, we were told there was a Vet appt. scheduled for it. The humane officer checked with the vet clinic the owner had mentioned, but it did not check out. through the next few months we asked the humane officer, the deputy, and the states attorney, if these horses had been re-checked on. We also learned that the state animal industry board had also seen this situation and had left all of the horses here. The only reply we got was from the states attorney who said the reason those horses were left there in the first place was because he was told or it was his understanding that they were not in bad condition. He had no idea that our Vol on the phone was the same one who had been there and taken pictures, etc. After that, no one would talk to us or answer our calls or emails. It was no longer any of our business. It was several months later that we found out in a round about way that the 8 horses we had helped bring back to health had all been given back to these same owners. We never found out what happened to the horses we had to leave behind.
Any hay that you see in these pictures was put in with horses after the rescuers had arrived. It was sitting there in round bales on the other side of the wonderful fences. Click on photos to enlarge. some will enlarge twice.

On this next horse, the owners said this horse was already under the care of another humane officer from a different organization. This did not check out either. We never found out what happened to this horse. After we got the 8 lucky horses into foster care and on their way to health, we were rudely dismissed from the case. Our organization has no legal authority. We were sworn to secrecy. Told not to show our pictures or say anything, or we would "ruin the case." WHAT CASE??????????????? We never heard a word about any case. Except from one of these horse owners who told us they got all 8 horses back and the entire bill went to the humane society. Who knows if that's true or not. I will tell you that our little organization did something that we had never done before. We too billed the humane society. For our hay and bedding and transport etc. We have never done that before. We did get paid many months and several reminders later.

And these little guys were also left behind. not quite as poor condition and they were not weanlings like Shadow and Thunder. So they had to stay behind.

Here are some examples of why, even if horses had been in better condition, they still needed to be removed from this property.

Notice the building in the background. (the palomino was left behind, not in as poor condition as some of the others. No idea what happened to her.

Below is one of the openings the horses could have tried to go through to get in this building for shelter.

Piece of metal siding or something like that in the doorway. The door had fallen off and there it lay.

once in the building this is where they would find safety and shelter.

And if they wanted to go out the other door, here you go. patio doors and broken out window type entrances/exits.

Here are just some more random pictures of the living environment where these horses came from. This is where Baby Shadow, Flicka, Apache and the others were living the first time we assisted with their rescue.

They were given back to these owners by county officials. We have many more photos of this property. But I think this will give you the general idea.

Glass on the ground where the horses were.

Safe fence, sure to meet the minimum basic standards of acceptable horse care.

We will continue this story for you. It's long. Cannot possibly be told in one sitting.

Apache's Story, Chapter Two

So, that was back in Oct. / Nov. of 2009. The 5 stud colts (including Apache and Shadow) were placed in a foster home that we found. The 3 mares (including Flicka) were being fostered at the humane society in sioux falls. the 8 horses were all in foster care and were recovering. We had made written recommendations to the sherrif's department regarding these horses and the horses that were left on the property. We were led to believe that the county was going to prosecute. and we were sworn to secrecy, so we would not "ruin the case."

Chapter Two does not directly include much about Apache and his 7 friends. But when we get to Chapter Three you will definitely see the connection.

In January 2010, with Apache's herd all in foster care getting good food and care and shelter (well, we still couldn't find out what had happened to the horses left behind in Lincoln County; around xmas time the states attorney told us the ones left there were in good condition. He must not have looked at our photos.

but anyway, Apache and the other 7 we were allowed to rescue from Lincoln County, were safe for now. But, there was another herd of horses that was dying. Though the location was only 7 miles from our shelter, and state and county officials had known about it for some time, the horses had not received help and no one had called us for assistance.

Until Jan. 19, 2010.

the same humane officer who called for help with Apache's herd called our volunteer again. This time, she said, she just needed some hay for approx. 16 horses for overnight. They had warrants ready to go and everything was under control. Our volunteer was hesitant, since things were not going too well with Apache's "case" as far as communication. Still, if the horses were getting help and there were to be warrants served, that did sound like things were organized. So 16 bales were loaded in the humane society trailer, and off went the humane officer and our volunteer to the horse location, only about 7 miles away.

As soon as they drove into the yard and some of the horses were visible, our volunteer realized that she was entering a new kind of horror show. things couldn't possibly be under control here.

Horses emaciated standing around with nothing to eat. body condition scores of 1 and 2 very visible. and many young horses. But only about half of the 16 could be seen.

the humane officer had waited until the end of the day to call for help, so it was starting to get dark.

Our volunteer asked the deputy present for permission to enter the barn, to see if the rest of the horses were in there. if they were in pens and stalls, etc., they would need food and water in there too.

Well, it wasn't exactly that kind of a barn. there were horses in there alright.

This one was already dead. Just a baby.

And this one, back in the corner,

the humane officer said it was a llama back there. but our volunteer could see the tail and it was definitely not a llama. (there were 2 other animals back there, possibly alpacas sp??? and they seemed to have plenty of food. But this other one was definitely and obviously a horse!!!!!!!!!! It took a few seconds, but our volunteer quickly determined the horse (later named Aspen) to be alive. Suffering terribly. but alive. (we learned later, during court, that a state official/veterinarian from SD animal industry board had been there either the day before or that very morning, and had determined this horse already to be dead.) Oh God that poor poor little baby. Aspen. No animal should have to suffer like that.

this situation was no where near being under control.

this little horse was just lying here suffering and freezing, among piles of garbage and manure. the green hay here was brought from our horse shelter. and while Aspen had no energy to eat, he certainly deserved a pillow if nothing else.

Our volunteer called our veterinary clinic to come out. Aspen was humanely euthanized. Our volunteer and our veterinarian trudged out into the field to look for the other horses. Several others in poor condition. And nothing to eat. just standing out there. No shelter. the only horses in the barn were dead and dying. Nice.

And there were others that had already died, lying out in the snow. there was a young draft horse emaciated. And several others. Our veterinarian had called our State vet before euthanasia was performed. What a relief when Aspen was finally relieved of his suffering.

For the full story of Aspen's story, go here.

http://newhopehorseshelter.blogspot.com/search/label/Aspen

Briefly, here are some "highlights."

The owner of some of these horses/ponies, Ilene Perez, called our volunteer to assure us this was not her fault. It was Larry Pahl's fault. he owned most of the dead and dying horses.

The property owner called our volunteer too, to assure us this was not his or Ilene's fault. Larry Pahl was to blame.

Though DoubleHP was told repeatedly by all officials involved that we "are not a party to the case" and so could receive no information, we did send photos and information and kept calling and talking. Both Perez & Pahl were found guilty of inhumane treatment or leaving an animal to suffer......

DoublehP was there in court several times for the horses. Though we were not a part of it, we were there for the horses. WE never saw anyone else there for the horses. not the humane officer, no one. And it seems it was a different county attorney there each time. and none of them knew much about the case. In fact, we heard comments several times like this: "I have no idea; I was just handed the file." AFTER NEARLY SIX MONTHS!

During Ilene's phone talk with our volunteer, she told our volunteer that at least 4 more horses had died since our volunteer had been there. The young draft and a couple of ponies had escaped and were hit by a car. About 10 horses had died there that winter, according to Ilene.

One of Ilene's other horses had died in an accident. This is when the connection to Apache begins.

Ilene's friend (we'll call this person jo) was going to come out and help her with one of her horses. It was supposed to be a riding horse but they hadn't really worked with it yet. So, Ilene had taken this horse that she had never worked with, certainly had never left tied up alone anywhere before, and tied it to a gate and left it there alone until Jo arrived. The horse "went crazy" and got all caught up in the gates and the vet had to come and put it down. That's what Ilene said. Our Vol asked Ilene if Jo was the same Jo who had had horses taken away in a different county last fall. She said yes.

Our Vol then called the property owner to find out if he knew about all of this. Surely he wouldn't want neglected and dead horses on his property again.

Unfortunately, no one shared our concern.

Coming: Chapter 3, how Apache and Aspen are connected

Apache's Story, Chapter 3

(the beginning of the end)

In March of 2010, a year ago, Apache and his 7 friends we were able to rescue were happy in their foster homes. (Aspen, from a different herd, had died 2 months prior). But Apache and his 7 friends were still safe (but not for long). Here are Apache in the lead, followed by Thunder and Rio (we were told Thunder and Rio were sold a while ago, after they were returned to Jo; we have no idea where they are but we hope they went to good homes and had shelter and food and care during this past winter and now. we just don't know. Jo told us Thunder went through the Corsica sale before winter.)

Apache on the right, foster home 2009/10

Apache, foster home 2009/10, in happier times

Apache was so beautiful.
What a nice horse he would have been for someone.

Apache was not unwanted. WE WANTED HIM!

DoubleHP was able to maintain some contact with their foster home, since DoubleHP had found this foster home. But legal communication was not happening. We had no idea what was happening in the decisions of what would become of this herd.

We had some spay/neuter money that was also approved for colt castration. So we suggested that we use it to castrate these 5 stud colts. County officials were not interested. they would have to ask the previous owner for permission, they said. Which we thought was a fine idea! Who wouldn't want someone else to pay his vet bills! Nothing came of that though.

A few months later, in late June/early July 2010, the foster home let us know that the humane officer and another person had taken the 5 boys away and she really didn't want to talk about it much. We had no idea. She said she had heard the previous owner, Jo, got them back.

About that same time, we had noticed some online ads. from Jo who had set up a training business and the location was listed as Crooks, which is near where our shelter is. We remembered that Ilene Perez had mentioned Jo was helping her with her horses. At a Crooks location (where Aspen was found).

So we emailed Jo. We didn't find out where Jo was doing the training, but Jo did tell us that Jo had indeed got all 8 horses returned and that the humane society had to pay the bill. That's what Jo said anyway.

Our Vol. continued to try to communicate with county officials. suggesting that this location where Aspen's herd was needed to be checked on going into winter. We had no idea if Jo or any of the 8 horses from fall 2009 were "living" here, or if they were at a different property. or if they had been sold, or what. But we did know this property needed to be checked on, to see if there were still horses there and if they were set up for winter. And we did not have the authority to do the checking.

Apparently, this recommendation from us was ignored too.

In the late fall/early winter of 2010, our Vol got a call from a guy. He said he and his friend (we'll call them Sue and Lou) had just got a horse. and that they were keeping it near Crooks and so maybe they could just swing by our shelter and volunteer here too. because it would be close.

Our Vol called them later, after Vol had had time to think about it all a bit. Vol began to wonder if they were keeping it at the place where Aspen had been. Where Jo had maybe set up shop. just the description seemed pretty close. So Vol called Lou and told them they were still welcome to come and volunteer. And Vol asked them if this was the same place. Yes it was. They didn't think there was an Ilene there anymore though. But Jo was there. Jo was renting the property etc. Things were going fine, they said. plenty of hay, horses were fat, building wind breaks in preparation for blizzards, etc. They never did come to volunteer, and we never heard from them again.

Until just a couple of weeks ago. In early March, 2011, Vol had an ad running for PT chore helper. Vol got a call from a woman. they talked on the phone for a while. The woman said she had recently sold her horse (of course we now know that was not true) and she would like to work here. Vol told her she would take apps for a couple of weeks and then call a few people back. Toward the end of the conversation, Vol asked the woman if she had ever talked to her before because her name sounded vaguely familiar. The woman said no.

but then the woman called back. this was Sunday March 6. She said the reason she sounded familiar is because it was she and her boyfriend (Sue & Lou) who had called last fall. And now they wish they would have believed Vol. about where they were keeping their horse, the people there, the barn, what happened there the winter before with Aspen's herd. and what had happened before that in Lincoln County with Jo's herd. Sue said some more horses had died this winter. And the rest had been taken away in late January by authorities. This would be January 2011. (Aspen's herd was there Jan. 2010, and Jo's horses were taken away in Lincoln County in fall 2009).

Vol started asking about horses from the fall of 2009, Apache's herd. Wondering if they had been moved from Lincoln property to this location now, where Aspen had died the winter before. Sue said she was familiar with a few of them. that Shadow and Flicka were among them, had been taken away, and were going through the loose horse sale in Mitchell this coming Sat. (March 12, 2011). Those were the only 2 from the 8 we had rescued in 2009 that would be available, Sue thought. That Jo was getting some of them back. Again. Apache was going back with his owner. Again. Sue said that 18 horses/ponies were taken this time. She said Jo was getting 9 back. And the other 9 were owned by various other people. some were trying to get their horses back, some did not want them back. Shadow & Flickas owners did not want them back, so they were going through the loose sale. Apaches owner was taking him back. If any of the other 8 were alive, they would be Jo's and Jo would want them back. Sue was not familiar with some of them. We did learn later that Rio and Thunder were not there. Thunder, at least, had been sold previously. We believe that Chant went back with Jo. Not sure about Rio or the other mares Spitfire and Pretty Girl.

Sue said that she had to go to the sale on Saturday and buy her 2 back if she wanted them. Which she planned to do.

Vol. said "thanks for the info. but I have to hang up now because i have to find a way to save Shadow and Flicka before they go to that sale."

Apache's Story, Chapter 4
The horses needed to be rescued,
not simply moved from a field to a feedlot
It was Sunday evening, March 6, 2011. Vol. had less than a week to find helpers to re-rescue some of these horses. She made a few calls to make sure she had a perm. or long-term foster spot for them. The same woman who cared for some of them in 2009 would be able to care for a couple again. Without hesitation. A few people who helped with them last time did not want to help this time. Tired of seeing horses taken away, brought back to health, and then given back. Well we're tired of it too. But someone has to help the horses. The ones we CAN help, anyway.
Vol. remembered that Sue had mentioned the animal industry board/state vet was involved in this. So Vol. emailed the state vet asking how we could find out which, if any, of these horses might be available to new homes. But this was Sunday, and Vol. wanted to talk to someone about this right away.

So Vol. found the Mitchell livestock website and contact info. for the horse sale coming up on March 12.
Rhonda Loges was the contact person. So Vol. called her. And followed up the phone talk with an email with pictures of Shadow and Flicka. Those were the only 2 available from those we had rescued back in 2009, according to Rhonda. Apache was going back with his owner again.
There were 2 or 3 phone talks between Vol and Rhonda. All was going well. In fact, Rhonda gave a lot of information. She had been there when the horses were removed. They put the big ones in one (not sure if it was a truck or trailer) and the little ones in another. This was in late Jan. 2011. So it had been a month ago already. It is frustrating to us, why, after a month, when county & state officials had known our organization had helped with some of these horses before, why couldn't they at least ask us if we could find homes for any of them. Very frustrating.
Rhonda said the horses all 18 of them were all together and were being fed very well. hay and corn stalks ground up and some molasses syrup stuff. (Vol. didn't say anything, but it sounded like a cattle feedlot setup). And no, none of the horses had received any vet attention, no deworming, no fecal or dental exams, no nothing. In fact, Rhonda said there was one horse there with a big puncture hole in its side with stuff coming out of it. Another mare that looked close to foaling. A grulla mare in really bad shape. (This, after 30+ days of "official care.") Vol. kept her mouth shut. needed to save some of these babies first. Rhonda was familiar with these horses. descriptions, some names, she had a list, she said. Well, of course she did, some of them would be going through her sale the next Saturday, less than a week away.
We were thinking the horses were near the MItchell salebarn. So we were thinking we would need a little time to plan transport. It isn't real far away, but a little over an hour drive time one way. So it would take several hours.
communication went on with Rhonda for a couple of days. We had made a deal with her that we could buy Shadow and Flicka for $250 each. (which was a lot, considering we had already spent a lot of time and money on them in 2009, and considering what they were being fed couldn't have been costing anyone very much). She also said she would let us know if Apache or any of the others (we gave her names and descriptions) from 2009 became available. She said she would love to sell them before the sale. (of course she would, we would pay more for them than would the kill buyers, she said there would be 5 or 6 killbuyers at her sale.)
She also said we could put a notice on our facebook and web/blog pages saying that if anyone was interested in buying these horses before the Saturday sale, to let DoubleHP know and we would get those interested people in contact with Rhonda. She would know which ones were available (were not going back to owners) And she could set up a time for them to go see the horses. She said the guy who was feeding them would be happy to sell them to us for the cost of feed. Must have been talking about a different kind of feed though, not what he was feeding these poor babies. So when the $250 per horse was mentioned, and Vol. asked if we could get a break, based on our past history with these horses, Rhonda explained that there was transport expense, etc.
So Vol. left it at that. Told Rhonda we wanted to go pick them up right away. She said we could go get them and pay for them on Tuesday, March 8. So we scheduled a vet appt for that day. She also said that the guy who was feeding them would have a 3 part rcpt for us (we would get a copy) and that rhonda had paperwork from the states attorney's office (we had asked about transfer of ownership documentation)
We still didn't know where the horses were though, and it was confusing who actually owned them. Who we would be writing out the check to. We did learn finally that they were not in Mitchell, that they were between here and Mitchell, so we wouldn't need quite as much advance time planning, but still, we were trying to coordinate the vet appt. and all.
Rhonda said the guy who was feeding them would be calling me. His name is Jeremy, she said. He didn't call.
Vol. called Rhonda again. She said she would get a hold of him again. Well we finally had to cancel our vet appt because we didn't even know where the horses were yet.
Finally Vol talked to Jeremy. He confirmed the horses had had no vet care, he confirmed what he was feeding them. He confirmed there was one there with a big puncture hole in its side. He confirmed that some of them looked pretty rough. He said he wasn't doing this for no charity. He had never done horse rescue before. (as far as we're concerned, he STILL has not done horse rescue.) And this had turned in to a lot of trouble. He was told he would be feeding the horses for 5 days. And now it had been almost 40. And he needed to make some money on this deal. He gave Vol. the location of the horses, not more than 30 minutes away. That was good.
He said that one of the owners was going to come and get 9 horses back, and he (Jeremy) was to get paid $1,100 for that. He said that Flicka looks like she's had a tough time. He was worried about whether he actually had legal permission to sell/release any of the horses. And he didn't know anything about any 3-part rcpt or paperwork from the states attorney's office. Didn't know what Rhonda meant by that.
Furthermore, there was no such deal of $250 per horse. After 40 days of feeding these horses, he needed more than $400 per horse.
Vol. told Jeremy the sad story of these horses and their multiple rescues. and how Doublehp had already spent a lot of time and money on them. that we are volunteers and don't pay anyone any salaries etc.
No sympathy here. It would be more than $400 per horse.
Vol. could not say yes to this on her own. emailed other Directors and Sponsors, made a few calls, posted to facebook, etc., and the donations started coming in.
Vol. also called Rhonda back and said Jeremy had not agreed to the $250 per horse. Rhonda said that was never the deal. That she had said $500 per horse, not $500 for the 2 of them together. That is just, pardon us, a flat out lie.
Vol. had some more email contact with the state vet. He said he could not get involved with the sale of these horses. We would have to work it out with Rhonda and Jeremy. He also said his understanding is that the judge had appointed ownership of some of the horses to Jeremy or Jeremy's family, and perhaps Rhonda was helping Jeremy sell his horses now.
So it is hard for us little peons who have no right to be involved in this, to know who was/is actually in charge of these horses. Rhonda went and helped remove them from the property. Jeremy didn't. both of them said they had talked to the state vet about assisting with this situation.
We know there is a whole lot we do not know about this whole thing, since we were not involved.
But what we really don't understand is why was the feedlot/loose horse sale the preferred way of handling this? Why can't it ever be about saving some lives, seeing if any good homes want any of these horses, why can't rescue be considered? and why all the hassle only to return horses to the owners? Money perhaps? Money for whom? Why should anyone make any money on starving horses? Horse rescuers know this. We have always known this. This is not about making money. You don't get to profit when you rescue horses and care for them properly. You try to find a way to break even. And that's where a 501c3 horse rescue organization can help. Donations. Volunteers. Horse Rescue Experience. It is about trying to find a way to treat these horses humanely, to hold owners/caretakers accountable, to find a way to do WHAT'S RIGHT FOR THE HORSES - THE VICTIMS. That it's ok to get a 501c3 involved, to ask for donations. And if the donations come in, why not buy good horse feed, pay for veterinary care, etc. If people want to help these horses, why not ask for the help! And really, if there was no neglect going on, why were the horses removed from the property? Just sayin'. If there is neglect going on, maybe something didn't go quite right in the legal process, investigation, evidence gathering, documentation, all of that. If horses are removed from a property but have not received vet care after 40 days and aren't eating food that a veterinarian would recommend, this really isn't very much about the welfare of the horses. And then if no one is charged with a crime, it's just a little difficult to figure out what was hoped to have been accomplished by all of this.
Anyway, it was getting late on Tuesday. no plan yet. Our 400 dollar horses are standing there in a cattle feedlot eating cow food. 18 horses. mares, stallions, big ones, little ones, all together. We know our 2 were full of worms, probably most of them were. Injuries, pregnant mares, other mares with stallions, emaciated horses, all together there. No vet attention. Who cares. In about 3 days they would just be hauled away to the loose horse sale where there would be several kill buyers. Why would those horses need vet care. who cares if they get kicked or bit up or pregnant. Who cares if they are full of worms. Who cares if they are just babies. Who cares about them?

Vol. called Jeremy again. A brief call. "what amount exactly should this check be made out for and to whom shall it be written, and what would be the best time for you ASAP for someone to pick up these 2 horses Flicka and Shadow and will you sign our transfer of ownership papers"
Deal made. no swearing, no crying, no arguing. $812 made out to McGregor Livestock.

