Fiona's filly this afternoon, ready for her close up upon completion of her very first Vet exam.
We are happy to report the Vet says she is healthy as a horse...even if she is just a pony.
Next up: Name announcement. Stay tuned!
Here's your second serving of cute. Fiona's filly this afternoon, ready for her close up upon completion of her very first Vet exam. We are happy to report the Vet says she is healthy as a horse...even if she is just a pony. Next up: Name announcement. Stay tuned!
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Last night, while we were busy at the auction, Fiona, the 10hh pony we rescued exactly one month ago outside of Mike's auction...........was delivering her foal! Here she is just hours old. While still recovering from a very serious white line infection in her rear hoof, Fiona managed to pull off the delivery without a hitch and delivered the cutest filly we have seen since we rescued Mini Mia last year. We had first met Fiona when she was sold through the Ontario Livestock auction last year. At the time, seeing the condition and lameness that was already apparent then, we asked the new owner if he would sell her to us. He refused. So, we gave him our phone number and asked him to call if he changed his mind. Then last month, there she was again, this time outside of Mike's Auction in excruciating pain from a now, raging infection in her hoof. She was turned away by the auction staff as a result and we didn't waste a second loading her onto our friends trailer and then straight to the Vet. Fiona is showing amazing progress in her recovery and it is a good thing. Looks like she will be plenty busy with her new filly. We are looking forward to seeing both of them frolicking in the pasture in the coming months. Welcome to the world little filly! Once again, a big thank you to Ingrid for providing a wonderful home and care for not one, but now TWO precious ponies. Last night we were able to secure the safety of the following horses: Hip 713 " Bridge too Far" an eleven year old racehorse who by way of 67 starts on the track, managed to earn for his connections, close to $100,000. He came to auction with what appears to be high ring bone on his front leg, along with rumors that he had experienced a severe suspensory injury in the recent past. Hip 717 a four year old, underweight TB with what appeared to be slight lameness in the rear. This morning she is extremely exhausted from her stressful night at the auction and she seems hesitant to bear weight on her left hind. She turned out to be registered with the Jockey Club as "Never Kneeling," by Best Minister and out of Kneeling, by Waquoit. Hip 707 the yearling TB filly was rescued for Barbara, a previous adopter, and wonderful home. Hip 696, "Taba Dancer," a 7-year-old mare by the Thoroughbred stallion Turkoman. The very distressed mare is on her way to EA Ranches, where her very old father is pensioned, along with grand dame/AHR rescue Blonde Fever. Hip 686, "Grand Yule," a 10-year-old racehorse who once sold for $110,000 as a yearling, then $100,000 as a 2-year-old. Now older, with an enlarged leg he was favoring, dumped at auction. Hip 703,( pictured), a yearling half-Andalusian filly, "Lunar Daydream," by Inquieto TG (by Serranito). The pony-sized sweetheart needs time to grow and just be a baby, not end up passed from hand to hand in an auction environment. Thank you to all who donated last night to ensure these horses a safe new start in life. If you would like to donate toward our rescue's rehabilitation costs, please donate tohttp://www.auctionhorsesrescue.com/donate.html Or to our vet West Coast Equine Hospital in Somis at (805) 386-7151 Or our feed store, Fox Feed of Canyon Country, at (661) 252-9790 We look forward to rehabilitating our newest crop of rescues, fixing what we can, helping these horses find their dignity again, their joy in life and, eventually, in time, their forever, loving homes. Additional thank you to EA Ranches and After The Finish Line, whose help in these eleventh hour situations is always invaluable. At heart, ensuring these horses only end up in the best situations, is our goal. Mike's Auction is tonight, where there are bound to be horses in need, as hopeless and lost as "High Z" was a mere 3 months ago. As hopeless as he looked, barely able to bear weight on his right front hoof, and not much better on his left, we took him home anyway with hopes of a "long shot" chance as a companion. Instead, an eruption of sole-wide abscesses were cut out, proper shoes with pads put on (after X-rays taken), time to rest, eat and heal, and....voila. 3 months later, High Z is a big, sound horse, nicely broke, and a beautiful mover. Just as often, that big, beautiful, shiny horse at auction comes home, and is never quite right. There's no real rhyme or reason as to what the result will be. Horses will give clues standing in the tiny auction pens, but even with the eye of a vet or professional looking, it's still a best guess. But that's not why we're here. If there's a hopeless case we can take home, we'll take it -- after a long life of service, often suffering silently for decades with untreated agonizing pain, these horses endure, the process of giving them their dignity back and a happy, pain-free life, we feel duty-bound to do. Perhaps they can be fixed. Perhaps they can't. Perhaps they can find a comfortable place somewhere inbetween. The goal with Auction Horses Rescue, when we began, was to rescue the ones that we can, network the rest and, at the very least, maintain a record of those souls we were unable to find a reprieve for. As the years have gone by, and we've brought visibility to auctions like Mike's (who, in our opinion, provide a valuable service), attendance by rescue-minded people has drastically increased. That is wonderful. Whether the horses leaving with a "rescue" actually end up in better hands is, in reality, almost as much of an unknowable as when horses sell to the vaguely termed "private buyers." But at