The Golden Carrot Newsletter's Archive

 

October 9, 2006

Golden Carrot Newsletter

 

SOME GOOD NEWS FINALLY

 

I have signed up with an organization called NEON, whose service has provided me with great assistance. The website, if you choose to look at it, is finally updated. Not necessarily perfect mind you - remember it was the technically impaired Casey O’Connor who made the changes, with the invaluable and endlessly patient assistance of Lei Zhang, but the new horses are up (Charra, ChaCha, Shine, Peanut and Topper), and those horses who had passed away and were still on the main page are moved to the memorial page; and there are some new fun photos up of the Zemanek girls, and Buck carrying Marsi Marsh’s kids.

The really GREAT thing Neon has set up for me is

(1) A membership page (The link at the top right called "Please Join") which will allow you to sign up. In the future, I can use this to email you; and you can use it to access the site and donate and when I get one going, view the daily blog. It doesn’t cost anything, and it would help me gauge who is actually still interested in the goings on here at TGC. Please join?

(2) A credit card donation page. (The link which says "Please Help" on the first page). Just go directly to that link, make your donation and it will send you a "Thank You" for your records. This is the same for members too, but if you’re a member, your account will keep track of what you donate, which is nice for tax purposes and instant reference.) People have asked about credit card donations in the past, and I’ve not been able to accommodate that - but now....

All this is new and there may be bugs or kinks to work out, so please, everyone, take a look and tell me what you find! The service is costing me $52 per month for the first year (a set up charge has been spread out over the year to help me), and thereafter $35 per year. Anyone who might want to help with this expense would be a hero to me personally, as I pay this expense and supporting the horses this summer has strained me past the breaking point.

 

UPDATE ON BLUE

 

I was so surprised at how many people wanted to help Blue - the riding stable horse bound for auction/slaughterhouse. Helen has sent me the following recent email:

Great news! I came back from England Wednesday and the barn manager informed me Thursday that he had persuaded the owner to come down to $800 (more than he would fetch at auction, but much less than the previous "ransom" price he had been sticking to). I budgeted $500 but have been having a whip-round among my friends and by hook or by crook I know I can raise the extra. Yvonne at Forever Free had previously said she would pay the difference, but when I spoke to her she (understandably) said she would rather not. I am waiting for a call from her as to when she can pick Blue up... Hopefully, all will run smoothly. When I spoke to Susan, the lady whose company had offered to sponsor Blue, she told me that if things did not work out with Blue's placement, her company would still like to sponsor Blue at the Golden Carrot. If things do not run smoothly, it is my nature to want to have a back-up plan, especially as this whole rescue has been anything but straightforward so far. Would you still have room for Blue if Forever Free falls through? I have no reason to think it will, I am just being overly cautious. Thanks for all your support. Helen

With Sue Friley and the people at NaturVet willing to step up for Blue, I imagine I’ll take him if necessary. But I can’t help but wonder ..... is Blue more deserving than the other Golden Carrot horses? And what about the 3 year old QH that I had to turn down, mostly because the owner didn’t want to get an actual diagnosis of his problem? She killed him, ladies and gentlemen. He ‘dragged his hind feet’ sometimes, more sometimes than others. She wouldn’t pay for any pain medication; anti-inflammatory; a massage; a chiropractic exam and adjustment, nothing. She wanted him gone, one way or the other. 3 years old - just a baby, and beautiful. And how about this email I got today?

I'm wondering if you can help me. I have a 16 year old 16+ hand high flea-bitten grey thoroughbred gelding. He is no longer able to be ridden, and is looking to go to a new home. he's very sweet, and is good with almost anything. He is good with our dog, and is good with other horses. He has a scoop of senior every night with some butte, fluid flex, and cosequin added. His name is Larry, Larry has egg-bars with pads on his front feet, and no shoes on his back feet. Larry also has ringbone, arthritis, and (venicular?) If you could help that would be great. Please contact us at (805)529-5670 or email at sistermerrykari@adelphia.net

Any suggestions? I’m pretty sure she means "navicular", which means this horse will require shoes. I could call to see if she might send some support with him; but what if she said she would, and then didn’t? Tell me what you think - what should I do?

 

NOW, THE BAD NEWS.....

 

Goodbye Belle.....

 

Belle died a few weeks ago. I know, normally I tell you right away. But I was so surprised, and so depressed after having just lost Malika, and only 6 months ago losing Cuervo, that I’ve been unable to sit down and write her farewell. I moved her page, and added some words about her life to it directly - so please visit the website, the memorial page, Belle’s page, and a link on it called "Final News of Belle" to see my words for her.

 

Charra’s Tumor

 

I was finally able to get Dr. Zadick out to look at Charra. The tumor she carries is shown on her webpage now, so you can see what I’m talking about here. Dr. Z says it’s too big to operate on without huge expense, and no certainty that she would come through the surgery well (due to her age), or that it would not just regrow. Sadly, he indicates it probably is an outward sign of internal problems as well. So far, Charra doesn’t seem to care .... so neither will we.

 

New Companions

 

Shine now is splitting companion duties with PC and Sunny for Victor as he grieves for Malika. Although he checks on Topper now and then, apparently, Peanut has taken over stall mate duties with Topper - one day she just showed up at the gate to the stall next to Topper, and Shine just went to her old stall, as though she told him to. And Topper seems fine with it all.

 

Otherwise, life stumbles on at The Golden Carrot. The donations this summer were very low, and I could not have made it without the extra donations sent for Blue, and by sponsors in response to my plea for medications. My little job kept us afloat, but that job may not be mine for long, and I simply don’t know how much longer I can stay open. It has been so difficult that I have thought of simply giving up. But unfortunately, I’m in a hole with no way out. When I’m bombarded by requests to take more horses every day; when all the rescues I know are overloaded just as I am; when the only options are a torturous journey and a barbaric death, how can I stop? Death is too unfair an end for healthy horses who can’t do everything anymore.

Please help.

 

The new website has the name and phone number of our feed store - Outlaws of Hay and Grain - perhaps you’d feel comfortable just contacting them and buying a few bags of feed for us? TGC horses eat the Nutrena Senior Feed, without or with molasses; Sacate’s Bermuda Blend hay pellets; and Sacate’s Standard hay pellets, as well as the bermuda grass hay they sell. Just let me know if you buy something so I can go pick it up.

 

Or do you want to pay for someone’s shoeing? Steve Silkotch is our farrier, and you can pay him directly - his number is on the website too. The horses that get shoes are: Inch; Victor; Shine; PC; Joyful; Navigator; Josh, Beau, Topper. Some of these horses have sponsors who have faithfully kept them fed. But shoeing is $50 every 8 weeks. So you can see that I spend over $200 per month on just those. The other horses are all trims, which Steve charges $25 for - 15 horses at $25 per is another $190 per month in trims. Make sure, again, that you let me know if you do something like this, so I can schedule Steve to come do the work.

 

These are the two big expenses of The Golden Carrot. Keep them fed - especially with colder temperatures already here (last night we got ice!); and get their feet cared for every 8 weeks. I don’t ask for help for myself - but actually, if there are more donations for the horses, it decreases my burdens and allows what money I can make to actually pay my bills, instead of feeding the horses.

 

I thank you all for everything you’ve done; I ask that you visit the website (it’s taken me HOURS to update, believe me!) And tell me of any problems you encounter; please ‘join’ so I know you’re still interested in The Golden Carrot and its equine residents; and if you can, one way or another, please donate to help the horses