Some facebook friends who live not too far from our shelter volunteered to go get the 2 horses for us. On Wednesday morning, March 9. It seemed like it had been forever. The horses weren't far away, but it took two and a half days to get this very unfair deal made. $812 for two skinny wormy little horses that the sellers didn't give a poop about. How do these people sleep at night. How do they feel good about this. For $812, at least the horses could have had some real horse food. Cornstalks? really? For starving horses. Nothing our Vet would recommend, not even for healthy horses. even if there is hay ground up with them. Our vet has never told us to feed our horses cornstalks.

So, our nearby new volunteers came here and took off in our truck/trailer with our money. And returned with our 2 babies. Mission accomplished. we then took them immediately to the vet clinic. They looked like crap again. It was so sad to see them like this again. Not even 2 and 3 years old. How would their bones and joints and teeth and everything develop? Shadow has this great big full horse size head on a little pony body. Flicka is just all beat up and BCS of 2 again. But they are safe now.

When Vol heard the name McGregor, all she could think of was the Peter Rabbit children's story by Beatrix Potter, author & Illustrator.
"don’t go into Mr. McGregor’s garden. Your father had an accident there; he was put in a pie....”

This story of Apache's herd will continue. Even though we do not know a lot about it, what we do know needs to be told. People need to know that if they take their beloved horses to these salebarns and loose horse sales, there will be killer buyers there. And there is a very good chance your horse will go directly to slaughter. And you have to learn what horse slaughter really is before this will all make sense to you. It is not humane euthanasia. It has nothing to do with the welfare of your horse. It is a cruel end for horses. If you think your horse's life is at its end, what you want is for an equine practitioner veterinarian to administer humane euthanasia/injection. this does not include taking your poor horse to public auction and having him sold to a kill buyer and having him crammed in to a truck or trailer with many other horses and hauled hours and hours that way only to be slaughtered (if he is still alive after transport) for human consumption, to become the meal of a foreigner who eats horse meat.

Of course it will cost you a little money, maybe $300 or so around here, maybe not quite that much, depending on your options for body disposal, when you have your veterinarian humanely euthanize/injection. But that's what responsible horse ownership is. Horses are expensive. And when we acquire a horse, even if it's a free horse to acquire, we need to know that properly caring for this free horse will be expensive for the rest of the horse's life. And that selling him to a kill buyer at the end, for a couple hundred blood-covered dollars, will not even the score for you. These horses are going to cost money to care for and enjoy, and you just need to know that in the end, that's going to cost you some money too. To see that the end is humane for the horse. Our horses deserve an end-of-life method that allows the horse to keep its pride and dignity and beauty up until his death. That's what we do as responsible horse owners. We have gained our horses' trust and respect. Why would we throw that all away when our horse needs us the most.
All we're trying to say here is that if you don't really know what horse slaughter is, if you think this is ok for your horse just because your horse buddies or neighbors or anyone tells you this is the way we do it, please just take some time and research. There are organizations such as animalsangels.org or kaufmanzoning.net that will show and tell you the truth.

This story needs to be told also so that our officials see how this reflects on our county and state governments in regard to animal welfare. The way this case was handled has very little if anything to do with welfare for the horses. These horses needed to be rescued which includes veterinary attention. They needed to be fed like starving horses, not like cows. Responsible horse owners do not feed their horses like cows. Nothing against cows, but horses are NOT cows. These horses needed to be rescued and separated into smaller groups and cared for according to their individual needs. Not just moved from a field to a feedlot with no special attention.
We DO need to find a better way.

we have also been informed by both Rhonda, Jeremy, and one of the owners of some of these horses that there is court action going on. who owes whom money for what horses. who wants horses back. all of that. So, while perhaps this seemed like the fastest and most economical way to make this whole thing go away without much expense to the county, it seems as though it didn't quite work out that way.
An organized, consistent system utilizing law enforcement and experienced horse rescuers all working together toward the same goal, with equine welfare representatives being involved in the entire process, the kind of thing that is done in many other states and has been done successfully here in some counties, is what is needed.
We DO need to find a better way.
and we have been assured by both county and state officials that we will get together and talk about this. Because there is a better way. But it needs to involve consideration of the welfare of the horses as a priority.

another note: Our Vol. called the owner of this property where for the past 2 winters horses have starved and suffered and died . Vol. reminded him that he had been given information about serious concern for horses on this property. Vol. also asked if property owner would ask for assistance in checking out any future horse owners renting that property. And actually, since so many horses had died there, perhaps it is not even a suitable property for horses during the winter anyway. Vol. also reminded property owner that we are a 501c3 nonprofit who operates on volunteers, sponsorships and donations. And while it probably isn't directly his fault the way these horse owners treated their horses, certainly there should have been more concern after the first winter of dead horses there. should have been more checking and making sure this wouldn't happen again. Since Vol. had talked to him about this after the first winter of dead horses there. And Vol. asked if property owner would consider making a donation. It would be tax deductible, as we are 501c3. (Update, on April 21, 2011, we did receive a $200 donation from this property owner.)

We had also hoped that Mr. McGregor would find some kindness and give us a break, once he sat down and really thought about everything. But our $812 check ran through the bank quite quickly. (Interesting, on the website for the Mitchell Livestock horse sale, it says feed for loose horses is $2 per day. Wonder if that's corn stalks or hay. Wonder why Rhonda Loges & Mr. McGregor had to charge us $10 per day per horse for feeding "our" horses cornstalks. Rude, greedy people with no compassion for starving and injured horses, and no idea or care about the negative image this creates for themselves -- lack of ethics, lack of professionalism, lack of understanding of how their bad behavior reflects on the livestock/salebarn industry as a whole.)
We also thought Rhonda Loges would be more helpful in telling us who actually was the seller for Apache, when we were trying to locate him once we were told that Apache had gone through the sale afterall. If it was Apache's owner who ran him through the sale, thats one thing. Guess that's the owner's decision. But Jo told us it was McGregor who ran Apache through the sale. Which would mean McGregor could have sold Apache to us along with Flicka and Shadow. And got a lot more than what the killbuyer paid him. But Rhonda wouldn't give us that info., so we don't really know for sure what happened that led to Apache's going through the sale at the last minute. It must have been last minute, otherwise someone surely would have had time to contact us to let us know we could buy Apache for $406 too! But we don't know who actually sold Apache at the salebarn. Rhonda said we need to get a court order for that kind of information. Really? to tell us who the seller was? There is a South Dakota law that says otherwise. That this information and other information is to be public access. (another of our Directors is working on that).

There is a lot wrong with how these cases are handled. And we don't even know much about it. Maybe we'll find out the court date for sure. and go and listen. Wonder if any horse owners there will even be sad for Apache or any of these other horses. Besides us.

More coming: what became of Apache.

Apache's Story, Chapter 5
Volunteers Road Trip to Mitchell

We heard from several people that Apache went through the sale at Mitchell South Dakota on March 12, 2011. One person told us he was bought by killbuyer Dennis Smebakken (not sure of spelling) from out by Piedmont, SD; hauled to St. Onge South Dakota, and hauled to the feedlot in Shelby Montana by Benny Kropius who works for that feedlot/slaughterhouse.
But Jo told us that Apache was bought by a different killbuyer, Stan Peterson. Jo said Apache was hip#7006. Jo said there were 2 of his paints that looked similar. But it was Tory who ended up in St. Onge. And that Apache was bought by Stan Peterson.
Our Vol found this Stan Peterson. He didn't want to talk about it much and would not say who he bought the horses for. But he said "the horse is gone, dear; went directly to the plant not the feedlot, and he's gone." and then he had to hang up because he was "in a meeting."
We tried to get someone to look through the feedlot in Montana. There was a guy from Shelby, a Chamber member, who said he had coffee with the feedlot manager and they would go look and he would call us if they found Apache, and if they found Apache, we could buy him back. They had his pictures. But he never called back. We didn't think he would. He said it was not very likely that the horse was still there.
We also tried to find someone who was familiar with the plant in Canada to make some contacts and try to trace Apache. We know they have to have paperwork when they haul the horses. But there just wasn't anyone who had the time or knowledge to help.
Jo later emailed us and said that he heard Stan Peterson did not take any of those horses to kill. But he didn't say how he knew that. or what had happened to Apache instead.
Jo also said he found Apache's papers and figured him to be worth about $3,000.
He said he is sueing for wrongful sale of his horses.

Here's the thing. We don't know what the truth is. there are no photos of Apache in the sale or after the sale.

We called Rhonda, the sale manager, to ask her who sold Apache. She said we would need to get a court order for that information.
Oh really?
Look at these SD codified laws:
40-15-27. Records of livestock offered at auction agency--Vehicles making deliveries--Violation as petty offense. Every livestock agency shall keep complete records on forms approved by the Animal Industry Board containing the names of all persons or organizations bringing to or offering for sale at such agency, any livestock, together with a complete description of such livestock including the approximate age and weight, sex, color, marks, brands, and flesh marks thereon. The record shall include the license number of any motor vehicle bringing livestock to such agency or its vicinity for delivery to it. Such records shall clearly show the name and address of the person or firm for whom such animals were sold and the descriptions of such animals. A violation of this section is a petty offense. Each violation is a separate offense.
40-15-28. Records open to inspection--Preservation--Copies furnished. The records required by § 40-15-27 shall be open for inspection at any reasonable time to any person interested. Every livestock auction agency shall keep and preserve all records for at least three years and shall furnish copies thereof to peace officers without charge and to any other person upon payment of reasonable charge for making such copy.

Another of our Volunteers called the Mitchell salebarn and was told that if we went there we could see these sale records. (she evidently hadn't talked to Rhonda yet about this)

So, off went 2 of our volunteers to Mitchell. There they encountered Lisa in the office at Mitchell Livestock. Lisa seemed to know what she was talking about. She said it was policy not to give out that info. Volunteers asked whose policy. it was not specific. Lisa rattled off many titles like company owner, secretary of state, attorney general. Then she made a few phone calls. And informed Volunteers they would need to talk to an attorney or get a court order. Volunteers asked who said that. Lisa said THE STATE. Vol asked, who specifically. Lisa said Secretary of State Attorney General. Volunteers said which one? Finally, Lisa said the person who told her that is Val in the Secy of States office.
Volunteers were pretty sure they had read that law right. So they sat down and found them on a phone or one of those new fangled electronic devices you can carry around with you. Sure enough, the law said these records are open for public inspection. Volunteers interrupted Lisa again. Who gave Volunteers the number for Val. Val was very nice to the volunteers on the phone and said she had never seen these laws before. But said sure enough, there they are. She got them up on her computer screen during the phone conversation.
Not sure how many more phone calls were made. But in the end, Lisa told our Volunteers that she would have to delete some other information if they were going to look at the sale records, and she still didn't know for sure if they would be able to look at the records at all. But they could call back the next day and she would tell them what she learned.
So, Volunteer called Lisa the next day and learned that according to the SD Animal Industry Board, yes, these records are available. Here's what the volunteer told us Lisa told her "We need to give a written request saying exactly what we want, each sale record is $20. If we want all records for that day it is $180. She said that the info that we can get is Sellers name and horse description (what ever info the seller may have provided). We can request records by seller name or by horse description."

So, is that what's meant by records "shall be open for inspection at any reasonable time to any person interested" as written in our South Dakota law? Silly us to think that meant we could just look at them. And that just because the law specifies exactly what information needs to be kept public in these records, doesn't necessarily mean it would be available for inspection in that format.

Maybe in some salebarns it is. You can google south dakota livestock auctions and find sale reports for various cattle sales. complete with seller name and animal descriptions (basic) right there for the whole wide world to see. But that's cattle sales. Guess in this case horses may not be considered livestock. Sometimes they are, sometimes they aren't.

Summary: if there is nothing to hide, why the secrets? If the law says these records are open to public, why not make them open to public when public asks. Instead of saying "get a court order," "call an attorney," "not company policy". What are they afraid of?

I guess we could pay $20 and see if they happened to have a horse that matched Apache's description. The thing is, the sale manager, Rhonda Loges, knew exactly which horse Apache was. She told us so. And she told us Apache was going back with his owner and would not be available. Jo said he did want Apache back. So did he get Apache back, or did Apache go through the sale?

Who knows what the truth is, when you are dealing with all these people who are just trying to make a buck off of a poor horse. And don't care at all about the horse. only which way they can get the most dollars for the horse.

Before the volunteers visited the MItchell salebarn that day, they swung by Musick Horse sales. They had heard that some horses being shipped for slaughter spent some time there first. So they swung by there.
Pulled in and saw horses everywhere. beautiful healthy looking horses of all colors. The place looked ok, considering there had been a lot of rain and mud. there was hay in the feeders. Volunteers sat there for a couple of minutes and then a man approached and asked if he could help. Volunteers said they were looking for a horse. They barely got that out of their mouth and the man said, "is this one of those horses from by Sioux Falls? I hope McGregor gets sued." Volunteers told the sad sad story of Apache's sad little life. The man said they don't have horse sales there. He pointed out that those horses are going to slaughter. that's where most of them are going. usually they are in on Saturday and gone on Monday. but they didn't have a full load so they weren't leaving this day (it was a Monday). They take them to Mexico. Horses arrive at Musick's from sales. Or anyone can bring their horses there too. Anyway, the man wanted to help the volunteers see if Apache might be there. He seemed to know the horses that were there. There was one more possibility, if Apache had come there as a stud, he would have been gelded and then held there for a while. They don't ship stallions anymore. So, the man said, there is one more sorrel/white paint over in that pen. Volunteers asked if there was a way they might go look. The man said he'd go see if he could get the horse to come this way. So the 2 volunteers got out and stood there and waited and pretty soon a beautiful paint came trotting and ......... nope, not Apache. How neat would that have been! All the horses in this pen started running and not one of them appeared lame. Just beautiful horses with mane and tails flying. Headed for slaughter. The volunteers said the worker at Musicks was nice to them.

There is one more chapter to Apaches story that we know of. Possibly more I guess.
There is some legal activity still, we think. We did get lots of public access info. from the county courthouse regarding this. (Sadly, this info. does include photos of dead baby horses that were already dead when Apache and his friends were taken away from there and moved to Mr. McGregor's garden.)
And also sadly, the file is a civil file (money money money), not a criminal file.
An attorney in our states attorney's office said we can sit down and talk about these cases when this is all over and done with.
So, we need to find out if it's over or not. What happened. And begin talks with officials, to find a better way.

Baylee has white line disease

2011-02-28T21:57:00.000-08:00

If you read Baylee's previous posts you will learn that she has hoof problems. Up until now her problem has mostly been "thin soles". And we are very careful about her diet because we are worried she will founder on pasture grazing, alfalfa, all the good stuff you know. She has chronic on & off lameness. Last winter she did great with no shoes. During the summer she did fine with shoes on. She went trail riding and all. She was fine. Early November 2010 the Vet came to check everyone and do vax and deworming, check teeth, etc. Baylee was fine then. The farrier came for his regular trip in early Dec. Baylee was quite sore. Even with shoes on. We took her shoes off, because it was time. We always take them off before snow season. She quit limping after a few days so I didn't take her in to the Vet.

Here she is at Xmas time 2010. Running fast. the leader of the pack! She's the little bay in the middle with the darling star & snip.

So then, let's see, I guess about late Jan. when it was 40 below zero here or whatever it was, she started limping again. It was different this time. It seemed like something different. On and off. good & bad. The thing is with these horses, we've done xrays several times. We have been very careful that she didn't founder. Her bones have remained fine. "no rotation or separation" as the Vet says. We just did xrays last summer. Things looked ok. Except for this little tiny line that no one was overly worried about. We don't know if that was the beginning or if that just made it easier for the white line disease to happen.
White Line Disease (WLD) is one of those that comes with this "prevention is difficult because the cause is unknown". We always seem to get the mystery things here.
Anyway, back to the vet we went. Of course she would hardly limp at all at the Vet clinic. She always does that. But there was some lameness. Next came blocking. Wait wait. tah dah! No more lameness! It was determined the area of soreness was down low/hoof/foot. So xrays.
It's never good when the VEt looks at the xrays and says "woah, what's that!"
oh my, a big black hollow looking area.
and oh dear, some separation/rotation now.

I want to try to get the xrays on here for you to see. don't know if I'll get that accomplished or not but I'll try. It'll be a few weeks. Don't worry, this whole process will take 9 to 12 months I'm told, for Baylee's hoof to grow back out.

Anyway, Baylee stayed at the clinic for about a week. The "diseased" area had to be cut out. fungus? bacteria? they really don't know exactly what it is. But you gotta get it out of there. So, she came home on Feb. 10.
Here's how her hoof looked that day.

She has on a nice big support shoe too.

So every day, I mixed up a bottle of 8 parts water 1 part bleech and sprayed & sprayed & sprayed it on there to kill any bad stuff. Then some betadine on this little pad cut to the shape of her hoof "window".

and covered with elastic tape wrap. Every day.

No she does not get to go out with the herd, but she does get to wander around in the barn so she doesn't have to be in her stall all the time. And she always has a buddy in the barn with her. Some of the other mares take turns keeping Baylee company.
She is an excellent patient. She is sore, so we do some bute. But we're getting better. We're only doing 1-2 grams every other day now. So I think we'll be ok on that.
Baylee's looking fine, except for her poor foot.

Last Wednesday, Feb. 23, our farrier, Todd Kennedy, Kennedy Equine Podiatry Clinic, came out.

Took a look and said we're doing great! So I don't have to spray quite so much now.

But I still check and re-do every day. checking to make sure none of the diseased looking stuff is trying to come back. just trying to keep everything clean and dry. and wait and wait and wait.

9 to 12 months they say, for the hoof to come back.

here are photos from Feb. 23, not quite 3 weeks since her surgery.

We do have a crack going on here that we do not want to break off.

things are pretty fragile right now as far as staying put together.

See? things aren't exactly connected as they should be. Todd thought this would be a good demonstration.

Baylee goes back to the Vet in a couple of weeks (it will be about 5 weeks since her surgery). I think we might be doing xrays again but Im not sure about that. to see if we are heading back in the right direction as far as rotation. or at least make sure its not getting worse. and just for an overall recheck by the Vet.

so there's Baylee Bob's new chapter in her life. Not her favorite one I'm sure. Mine either.

February Thaw, photos from Feb. 13, 2011

2011-02-15T07:36:00.000-08:00

Lily

Lily and Princess, the 2 Paint Girls

With sadness, we tell you that Duke has joined the Sky Herd

2010-11-11T09:22:00.000-08:00

Duke had a failing heart, in scientific terms.

Though in the terms of love, Duke’s heart was better than many human hearts we know.

On Nov. 8, 2010, his foster family together with their veterinarian recommended humane euthanasia for Duke, before the freezing temps and blizzards of South Dakota Winter set in for the long haul this year.

We are sad.

Please know that Duke’s last days in our world were sunny and safe. And he joined the Sky Herd with dignity as a handsome, proud, horse.

We like to think that now, in the Sky Herd, his heart has been repaired, his arthritis is gone, he has all of his teeth once again, and he looks down on Madonna and Mickie who loved him so, and says, “thank you; I will love you forever.”

You are the one I will share my secret with

2010-10-31T20:24:00.000-07:00

We have a lot to tell you about Duke. He is ok. But DoubleHP West has noticed some changes in his eating habits mostly. And any horse as near death as Duke was just a few short months ago is still pretty serious business.
Duke has been moved to his winter home where he will be one of only 3 geldings so will receive a lot of special care. He will be going to the Vet again soon for another thorough go-through in preparation for South Dakota Winter.
We will update you more later, but we wanted to share this with you.
Mickie & Madonna have been visiting Duke regularly. They aren't the "horsiest" people (as far as owning them etc) but in these last few months they have experienced more about horse-human relationships than more than 50% of horse owners ever do.
When Duke was moved to his winter home yesterday, it took him farther away from Mickie and Madonna. They will still visit him but not as often.
And they are feeling that empty spot already.
They have given us permission to share some of their feelings with you:

This from Mickie:
She knew he was beautiful the moment she saw him. His eyes spoke to her soul and said, “I have a secret deep inside of me. I will share it with you because I can see you are worthy of it.” There in that moment the bond was formed.

Without words, he spoke to her of the long days he stood starving, cast aside to fade into the weeds until the Sky Herd came for him. But the Sky Herd said, “No, it is not your time. You must share our secret with those who understand and deserve it. You will be rescued from your misery.” He asked, “But how will I know who to share the secret with?” The Sky Herd answered, “You will know her. It is something she will possess deep inside her heart. Not all two-leggeds believe in the secret. But you will know her.” And then he saw her and he knew. His eyes told her, “You are the one I will share my secret with.”

Each day their bond grew stronger and with each visit she learned more of the secret. At times he would rest his head in her lap as she sat on the fence. As he slept she would gently touch the scars on his face. She asked how they came to be there and he said, “It does not matter now. That is part of the secret. We are able to forgive those who hurt us and cause us pain.”

Some days there were other horses to visit with across the fence. He began standing between her and the others. He would even nip at those who dared to nuzzle her hair from across the fence. He feared that this would anger her but she knew. She knew this was part of the secret, too. He said, “I will protect you because you are my person.”

At other times he just wanted to be close to her. He would fall asleep with her arms wrapped around his neck. She knew he was sleeping by the way his breathing became slower and deeper and his head grew heavier on her shoulder. She whispered, “I love you.” He answered, “I love you, too. And that is the biggest part of the secret. We have an incredible ability to love.”

She knew it was a great privilege to have been chosen by this horse to experience his secret. She said, “Now I will share your secret with others. I will help turn the non-believers into believers. I will help others see that proud creatures like you do not deserve to be forgotten in the fields. I will help others understand your power to forgive and your ability to protect those that you love. I will share with them how much you love me. And I will love you forever.”

