The Golden Carrot Newsletter's Archive

 

March 1, 2015
Newsletter

Ok, let me apologize. I know this is the first newsletter of this year and I’m embarrassed. Believe me when I looked at the list of things I wanted to add to a newsletter, I KNEW I’d waited too long! So, without more ado....

Goodbye to Peanut

First, as I'm trying to get this newsletter done, suddenly, we lost Peanut. My dear girl is no more.  This special mare was with me for 9 years, and it was not long enough. She will be mourned by all here, and her sponsor of four years, Nancy O. Please read about our Peanut....and remember her.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New Resident - REGGIE

 

Now, partly I was waiting for Jockey Club information on this new arrival, but we don't have a response yet. His tattoo is fairly easy to read, and his teeth agree with the letter of his tattoo, that he is about 34 years of age. But the JC, despite the persistent efforts of Sonya say they don’t have marking information that far back, and can’t tell which horse might be him based on the tattoos and him being a 34 year old chestnut gelding. Courtney is trying for us as well, so I haven’t quite given up. I’m thinking the horrific weather back East may be affecting everyone’s ability to focus on their job - I know it would for me - so we’ll keep trying. Reggie has very clear markings (blaze, four white feet etc) and I think we should be able to figure out who he is.. And a little more about his history.

Meantime, his story is that his owner is moving on, unable to financially support him. She had him stabled, by himself at an otherwise empty stable property, and with the aid of DeeDe and another woman, was just able to feed him. He was thin (not nearly enough teeth to eat alfalfa hay), with white line disease in his feet. She reached out on Facebook to find him a home. Sadly, so many people were encouraging her to euthanize him, that by the time I contacted her, she was reluctant. But she took the time to come visit, and decided to send Reggie here anyway. And I am SO glad she did, as this poor old guy, thin, exhausted from a horrible 7 hour trailer ride with no food or water, with hardly any grinding teeth, doesn’t just have a spark of life left, he has a huge FLAME!

In his 40 days here, he has blossomed. He eats “like a horse” now that he has something he can get down; and he has fallen heavily in love with dear Queenie (much to Jeeper’s irritation!). He’s an energizer bunny, moving a LOT, and he is so smart, he learned the routine here in just two days. For the first week, he came back first, and I’d put him in his stall with an early bucket. But now, he’s part of the herd, no special effort needed, just plenty of grub! I’m glad to report that DeeDe, who had been helping him before he came here and probably kept him alive, has become his sponsor! But he must eat only pelleted feed, so his feed costs are a little more than many, and he could use another sponsor or two - maybe you? LOOK at that face!

Sponsors, coming and going

We’ve lost a long time sponsor or two, but I was pretty sure that was coming.  So please, if you’re interested in sponsoring a horse here at TGC, it’s simple. Pick a horse (here’s an up-to-date list but you can add your help even to an already sponsored horse if you wish), pick an amount you can give, pick a schedule (monthly, quarterly, bi-annually, annually), notify me and once the first donation is received, I’ll try to get you up on that horse’s webpage as a sponsor asap! Sponsorship is all about commitment - it’s not the amount.

Happily, we got a couple of sponsors - Reggie’s sponsor DeeDe, and Kim Miles has joined our sponsorship group on behalf of Daisy! Thanks to each and every sponsor, and donor, and supporter - none of this can happen without you!

Update on Recent Residents

You may remember Naomi and Summer, the two little mares who came from Kern County. Both have filled out a lot so far. I made a decision in December to give Naomi a “Caslick’s surgery” in January. With her sway back and the many babies she’s had in the past, her uterus is flabby (the vet’s word, not mine!) And it has collapsed inside of her, pulling her vulva with it, such that half of the vulva is positioned horizontally directly beneath the rectum, so she is at risk for both vaginal and bladder infections! Sheesh. With a little building up, the vulva was positioned a little better, but still bad, so what happens is, the vet sews the top half of the vulva together (this is apparently a common surgery in OTTB fillies, as they can suck air as they run!) Leaving room for her to pee and that’s about it. A vaginal infection is no real big deal, they’ll sort of discharge themselves, but a bladder infection is very painful and hard to eradicate, so I thought this was a preventive surgery that needed doing.... January 13, the doc came out and presto-changeo, the deed was done! Naomi is really a doll to handle, and VERY sensitive to sedation.....