Madonna expressed her story a little differently:
If Duke could talk in a language that people who don’t listen to horses and understand their 1st language, perhaps he would say to his former owner…

I forgive you. I will never understand why you left me standing there in the hot sun day after day. How could you not know that I was so very hungry? How much trouble would it have been to load me up and take me to the vet to have my teeth floated? What was going on in your life that made you oblivious to the fact that mine was slowly slipping away? Were you very sick? Was someone in your family dying of some horrible disease? Were you working 2-3- 4 jobs to feed your family? I can forgive you for it all, if I can convince myself that what you did to me was not on purpose—that there was a very good reason why you never came to see me. Did you know that I love apples? Did you know that I love to have my belly scratched and that I put my head down and curl my lip with delight when that special spot is rubbed? Did you know that I love company and that I am happiest when I have another horse friend next to me?

I want to thank you too, for finally doing the right thing. You let me go, you released me from my misery. I know you thought that I would die soon, but I didn’t. You should see me now—my eyes are bright, my hide is clear and I’m so shiny that I glisten in the sun. Sometimes I have a braid in my mane, that ‘s how you know a horse is loved, you know --if a person takes a few minutes to braid a small section of my mane, they must love me. My hip bones don’t stick out now, the skin isn’t stretched across them any more.

I know that I am one of the lucky ones, that you gave me one last chance. Perhaps you did not realize that you were giving me back my life-perhaps you thought that you were just avoiding the consequences of neglecting me and that this was an easy way out for you. I know that there are those out there that won’t do that, that keep starving horses locked away out of sight. They lie, they deny any wrongdoing. And those people that are sworn to protect us look the other way, they don’t want to get involved. They say we are property-like a pickup that no longer runs-we can be left in a pasture to rust away and melt into the ground.

I have a future now. I have years ahead of me to bring brightness and light to the people that love me. I may never be ridden again, but I bet someday I will have a job. I promise you that I will find a way to “pay it forward”, that I will be someone’s reason for being. I will be forever grateful to the person that saw me standing there and made the effort to call and report my condition. And to those that are taking such good care of me now—they visit me, they bring apples, they take me to the vet. My life is good now.

I forgive you. Just like Jesus did when He was hanging on the cross-remember what He said? “Forgive them Father, they know not what they do.” I have to believe that or my heart would break.

Madonna also says this: "if your dog doesn't like someone maybe you shouldn't either."

Duke, a month after his rescue.

2010-08-13T12:05:00.000-07:00

Duke, a month after his rescue.

The Vet says he is in his 20s. Which makes it hard to believe the previous owner's story about Duke being 41 years old and having starred in a John Wayne movie.

can't think of an appropriate title for this blog. shame. disgrace.

2010-07-31T14:44:00.000-07:00

I'm just going to copy posts and comments from our facebook page. That should give you an idea of how it went in court on July 28. It's really shameful. This was for the case of Ilene Perez regarding Aspen and all of his little friends who died this past winter.

please allow me to repeat just a fraction of the horror of this story. County and state officials had known about these horses for a long time before our volunteers found Aspen like this. In this photo, I hate to tell you this, but he was still alive when this photo was taken.

And also, this happened about 7 miles from our Horse Shelter. And no one, no one called us for assistance. This is one of several incidents we know about where officials have seen dead, dying, suffering, or emaciated horses, often baby horses as in this case, and done nothing to help the horses. We believe that at least 10 horses died on this property last winter.

in the courtroom on july 28. We got there a little early. in the first case we heard about, which was ready for sentencing today, there was some confusion from the 2 sides' written reports as to whether a pan or a pen had been thrown at a person.
in Aspen's case, neither Ryan Sage who had been "assigned to the case" nor the lawyer from the previous court session, was in the State's chair. It was a different lawyer. She made comments to the Judge like, I have no idea; this is Ryan Sage's file. It's not her fault, I know that. We heard a lot of lies from Ms. Perez. We heard a lot of wrong information. I had a hard time not standing up and shouting, "could I please speak for these poor little horses!" Sentencing included that she can own horses, she just can't be the one responsible for their care. I have no idea what that means. oh well. it doesn't really matter. it is pretty amazing that it got to court in the first place. at one point Ms. Perez' attorney asked for a trial. but Perez said no, I'll admit guilt blah blah blah. I wish there would have been a trial.We would have had one last chance to try to speak for Aspen.

Ms. Perez also said that the vet (I am pretty sure she meant the sate vet's vet but maybe she meant a different vet) saw the horse (Aspen) but thought it was already dead. Good God! I am not a vet and I knew in 3 seconds that Aspen was not dead. How can a vet not know that a horse is still alive? How can I know that ,and not a vet? well, maybe Ms. Perez lied about that too.I mean, maybe a vet didn't really say that. anyway, basically, same old story. they just got in over their heads, it was a bad winter, the vet said they died because they were stressed (did a vet really say that, or was that another lie?) And where is a humane officer or anyone who is supposed to give a damn about these animals? No mention of DoubleHP assistance or evidence pictures or written statements anywhere. oh yes, we are "not a party to the case" I can't talk about this anymore. It is frustrating. We need an attorney who will speak for these poor animals. Is there any attorney out there who cares about this? if so, please call me. for next time. 359-0961.
As Ms. Perez's attorney told me after I told him outside the courtroom that his client told a lot of lies, he said, "well, it's done now."

and he said thank you. For what? keeping my mouth shut? I'm ashamed I didn't do more. oh yeah, and he asked me if I was from the Animal Industry Board.
There were no horse descriptions mentioned in court today. no colors, no ages, no nothing. the Judge commented on that. I wonder if he ever gets frustrated with the lack of organization, information, and professionalism that comes into the courtroom in some of these cases of little importance. I mean I know they are busy and not too many people care about poor skinny little horses, but goodness. It is shameful the way these cases are handled.

and they changed the charge from inhumane treatment to that other one (leaving diseased animal to suffer or die) or whatever that is, for Ilene's benefit. because she wanted to continue to care for animals but the animal industry board frowns on that for people convicted of inhumane treatment, her attorney said. or something like that. what would the animal industry board care about that? they saw the horses and left them there like that too! like I said, lots and lots of lies and lots and lots of facts never presented. Because to present the facts would be to say that all of the officials did the same thing Ilene did. They left those poor horses there like that too.
a couple of years ago when Dave Nelson was the states attorney in minnehaha county, we were allowed into the witness assistance program. he kept us informed every step of the way. we had meetings with witnesses. we helped organiz...e horsey-related evidence to make it make sense to non-horsey people. They let us help! they understood the time, money, and emotions we had invested in the poor horse. amazing how a different states attorney can make such a difference in a similar case. this time, we were told we were "not a party to the case." so we had to sit there and listen to the States lawyer say things like "I have no idea" etc.
and because no specific horses were spoken for or represented or cried for in court today, we will say once again, Aspen and your little friends, you were all good and beautiful. Be happy now babies, running with our Sky Herd.

If you have the opportunity to discuss this with county or state officials, please, above all, be polite and to the point. One good point to make is that the way these extreme cases of starvation are handled, when there are dead, dying, young, emaciated, baby horses, these obvious severe cases, the horses need rescue immediately. and it also requires compassion. the officials who saw these horses either didn't care that they were suffering or didn't know that they were suffering. either way, they are not the right people/offices for this job. If they don't know or don't care, they should not be in charge of anything related to animal welfare, animal care, or enforcement of these laws. After 6 months of being told "you are not a party to the case," (even though it was our volunteers who found Aspen like this and called the vet), after 6 months of time to investigate and get the facts straight (though we were never once asked for our evidence photos or info.), after all of that time, we sat in the courtroom and listened to 2 different lawyers from the States Attorney's office in 2 different court sessions, tell the Judge, that they didn't know because they had just been handed the file. The entire process of handling cases of horse neglect in South Dakota needs to be changed. It needs to be done by people who not only know but also care
here is Aspen's little friend who also died.

What should we name this little Paint? I don't know if it's a boy or a girl. But it's a member of our Sky Herd now. We asked for ideas on Facebook and voted. The little Paint's name is Francis, for the patron saint of animals. one of our other volunteers took this photo with a phone camera. the same night we found Aspen.

you can still see the "tracks" on the cement from the baby's little legs going back and forth, trying to get up, trying to live.

Here are just a few of the many comments we received on Facebook.
This is so sad...I don't know the full story, but, I can tell you this...my heart is sad because humans are very disappointing...but, yes not all humans are bad such as you my horse people and the people who help pups and kitties...Keep up the work, we are setting examples each day of our lives...
Why can't we have the professionalism around here that we see from the "Animal Cops" in Phoenix, Houston, New York, Miami, Philly and other places on the reality tv series..
What a bunch of crap! (putting it mildly) She can't be responsible for their care?? Obviously she wasn't responsible for the care of the others or they wouldn't have been in court in the first place! That's the whole problem! Frustrating is right! Thanks for sticking with it anyhow.
For her benefit?!?!? WTH?!?!? She didn't have to suffer, she didn't die...who are these people that supposedly represent the justice system? When an animal dies at the hands of a human whether they caused it directly or because of their ...indifference, there should be no plea agreements, no reduced charges and for the the love of God never, ever, ever should they NEVER be allowed to own another animal...did I say NEVER?!?!? The only thing that can be done to prevent this from happening again at the hands of this woman is to keep her on the radar, whether it be innocent citizens that are concerned about the welfare of her animals or the authorities themselves making it a point to check out the conditions. Don't think you weren't doing enough, it's the people that are in charge of enforcing the laws that aren't doing enough, you and all of the volunteers and the sponsors and the people who donate are doing EXACTLY what needs to be done. The DoubleHP does an amazing job...and unfortunately there will be always be more until the laws change. You guys are awesome, keep up the great work!!!! Unfortunately, from what I've witnessed, it's nothing more than a pain in the ars 'procedure' for an authority to take any time to check on horses. And when they finally do go out and find multiple dead, dying, neglected and/or abandoned ... horses there is very little done about it anyway. Why are there no authorities in court to represent the horses?? Why cant the horses have a "representative" in court to tell their REAL story?? The criminal gets to have an attorney and gets to plead all their lies to the judge, what about the victim?
Animal laws need to be updated and should include a third party to review any and all animal abuse...be horse, cat, dog, or livestock... all your work has had an impact on saving many horses and don't ever think you are wasting your time......you are encouraging change and with change comes awareness usually called "wisdom"...My learning curve has jumped several rungs these past six months...I deal with kitties and it breaks my heart that humans are not more responsible to their pets..."we are doing the glamorous "ha" work for the voiceless" in the trenches we go and with it the stark reality of what some people think of animals and what we would like to do to such people...keep doing what you do best and the payoff is a happy heart...you are doing what you can and that is far better than ignoring a dying horse so close to the ranch...(((Hugs)))...

We were there for Aspen in court yesterday

2010-07-13T08:14:00.000-07:00

First, here is a brief summary of what we have been able to follow in our Aspen case. Remember, early on, right after we were asked to provide some hay back in January, and the deputy gave our volunteer permission to enter the barn, and she found Aspen and called the Vet, etc., right after we did all that, we were told we are "not a party to the case." So trying to figure out what is going on has been difficult.

But anyway, on April 20 Larry Pahl made his first appearance. He was going to say "guilty" to one count of inhumane treatment to an animal. A 2-year-old Belgian mare. No Aspen represented here. But the Judge did not accept the plea because Pahl said he didn't understand the charges and that anyway he had been in the hospital and couldn't get the horses fed.

So there was a dispositional conference on May 13. Our volunteer called the States Attorney's office on May 14. And was told this: Larry Pahl has entered a guilty plea to one count of inhumane treatment, involving a 2 year old Belgian mare. sentencing is scheduled for July 12 at 1:30 p.m. in room 3A. Ryan Sage is the person who told us that, as he had been assigned to the case.

Ok, so our volunteer went there yesterday. July 12 at 1:30 p.m. in room 3A. Ryan Sage was not there with this case. I think it was the guy who had, in a previous court session, introduced himself to us as Paul, who was there handling all the cases for the State yesterday. For several of the cases, he had to explain to the Judge that he had just been given that file and wasn't real familiar with it. He seemed to do an amazing job for not being familiar with some of the cases. He and the Judge had a little conversation and decided that sentencing had been postponed because they had been waiting for restitution info. hmmmmmmmm, we missed that one. We didn't know sentencing HAD been postponed. Ryan Sage had told us it was scheduled for July 12. And here it was, July 12!
But we don't pretend to know anything at all about how this all works. And of course, we are "not a party to the case" anyway. So why should we know? Why should we care, really!

In any case, they now had the restitution info.So they were ready now for sentencing.

Yesterday in court there was no mention of a Belgian mare. Only a stud colt. That the veterinarian had to put down. Is this Aspen now? How did the Belgian mare become a stud colt? Wrong victim, perhaps.
Larry Pahl explained that he had been in the hospital and had had a heart attack (this was not mentioned in his earlier court appearance). But during his 5 minutes in the defendant's chair yesterday he had to take a pill because he was still so sick and he asked the Judge for permission to take the pill. though the Judge didn't really seem to pay much attention to those dramas.
The Judge said something like, "do I understand that you took some skinny horses home from a sale to fatten up for resale?" And Larry said yes sir. They were skinny. Now these skinny horses aren't allowed at the salebarns anymore. But I took these skinny horses home to feed. But it was a bad winter and I got sick and the horses got sick and just couldn't make it. And Eileen was supposed to be feeding them but didn't. And he showed the State pictures of horses he had owned all his life to prove that he takes good care of them. The Judge asked how many horses he owns. He said he sold them all. (we think, well, all that didn't die from being hit by a car or starving or freezing to death).
The State recommended 15 days jail time and that he only be allowed to own 2 animals.
The Judge said no jail time. (Larry couldn't figure out how he could possibly get to work if he was in jail, well duh!). The Judge also ordered Larry will own no large animals and only 2 small animals for 5 years.
(hopefully someone other than the sioux falls humane society will be checking on this, since the night our volunteer found Aspen, the humane officer told her it looked like a llama). Let's see. what else happened. Not sure if there was a fine on top of restitution and court costs.
The fact that Larry Pahl cannot own any horses for 5 years is pretty good.

Remember there is another horse owner involved too.
On May 14, Ryan Sage from the States Attorney's office told us that Eileen Perez (not sure of spelling) was saying "not guilty" to one count of inhumane treatment, involving a young buckskin. And that a preliminary hearing was scheduled for June 10. We figured the young buckskin was Aspen. We asked Mr. Sage about that, since Eileen did not actually own Aspen. He said he doesn't have to prove ownership. only that she was supposed to be caring for the horse and did not. So, now, did she and larry Pahl both got charged regarding Aspen. Or is Larry Pahl's count a different stud colt that died (many of his horses died there last winter).

We of course went to that prelim. hearing too, the one on June 10 for Ms. perez. and wouldn't you know, the charges were changed. Now she was charged with 40-1-12. Allowing fatally injured or diseased animal to suffer needlessly prohibited--Violation as misdemeanor. No person may keep any animal which is injured or diseased, past recovery, or unfit for any useful purpose and in suffering, or intentionally abandon to die any sick or disabled animal. A violation of this section is a Class 1 misdemeanor.
(that was copied off of the State website. I wonder if "in" should be "is.")
Is it still a young buckskin, that could be Aspen? or a different horse?
There was another court date set for July 28 in courtroom 1B. I believe 3:30 p.m.

So if that is still happening, it will most likely be interesting and surprising, as everything else has been.

Going to court as an observer is interesting. It would be fun to go every day, as an observer, that is. There were some people sitting behind us discussing what they would say when it was their turn. they didn't have an attorney. they decided they would ask for a continuance because they needed more time to get everything cleaned up. When it was their turn, we learned that it involved complaints about junk lying around etc. they showed pictures of what they had cleaned up. The State said they couldn't tell from the pictures if there were just a few little areas that had been cleaned up or if everything had been cleaned up. This had been going on for a very long time. The Judge asked if the zoning people were in the courtroom. Nope. So he decided that the pictures looked good to him and that perhaps the Zoning people had been satisfied too since they were not in the courtroom. So the defendants really didn't have to say much at all. and certainly didn't have to ask for a "continuance." And the Judge congratulated them for getting the situation cleaned up. And they were going to pay their fine or whatever that day.

And a woman who didn't want to pay her speeding ticket because her car just did it on its own as she was going down a hill. Though the Officer's testimony was pretty convincing and her story didn't go too well.

Duke - yes it has something to do with John Wayne

2010-07-06T21:32:00.000-07:00

I'm Duke and I have lots of stories to tell. I cannot possibly tell them all in one sitting.
oh, before I get started, I will let you know that I don't have my Vet report back yet. So I don't know what's going to happen to me.

But here's what my previous owner told me. We'll call him PO. previous owner. He told me that I was in the John Wayne movie "The Cowboys" or it might have been "the Last Cowboy" and that it was filmed in 1972. And that I am 41 years old. So I was born in 1969? and I was 3 when I was in the movie, is the way I have it figured. My new owners, we'll call them my rescuers, said they will try to check this out. PO said they had an old woman friend in Wyoming who could no longer care for me. That her goats were beating me up and kept me away from the food. and so I was just standing alone in the middle of a field. And I was neglected. So PO hauled me from Wyoming to the Black Hills of South Dakota. PO said that was a year ago April. He said the Wyoming woman's children had all these documents and pictures of my movie days and everything but they took that with them. So PO didn't get to have that stuff.

PO said that if my rescuer wouldn't have shown up when he did, about 5 minutes later, I would have gone to a place where there are bears. PO said he would have shot me there and let the bears eat me. As my "last good deed to society." That's what PO said.

Sorry but that's about all I can handle for right now.
I will tell you that when my rescuers came with their trailer, I mustered up some strength and energy and just about got myself out of my pen and pretty much ran into the trailer all on my own! I was ready to go. I was not afraid of the bears. I knew these rescuers were not taking me there. They took me to a beautiful place, where I can try to get better. They rescued me on the Fourth of July.
I will write more later. I'm exhausted.

HotShot and Heidi Beck reunited after 7 years

2010-07-01T09:10:00.000-07:00

In 2003, Heidi Beck was a freshman at Tri Valley High School near Crooks, SD. She volunteered for DoubleHP and formed a fast friendship with this rescued Thoroughbred, HotShot.

Back in March of 2003, the Sioux Falls Argus Leader did a story about Heidi and HotShot.

Here are some quotes from that story:

Heidi Beck would not have guessed that her care and concern for a horse would make such a difference. In helping the horse...her life was changed as well. "I'm more sure of myself," she says. "He's taught me patience, confidence, self-discipline, and I'm doing better in school"..."He's bigger than any other horse I have ever ridden," Heidi says. Ginny Beck, Heidi's mother, has noticed how HotShot has returned the favor for her daughter. "Her grades have improved dramatically," Ginny says. At first, Ginny wasn't sure if letting her teenager work at mucking out stalls, exercising the horse and taking time away from homework was such a good idea. Over the next four months, Heidi's work ethic trickled into her school work and other parts of her life. "She really budgets her time better so she can go riding." Ginny Beck says. "She's starting to have goals in life and is a lot more confident."

Flash forward to the present, 2010, seven years after that story was published: Heidi is getting ready to graduate from SDSU with a degree in Graphic Design. Once again, she is volunteering for DoubleHP. This time, as a model for our Unbridled Beauties of DoubleHP 2011 Calendar. This photo was June 2010, when Heidi visited to get reacquainted with her old friend HotShot.

Baylee's trip to ISU in Ames, Iowa

2010-06-23T10:41:00.000-07:00

Hello, I am Baylee. That's my friend Prince behind me.
And Hero, Lily and Flicka in the background.

My registered name is Doc's Poco Midnight.

I have some very famous horses in my background. I am not a rescue horse. I was the last horse Darci bought before she started doing rescue. I am a Paint. Though someone forgot to put my spots on me. The sale I went to when I was a little baby, only about 4 months old, was a big catalog quarter horse sale. There were no loose horses sold at this sale. But since I am a Paint, I wasn't too popular at this sale. So Darci bought me. She also bought my little buckskin friend Star. Star was even younger than me! And we have been buddies ever since. I have been ridden a lot. I've been to the Black Hills on trailrides plus lots of other places. I've been pretty healthy but I don't have the best feet. Very flat, very thin soles. And, related to that or not, I will probably founder if I am allowed to do pasture grazing. That just developed in the last few years. I am 11 now.

My newest adventure just happened this week. Along with my friend Prince (who is a Paint but DID get spots) and a black cat named Ike, I went to Ames, Iowa. To Iowa State University Veterinary Medical Center. I have been driving Darci crazy with my on and off lameness. I had 2 really nice doctors and a whole bunch of students evaluating me at Ames. I love attention. The more people around me, petting me, looking at me, fussing over me, the better. One thing they did was draw blood for some tests that will look at my insulin levels and things related to that. I am an "easy keeper." Which usually means the opposite. I mean, I'm really easy to feed because I am not too picky. But I get fat really easily. So I am on a constant diet. And I am still kind of overweight. I am pretty much a classic example of equine metabolic syndrome. My write-up from Ames says "BCS and phenotype is consistent for predisposition to equine metabolic syndrome." I'm not going to go into all of the scientific specifics, but here's what has been prescribed for me:

Less food, and only grass hay. No alfalfa. And no more sweet feed. Dang! I was only getting about a cup anyway, just enough to mix my Strongid dewormer pellets with. Last night I ate my Strongid without any feed though. I am going to get some special feed for grain time though. Like a senior type feed. A "pelleted low-starch feed." And I am going to start taking something called Thyro-L to help me reach an "ideal body condition." It's a powder that will be put in my new feed.

Now for my feet. I went to radiology and had xrays of my front feet. They compared them to the xrays I had done a year ago. My big problem is that I just don't have much for sole. At one place there is hardly anything between the ground and my bone. So that's why I'm most sore on concrete and gravel and surfaces like that. Of course I was hardly sore at all when the doctors at Ames were trotting me around on the hard concrete. Makes it hard for people to believe Greg & Darci when they say, "no, really, Doc, just a few days ago she could barely walk it was so painful." There are also a couple of things my farrier can do to help my feet. It will be a gradual thing though because I can't be trimmed very much at a time or that makes me sore too. I wear Easy Boots sometimes. Not as much now though. Because we got rubber mats added to our cement barn aisle. All the way down the whole aisle in between the stalls. And the stalls are not on cement. They are on dirt and also have rubber mats. So now at night, when Flicka and I wander around in the barn (we can also go outside if we want to) I never have to walk on cement. But the Easy Boots are nice for when I am sore. Or for long trailer rides, etc. And of course I always get shoes on when I am going to do trailriding. The Vet recommended heart-bar shoes with mild heel elevation. Our farrier will know how to do that. Last year I had shoes and pads and that was good too. So all that stuff is pretty manageable. But you can see why calling me an "easy keeper" is not exactly right. I require a lot of special care. The easy keeper only means that I don't have to eat much to get fat. Anyway, I wish I could go out in the pasture and graze. But I don't want to die either. So I guess my grass hay will do.

There was one great big surprise in my evaluation at ISU. And it was NOT a good surprise. I am a very good girl, and I'm good to have my feet worked with. But all of a sudden my back left gave me some probs. Not my foot exactly. More my stifle joint. When they were doing my "flex tests" it hurt. My write-up says "caudal extension of the left stifle elicited a pain response." So I was kind of naughty when they were picking up that leg and doing things with it. Which has never happened before. The Vet knew I am not a naughty horse so immediately suspected something. So they did some blocking and confirmed the stifle area. And xrays show a cyst. A "subchondral bone cyst on the medial femoral condyle." Kind of like an OCD lesion, like what Butterscotch has. How could I be so unlucky! The Vet says it has probably been there a long time but for some reason has never bothered me until recently. He doesn't want to do anything with it right now, unless it starts bothering me a lot more. I can still go trailriding and stuff.

Prince was just a nervous wreck at ISU. We couldn't see each other in our stalls, even though we were side by side. He knew I was there, but he couldn't see me. He was a good boy though when they took him out for his evaluation. There really isn't a whole lot to be done for Prince's arthritis. His radiographs "indicate severe osteoarthritis of the proximal intertarsal, distal intertarsal, and tarsometatarsal joints." There are some things that can be tried if he gets a lot worse. Things like stem cell and IRAP. But these are not cures. They might help short-term but most likely would have to be repeated. The Vet at ISU is going to talk to Michelle Jensen DVM at Dakota large Animal Clinic to see if there is another steroid type injection that they should try for Prince (he has had a few of these, but the last one didn't do much). Otherwise, he will continue to take his Previcox. The Vet at ISU agreed that Prince's quality of life seems to be excellent at this point. So things will just stay the same for him for now.

It's extremely reassuring to know that our Vets at DLAC are so good! They have been taking really good care of us. It's just that at places like ISU, there are more specialists, more procedures, and more equipment possibilities. So if the time comes to get really aggressive with my special needs or Prince's or any of the horses, it's nice to know the doctors at ISU too. And maybe Princie won't be as nervous there if he ever has to go back.

Now, as for the cat who went with us on our trip. Ike. The cat vet, Dr. Rola, in Sioux Falls, also is really good! He pretty much knew what is wrong with Ike's eyes. But once again, there is a cat eye specialist at ISU, and Dr. Rola recommended that we have a specialist take a look at Ike. Ike has something like keratitis, something related to or a symptom of or type of cat herpes virus. Not contagious. He just has to have eye drops until the cloudiness goes away. And then he'll have to have eye drops when the cloudiness starts to come back, as it probably will. Ike the cat had a pretty good trip. Not so much on the way to Ames. He had to be in a porta-kennel in the trailer. All by himself. He couldn't see us or anyone. And we could hear him cry. But on the way home, he got to ride in the pickup! He slept all the way home. And now he's back out in the barn with his cat friends. And we are back with our horse friends.

Home. At New Hope Horse Shelter.

Here is one of my famous photos. "The StormChaser"

Update in Aspen case, changes

2010-06-10T09:46:00.000-07:00

link to Aspen's story here

2 of our volunteers just got back from the courthouse where a prelim. hearing was scheduled for Iileen Perez in "our Aspen" case. She was not there. Seems like there perhaps has been a deal. The charge has been changed. It is not inhumane treatment. Now it is this:

40-1-12. Allowing fatally injured or diseased animal to suffer needlessly prohibited--Violation as misdemeanor. No person may keep any animal which is injured or diseased, past recovery, or unfit for any useful purpose and in suffering, or intentionally abandon to die any sick or disabled animal. A violation of this section is a Class 1 misdemeanor.
hmm, I copied that off of the State website. I wonder if "in" should be "is."

There is another court date set for July 28 in courtroom 1B. I believe 3:30 p.m. Mention of change of plea. So I guess that would mean a change from not guilty to guilty. Since it was at the end of the court session and we hadn't appeared yet, the Judge asked us what we were there for. We were told that Ms. Perez's attorney would be coming in and they would be scheduling another court date and it would be pretty uneventful. But we stayed anyway, so we could get the date etc.

update on Ranger

2010-06-09T10:10:00.000-07:00

Hi, I'm Ranger. I was donated to DoubleHP in the fall of 2003, by Tom Walsh. I was in good health, I just wasn't being ridden anymore. And I am a terrific trailrider! So, I was donated to DoubleHP who found me an excellent new home. I am at least part Tennessee Walking Horse. And maybe full. There were no papers for me. My adopter Dave recently gave a report to DoubleHP. He told them that I am getting ready to go on another riding trip out to the beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota! I am about 14 years old now, so I should have lots and lots of riding trips ahead of me.

above photo: Dave Sweet (not the same Dave who adopted Ranger), who helped to coordinate Ranger's donation and assisted with Ranger's foster care costs.

below photo: Greg Schjodt who transported Ranger for us and test-drove him too.

Hero rides outside alone for first time

2010-05-27T12:52:00.000-07:00

We are lucky that we don't have to send our horses away to the trainer. Kinsey Risty comes here. She usually gets here 3 times a week but sometimes just twice. This might not seem right to a lot of people. And to be real honest, we didn't know how it would work. But Hero is the third young horse Kinsey has started for us. He is the most unusual too. The other 2 are Lily and Minerva. All 3 of these horses are confident in their riding. Kinsey has worked with several other horses here too. always this same schedule. 3 times a week. For us, it seems to work.

Hero had a few days off because he was sore one day and a little more sore the next day. we thought maybe an abscess but it didn't really seem like that. then the next day he was sound. and yesterday he was running all over the place! So after 4 days off, he is back to riding training. He must have just bumped something or maybe ran too fast or jumped too high the first day out in the pasture this spring. But he's sound now.

Yesterday Kinsey had him walk out of the barn and out into the horse yard.

this was his first ride outside and all of the other horses were in the barn so Hero was feeling a little scared and alone. He whinnied a little but not bad.

And even though he was a little scared, he did everything Kinsey asked him to.
And then he got to go back in the barn with the herd. Walking through the sunlight shining through the trees.

Update on Hero's riding training

2010-05-15T07:06:00.000-07:00

Hero is doing ok in his training. He is not an A+ student, but he is not failing and he certainly is not a bucking bronco. His laziness is why he is not an A+ student. And the fact that he has always been an independent little thing. He came out of his mama that way. and if he were a little human boy, he would be a bit of a bully. Good thing Trainer Kinsey has so much patience. I'm afraid some old fashioned rodeo bronc type trainers may have taken the spurs to him by now, and not in an effective way.

Hero is trotting all around the arena very nicely. And he steers great, he does not fuss with the bit. He has always been really good with his head and face in his training. And he has a very powerful little backup.

But the other day we rode him and his sister Minerva together for the first time. And neither one of them really liked trotting around side by side. Look at those ears and crabby faces!

It got better though.

Hero is cantering to the left pretty nice now. But the right is a little harder for him and he's putting up just a little fuss. A few leg kick outs (though they aren't very ambitious either). and never a buck, because that would require way too much energy.

We still know he will be fine. Because he is very smart. And because he is Jazzy's baby. And because Kinsey is a really good trainer who deals with the horse's mind and emotions along with the rest of it.

Introduction to Spirit

2010-05-06T07:00:00.000-07:00

Hello, I am Spirit, Butterscotch's big brother.
I am one of the lucky rescued horses. I was rescued before I was totally emaciated. And my bones and joints seem to have developed normally.
But I didn't have a very good start in life. When I was only about 4 or 5 months old I got locked in a building with no food and no water. My poor skinny mom was left out in the trees with no food and no water. The only good thing about the building was that my two half sisters Butterscotch and Red were in there with me. One day some nice people from DoubleHP Horse Rescue came and rescued our whole herd! There were 17 of us. Butterscotch and I got to come and live here at New Hope Horse Shelter. Red has a good home too. Darci just saw her a couple of months ago and she is big and beautiful like me!

Here's a picture of me playing with my buddy Rocky last winter.

look at my beautiful dun markings!

I am so big and strong that many new people are intimidated by me. But I am really a sweetheart. I am always one of the first ones to come up and say "hi."
And that's why Denise picked me first to sponsor!
Denise Heidebrink from Crooks SD is my sponsor in April and May 2010. She pays for my food, hoof trims and deworming, basic things like that, during the sponsorship period. Denise also has riding privileges here at New Hope Horse Shelter, where I live. She doesn't ride me though. I'm pretty energetic and really fast. And most of the sponsors ride the safer "more experienced" horses here.
I DO get ridden though. not as often as I should because there are quite a few horses to keep ridden here. But I am a pretty good boy.

Here's a famous picture of me, it's with my friend Crystal. And it got picked to be a feature photo in the Unbridled Beauties of DoubleHP 2009 Calendar!

And here's another one of me in my barn with my friend Jet; evidently we needed a refill.

This one is called "Waterboys."

(sorry, we had been playing in the mud and didn't have time to get cleaned up for our picture)

I have another special little friend named Christina. She is Paul's sister, Paul from the Paul's Prince Project. Christina is not big enough to ride me yet. She can barely get the halter on me, I am so tall. But she is learning how to ask me to put my head down for her. When Christina comes she leads me around and brushes me and tells me that someday we will go barrel racing. I don't know what that is, but I like the sounds of it with the word "racing" in it. Anyway, I'm only 7 years old so there is plenty of time to do stuff.

update in Aspen case, we have made our point, we hope the legal system will re-emphasize our point that it is no longer acceptable to treat horses this way

2010-05-03T08:50:00.000-07:00

Current as of May 14, 2010:

This morning I had an informative and much appreciated conversation with an Attorney in the Minnehaha County State's Attorney's office.

This is the info. that is public knowledge:
Larry Pahl has entered a guilty plea to one count of inhumane treatment, involving a 2 year old Belgian mare. sentencing is scheduled for July 12.
A second person (first name is Eileen) has said "not guilty" to one count of inhumane treatment, involving a young buckskin. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for June 10.
That's about all I know, but I think we can go with the relief that "our Aspen" is being represented!

This was update from May 3.

We heard back from an attorney from the Minnehaha County States Attorney's office. He said he printed out the email and attachments (photos of Aspen) that we sent him and he will place them in the file and they will be considered when they decide what type of offer to make. There is a dispositional conference scheduled with Larry Pahl, the person who owned Aspen and allowed for his suffering, on May 13. We are invited to check back AFTER that time. We have not yet received answers to our questions about how many counts of inhumane treatment there are here, if Aspen is represented here (before our email), and if the State will recommend that Larry Pahl not be allowed to own horses since he does not know how to care for them or is unable to do so. We have not heard back yet on that and I don't know if we will. Our information has been placed in the file, and we have been assured it will be considered. We have made our point that we are an experienced horse rescue group who knows that the level of neglect and suffering in this case is extreme. and that the veterinarian who came to evaluate and euthanize Aspen could verify that, and that sentencing should match that. and that one count of cruelty simply is not appropriate. Since many horses, possibly 9 or 10, died on this property since last winter, and the ones we saw were babies. Serious. Severe. Obvious. Neglect. No reason for this person to own horses. And every reason to charge him and sentence him at the highest level possible. To match the level of cruelty that went on here.

Larry Pahl is still listed as an employee of Kramers livestock auction west of Sioux Falls South Dakota.
http://kramersauction.com/id44.html
(Update, June 2 2010, sometime between this post and now, this page was removed from kramersauction.com website. It was a list of employees)

In the courtroom he said he has owned horses all of his life. Then he has no excuse! He should at least know that horses need food!

Hero and Heidi, teeth to teeth

2010-04-26T17:50:00.000-07:00

Volunteer Heidi came to visit the other day. She wore sandals. Hero smelled her feet.

And then he did this.

So Heidi did it back at him. ok, you have to click on these photos to enlarge them to really appreciate them.

then Hero pouted, so Heidi pouted back at him.

Which made Hero mad, so he did this!

But in the end, they are still friends.

We will not forget you Aspen, even if everyone else has.

2010-04-21T19:50:00.000-07:00

Update on "Our Aspen" case. Two of our volunteers went to the Minnehaha County (South Dakota) courthouse yesterday for Larry Pahl's first appearance. The judge asked if he understood his charges and he said "no." So the judge looked in the folder and said inhumane treatment, first said two counts but changed it to one count. (the clerk of courts had told me 2 counts on the phone). the judge mentioned a Belgian mare. I'm sure there was more in the folder. But if there is only one count and it is for a Belgian mare, that is not Aspen. The Belgian mare is possibly, probably the one that got hit by the car and died. The young draft horse that I had wanted to help so badly. Larry Pahl said he has owned horses all his life and has never..... not sure, he kind of faded off. He was going to plead guilty. but then he also said he was in the hospital during this time. So the judge wouldn't accept "guilty." and so I think they were going to schedule a dispositional conference. I don't know what would have happened if the judge would have accepted "guilty." Maybe he would have said ok pay this fine and that's that. Or maybe the State would have said "this is severe and we recommend this man not own horses any more." I don't know.
I left a voice mail for the attorney for the State who was in the courtroom yesterday. Today I sent him an email. No response yet. I want the Judge to know how severe this case is. I want Aspen to be represented. I believe that 9 or 10 horses died on this property since last winter. And one count of inhumane treatment isn't appropriate. Especially if Aspen is not represented!

This is what Aspen looks like now up in the Sky Herd.

I just know it.

This is Star. Modeling, beautifully, in Aspen's memory.

Star lives at New Hope Horse Shelter. She is not a rescued horse. She just lives here.

Hero doing well in riding training, next lesson Friday, come & watch!

2010-04-21T19:25:00.000-07:00

Photo is Hero summer 2009.
Hero will have his 6th riding training lesson this Friday probably around 3:30 p.m. It's ok if you want to come and watch but you might want to call first to make sure the schedule stayed the same. He is doing ok. He's very lazy though. And right now is thinking that this riding thing was kind of fun when we were just going to do it once or twice. but now that it might become a long-term thing, well, there have been a few foot stomps and tail swishes. but really that's about it. He trotted around the arena Tuesday with trainer Kinsey aboard, and boy is he cute! Kinsey says he is really smooth too.

Hero's First Ride

2010-04-14T19:22:00.000-07:00

My first rider, today, was Kinsey Risty. She is really nice. She was Lily and Minerva's first rider too!

'dunno what the big deal is; I've had people messin' with me ever since I was born. I am super duper confident, smarter than I've even let 'em know yet, and pretty darn lazy when it comes right down to it. I think I will love trail riding.

oops, sorry Kinsey, I see I got some of my pink ear gnat stuff on your shirt.

Pink Ears

2010-04-13T20:32:00.000-07:00

Hello, I am Hero (Hiroki).

I'm almost 3. My two ol' buddies here are Moonshine, the palomino, he's 28! And King, the black horse, he's 26! Just think how much smarter they are than I am. Boy do I have a lot to learn! I will tell you more of my story later. I just wanted to quick show you my pink ears! You can click on these pictures to enlarge them.

The ear gnats were really bad today. Darci rubbed her fingers in my ears and squished a whole bunch of those gnats and her hand had my ear blood all over it. So she and Volunteer Tina went back to the barn and got a container of that "pink stuff" and put it in all of our ears. We've had a lot of Vet-type stuff going on here this week. Yesterday we all got shots and dental checks and dewormer. I had to have my teeth floated! And I had my sheath cleaned too. And with all that and my shots and stuff I was kind of droopy today. I'm okay now though. And I am so excited for tomorrow. My trainer Kinsey is coming to start my riding training. Well, I don't know if she will ride me tomorrow or not. I've had several little saddle/bridle lessons and some long lines and stuff like that. I really don't mind it. I'm pretty lazy and really smart. So I think riding will be ok. What a big week this is for me.

Here is my friend Jet. He still has trust issues, but he was pretty good for his shots. He had his teeth floated last fall so he didn't have to have that done this time. And he knows the pink stuff keeps the gnats away so he's ok with that too. He's really nice. He's just scared of everything. Poor guy.

And look at this cool picture. Me, Moonshine and Lovely Lily. With our pink ears all lined up.

Introduction to Minerva, a Roman Goddess of many things

2010-04-08T17:46:00.000-07:00

Hello, I am Minerva, a Roman Goddess of many things!

Above is a picture of me with some of my friends at New Hope Horse Shelter, April 2010. On April 6, 2010, I had to go to the Doctor. I have been limping in front just a little bit. It's hardly noticeable, but I might get to try to be a Reiner. So we have to make sure the Doctor thinks it's ok for me to do some kind of hard work. My X-rays look beautiful! My foot bones look great. We are hoping that I am just a little "tender-footed" and that shoes will solve the problem. It's weird because last year at this exact same time I went to the doctor for the exact same thing. But we didn't do Xrays or anything at that time. And after a while I didn't limp anymore, all fall I was fine. Then I had a few months off this cold winter. But now they've started riding me a little bit again. So, I guess I'll get some shoes on and see what happens.

I think I would like to be a Reiner. See, here's me practicing all by myself, 2 years ago when I was not quite 2 years old.

Now I am almost 4. The doctor says I am pretty mature. I am lucky though, because I wasn't in very good shape when I was a baby. I was, in fact, starving.

I was rescued from starvation on May 18, 2007. I was a yearling. I was rescued with my mama Jasmine who, with a broken hip and in her emaciated condition, was carrying my baby brother Hero. Here we are, me and my mom, just a few days after our rescue, looking pretty down in the dumps. My mom was only eleven years old. Her neglect was very hard on her. She looks so old in these pictures. But she wasn't. she was only eleven.

Here I am, a couple of months after my rescue, feeling a little better.

I had at least 6 homes in less than my first 2 years. I did get adopted right after DoubleHP rescued me, but the people couldn't afford me so then I was in some foster homes but they didn't want to keep me. So I finally just got to go live at New Hope Horse Shelter. Me and my buddy Rocky. We got to stay together through our rescue and we're still together. I miss my mom. After she had my little brother Hero (who also lives here with us), she got really sore and had a really hard time walking around; so she lives with the Sky Herd now. But Hero and Rocky are here with me, and there are lots of other friends here too. Lily is one of my favorites. She was rescued too. At first my name was Lily. But then DoubleHP rescued Lily, so they changed my name to Minerva. They said it just fit.

I don't know what that means. But I guess in mythology, Minerva the Roman Goddess was born in an odd way. She burst from her father's brain, already fully grown and wearing warrior attire. In one legend, Minerva the Roman Goddess tells a competitor, "challenge your fellow-mortals as you will, but do NOT compete with a Goddess!" So I guess I'm supposed to pretty tough and great. We'll see. If my feet will toughen up.

Here is a picture of Minerva the Roman Goddess. She is beautiful, just like me!

And the other neat thing is there is a really great restaurant in Sioux Falls. Called Minervas! Minervas and Paul & Karen VanBockern of Sioux Falls have been DoubleHP supporters for several years now. So anyway, I have a really really good name I think.

Stormy

2010-03-04T12:09:00.000-08:00

Hi, I'm Stormy.

My adopter, Wendy, has moved a few times since she adopted me, but I always get to move with her. I even lived in California with Wendy for a while. But now, since 2006, we live by Whitewood, SD. Wendy and Matt built us a brand new horse home here with them. And it is perfect.

I'm just going to briefly tell you my rescue story. It was so long ago, and my life has been so blessed with Wendy, I barely remember why I had to be rescued in the first place!

Way back in 2003, when my previous owners learned that I was navicular, they couldn't figure out a way to pay for my surgery and really didn't know what they would do if I could not continue on as a trailrider after my surgery. They were ready to sign my euthanasia papers. In fact, I'm pretty sure they DID sign them. Just in case Dr. Michelle's plan for me didn't work out.

DVM Michelle Jensen from Dakota Large Animal Clinic, Harrisburg, SD, is really kind of my hero I guess. She asked my previous owners if she could place me in an adoption program. And my previous owners said yes! So then Dr. Michelle talked to DoubleHP (now New Hope Horse Shelter) about me. It wasn't what they normally did. They normally rescue horses from starvation. And I certainly wasn't starving.

But, Dr. Michelle told them about me. How I was young, registered, well-trained, extremely friendly, an experienced trailrider, and oh so handsome. And she said my prognosis was good. Whatever that means. Well it must have all meant something, because DoubleHP agreed to let me be a DoubleHP horse!

I was only 9 years old when I became a DoubleHP horse. I had a surgery called a "neurectomy." DoubleHP and some nice people got some money together to pay for it, and Dr. Michelle helped too and she performed my surgery. Here's a picture of me right after my surgery, with Dr. Michelle and Todd Kennedy from Kennedy Equine Podiatry Clinic, who made me my very first set of special shoes.