At the same time, just to comfort myself as I was belatedly advised by the shelter that Summer had been seized “with a young stallion”, I asked the doc to palpate her and see if she was pregnant. (There’s a whole thing about blood work, but you do different tests at different times depending on when the mare was bred, and we don’t know when that might have been except very generally) The doc sticks his hand up there, and finds a very tight stricture, possibly a rectal tear that healed badly after another pregnancy, and he could barely get his fingers thru to palp. And he THINKS he was feeling her bladder. BUT. He can’t rule out a pregnancy, because the size was about right for a pregnancy which started in September (when she was seized). Dang. So he wants to palpate her 60 days later (appointment set for Friday, 2/13/15). If what he can feel is the same, it’s her bladder. If it’s bigger..... well, we’re hoping it’ll be the same.....

Property Problems

Ok, yes, I’m still begging and hoping that someone out there wants to donate 30-40 acres (or more of course!) to us, and hope you will speak out about this - maybe YOU are the person who knows that someone! - but what happened is this. 15 years ago when we moved in here, the landlord told us where the property lines were. There were survey stakes up that seemed to support his lines, and no land was ever cleared in the area, but it turns out, there’s a tiny triangle of property that belongs to the property to the south. (Which, I’m so upset to realize, was up for sale but with no sign!!!). The new owners did a survey and that is when this ‘encroachment’ was discovered. So what happens is this. TGC loses their round pen, one stall, and our arena is so reduced, and the roundpen will have to be rebuilt inside of it, that it effectively disappeared. Basically, all the flat space we had . And I had to get all this work done in 30 days. O, you can’t imagine how much I hate all that effort, and work, and money, to LOSE space!!

I have yet to complete the round pen, and need to put up the pipe panels removed from the arena on the back line (eliminating that crappy old fenceline that Peanut got stuck in!) , but then we’ll be done with this depressing task.

I’m so grateful for Sue Friley, longtime friend and supporter, for showing up with a couple of helpers (that SHE paid for) to help move fencing, and tear down the stall. And to my neighbor/landlord Mike for helping me with removal of the round pen, and moving pipe panels to open up a little more of the brushy area (just trying to make the space more open). I still have some panels to remove and relocate, but we’re almost done.

Wouldn’t it have been so much better if that effort had been made to set up a new facility for these horses? Can’t we be validated by a donation of space for these and so many other horses who need a safe haven? I want to remind you that such a donation would be to The Golden Carrot, not me. So, if I die, the horses would be safe, on their own property. And it is my intention to offer to certain other rescues I’ve worked with, a less expensive way to provide for horses they bring in who need 6 months or a year to recover, leaving a stall open for other horses they can bring in, rehab, and rehome more expeditiously. We can all do more, with more space. The 40 acres to the south, on which we were intruding, was for sale. For $120,000. What could we have done with that much space? Raw land, yes, but... right next door! I work hard to stay hopeful.

Oldsters

Hershey had a bad casting accident recently.

Corazon is having some very stiff looking days. And dear Navigator has been having more and more problems with abscessing feet and maintaining weight, despite eating everything I can throw at him. Pain medication helped Hershey thru his accident and I think is making Cora more comfortable, but it’s not helping Navigator at all. I think his time is limited. Narvi is very elderly and I must begin to consider his quality of life. But o he’s been here so many years, he’s a dear fixture, and not only I, but Jordan, will be devastated to lose him. But I dread the day I find him down, and unable to get up, and scared. He’s starting to have a little more bad days than good. Its coming....

 

So, some good news, and some really bad news, and the usual same-o, same-o. You know the ways you can help - you can donate, onetime or sponsorship, you can spread the word by sharing this newsletter, or by following us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/TheGoldenCarrot) and sharing our posts, you could donate items for us to sell in our auctions, you can sign up with www.iGive.com or www.Ralphs.com and designate TGC as your charity, and you can keep us in mind.  These old horses are so easy to forget. In many cases, even the people who enjoyed them for years have forgotten them.  They deserve better. We are deeply grateful for any and all support you can give us.