And then Wendy adopted me! Here are some pictures of the very first time I met Wendy, way back in 2003.

Wendy adopted me in August 2003. In November 2003, she sent this nice note to DoubleHP: "I am so thankful to everyone who recognized the worth of helping Stormy when he needed it. There was something about this horse from the first time I heard about him that drew me to him. Every day I look at him and feel blessed. He's happy and healthy because people cared. Thank you - Wendy."

I can't say that I am 100 percent sound 100 percent of the time, but Wendy is so careful about my farriers, my shoes, my comfort, and everything about my life. I have been able to continue my trailriding career.

Aspen's Story, he's a Sky Herd Member

2010-02-15T09:41:00.000-08:00

UPDATE APRIL 8: There has been a court date set in Aspen's case. Larry Pahl is scheduled to appear April 20 at 9 a.m. in courtroom 1a. I noticed the name had been removed from the gotwarrant website, so I called the clerk of courts and got this information.

Larry Pahl is an employee at Kramers livestock. It's on their website.
We heard from someone who attended Kramers sale last Saturday. She said the Vet made an announcement that due to PETA, no one can bring really skinny and long-hooved horses there. If they do, they will be reported. The person who went to the sale also told us that an auctioneer said he got in trouble for having a couple of thin horses and had to pay $500. She didn't know the vet or the auctioneer's name.
I called the Vet who does the sales there though. Shanda Meyers. She said yes, she made an announcement. It came from the State Vet. She said she thinks he is concerned that that looks bad for horses in south dakota and that it's bad publicity for the livestock industry. Meyers told me she didn't talk to anyone at PETA. She thinks it was just "animal rights" in general.
I had a nice chat with this vet. She told me horses "not fit for sale" have never been allowed through the sale ring. but that there is no clear definition of what that is, so each Vet kind of makes that determination individually. She said if horses are not fit for sale, they are sent home and reported to the state vet.
Anyway, it would be nice if we could make some guidelines or laws just because we care for the horses' welfare, instead of just because it "looks bad" for the livestock industry. I mean, how does that help the horse? sending it back where it came from in the same "unfit for sale" condition! Instead of sending an emaciated horse back "home," perhaps the horse could get immediate equine vet and rescue assistance. You know, maybe we could make saving a life priority. Now that, I would think, would be some pretty positive publicity for horses in South Dakota, and for the people and officials in charge of enforcing the welfare laws.

UPDATE March 23: Today I was told that possibly 9 or 10 horses have now died since this past winter on the property where I found Aspen. Three died just this past Sunday, March 21. One was the young draft horse that I kept asking about because he was so thin and I wanted to help him so much. Another one died about a week and a half ago. These horses died due to "accidents."

The other 6 included Aspen, the other 2 dead babies I saw and apparantly others that I was told were covered up in the snow.

I also learned the name of the person who owned Aspen and the other babies who died. Larry Pahl. He works at Kramers salebarn. It says so on their website.

Meanwhile, not far away, just in the last few days, in Union County, cattle were seized from a place because they were malnourished and 13 were dead. There is already a news story about this including the guy's name, and already mention of charges of inhumane treatment.

HERE IS ASPEN'S ORIGINAL STORY

Below Aspen's story, I have posted a few of the comments of support I have received on this. Thank you all for your support. I just hope we have done enough to expose this horror and start the action that is needed to get this cleaned up so this doesn't happen again.

Aspen was still alive when these photos were taken, before the Vet arrived. The nice green hay in the photo is what was delivered from New Hope Horse Shelter, and it was placed under his head because he was lying on hard cold concrete, unable to get up.

Aspen's story is told here by a DoubleHP Volunteer.
On Jan. 19, 2010, I received a phone call from a humane officer in minnehaha county. They needed some hay for 16 horses that they had been monitoring for 9 days. They had it all under control, I was told. They said they had "warrants ready to go the next morning." They just needed some hay for the night. The location was only about 7 miles from my home (New Hope Horse Shelter), so the humane officer told me she would bring me back home after we fed the horses. She brought their company vehicle, and we put 16 bales of hay in it. 8 for the night, and 8 for the next morning. I rode to the location in the humane officer's vehicle. This was late afternoon/early evening.
As soon as we drove into the yard and could see some of the horses, I began to get the feeling that things may not be "under control" afterall. I could already see young, emaciated horses standing around with nothing to eat. And only about half of the horses were visible. There was an officer from the sheriff's dept. there, and I asked for permission to go look in the barn to see if some more of the horses were in there. The first thing I saw in the barn was a dead young horse. The humane officer said she already knew about that one, along with another one lying out in the snow. Then I saw another one back in a corner. It was still alive, but it was emaciated and could not get up. It was lying among garbage and manure. It was suffering terribly. I have no idea how long this horse had been here like this.

This young horse (later named Aspen) was suffering terribly. And I could not understand how this could have happened, if the humane officer had known about these horses already for 9 days. Perhaps this horse could have been saved 9 days earlier. But now it was too late. I called an Equine Veterinarian, who came and determined the horse needed to be euthanized. The humane officer told me that the SD Animal Industry Board had known about and seen these horses previously too. And still, Aspen was lying here like this.

I have had no more involvement with this case since then. State and county officials tell me there is an investigation going on. When I ask if anyone has been charged with inhumane treatment, I get no response.

Why don't we talk about these crimes? just a few minutes ago I heard a local news story about 2 guys having an argument with a snow shovel, though there were no injuries. Is Aspen's story not that serious? Why is this such a secret? We talk about shoplifting and breakins and theft of snowmobiles. Is this not as serious? Perhaps we don't want to believe that humans can be so cruel. Perhaps we don't want to believe that Aspen might have been saved, had he received help 9 days sooner.
But you need to believe it. It is true. Humans really can be this cruel. And Aspen really might have been saved, had he received help 9 days sooner. Instead of lying there among the garbage and manure.

This case includes an extra wrong. There is the usual horse owner who allowed Aspen to become emaciated. And that is a terrible crime. But then, when officials saw Aspen and did not help him, but instead allowed him to suffer even more, what do we call that? an accident? a mistake? a lack of proper training? I don't know, but just because I know a little bit about horses doesn't mean I would feel qualified to go evaluate the health of a herd of cows. I wouldn't even want to make an official evaluation of horse health without the guidance of an Equine Veterinarian. Most horse owners would know that, when there are dead baby horses lying around, others emaciated with nothing to eat, and another who was experiencing extreme suffering, with all of this going on at the same time, most of us would know that these horses needed immediate help. And we would have called a Veterinarian who specializes in horses. Immediately! Even experienced horse owners would want the help of an Equine Vet on this one. And most people with even a little bit of horse knowledge would have known that Aspen was in serious trouble. I just don't understand how this happened.

here are some comments I have received.

I am sitting here at work reading this with tears just streaming down my face (people probably think that I lost a member of my family), I can't even tell you how much this breaks my heart. We have 2 rescue horses of our own, a mare and her colt. We rescued them 2 yrs ago and as with any rescue animal, they all come with their baggage and they take time, patience and most importantly love and kindness. Gypsy came to us nursing her 2 month old colt and she could barely nourish herself, let alone a baby. We spent a whole summer and fall building her back up to her most beautiful self and helping build a very healthy baby. These 2 are thriving today, Gypsy is still not completely trusting of humans but she has come a LONG way and her baby (he's not a baby anymore by no means!!) Jack is the most friendly, loving and trusting horse you will ever come across...you can't rush the healing it all takes time. We have to be their voices...we owe it to them!!!

thank you for exposing this- I am horrified to think that a Humane Officer KNEW about these horses for NINE days- and 3 dead horses- and they were monitoring the situation? this is incredibly WRONG- how can anyone allow this to happen?

What a joke. .. I'm with you--why would they not take immediate action? I'm sure you are greatly frustrated.... It seems like the law is against the people trying to find some justice. Take care, and hug a horse when you get angry.

I watch the "Animal Cops" shows and the professionalism, backup from law enforcement and the support those cities have with their officers and wonder, " why not here"? Might be too much to expect for a city the size of SF I suppose. .. I'll continue to spread the word as I can.

Thanks for sending me this. I hope you don't mind I shared it with others on my web page. I see the SD legislature has put off any action on strengthening animal cruelty laws. Thanks again & please keep me updated on this case. I hope they are successful and harsh in the prosecution of it.

The story was horrifying... outraged that ... knew about this for 9 days before "trying to help" these poor horses. The officials have really dropped the ball on this. I hope the story will bring more of this neglect to light and perhaps the officials will see that they need more people that "know horses" to help with these cases. Have you had any reponses to the story? I can't imagine how anyone wouldn't be touched by this story. No animal should be allowed to suffer like that. I'm glad you were able to get this story on the news. I don't see how it can do anything else but help the cause. Hope all is well. Let me know if there is anything I can do to help.

Most 10 year olds would be able to recognize that Aspen needed help...who would possibly think it would be okay to leave these horses in this condition? There is absolutely no excuse for this kind of a situation to happen. Where is the break down...no hay....time lapse of nine days..people who knew and made the decision to do nothing... Yes, possibly people need to be educated in body scores and medical terms, but that isn't what happened here. This didn't progress to this stage because someone was off a couple numbers in their evaluation...this happened because they looked the other way and let it progress....how about 20/20??? This hits my "hot" button - sorry for the sarcasm.

Wow, this is incredibly sad and must be infuriating for you as a rescuer. My father-in-law is a detective here in Texas and he works on many equine rescue cases. He is a horse person, so he knows right away when things aren't right for the animals. But even he can only do so much when the DA doesn't give animal cruelty/neglect cases don't get the immediate attention they deserve!!! The mishandling and incompetence illustrated ... on this case is appalling, and it breaks my heart that there may be no justice for little Aspen and the other horses in this case. Please keep up the good work though, try not to lose hope!!! And thanks for shedding some light on this!!!

You definately did NOT make a bad decision by spilling the rotten beans!! It had to be done to make people aware that this disgusting-ness is going on .... The news story wasnt finger-pointing at any certain organization but hopefully they (law enforcement) will feel pressure on them to get their 'investigation' done and charges made now that its not a big secret anymore.
Good Job!!!

you have a compelling story to tell, and i believe you can help law enforcement....they are not qualified to evaluate horses.....and small animal vets aren't either. take the anger and pain you are carrying and use it for a better tomorrow for our four legged friends.....

Obviously, the humane (officer) is dropping the ball on this. Since progress isn't being made by these organizations, maybe they need to be exposed for not doing their job--through photos, news releases, etc. Sometimes the waters just need to be stirred up to make a difference! I appreciate what you have been doing in some very, very difficult circumstances.

Oh man!! I just read about that poor baby. I don't think you should keep your mouth shut any longer. Can't believe you've been able to be so tough for so long and not voice your frustrations. Don't know that I could have done that. You know, if people never question things and make some waves nothing will ever change. Nothing will ever get better.So, I think you should start making some noise. I think you should leave your camera lens uncovered and take a lot of photos and make sure people see them. I can't stop crying about this baby. I can only imagine how awful it was to find him like that. Wish I was there.

Count me in for doing what it takes to protect "our" horses. I don't believe anyone should die cold, scared, starved, and alone without any loved ones around. I believe we should all die with loved ones surrounding us and with dignity. Someone has to be there for the horses and to educate those that are willing to learn. So count me in on whatever it takes to get the job done!

of course, you have my support on this. It is unbelievable that someone could let this happen. We certainly can't sit on our hands while there are animals suffering. Let me know what else you need me to do.

......wish i had some easy, quick fix, answers for you....while you are being yelled at, do your best to hold your head high....you acted for the love of the animals, .....your actions were pure of heart....the best kind.

I say Amen! that the media has been made aware... Good Lord, what is wrong with these people? I was so mad last night that I emailed the HSUS and the ASPCA to tell them...
(remember, those are comments we received; and we will keep the writers' ID anonymous)

Decision to end our rescue services. It is good that Aspen was our last. He needed us as much as any horse ever had, and we are so glad we were able to end his suffering. Finally.
It is impossible for DoubleHP to carry out a successful rescue around here right now. The evidence is in the story of Aspen, that the authorities knew about these horses and did not help them. Nor did they call us for help. There were already dead baby horses on property, and more died after the authorities began to "monitor" them. Why didn't they call us? We could have taken them to Dawn's place, where there are nice big warm stalls with 24/7 access to food, we could have coordinated immediate Veterinary plans with the Equine Specialists that we use, rounded up our volunteers to help with chores, asked for donations of stall bedding and feed, etc. We could have done all of the things we do for our rescued horses. Things that all successful and knowledgeable horse rescue groups across the nation do. Why won't they let us do that anymore? Why didn't they call us for help?

Did you know that South Dakota ranks last out of 50 states in our animal protection laws? (hsus.org)

Again, the evidence is in the story of Aspen. But still, we do have some laws. And this kind of inhumane treatment and suffering is a crime in our state.

Horses used to get legal help around here. Why not now? In Minnehaha County, we can't even tell you who to report suspected neglect to anymore. Because we doubt that anyone will do anything about it anyway. If they didn't help in Aspen's case, I doubt they will help in other cases. Because, neglect cannot get much more obvious or severe than Aspen's case. Here's a little summary: county & state officials had known about these horses for at least 9 days, they were monitoring them. after 9 days they did call us, but only for hay. they thought that's all they needed. After 9 days, there were dead baby horses lying around in the snow and in the barn, there were other young horses still standing but emaciated, with nothing to eat! What kind of "official" monitoring is this! And there was Aspen, lying on cold hard concrete along with piles of manure and garbage, back in a corner of the barn. Emaciated, cold, barely alive but still wanting to get up so badly. Of course he could not. It was only because we were called to deliver some hay that Aspen was found and his suffering finally ended. DoubleHP found him and called the Vet. Why couldn't anyone else see that these horses needed help!

I hope it was ignorance. I mean, I hope that all of these "officials" just don't know anything about horses and so did not know that Aspen was so close to death. But I don't know. How likely is that? With other babies already dead? Wouldn't they have thought that maybe, possibly, perhaps this was a serious situation? What would you have thought, even if you didn't know anything about horses?

We still believe these are serious crimes and that they should be dealt with quickly and aggressively.

And we still believe that if they aren't dealt with, the numbers of these types of crimes will sky rocket!

And we don't understand why officials cannot see that. The sad thing is, until they do, until they start letting people know that they will be punished for treating their animals this way, there is very little that volunteer groups like DoubleHP can do.

DoubleHP, today, is announcing that we are not doing horse rescues anymore. We cannot. It is our hope that, with this announcement, a new group of horse lovers will be motivated to take over for us. Write letters, make phone calls, ask the tough questions. For me, I am really too angry about how Aspen was allowed to suffer for so long, and call it self-preservation if you want to, but I cannot go through that again. Not when I live 7 miles from where it happened and all of the officials involved know about our group and did not call and let us help them help these horses. Perhaps a new group of volunteers now, without this anger that I am feeling, would be able to make some sense out of all of this. Because I know I sure can't.

In the main rescue we helped with last October, in a different county, we don't even know what is going on with that "case." We also don't know for sure what happened to all of the horses that were on the property, including some with a body condition score of 2. We do not know what information the states attorney received. That is not the way we do rescues.

And now, with all that has happened, and mostly all that hasn't happened related to Aspen's intense suffering even though officials had known about these horses for at least 9 days before I found Aspen in his severe state of suffering....

...with all of that, combined with an eye-opening lesson from my sister today, I believe it is truly time to discontinue our horse rescue services. Not because we haven't made a difference. We have. Not because we are giving up. We're not; we still think there is hope, several generations down the line from here. Not because we don't love helping the horses. We do. We love taking care of them and bringing them back to life. Not because we are not needed. We are. But we hope someone else will step up for a while.

We feel we have done more than our fair share. And we are in total disbelief about what happened to Aspen. How could so many "officials" know about these horses and not help them! We cannot be a part of another situation like that. We do hope that others will find a way now to take over. Perhaps some of our volunteers who have not been doing this for so long, perhaps they would still help. But for me, I am really just too angry and heartbroken about what happened to Aspen.

You know, maybe if the horse owner would thank us for the hay and for calling the Vet and helping his horses, and maybe if the officials would thank us for finding Aspen when they had not and maybe if they would say, "oops, sorry, we screwed up; we will never let this happen again." And mean it. And maybe if the officials who saw these horses and thought they were ok would go to equine school before they try to evaluate horses again. Maybe if they would all just quit "playing cowboy" and let "horse people" evaluate & help the horses while they do the legal work, maybe then it would work. Here's one of my favorite sayings: "if you want to be a cowboy, get a cow."

As I mentioned, my sister opened my eyes for me today. She told me that people don't want to hear about animal cruelty around here any more. They want to pretend that it doesn't happen. The things that would fix the problems are just too difficult. Things like spaying & neutering pets & feral cats; like breeding fewer horses; like expecting the laws to always get enforced; those things. They are just too difficult. And so, people would just like everyone to do what's easy and convenient and happy and pretty. And that is to quit throwing this stuff in their faces! Please just please pretend it doesn't happen. They don't want to hear about or read about or see pictures of emaciated or suffering animals. It makes them sad and ruins a few minutes of their day.

I have never even thought about this before! I have always thought that everyone knows the only way to fix these problems is to talk about them, to expose them, to punish the offenders and help the victims. And I always thought everyone (except the people who commit the crimes) was together on this. But I do believe my sis is right. Most people want to pretend these things don't happen. for the most part, people are glad our organization is here to help. But not many people want to do the really difficult things. Most people simply don't have time. But also, people really don't want to ask the tough questions. They really don't want to call the sheriff or humane officer and ask, "but why?" It's just easier to not know why. And so, I think that's what I want to do now too.

Oh, I suspect it will be a transition. I doubt I can do it just cold turkey. But I CAN do it. Don't read the papers, don't watch the news, don't visit my daily animal welfare blogs and sites, just wean myself off of it.

anyway, that is my important announcement for the day.

That dear Aspen was our last rescue. I am so very thankful that I found him there. How much longer would he have lain there suffering I wonder. Oh that is just too horrible to think about.

Aspen needed our help as much as any horse ever has. And so it is right that he was our last rescue.

Don't worry! We will still be here! We have 11 rescued horses here at New Hope Horse Shelter. And that is what our focus will be now. Maybe we can take some of them to shows this summer. Maybe we can have more time to work on our horse sponsorship program this summer. Hero needs to get trained to ride. Maybe we can do more educational activities. Maybe this. maybe that. But no more sad rescues. My heart is shattered from seeing Aspen in his condition, along with the other dead babies lying around. And it will be a very long time before it is all put back together again.

I guess there is a possibility that the other DoubleHP directors will get together and un-vote this decision. But I don't think so. I think they will agree that DoubleHP cannot be "used" like this anymore. When horses need help, we want to help them! And we don't want them to stay with the owners who did this to them. We don't want to just put a bunch of bandaids on things and then tell everyone to keep their mouths shut and their camera lense covers on. That is the recipe for rescue failure and for an increase in neglect cases like you can't imagine. And until "officials" around here realize this is true and that they need "horse people" to help them in these cases, there really is nothing we can do. We do not wear badges, so we do not get to make decisions regarding the horses' welfare.

Thanks to my sis, for opening my eyes today.

And this, added a few days later:
thanks to you who have already contacted me about our announcement to end our horse rescue services. the biggest question I am getting is, "who will they call now?"

I don't know.

The thing is, in Minnehaha County, where our shelters are located, the officials are not calling us anyway! (except to ask for hay) I guess they think they have a better way of dealing with cases of horses suffering and dying from neglect. A better way than the way that all successful horse rescue groups throughout the country handle their horse rescues. Although, we know, Aspen's story is evidence that is not true.

Officials in this case have exhibited an all-time low level of knowledge when it comes to horse neglect. But they are the ones with the badges. Not us. They are the ones you need to talk to. Not us.

Oh believe me, we want to help! Aspen's suffering was terrible. It was terrible to see. And it's not something I want to see again any time soon. But that alone is not why we are ending our rescue services. Ever since we started doing this 9 years ago, there have been horse owners too lazy and irresponsible and heartless to feed hay during the winter. We have seen dead and suffering horses before. What's different now though, in this case anyway, is the total lack of action from authorities in this case. The fact that Aspen's suffering grew worse and continued on and on, because officials who saw him did nothing to help him. Oh we can handle the suffering, as difficult as it is, but we can handle it only when the owners who did this to the horses are made to pay for their crimes. And only when we are allowed to help the emaciated horses that are still alive.

Without that, without "officials" being with us on this, without them understanding how serious this is, and how easy it would have been for us to help Aspen days sooner (who knows, maybe we could have saved him!), without that, we cannot continue.

I would recommend that if you want to do something to help officials get back on track in these horse neglect cases, talk to the people who need to know. In DoubleHP, we already know. But, once again, we don't wear the badges and we don't get to make the decisions. And so, our knowledge and experience mean nothing and are worth nothing at this point.

thanks to all of you for your support.

You can enjoy the horses we have been able to rescue. come and visit 11 of them at New Hope Horse Shelter. They will get our undivided attention now.

Happy 2-year Rescue Anniversary, Lily!

2010-02-03T19:21:00.000-08:00

Look at my cool hairdo! click on the pictures to enlarge.

I was actually playing with my friend Prince at New Hope Horse Shelter during this photo, just this past December. Prince and I both live there.

this photo from December 2009, at New Hope Horse Shelter,

where Lily now lives with 10 other rescued horses.

Time to tell my story. My 2-year rescue anniversary is coming up on Feb. 7. I wasn't always this gorgeous and happy.
On this date 2 years ago I was miserable, really ready to give up. cold. starved. dehydrated. lonely. my only friend was lying dead in our field. My owner had not come to see me for many months. The person who was supposed to be feeding us was not. I was just really really cold and hungry and all alone and just couldn't figure out what I had done wrong.

The first bad thing that happened to me was I went through a horrible salebarn. I could not understand why the person who owned me didn't want me anymore, or at least wouldn't make sure I got a good new home.

And then, basically, I was put out in a field with another horse and that was the next bad thing that happened. Because nobody fed us that winter. And my friend died.

I met DoubleHP rescuers on February 7, 2008. They came and got me at the Brookings area humane society. There were many nice people who helped me in the Brookings area, including the States Attorney's Office in that county. My poor friend though. I had to leave my friend lying in the snow, dead.

My new, nice people brought blankets for me, and I let them put them on me and got right in their trailer. They said I looked like a shetland pony, I was so shrivled up. They took me to a big horse stable near Sioux Falls where I was cared for for about 2 months. I had a double-size stall and a large electric water tub and really good hay in front of me all the time.
Dr. Michelle Jensen from Dakota Large Animal Clinic in Harrisburg came to visit me right away. She said I was emaciated. I had a lot of winter hair which probably helped me survive and hid my bones sticking out. But you can see my hip bones and stuff. My halter had started to grow into my head too, and I hadn't had any hoof or dental care let alone deworming.

Speaking of deworming, I surprised Dr. Michelle with my "impressive" parasite load. She checked to see if I was pregnant, and when she pulled her arm out it was all covered with my worms!

This piece of manure is about the size of a wadded up kleenex. That's why my parasite load was considered "impressive," there were lots and lots of them. So then they couldn't even deworm me because they were worried all the worms would come out at once and would get all bunched up and possibly cause me to colic and die. So they just had to start me on some dewormer pellets but not a full dose, for a while. and then gradually they gave me different kinds and stronger kinds and bigger doses until finally they could give me full doses and clean me out once and for all. Ever since then, I have been on daily dewormer pellets and get dewormed by Dr. Michelle too, twice a year, to get the bots.

After a couple of months at the Stables, after winter, I went and lived at New Hope Horse Shelter. I had an awful time learning how to live with a herd. It was different from living with one dead freind. I liked the company, but I just didn't get along with a lot of them. Now I do though. Rocky and Minerva are 2 of my favorites. I love Rocky. He dances with me.

After I felt better, a nice young woman named Kinsey Risty taught me how to be a calm, confident riding horse. And I got to go to Newton Hills last summer. here's a picture of me at Newton Hills.

Here's a picture of me and my friend Pat, who helped sponsor me in 2009. I hope she will come back and see me when it warms up this year.

Here's some more of what Darci told me about my story:

The States Attorney in Brookings County felt really bad for me and my friend. He made sure the man who neglected me had to pay for his crime. and he had to go to jail for a while too. His name is Neil Ronning.

Darci said that my bad owner lived about 20 minutes away from where I was being kept, but she hadn't come to see me for about 6 months. Darci said she talked to her, when she was tracking down my papers and history. She had no idea she had done anything wrong. She laughed when she asked Darci, "how's my horse?" She said she had been calling the landowner, her friend, every once in a while; to ask him how her horses were. And he would say, "They are still standing." Then this woman, my former owner, told Darci that she hoped she could go to another sale soon and pick up another horse cheap. Darci talked to the lady who took me to the salebarn too. She said she hardly got a thing for me. She did feel bad about what had happened to me though, she said.

But Darci says I am beautiful and valuable, worth thousands of dollars as far as she is concerned. I am registered, young, beautiful, and I got pretty big once I got some good food and vet care. I don't look like a Shetland pony anymore; that's for sure!

Lovely Lily

2010-01-26T08:21:00.000-08:00

Hi, I am Lovely Lily. I have a happy rescue story. My rescue anniversary is coming up in February. It will be 2 years since my rescue from starvation. I will tell you my story here soon. Darci told me to just hurry up and put a pretty picture on here so when she links from our new facebook page, there will be a pretty picture showing up. the next story below this one is kind of sad. But all the rest of them after that one are pretty happy. They are blogs written by us, the horses who live at New Hope Horse Shelter. Sorry Darci doesn't have that facebook thing figured out very well yet.

Sky Herd - Jasmine, Jack Frost, Shanty, Saint Nick, others

2010-01-25T20:26:00.000-08:00

Hello. I am Jasmine. I am writing this as the representative of our Sky Herd.

Below are some stories and photos of some of the rescues DoubleHP has done. These are only a few. Many of them, like me, end up joining the Sky Herd soon after our rescue. But it feels so much better up here with the Sky Herd. We don't hurt anymore. We are up here, watching over you humans, hoping you will come to your senses and find some compassion and kindness and good within you. And try to find ways to help horses live good lives, instead of trying to find ways to conveniently and profitably kill us, for human convenience and profit. If you dislike us so, then perhaps you shouldn't be allowing us to reproduce in such large numbers that you can't even find a way to keep us fed, let alone provide shelter, water, deworming, hoof & dental care and other basice health needs for us. If you are going to encourage us to reproduce and keep us fenced in, then you HAVE to provide for us.

Here is my story: JASMINE
I was rescued by DoubleHP on May 18, 2007. My whole herd was rescued. My young daughters Cinnamon and Minerva, and two young stallions Tex and Rocky. Cinnamon and Tex got to stay together in their new home. Tex is a gelding now. Rocky (a gelding now) and Minerva got to stay together too; they live at New Hope Horse Shelter, along with my other baby Hero. When I was rescued, I was carrying Hero in my emaciated body. Cinnamon had already lost her baby. The little body was found in the melting snow, before we were rescued. It would have been my grandbaby.
When I was rescued, I could barely walk. I needed hoof care so badly, I had respiratory problems, I was emaciated, I had a broken hip, my baby Minerva was still by my side. And, of course, I was carrying my new baby Hero. The Vet said he didn't know what would happen to my new baby. If it would be born alive or normal or healthy. He told my rescuers to keep good food in front of me all the time and cross their fingers. It was too close to my foaling time to do anything else.
On June 15 (Father's Day), my baby Hero was born. Here is a picture of us just a few days later. Our foster mom Pam made Hero start learning things right away, like how to let humans pick up his feet.

After a couple of weeks, Hero and I went to live at New Hope Horse Shelter. We had our very own pasture for part of the day. Except I couldn't stand the heat and bugs. So we spent a lot of time in the barn with an outside pen hooked on. That was perfect. I did gain some weight and began to look a little better. I always had lots of good food so I had lots of milk for my baby too.

When it was time for Hero to be weaned, it went very smoothly and was not stressful for either one of us. He started spending more and more time with his buddy Prince. So we just made a gradual transition that way. Then, about Christmas time, I went to live in my new permanent home. They built a special pen and stall for me, plus I got to be in the pasture with their two senior Arabs. It was a very good home.

But then, a couple of months later, I began to limp on my "good" side, my right side. My hip would drop down every time I went to take a step on that leg. I had to go to the Vet. I spent the night before my vet appointment at New Hope Horse Shelter. I got to see my babies Hero and Minerva again! How happy that made me! But the Vet determined my new problem was also in my hip area. It was not an abscess or tendon or anything that we could hope for a recovery. With both hips damaged, it was becoming difficult for me to get around and enjoy eating. My quality of life was slipping away. I can't even remember what happened for sure, if I fell, or if I nearly fell but caught myself in a bad way, or perhaps my good side just had to work so hard that it just gradually became my bad side. Whatever the reason, I just wanted to quit hurting. I had done my job of making sure my babies were well cared for. And now it was time for me to join the Sky Herd.

I had no idea what a special "sleep over" at New Hope Horse Shelter that would be, the night before the Vet helped me off to the Sky Herd. I got to spend one more night on Earth with my babies Hero and Minerva.

If you read about the flower "Jasmine," for which I am named, you will learn that some cultures use the flower as a healing agent for the reproductive system. And it is used for various other types of healing & therapy as well. No wonder my babies were born healthy, even though I had been so neglected.

JACK FROST

Sweet Dreams, Sweet Little Jack Frost.
I will smile now every time Jack Frost is nipping at my nose.

Here is the story of Jack Frost, who lives with our Sky Herd now. The story is told by a DoubleHP Volunteer.

For months, residents of a small SD community watched and talked about this situation, but did nothing to help this horse -- until it was too late. What is especially tragic about this story is that it happened right in town, not far from a feed elevator and a church. Residents talked to each other about the situation, and one person told us the Sheriff's Department “had been watching it too.”

Finally, when it was too late, DoubleHP was called. It was an all-too familiar situation. The landowner and another person were arguing over two little horses. Neither wanted to claim ownership. The landowner finally transferred ownership of the horses to DoubleHP. That doesn't make everything alright, but it did allow us to try to help the horses. We DO believe there should have been charges of inhumane treatment to animals. But we often are unsuccessful when we try to convince county officials to do that. Sometimes all we can do, as volunteers with no legal authority, is to help the horses and then make an educational point related to that case; hoping that, with each story we tell, we can touch at least one human heart & mind, and save at least one other horse from suffering this way.
In the case of this little colt, Jack Frost, while the horse owner is really the person to blame, what about the residents who knew and talked about the situation, but still didn't get help for the horse! And what about the Sheriff's Department who, we were told, had known about these horses for many months! (in fact, the sheriff showed up as we were carrying Jack to our trailer. We had to make slings and pretty much carry him to the trailer, because he was too weak to walk. The Sheriff did not offer to help; he just watched. We kept our mouths tightly shut, hoping he would not interfere with our rescue. He did not.)

Laws regarding horse neglect are tough to get enforced in our state; however, horse neglect IS against the law in our state. And when the situation is as obvious, visible, and severe as this one was, it still just seems unimaginable that not one person could or would help this horse. A month, maybe a week, would have made a difference for this little horse. But it was just too late; there just wasn't enough left of him.
When a life is at risk, even if it's just a skinny little horse, that is not the time to look the other way. That is not the time to mind your own business. And that is not the time to pretend something is right when you know it is not. What happened to Jack Frost was not right, and it was so preventable and so unnecessary. Jack Frost was a nice, flashy, straight-legged little colt that anyone should have been proud and happy to own.

We will tell you Jack Frost's story now, with the hope that we will touch at least one human heart & mind; thus, make life better for at least one other horse.

A woman called us on Sunday, Nov. 27, 2005. She told the story of two young horses across the street from her who were enclosed in a fenced area with no food, water, or shelter. And the storm was to hit that night. They had been there for many months, but she hadn't realized how skinny they had gotten because it was dark when she drove home at night. She said the story really began last summer, when the horses were running loose around town. So they were fenced in, and there they stayed. She said the Sheriff's Department knew about the situation even at that point. That was in June, nearly 6 months before Jack Frost died of starvation. And now, the woman said, there was no food, the water was frozen and, with the storm coming, she didn't think the young horses would survive much longer.
The woman who called us said that the landowner was willing to sign the horses over to her or to DoubleHP. There was a document that said the landowner was now the horse owner too. But we knew we could not get there in the middle of this storm. So we convinced her to get the horses into her barn for a few days until we could get there to pick them up.
The next morning, Monday, Nov. 28, they got the two horses into her barn. But the little horses had already spent a night out in the storm. And the whole community was without power. This was the storm that left thousands without power, and the county where this happened had been hit harder than most. But on Monday morning, they got the filly into a stall. The colt had a hard time making the journey; he was already so weak. They did get him into the barn, but he went down on the cement floor before they could get him to the stall. He could not get back up, and so there he lay until DoubleHP could get there.
The people who got the horses into their barn were able to get a nice layer of hay under the colt. And they kept him covered up as best they could. But he did want to get up, and so every time he thrashed around he would undo his bedding and blanket, and his little body was getting full of sores from lying down and from trying to get up. Still, he was hanging on. The woman would sit him up whenever she could. And he did have a good appetite and would drink the warm water that they warmed up for him on their gas stove. Even when he was lying flat on his side he would continue to eat the hay that he could reach around his head. But he still wasn't able to get up, and they didn't know how to help him get to his feet.
We maintained telephone contact with them whenever we could, whenever they could get a signal for their cell. phone. We didn't think we could get there before Thursday, according to the storm reports. But on Wednesday morning, when the colt still couldn't get up, and the reports called for the storm to start back up that afternoon, we knew that this was our best chance to beat the storm.

Four of us left Sioux Falls at about 10:30 that morning. We didn't get too far north before we realized we really had not beaten the storm at all. It had started back up much sooner than the weather guys had predicted. Still, the truck & trailer seemed to be handling OK. And as long as we could keep going, we would. And we did. We made it to our destination around 1:30 p.m., and there were 3 people waiting to help us.

We got the filly safe in one section of the trailer. Then we made slings out of bed sheets for the little colt, and we got him safely into the trailer too. He wanted to stand up, so we let him. He didn't have very good control over his legs; afterall, he had been lying on them for two days. So we held him there for a while, but then he was able to stand on his own. For a little while. But we helped him back down for the long trailer ride. His will to stand and eat gave us new hope and enthusiasm.

We had called ahead to Dakota Large Animal Clinic near Harrisburg, SD. They are equine specialists, and their heated stall was waiting for us. They called us as we were driving home though and asked if there was any way we could overnight somewhere else and bring the colt in the morning. They said it was just storming too hard there for us to make it safely. We didn't think it could be any worse than what we were already driving through, and we didn't know if the colt could survive another night on his own. So the Clinic agreed that one of their Doctors who lives near the Clinic would meet us there when we called.

It was after supper when we got there. Dr. Jensen and a Tech from the Clinic helped us get the colt into the heated stall, took his vitals, and got him going on IV. There was plenty to be worried about. He was in serious shape. If the body condition score system included negative numbers, that's what the colt would be. But One is the lowest it goes. Below that is Death. The colt was somewhere in between. Still, his will to eat, drink and stand - his will to survive - gave us some hope. Still about 30 miles from home, with the storm getting worse, we needed to leave. He was warm, dry, had food, and a Doctor would be back in the morning. The filly was already eating non-stop in a different stall. While she too had a low body condition score, her vitals were not too far off and she seemed comfortable in her stall. We decided it would be better if she were not in with the colt, since he couldn't get up; and we didn't want her to step on him or get caught up in his IV.

We needed names to write on the horses' charts. Blizzard and Jack Frost seemed appropriate.

Eleven hours after we left Sioux Falls that morning, we were back home doing our own chores.

The next morning, Thursday, Dec. 1, Doctor Todd from the Clinic called. They had the results from the colt's bloodwork. White count four times as high as it should be. Protein, red count & calcium extremely low. The serious parasite infestation that was suspected would contribute to all of that; as would, of course, the starvation that this colt had suffered. His body temperature was holding at about 99. His heart rate was still high. They needed to start fighting parasites and infection if the colt were to have a chance.

On Friday, Dec. 2, the colt was still unable to get up. His temp. had dropped to 96. To get an accurate comparison, they didn't want to do bloodwork again until Monday, three long days away. He was still eating and drinking well. But the Doctors were getting very worried and had started to prepare us for euthanasia.

Saturday morning four DoubleHP helpers went to the Clinic to try to make the best decision for Jack Frost. He surprised us though. We got him up on his feet.

He was alert, his eyes were bright, he walked around on his own, he ate a lot, drank a lot, played in his water bucket, and did not seem to be in pain. He even took a playful bite at the sleeve of one of his helpers. We figured that was Jack Frost nipping at his nose, except a little off target.

Still plenty to worry about though. His heart rate was still very high. He had serious diarrhea. He had many body sores from lying down so much. His overall body condition score would still have been between One and Death. We made three trips to the Clinic that day, to get him on his feet and let him walk around and eat and drink standing up, like a horse. He wanted to be up. Sometimes we had to lay him back down. Sometimes he would lie back down by himself. His back legs were still so weak. We decided that, for now, we would just go session by session. Rely on the Clinic for meds., and rely on DoubleHP helpers to get the colt up on his feet. Science vs. emotions. A difficult challenge, but we were able to meet in the middle.

The next day, Sunday, we made three more trips to the Clinic to get Jack Frost on his feet. He was hanging on. No major changes, except he could not get rid of the diarrhea. We were anxious to hear the results of the bloodwork they would do the next day.

Monday morning, Dec. 5, his temp. was back up to 99, close to normal. The blood results were in. The white count had dropped considerably, but Dr. Todd warned it was possibly because he just wasn't able to produce any more, in his emaciated state. The rest stayed about the same. Which wasn't good. Still no protein. And a really big worry now: On the chemistry panel, the numbers now indicated the beginning of kidney failure. Slight, but the Doctor told us she feared that is where we were headed.

The filly Blizzard, in the mean time, was recovering nicely. As Jack Frost got weaker, she seemed to get stronger. As though Jack were giving his strength to his little friend Blizzard. She recovered so well we decided she was ready to leave the Clinic and go to her foster home. We got her moved that day, and then met back at the Clinic that afternoon to get Jack Frost up again. He walked around some and ate some, but his appetite wasn't as strong as it had been that morning. Monday evening his diarrhea was even worse. He still wanted to be up, but he wasn't as strong as he had been the day before. He didn't eat much. And his body sores were adding to our problems.

We made the decision that Jack Frost would go to heaven the next morning when the Doctor could meet us there. We would be there with him, and we would be there to thank the Doctor for her help.

When we left him that night, we gave him extra bedding, made sure he was completely warm and dry and that he had a good drink and had plenty of hay around his head.
We told him what a good horse he was and how beautiful he was. We thanked him for being our friend and for trusting us, even though it was humans who had done this to him. We told him how strong he was for never once complaining about the terrible hand he had been dealt. And we explained that even though this wasn't the excellent, permanent new home he was hoping we would find for him, we thought he would like it just fine once he got there.

And then the next morning, Tuesday, Dec. 6, we said good-bye to Jack Frost.
His euthanasia was completely calm and peaceful. And it was the right decision.

Sweet Dreams, Sweet Little Jack Frost.
I will smile now every time Jack Frost is nipping at my nose.

SKY HERD MEMBER SHANTY

Most of the horses we rescue from starvation are very young. Shanty was an exception. Shanty was rescued on March 11, 2007, in Hamlin County SD. She had had no care or handling for approximately 10 years, according to her owner who readily admitted "neglect."

Shanty did not make it.
Actually she fell down in the trailer when we went and picked her up.
but she proudly got back up and stood all the way to her foster home which was several hours away, where she got to go in a warm stall with good food and water and some nice people who loved her and told her she was good and beautiful.

Here's the original DoubleHP journal entry:
"March 17, we lost Shanty this morning. Her body condition score was a 1, extremely emaciated. So we knew what our chances were. She ate well for 5 days and started to feel safe and cared for. So she decided to lie down and rest her old bones. We knew this moment would come, and we didn't know if she would be strong enough to get herself back up. She was not. In her emaciated condition, Shanty's struggle to regain physical strength would have been long and painful. With our DVM Director Steve Tornberg, we decided Shanty's struggle should end. We are glad she waited until she was in a safe, soft, dry spot to lie down; instead of out in the mud, snow, or creek where she came from. She was humanely euthanized and the procedure was very peaceful."

This from one of Shanty's rescuers (this was her first rescue, and a tough one)
"I can honestly say that putting Shanty down really broke my heart. I have never felt so passionate about anything. I think this really is my calling to be involved in this. It feels good to help but it hurts also. Tears just flood my eyes when I think about her and how she was so determined to live but her body just quit on her."

There were no charges or arrests in this case, which DoubheHP agreed to. The owner was a woman (shockingly, a nurse!) who lives with her elderly mother. They signed Shanty over to us, gave us some money for long overdue vet needs, and signed a document agreeing they will never have horses here again. The Sheriff's Dept. agreed to this arrangement. There were no horses left on this property.

SKY HERD MEMBER SAINT NICK

Here is a story written by one of Saint Nick's helpers.

12/29/06 Wintertime for me is what I refer to as my “off” season. The two or three wild creatures I find myself caring for each winter offer a reprieve from the chaos that seems to surround me the rest of the year. There are no baby birds screaming to be fed, no abandoned baby bunnies, no baby squirrels rescued from downed trees, no orphaned fawns, no foundling fox pups. But cruelty and neglect do not know a seasonal time clock. They are ever-present, even at Christmas time.

I spent the Christmas of 2006 with my family in eastern South Dakota. I was looking forward to a relaxing time with my sister at her home in the country. We had so much planned. All five of us “kids” would be home, not only to celebrate Christmas, but also to celebrate our parents' 50th anniversary. We had something planned almost every night. What wasn't in the plans was a phone call that came Christmas Eve day concerning an abandoned horse.

Five years ago my sister and a group of friends founded DoubleHP (Horse Help Providers, Inc.), a rescue/adoption organization for unwanted and/or neglected horses. For the last two years during the holiday seasons they have been involved in rescue events. So it wasn't surprising that this Christmas would be no different. I listened to the one side of the conversation and it didn't sound good.

A neighbor had discovered the horse Christmas Eve morning while on his way to help with chores at his father's place. The horse had apparently been left tied to a fence in a road ditch. The neighbor offered to load the horse in his trailer and deliver it to my sister's place. While we waited for the horse to arrive we readied a stall for him in the barn, and a quick phone call to the veterinarian was made.

The neighbor and his father-in-law arrived with trailer in tow. They both got out of the pick-up and came over to where we were standing by the barn. The father-in-law said, “Do you have a strong stomach?” We braced ourselves for the sight that would greet us when the trailer door was opened. It was alarming, to say the least. The horse was emaciated. He was filthy and wet. He was literally bones with skin and hair covering them. Long, thick mane and tail that would otherwise have been beautiful were matted and tangled with cockle burrs and mud. He had a badly injured left hind leg and sores on his right hip and shoulder.

A second phone call to the veterinarian was made. Based on the description of the horse, the doctor suggested that he be seen immediately and he would meet us at the clinic. My sister's neighbor and his father-in-law offered to deliver the horse to the clinic. We were going to drive a separate vehicle but were invited to ride along with them. So the four of us climbed into the truck and off we went to meet Dr. Steve Tornberg at Dakota Large Animal Clinic in Harrisburg, South Dakota.

I had not had the privilege of meeting Dr. Tornberg before but I'd heard many wonderful things about him from my sister. There are veterinarians and then there are veterinarians who are passionate about their work and give so generously of their time and compassion. I have the good fortune to work with two such individuals and I was about to meet a third.

Dr. Tornberg began his assessment of the horse, explaining everything as he went along. Dr. Tornberg looked at the teeth of the horse and said, “He's only three to three and a half years old.”
Dr. Tornberg did not give the horse a very favorable prognosis. He had many strikes against him. We left the clinic with heavy hearts, hoping that this would be one of the lucky ones, one of the miracle stories. It was, after all, a magical time of year.
During the drive home we decided the horse needed to be given a name. No matter what the outcome, he needed a name and it should be Christmas-related. We tossed around several possibilities and later that day we agreed upon Saint Nick. “Saint” because he was being a saint in spite of the mistreatment he had received at the hands of humans. “Nick” because it was Christmas Eve. There was no doubt in our minds that we would be back the following day, Christmas Day, to visit Saint Nick.

Christmas Day arrived and my sister and I were anxious to visit our new friend. During the 40-minute drive to the clinic we spoke of the cruelties inflicted by humans, mended hearts being broken yet again, and hoping that this story would have a happy ending.

At first Saint Nick was hesitant to trust us and he moved to the back of his stall. We spoke in soft, soothing tones, telling him how beautiful he was and what a good boy he was. We rubbed his neck and stroked his cheeks and before long he was standing relaxed with eyes closed, allowing us to untangle the burrs and dirt from his long mane. We were allowing ourselves to be hopeful. Neither of us wanted to say good-bye to Saint Nick that day and if it hadn't been Christmas we probably would have stayed all day. But we were expected home to make Christmas dinner for 11 people! It's difficult to think about feasting at times like these, but Saint Nick had food now too, so we carried on. Before we left we made a little note that said, “My name is Saint Nick” and attached it to the door of his stall so that all who cared for him would know that he'd been given a name. As we turned to leave, Saint Nick came to the front of his stall and peered at us through the bars of the stall door, eyes saying, “Please stay. I enjoy your company.” My sister said, “He doesn't want us to go.” It was difficult to leave him, but we left, allowing a little bit of hope to creep in.

The next morning's phone call from Dr. Tornberg, however, did not bring good news. As my sister spoke with Dr. Tornberg, I had to turn away. I knew we were both going to cry. I looked out the kitchen window at my sister's own horses basking in a life full of love - something that Saint Nick may have never experienced until we visited him on Christmas Day.

How do these creatures find their way to our hearts so quickly? How do we come to love and care for them so much in the same short span of time? I am haunted by the face of Saint Nick. Did he know any kindness prior to that Christmas Eve day? Did he know kind words and soft touches? Did his face know the pleasure of sweet kisses? Or did he move through his three short years of life knowing only cruelties and harsh words?
How does a person let this happen and will this person get away with this?

I still see Saint Nick's eyes watching us through the bars of the stall door as we left him Christmas Day. Perhaps they weren't only saying, “Please stay.” I think they were saying, “I would love for you to stay, but if you have to go, go and tell my story.”

Since returning home, he is on my mind constantly. Driving to work I will suddenly see his face in my mind. Feeding my hawk, his face will appear. Putting my ducks to bed, Saint Nick is on my mind. And with each “appearance” I feel his eyes asking, “Have you told my story yet? Have you told it yet?”, like the voice in the movie, Field of Dreams, that utters, “If you build it, they will come.”

So, that's what I'm doing, Saint Nick. I can't do much, but I can share your story with others. I can help make known the cruelties these beautiful, proud animals endure. I can show the pictures. If more people are made aware, if more voices are raised, if more waves are created-- maybe one day horses will be afforded more protection in the legal arenas.

UPDATE: January 2, 2007.
The Sheriff's Department was able to track down the person who left Saint Nick in the ditch. It is now a legal matter. Saint Nick was humanely euthanized the day after Christmas.
UPDATE: March 19, 2007.
Report/file/case was assigned to Attorney in Minnehaha County (SD) State's Attorney's Office.
No charges or arrests yet.

UPDATE (4/12/07):
The person charged with inhumane treatment of animals in our Saint Nick case entered a plea of "not guilty" on April 12 in Minnehaha County (SD), and said he will need to get an attorney. There is a dispositional conference scheduled for May 17.

UPDATE (5/18/07):
No decisions or agreements yet. Process is ongoing and we should know more after May 31, 2007.

UPDATE (6/4/07):
There was a grand jury session on May 31, 2007. And an indictment! This means there IS enough evidence to take this to trial. The person charged in this case will need to go back to court on Monday, June 25, 2007, at 9 a.m. in courtroom 1A; and say either "guilty" or "not guilty" again. If he says "not guilty," I think it goes to trial soon.

UPDATE (6/25/07):
One of our Volunteers went to the Courthouse this a.m. and sat through all of the "Ms" (Madetzke). Many people apparantly do not show up for their court date. The Judge would call the name twice and then say "...bench warrant... and a dollar amount..." Most of the cases were driving without insurance, suspended license, DUI type things. Our Volunteer said that the Judge did not call out the name Madetzke in the group of "Ms." Though she did not stay until the end of the "Zs." So, we called the Clerk of Courts and were told that Madetzke was still scheduled for today. Later in the afternoon we called the State's Attorney's Office and were told that there is a bench warrant out for him, and the dollar amount (not sure what the proper term is) is $500.00. I am not sure what all of this means, but we will update again when we find out.

UPDATE (7/6/07):
Apparantly our June 25 update is not correct. We have now been told that Madetzke has hired a lawyer and has a plea hearing set for Aug 1 at 2 p.m. in Minnehaha County courtroom 1b. This could change though. This is getting a little tricky to keep track of, but we will keep trying, for Saint Nick.

UPDATE (8/1/07):
plea hearing moved back to August 29.

UPDATE (8/29/07)
The person charged still says he is not guilty. There was to be a jury trial on Sept. 6, but that has now been moved back to October 30.

On Halloween Day, 2007, Donald Madetzke of Crooks, SD, was found guilty of inhumane treatment to animals. Sentencing set for Dec. 21.

This taken from a DoubleHP Journal, Nov. 2, 2007 entry.
Are you wondering how the Saint Nick trial went? Well, the defendant was found guilty of inhumane treatment to animals of course. It was my first trial experience. I found the whole process entirely interesting. I started out taking notes on every little thing, like how the defendant's attorney cleared his throat really loud into the microphone 25 times in the first 15 minutes. I got tired of counting. And I'm afraid I got tired of taking notes. So I'll just have to write it down how I remember it. The jury selection itself must be quite a strategic element for the attorneys. One person was excused because he works with the defendant. Another was excused because he said that his family loves animals so much that he thinks crimes against them are almost worse than crimes against humans and he didn't see how he could possibly presume this person innocent. He just simply could not do it. Others who didn't make the final cut included a horse owner who is a friend of two of the witnesses for the State, and another who said she could try to be fair but she wasn't sure she could be. On the first day the State's witnesses testified. On the second day, it was the defendant's lawyer's turn. The defendant's wife & daughter testified. He did not. The only other witnesses they had were 2 people who said they had seen the defendant's horse trailer being used. I kept thinking, "couldn't they find a Vet or Farrier or Trainer or even just a neighbor, anyone, to say that they took really good care of their horses?" Guess they couldn't find anyone like that. Anyway, he was found Guilty. Sentencing will come later. There are some other issues that will enter into it I think. I will write more about this later. I will tell you the story the way the defendant's family told it. You probably won't believe it. I'm still not sure that I do. It doesn't matter. However it happened, the horse was severely neglected and was, indeed, abandoned, on Christmas Eve 2006. And euthanized the Day After Christmas.

Remember, Saint Nick came to us as a messenger. To remind us to always try to do what's good and what's right. His job here was difficult and painful. But he made a huge difference while he was here. And now his job is done, and now he can rest.

I am very grateful to the Minnehaha County Sheriff's Department and State's Attorney's Office for taking this matter so seriously and for following it through. Thanks to Kim in the State's Attorney Office. She actually served as our Witness Assistant. Saint Nick had a Witness Assistant! And thanks to Dave Palmer, an attorney in Sioux Falls. Though I don't see him very often, he has been a friend for a long time. And when I asked him what to do, how to find a voice for Saint Nick, he is the one who suggested the Witness Assistant route. And thanks to the family who found Saint Nick and called us for help on Christmas Eve. And to Dr. Tornberg who spent so much of his time on this, making reports, making trips to the Courthouse, and testifying. You know he was thinking about all of the other horses he should be helping. But he took this seriously too. It WAS serious. It was an extreme case of neglect, and it needed to be dealt with. We needed to make sure that Saint Nick's suffering and death meant something. Something like, "If you don't have time and money to keep your horses properly trained and cared for, you shouldn't have horses. And you certainly should not be allowing them to reproduce." This family who testified wanted us to feel sorry for them that they couldn't afford to buy a nice new horse trailer. Well, I guess not everyone should own horses. Not everyone should buy a new boat, not everyone should build a mansion, and not everyone should own horses. You know what bothered them the most? That whoever took their horse also took the rope they left around its neck. They said the rope was worth $50 and they were very upset that it was gone. They never once asked who paid the Vet bill or how much it was. They never once acted sad about what had happened to Saint Nick. They said that they hoped someone would come along and get him what he needed. As Dave Nelson put it, "You mean you thought it was your horse but someone else's problem?"

This from DoubleHP Journal entry November 4, 2007

I want to tell you about the Saint Nick court case. I keep looking at his face. And I can't explain it to you but, even though I only knew him for a very little while, he was always looking at me like he was expecting me to really do something! Can you look here and see what I mean?

Saint Nick: A Christmas Story. A Halloween Story. A sad story. A story without an ending.
I met Saint Nick on Christmas Eve 2006. He died the Day After That Christmas. The following Halloween, nearly a year later, the person responsible for his suffering was found guilty of Inhumane Treatment to Animals.
Believe in Saint Nick. He was a messenger to remind us to always try to do what's good and what's right.
On Halloween Day, 2007, the defendant's wife took the stand. And so did his daughter. He never did. The only other witnesses they had were two people who said they had seen them using their horse trailer in December 2006. I thought that if they could find just one Vet, Farrier, Trainer, neighbor, anyone, to say that these people took good care of their horses, maybe there was hope for the horses that remained under the ownership of this family. But I guess they couldn't find anyone like that. No one to say that this family takes good care of their horses. Only two people who said they saw them using their trailer. That's all. And wait 'til you hear about the trailer!

Here is how the story sounded in the courtroom, according to the defendant's family:
The weekend of December 16 was the wife's birthday, so daughter had offered to drive to the Moody County farm to do chores. On December 23, a week later, wife and defendant went to do chores.
This family lives on an acreage in Minnehaha County but has another property in Moody County, perhaps 40 miles away. They have horses at both places. The wife testified that someone in their family goes to the Moody County property every single day to check on horses and other things and do chores. Though she could not say when she had been there before December 23. And daughter did not say when she was there after December 16. There was no mention of anyone going there to do chores in between December 16 and 23.

The only reason this is significant (other than the fact that possibly no one went to feed hay that week in December) is that daughter said that on the 16th she saw Elvis “sitting” is what she said. But then he got up and she didn't think a thing of it. She never mentioned it to her parents. That's all. She said she did not touch him that day. She said she threw hay out but did not watch him eat. It didn't sound like they used round bales. Elvis is our Saint Nick.

This is what happened on Dec. 23-24, according to the wife:
Wife & defendant went to the Moody County property. They had some farming type stuff to do, and then they checked on the horses. They noticed that Elvis was lying down and that when he got up, he looked sick. They decided to take him and another horse, Peanut, back to the Minnehaha County property so they could see what Elvis needed and so one of their children could train Peanut. She said, we made up our minds, even though it was getting late in the day, that we would go on this rescue mission to help Elvis. (you can imagine I nearly threw up on that one).

They own an old horse trailer. They wanted the jury to feel sorry for them that they could not afford to buy a new horse trailer. This was all they had, and it would have to do! Elvis and Peanut were loaded into the trailer, along with several portable metal corral panels. (This was information that had never been mentioned before the trial, and it really was helpful in the case for mistreatment & cruelty. Who would do that? Load two horses, one very sick, in a small trailer, right along with these metal structures?) The wife also said that the trailer was very rusty and was missing a wheel but it had worked before so they figured it would work on this day too. She said that as she was pulling the trailer out of the field, she hit a big rut and it caused the boards on the bottom of the trailer to buckle and pop out. (The Detective said there was no floor in the trailer; they had merely laid a few boards down.) Did they expect the horses to know to stand on the boards and not where there were no boards? The wife said that when the boards buckled and popped up, Elvis's legs fell through the floor of the trailer. She said they stopped and got things put back together and continued on. Even though they saw some blood on the trailer, they continued on.

They got to within 5 miles or so from the Minnehaha County property (home), and a tire blew or another wheel fell off or something. Anyway, they decided at this point that they could not haul the horses in that trailer any longer. They didn't decide that when Elvis's legs fell through, only now did they decide this. They estimated the time to be around 10 or 11 p.m. A snowmobiler came along and asked if they needed help, and they said no. This is one of the witnesses they called. Throughout this trial, I thought it was so strange that they were making a big deal of proving that they had used this trailer. I thought their use of this decrepit trailer to haul horses just added to the State's case for cruelty, neglect, mistreatment. The snowmobile witness was never questioned by either attorney whether he saw any horses. I thought that was odd too. But then, I probably DO watch too many lawyer type shows on TV. And they always say you shouldn't ask a witness a question if you don't know what his answer will be. So I figured maybe that's why he wasn't questioned further.

The wife said they unloaded the horses. She said they began to lead Peanut home. They had a car, a Buick LeSabre, and one of them held a rope out the window of the car to lead the horse home, approximately 5 miles. The mother said they shined headlights on Elvis's legs to check for injuries from when his legs fell through the floor, but she didn't see anything like the photos the State entered into evidence. She also said that while they led Peanut home, they just left Elvis standing out there not tied to anything. (This was her second big piece of information that previously had not been known). The State's Attorney asked her if they considered the possibility of a car or truck coming along and hitting Elvis, and what if someone in the vehicle got hurt or killed from running into Elvis. She assured him that it was not a very busy road and they didn't think there would be much traffic on it that time of night.

Once they got Peanut home, they went back for Elvis. I don't know if both of them or just the defendant went back. But they started to lead Elvis the same way they had led Peanut, except that Elvis could not make it. Elvis went down after a mile or two. They put a rope around his neck. (I never figured out why they didn't have any halters for these horses.) and tied the rope to a fence in the ditch. The whole story is quite confusing, and I have no idea of how many trips they made back and forth from the horse trailer to their farm. But at some point they did go back and drag the trailer home. And at one point the defendant went back to Elvis. The Detective said he told her he got a gun and was going to shoot Elvis, but that when he got back Elvis was standing. So, instead, he gave him some hay, water, and oats. I always wondered if he took all of these things back in his LeSabre, or if this involved two different trips too. The visual of hauling around a gun to kill a horse, some hay, a bucket of water, and some oats, all in a car, is just pretty abstract I guess.

They finally got tired and went home to take a nap for 2-3 hours and then would go right back and get Elvis, because they were very worried about him.

The times were important in this story. The wife said it was 10 or 11 p.m. when they broke down. That is consistent with a witness for the State who saw their LeSabre in that vicinity around 10:30 p.m. (now he knows they were leading a horse, but it was late and dark and they were leading out of the passenger side and he was facing the driver's side). So he didn't know what was going on that night, he said. Only that he saw this slow-moving car and it looked like they were leading something out the window. The horse was found the next morning around 11 a.m. So, any way you look at it, the State's Attorney pointed out, this “sick” horse spent about 12 hours, the whole night, alone, emaciated, cold, wet, injured, caked in blood and mud and burrs, in the road ditch, on a cold South Dakota December night. On the Eve of Christmas Eve.

The wife claims that they went back to get Elvis about 9:30 on the morning of Christmas Eve, but Elvis was gone. But the person who actually rescued Elvis said he got him out of the ditch and into his trailer later than that, around 10:30 or 11 a.m. The wife also said that they went to bed around 4 or 5 a.m. But if they just took a nap for 2 or 3 hours, they should have been back for Elvis long before 9:30 a.m.
Like I said, it is a confusing, really hard to follow and even harder to believe story.

I still wonder sometimes if they just went and got Elvis from their Minnehaha County property and walked him up the road a few miles and tied him to the fence. And I'm sure that's what all the attention over the use of the horse trailer is. To prove that it could actually be used. And that it happened the way they said it did.

Other things that came up during the trial, over and over and over again: The defendant's family was quite upset about losing their $50 “lasso.” They said that, while they were hopeful that someone had come along to help Elvis, they really wish that person wouldn't have taken their $50 rope too. They never once asked how much the Vet bill was or who paid it.

They described Elvis as a wild Mustang stallion, adopted from the BLM. Wild, young, lean, and fast-running. He burned up a lot of energy and that's why he was so “lean.”

That is the story the defendant's family told in court.

We have talked to the BLM. They can't tell us much right now (maybe later) because of confidentiality, etc., but what they did tell us has us believing that Elvis was NOT adopted from the BLM. The guy at the BLM told me that they do not adopt out stallions except in really special situations. I sure hope they don't think this family is special. And anyway, Elvis was NOT wild. Once you fence a horse in like that, take him out of natural habitat and limit him from finding food, water and shelter, he is NOT wild. He's just a penned up horse that is not being provided for.

Now, here is what we saw:
Here is Saint Nick (Elvis), on Christmas Eve morning. This is their wild, young Mustang stallion adopted from the BLM. Their fast-running stallion who is “lean” because he burns up a lot of energy. He was just a little “sick” on this particular day.

Sentencing was Dec. 21, 2007 in the Saint Nick case. In summary, the guy got 5 days in jail (gets out for work release), $200 fine. To pay $800 restitution (includes $500 to DoubleHP, if his attorney does not argue about it). That's it! The State did recommend that Donald Madetzke not be allowed to own or have horses on any properties he owns, leases, or has anything to with for 3, 5, 10, however many years the judge thought it should be. The judge did not go along with this though. I was astonished to learn that he still owns 20 horses! Anyway, I wasn't surprised the Judge did not go along with that. But I was very surprised no one ever mentioned anything about maybe stopping the reproduction of these unwanted horses. But nothing was said. So, I guess, carry on, let your unwanted horses produce more unwanted horses. Makes sense, doesn't it!

below are a few more photos of horses we have helped.

Just look up in the clouds. You will see us there. The Sky Herd.

The Sky Herd

Run free my brothers in hooves.

Once you were earthbound and now
not even the sky can hold you.

Clouds are the mountains you graze on
and rain the pools you drink from.

Your strong legs are flashes of lightning
as you dance across the earth.

I will never touch your warm body again
nor feel the sweetness of your breath;

but my spirit will always ride with you
on your journey across the heavens.

Prince

2010-01-21T19:01:00.000-08:00

Written by Prince, the Paint
Finally I get to post.
I guess I think I've done a lot of stuff in my life and I'm only about 7 years old. First I almost starved to death. But when I was a yearling some DoubleHP Volunteers came and got me and my sister Princess and little Cinder and Cinder's mommy Midnight. We were all so skinny.

Princess and I had a really good foster home and then we got to come here and live at New Hope Horse Shelter. Darci trained us and she said we were dreams to train. But then Princess started to limp off and on, when she was only 3 or 4 years old. The Doctor did some tests and said she is navicular. They tried all kinds of things. special shoes, injections and finally a surgery. She does really well now but is not completely sound so she doesn't get ridden. About a year later, I started to limp. The Doctor did some tests on me and said I have severe arthritis in my back right hock. I used to take some MSM/Gluco stuff for it but it didn't help much. I got a few injections but my last couple didn't help much. So now I take a pill, Previcox, every day. But I still limp. So I don't get to go riding much anymore either. That's not fair! we are only about 7 years old! I did get to go on some trailrides and also to a couple of practice shows. But then I started limping so my humans didn't want me to do anything too active anymore.

Let me tell you about my little cowboy Paul. He is only 6 years old and he has had 4 or 5 open heart surgeries. I can't keep track of them all. But I think he's had 3 since I met him, and that was less than a year ago. He now has a mechanical valve. And he has a pacemaker too. He is on the transplant list. A lot of other really nice people sponsor me for Paul's family, because they really don't have time or a place to take care of a horse.

So Paul's mom Deb called DoubleHP and they came to visit and we all liked each other right away.

We had a birthday party for me last summer. I got to open my own presents.

And I really liked this DoubleHP banner they hung up. It's a picture of my little buddy Hero. And I just think it's beautiful.

Everyone says I am a fantastic model and there are hundreds of beautiful photos of me.
This is one of my famous ones. It's called "Water Colors"

My sister Princess and I have the greatest stalls here. We have really big stalls inside the little barn, and big pens hooked up to the barn so we can go outside. Every time a car pulls in we run outside to greet them. But we're only in our stalls/pens at night or if it's storming out. The rest of the time we get to go out with the herd and run and play and eat with the herd. Our humans here keep our stalls and our pens really soft and it really helps us to rest our legs at night.
Here's a picture of me and my boy Paul, from last summer.

Rocky is a natural model/actor

2010-01-11T17:11:00.000-08:00

Hello, I am Rocky. I guess I am a model, though I don't try to be. There are hundreds of fantastic pictures of me; the people who spend time with me say I just have "the look."
My acting career began when I was only 2, shortly after I was rescued.
I played "The Donkey" in a live Nativity Scene!

But anyway, before that I didn't have a very good life. My rescue anniversary is May 18, 2007. I was a 2-year-old stud colt when DoubleHP rescued me. I was "living" with another stallion named Tex, along with Minerva, Minerva's sister Cinnamon and their mama Jasmine. We needed food & water very badly. I don't know how Jasmine lived through that winter. Cinnamon's baby was born early and dead; its little body lay in the cold snow that winter. I know it wasn't alive, but it should have been, if Cinnamon would have been cared for properly. I wasn't in as bad as shape as Jasmine was, but then I wasn't trying to carry a foal like she was either.

Here's me a few days after our rescue. My ribs were starting to stick out pretty bad, and I was so thirsty. We all had worms really bad too. Anyway, I guess I didn't look much like a model back then.

We were all really happy to see our rescuers and loaded in the trailers really nice for them. Except for Minerva. Poor little thing. She had never been handled by humans before. Doni finally ended up roping her so we could just get out of there and go to somewhere where there was food and water. We ended up going to Dakota Large Animal Clinic in Harrisburg SD. Jasmine was really sick, and she needed a Doctor right away. So we all stayed there for a few days. Tex and I were evaluated, and the Vet decided we were healthy enough to become geldings. We were promised that our lives would be better as geldings. I guess that must be true. My life sure has gotten better.

After 3 different temporary homes, our rescuers decided that Minerva and I should just go live at New Hope Horse Shelter. We got trained and now we are wonderful riding horses. I even went to the Black Hills during the summer of 2010. Lots of different people have ridden me, and I am very very nice to all of them.

HotShot still loves to race (to the pasture, to be the first to the breakfast table)

2010-01-08T17:24:00.000-08:00

Hello, I am HotShot. Tote's Hot Shot is what my Jockey Club papers say. I was bred and born and raised and trained to race. But when I was only 3 years old, I blew out tendons in both front legs. This was almost 20 years ago. I have permanent dots on my front legs from some kind of pinfire therapy they tried on me. I can't remember what it's called for sure. But it didn't work whatever it was. They made me try to race again too soon, and of course I wasn't ready. Then I was ruined and destined for destruction. I was owned by lots of different people. They told me I was their "Golden Boy." One of them was Dick Johnson, who used to have Genelli Photography in Sioux Falls. He was a very nice man, but I guess he died a few years ago. When Darci had her resume writing business (before she got too busy with all of us horses), she and Dick had offices in the same building, in the Schmidt Building on Minnesota Ave in Sioux Falls. Anyway, Dick didn't want me to be slaughtered or anything; so he asked Darci if I could come and live with her. It's hard to believe that way back then Darci & Greg only had 2 other horses. King & Moonshine. They didn't live at New Hope Horse Shelter yet. They lived in a house in Sioux Falls. So I went and lived with King & Moonshine at Peter's Stables. Which also no longer exists. Darci had a "real" job to go to back then, but every morning before she went to her office she came and put my support boots on and let me out of my stall. I had no idea how to act in a pasture with a bunch of other horses. Darci says I had no social skills whatsoever. I remember I would go running up to a bunch of horses I didn't know and expect they would just all like me. Heck, I like everyone! But hardly any of them felt the same way I did. I eventually got it figured out. But I was never ever mean to a new horse who came to live at Peter's Stables. And when we got to move to where we live now, I was always nice to the new horses who came here. One of my nicknames is "Uncle HotShot" because I am so nice to baby horses. I am nice to everyone. I spose you are wondering how my tendons turned out. They turned out great! I can run really really fast. I've had riders from time to time but mostly I just live here. During stormy summer days I sometimes exhibit colic symptoms. For me, it seems to always be related to the weather, like drastic changes in the weather during the summer mostly. I'd say it happens once a year. Darci usually calls the vet right away to let them know what's going on and to find out their schedule in case I have to be taken to the clinic or have a Vet come here. This often happens at night, almost always on a weekend. But at our Vet Clinic, Dakota Large Animal Clinic in Harrisburg, SD, there are 3 Docs there so someone is always on call. I know there are all sorts of different symptoms and reactions and opinions of what should be done re: colic. But if my symptoms are mild, and they usually are, Darci usually lets me walk around if I want to, or lie down comfortably if I want to. I have never gotten to the thrashing and rolling around scary stages of colic. King is the only one here that has happened to. And he had a surgery and has never had a colic symptom ever since. Anyway, it really doesn't happen to me that often. I also have kind of crackly Thoroughbred hooves. My front right will crack up pretty bad if I don't get a shoe on it. Usually in June I get shoes on my fronts. Before the flies get really bad. I stomp and stomp and stomp at the flies which makes my hooves crack more. But the last few years, thanks to our farrier Todd Kennedy, I have gotten to wear mesh fly boots during fly season. It really helps a lot. I don't stomp nearly as much and my hooves stay a lot better. I still get shoes on though. I also get extra alfalfa during the winter. And hay in my stall at grain time during the summer, when no one else gets any hay. I am a big big boy, and if I don't get extra food I get too skinny. I am in my early 20s. And I feel great! Though this winter is really really cold, and we have been spending a lot more time in our stalls. But it's better than being out in 30 below zero temps. That's really cold! I am the first horse Greg & Darci rescued, way before they even knew what horse rescue was. But I think I proved to them that we are worth rescuing. I must have been a good enough boy. They have rescued lots and lots of other horses since me. And 13 other horses have come to live with us since I joined them. We don't have enough pasture to be on it full time in the summer, but it's big enough for us to run and race in. And I always win! Did I tell you I am really fast!

We are all rescued horses in this photo. Of course that's me (with my fly boots on) in the lead. Did I tell you I always win!

Here is another picture of me out in our pasture last summer/fall. I am just under 17 hands tall.

Perhaps one of my most famous photos is with my little buddy Hero. "The Snooze Brothers."

This picture is on a T-Shirt with those words "The Snooze Brothers." All the chore girls at New Hope Horse Shelter got "sleep shirts" from me for Christmas!

Flicka Follows the Rules

2010-01-02T12:46:00.000-08:00

Hello I am Flicka. Contrary to a previous post, Butterscotch will not be getting another blog turn until we have all made our introductions. Yes, she does get cold and sick sometimes and she does have some joint problems and all that but hey, we all have our problems, right? well, not me I guess. I am perfect. And I believe in following the rules. Unlike Butterscotch, I had a very good start in life. My mom and dad lived on a farm not far from New Hope Horse Shelter. They had a baby nearly every year. Darci saw me when I was a baby and was drawn to my four white socks. Because Moonshine has four white socks too and he is a really good horse. But then I got moved across the road and Darci didn't know where I went. Then, when I was a yearling, she saw me again. And she knew who lived there. Leon & Carol Johnson. Darci & Leon made a deal, and I got in a trailer and went to live with Greg & Darci. I have always been a good horse. Leon taught me that humans are nice, that it's ok for them to tie me up to things and that I should stand there when I am tied up, that it's ok for humans to pick up my feet, and that it's ok to get in a horse trailer. I knew all of this before I moved to Darci & Greg's home. I have never known humans to be mean to horses. Except from the stories that the rescued horses tell me. And I do feel very bad for them. But I still don't think they should get special treatment over me. I let Darci start riding me when I was pretty young, since I was so big and strong and mature. And I let her take me to lots of shows in many different states. Moonshine usually went too, so it was kind of fun. I wasn't as good at Reining as Moonshine though. But I did win a belt buckle for Darci! And a little NRHA money and some AQHA points too! Yup, I'm registered. My real name is Moon Eyed Flicka. I am told that I have some very famous horses in my pedigree.

I am about 15 years old. The only problems I have are that I tend to put on a few pounds if I am not ridden regularly. So I spend a lot of time with Baylee in the barn area on a diet of grass hay. No pasture. and not much alfalfa. Darci doesn't want us to founder. My front feet have been sore a couple of times after I get my shoes off in October. Darci is pretty sure it's just from getting my shoes off and having to get used to going barefoot again. But there are a couple of little things that make her wonder about founder too. So, since Baylee almost surely will founder if she goes out in the pasture, and since Baylee and I get along pretty well, I just spend a lot of time with her. Keeps her happy. Keeps us safe. Most nights we just get to wander around in the stall area. We don't pull the halters off the hooks or chew on the fan cords or anything like that. Darci says that not many of the horses here have earned "wandering" privileges. That most of them, especially Hero, would get into all kinds of trouble if they were allowed to just wander around in the stall barn. But I don't like being in trouble. Like I said, I like following the rules. Keeps life calm. I like calm. I have had a very good life and hope to live for a long long time. I think my mom and dad both lived to be about 30. So I guess I have good genes plus good care. And most likely lots and lots of rides left in me. I pretty much let anyone ride me. young and old. Though I do expect adults to know what they are doing if they get the privilege of riding me. I don't expect children to know everything about my cues and all that, but I am a little impatient if adults don't know what they are doing. I like my rider to be very calm and confident and consistent. And as long as my rider is calm and confident and consistent, then so am I. I don't really like being a leader. I just like doing things the way they are supposed to be done. And that's why I don't think it's fair if Butterscotch gets to post again before the rest of us have had a turn.

I will give you an update on Butterscotch. She is fine! Darci put a blanket on her and put those leg-warming boots on her, and she is fine. These last few days we have been eating breakfast in our stalls, going out for lunch, and going back in our stalls for supper and to spend the night. Last night is was about 25 below zero outside. I am so glad we have barns here. Darci said we will probably be sleeping in our stalls for the next few nights and maybe longer, because it is going to be really cold for a while. It takes them forever to clean all of our stalls, but I'm glad they are willing to do it for us. We don't spend very many nights in our stalls. Just when it's just this cold, or if there is a big snow storm or rain storm or something. Otherwise we are outside at night with the riding barn open for us for shelter, if we need it.

So anyway, Butterscotch is doing ok. King has been eating his new medicine in the capsules (I know this because my stall is right next to his), and we are all just fine. Kind of cold, but we'll get through it.

Here are some more pictures of me. I know I might sound kind of boring to you because I like to follow the rules, but I can get out there and play and frolic with the best of them too. You will not hear from me again until everyone has had a turn to post to the blog. Because those are the rules. Sincerely, your friend Flicka

Happy New Year from Butterscotch

2009-12-31T13:25:00.000-08:00

Hi, I am Butterscotch. I am beautiful. Everyone tells me so. I have a beautiful neck, a beautiful butt (click on the above photo and it will enlarge, and you can see my beautiful body), beautiful mane, beautiful eyes, I am just simply beautiful! But I didn't have a very good start in life. When I was only about 4 or 5 months old I got locked in a building with no food and no water. My poor skinny mom was left out in the trees with no food and no water. The only good thing about the building was that my brother Spirit and my sister Red were in there with me. They were bigger than me, so they got any food there was. They didn't mean to be mean. We were just all so hungry it was hard to think about each other's feelings. Only about ourselves. One day some nice people including DoubleHP Volunteers came and rescued our whole herd! There were 17 of us. Spirit and I got to come and live at New Hope Horse Shelter. Red has a good home too. Darci just saw her a couple of months ago and she is big and beautiful like Spirit. I had a really hard time getting healthy. I had abscesses on my neck and had to have lots of big shots. I was so sore I couldn't put my head down to eat. Plus I was wild back then too. I was a lot of work. But now I am really really nice and friendly and I'm not afraid of people anymore. The only thing is, I don't have very good wheels. Dr. Jensen found an OCD lesion in my back left stifle joint. Too bad too because Darci had me all used to the saddle and bridle. But when they found out what was wrong with me, they decided I wouldn't have to work very hard ever. They "flushed" my joint a couple of times. And it really hasn't gotten any worse. I actually get along very well. Some days you can't even notice my limp much.

This is me last summer running with my friend Prince and my brother Spirit.

Darci got on me once just for the heck of it, and I stood there very calmly. I would kind of like to go riding I think, but there are enough riding horses here so the ones with sore legs don't have to "work." I guess that's ok. Sometimes, like this week, I get kind of cold. This morning I was kind of cold. So Darci put a red blanket on me and some green thick soft shipping boots on my legs (I looked like a Christmas present all red & green, I am a Red Dun too!) and put all 16 of us in our stalls for breakfast. I didn't eat all my hay though. Maybe I'll feel better tonight and will finish it all. At about 12:30 today when the sun was shining in our horse yard, Darci put some hay out there and let us go out for lunch. But tonight we get to spend the night in our stalls with our supper because it's supposed to be 12 below zero. That's just too cold for some of us. Even though we get to go stand in the riding barn at night, it's just not the same as having supper in the stall. We are never without shelter. We can always go stand in the riding arena if we get cold, hot, or when the bugs are too bad. If people are going to ride in the arena, they have to put us in our stalls if it's icky outside. Evidently, some humans still don't think horses need shelter, but we really do. How would you like standing outside in the freezing rain, below zero temps, or cold cold wind! And I'm sorry, standing by a tree with no leaves on it or standing alongside a piece of metal to block the wind from one direction just is not the same as having a nice warm barn with a roof to go in. I think that most of the people who say their horses don't like going in a barn or stall are the people who don't have a barn, or they use their barn for equipment storage, or they just don't want us to poop in the barn because they don't want to have to clean it. Some of us are afraid of the noises in the barn at first, if we aren't used to it. But we get used to it. And, once we have lived both ways, we would always choose shelter over no-shelter. Horses do die in blizzards when they don't have proper shelter. And that just isn't acceptable any more. Because humans are supposed to be smarter and not living like cavemen anymore. Anyway, I'm awfully glad the people at New Hope Horse Shelter feel that way. Because I don't like being cold. I hope they will put my boots back on tonight. I love it when my legs get warm like that. I am really smart too, along with being really beautiful. I figured out a way to get extra grain at grain time. Almost double what everyone else gets. I get a joint supplement at grain time, and I don't really love the taste of it. But if I get extra sweet feed to mix with it I will eat it all. If I don't get extra feed, I won't eat my joint stuff. So it's a pretty nice arrangement if you ask me.

My brother Spirit gets cold sometimes too. I don't know why we are like that. We don't get a whole bunch of winter hair. Another thing weird about me 'n Spirit is those gnats never bite inside of our ears during the summer. Drives all the other horses crazy. But not us. Must be something about our genes. Spirit is so big and strong. It surprises me that he gets cold. Two years ago we both got really cold and our temps were nearing 105!!! We spent 3 nights in the hospital and never did find out what we had. Last winter we spent more time in our stalls and we didn't get sick. I'm going to try really hard not to get sick, but this week is supposed to be really cold. Darci never goes anywhere overnight in the winter because so many of us here have special needs, and she just doesn't like to leave us when it's this cold out.
I think I am 7 years old now. My mom and dad were both registered AQHA, but the stupid person who locked us in that building when we were babies said he couldn't remember which one of us went with which mare. He had a really sick way of weaning us. Putting us in that building with no food & water. Anyway, during our "legal case" the judge told the mean man who did that to us that he had to get our paperwork in order for our new homes, but the other people who were in charge (not DoubleHP) didn't think it was important. They didn't know anything about horses. only about cats and dogs. Darci told them that it's different with horses. Papers aren't just for breeding. Papers are for proving ownership and for showing. And they just give the horses a better chance of being valuable and getting good homes. But they still wouldn't do it. Darci even called the mean man once and asked if he would cooperate with her to get our paperwork but he swore at her and was really mean to her. So she decided that she didn't care if we didn't have our papers; she wanted us to live with her anyway. I am so glad I got to live with my brother Spirit. He takes good care of me and worries about me when I am sick.
Well, I hope everyone has a happy new year.

Introduction to King

2009-12-30T09:48:00.000-08:00

Hello, I am King. I'm the black one here standing next to my Palomino buddy Moonshine. This photo is from just a few days ago. If you click on it it will enlarge. My full name is Bum's King Coal Basie. I am a Registered Tennessee Walking Horse. But the most important thing about me, I think, is that I am Moonshine's best friend. Well, he is my best friend anyway. He seems to like all of the horses. But I only like him. I kind of like Butterscotch she is so pretty. But mostly I just like Moonshine and I wish he didn't have any other friends either. But it all works out. Our stalls are side by side, and I am hardly ever apart from him anymore. Except when someone comes to ride him. But then I just go up to the barn door and scream until they let me in the arena too. Moonshine used to go to a lot of shows and I would get left here without him. It was ok because I got to pretend I was the boss. But I did miss Moonshine when he was gone, and I'm glad he doesn't go to shows anymore. I'm not quite as old as Moonshine. I am only 26. But I am not as healthy as Moonshine either. I have Cushings, so I take medicine every day for it. In fact, Greg is going to pick up some new medicine for me today. We are switching from liquid to capsule form I guess. It's called Pergalide. I might have to look up that spelling. Anyway, Marlene from Dakota Large Animal Clinic called the other day and said we should switch to the capsule form because it is more effective. So I guess we'll try it. I just hope it tastes ok. The liquid form is apple flavored so I hope the new stuff is too. I love Apples! Along with my Cushings, Colic has found its way into my life. But only one bad episode. That was about 10 or so years ago. It was so bad I had to have surgery. Dr. Michelle Jensen and Dr. Tornberg from DLAC took very good care of me. Greg came to visit me in the hospital every day. And I have never had another episode of colic since then. The Docs said there was something going on with my spleen, something pushing on it or something. I don't know. By the time this information gets transferred to me from Darci it isn't quite the way the Docs explain it. Darci isn't very scientific I'm afraid. And then, about 2 years ago, I hurt a tendon really bad. Darci came out to the pasture to get us, and I couldn't walk. I was a 3-legged horse for a while. It took us 45 minutes to get me to the barn. And it isn't very far. I just couldn't walk. So off I went to the clinic again. I couldn't go out and play for a very long time. I must have done some damage because I kind of have some chronic thrush in my front foot on that side of my body. And a very weird thing is that a lot of times I will sweat just on that side, on my neck and shoulder area. I think it might be a nerve thing. So in the past few years I have been some extra work for Darci & Greg. But I deserve it! I carried them on my back all over the place for nearly 20 years! I too was a "core rider" in the Custer State Park Buffalo Roundup. Me n' Moonshine did it together. I have been in parades too. And I represented my breed in the SD Horse Fair but I really didn't like being in a show situation. I am a lot better at trail riding. Which is just fine because that's what Greg likes to do too. Anyway, Greg doesn't ride me anymore. Little kids ride me once in a while. I like that. It feels about like a fly sitting on my back when it's just a little kid. I do have some soreness in my legs, related to my bad injury a couple of years ago. But I can still run. Not real fast. But I can do it. And no one. NO ONE pushes me around in the herd. In fact, they all pretty much stay away from me excpet for Moonshine. Which is just the way I like it. I am a very happy horse here. Moonshine and I became members of Greg & Darci's family at the same time, about 20 years ago. Well, that's my introduction. I will tell you some stories about me in my future posts. Darci says we have to take turns writing though. So I guess I have to wait until the other 14 horses here have introduced themselves. And then you'll hear from me 'n Moonshine again.

New Year, New Hope, New Blog

2009-12-29T14:59:00.000-08:00

Hi, Happy New Year. And welcome to our New Blog. You will notice that these blogs are posted by "Moonshine's Mom." That's our Shelter Manager, Darci. She doesn't actually write them all though. We write a lot of our own stuff. But we can't type on those little keyboards so Darci has to post for us.
I AM MOONSHINE!
You don't hear much about me because I am not one of the rescued horses. But I am the pasture boss here at New Hope Horse Shelter. I am 28 years old. Well, close enough. I've been Darci's boy for more than 20 years, and I was about 8 when I met her. So that makes me about 28. Whatever that means. I have taught Darci & Greg so much about horses. I only bucked Darci off once, and that's because she wouldn't let me run fast on the gravel road but King was winning and I just couldn't let that happen. I only kicked Greg once but that's because he walked up behind me, unannounced, right after I met him, and he just startled me. And I only hit him in the mouth with my hoof once and I think that had something to do with my being a little scared to get in the new horse trailer. Otherwise I have been a very good boy. I even won some CPRHA class championship belt buckles in Reining and some NRHA money too! I had to teach Darci how to do that too. Now I mostly manage the herd and try to teach Hero how to be good but he is not a very good student. I still get to go riding though. Hundreds of people have ridden me. young and old. The only times I don't really like to go riding are when it's really hot and muggy and dusty. then I cough a little. I have been a "core rider" in the Custer State Park Buffalo Roundup, I've ridden to the top of Harney Peak and all over out in the Black Hills. I've been in parades, lots of shows, I let Darci ride me in the River at Chamberlain, I've been lots of places riding. The Vet says my teeth are beautiful. Well, why wouldn't they be! I get them checked twice a year! When I was younger I had some early signs of cancer on my penis, but Dr. Amy Rucker used some kind of experimental cream stuff and I get that checked out twice a year too. And we have just never had any problems with that. I don't think I have ever had an abscess. I don't get bite marks since I am the pasture boss. I don't know how to tell Darci who my mom & dad are, so she doesn't know. But she did get me some papers from the American Indian Horse Registry. Rumor has it I was born on a South Dakota Indian Reservation. A nice family from Humboldt took me home when I was about 6 but I wasn't very patient with their little kids back then. So they let Darci take me to her house. Like I said, I taught Darci a lot of stuff. And now I pretty much make the rules at New Hope Horse Shelter. And I am patient with the kids now too. Oh, and did I mention that the girls say I am handsome! Even with my hairy winter coat on! photos taken December 2009