least it's a step in the right direction. When we started, Mike's had a policy of "no photos." We worked from the outset to show them that taking photos of these horses, and disseminating them online, did not have to end up with the auction house itself being persecuted. A mutual level of cooperation could be established. And as time went on, we have shown just that. We greatly appreciate the relationship that has been developed, as a photo, a face to a name, can be the greatest difference between life and death; safe haven or prolonged suffering. Please network our photos from the auction today and, as always, share the information we painstakingly gathered on these horses. A name to a face can also make that life or death difference. Email us if there is anything additional you know about a horse, at auctionhorsesrescue@gmail.com. Our plan is to rescue a few tonight, and hopefully find a few very good homes for the rest. Buck Tuddy Buck's intake photo, shortly before his hoof trim. Although his feet were almost immediately improved, bringing this emaciated, large-bodied horse back to health is going to take a *lot* of food. Today, we're ordering Buck Tuddy Buck's hay, beet pulp and alfalfa pellets, so we can concentrate on this phase of his rehabilitation. Until the vet can come out to float Buck's teeth, we're concentrating on feeding him soaked alfalfa pellets and beet pulp, to minimize the risk of choke. If you would like to donate toward Buck Tuddy Buck's feed bill, Fox Feed of Canyon Country is accepting donations over the phone by calling (661) 252-9790. Or, donations toward his feed bill can be made through our website http://www.auctionhorsesrescue.com/donate.html Pretty girl "Warren's Doogood" recently made the transition back to our facility to begin retraining, after a lengthy rehab following her rescue, back in August 2013. Soon after Doogood's rescue, an abscess in her hoof appeared...but then failed to improve. X-rays showed the abscess had worked its way into her coffin bone. Several months of antibiotics were prescribed, as we waited and hoped the infection would clear. Fortunately, in the end, it did! Recently, Doogood came home from foster care at Alison's to begin her off-the-track re-training. But she began to lose weight and showed signs of irritableness. Ruling out teeth problems and any other issues, we decided to look into gastric ulcers as the cause, sending Doogood to West Coast Equine Hospital for a gastroscopy. Via scope, ulcers were indeed confirmed. Doogood has begun treatment on a course of Gastrogard (the most effective, and the only FDA-approved, means of treating acute ulcers) and her appetite is already back with a vengeance. Long term, Doogood can be maintained with free-choice hay, room to move and, if needed, cheaper acid-reducing drugs like ranitidine. But considering the amount of physical pain and emotional upheaval Doogood's life has consisted of, since she came off the racetrack, it's not such a surprise her tummy is hurting a bit. Fully rehabilitating these horses in need can be a longer-term project with some horses than others. But after overcoming the trauma their lives have been up until this point, it's part of our obligation to them, if we really are there to make them whole again. Heal well, Doogood! "Buck Tuddy Buck" had an appointment with the farrier yesterday. The top photo is the state of BTB's feet when he came to us Monday. The good news is, there was only reaction to the hoof testers in the heel area of the left front foot and only minor reactions in the right front. We are hopeful there isn't the same level of damage to his feet as we have seen in some of our prior Thoroughbred rescues but he will need more time before his soundness can be fully determined. What we do know for certain is ...he is a very sweet and kind horse who loves scratches and attention. He has calmed down considerably since Monday and continues to enjoy lounging in the sun and all of the frequent meals that appear throughout the day. BTB is still very underweight but seems more than determined to change that. His feet and legs are still sore from walking on such severely neglected and overgrown hooves, so, he will remain on bute for the next week or so and continue resting in his soft paddock. Up next for BTB will be the vet! Four years is a very long time for a horse to go without teeth floating. We are almost certain he will require one. If you would like to donate toward Buck Tuddy Buck's rehabilitation, please do so through our website athttp://www.auctionhorsesrescue.com/donate.html or donate through our feed store, Fox Feed at (661) 252-9790 IN URGENT NEED OF RESCUE: This 14 hh pony mare is said to be in her late teens, and won buckles in 3D barrel racing events in Nevada, in years past. Owner can no longer keep her, and she will go to auction if a home is not found for her TODAY. Not for a beginner rider, this is a high energy pony only suitable for a more advanced rider -- hot, but not "fried." Good with feet, ties, loads, good in wash rack, great ground manners, very light in the mouth and responsive to leg, neck reins. This young girl's barrel horse can be a little herd bound, but overall, for the right home, could be an awesome little addition. For now, she needs rescue! However, she only has 24 hours to find a home, or she will head to auction. This 14 hh pony is located in the Los Angeles, CA area and only has today to find a home. We're happy to announce the adoption of THREE horses over the past week! We've been so busy with the recipient mares, Aries, numerous auctions, and the rescue of Buck Tuddy Buck, we wanted to wait to post til we had a moment to breathe Catherine, aka OTQH "Go Little Flurt" [pictured], became 10-year-old Dillon's first horse! Catherine is proof there is a second (or third) career after having spent a decade as a broodmare! Also adopted was "Amok," a 16-year-old OTTB gelding rescued from auction. Dillon's mom Jenn adopted him as her pleasure horse! And number three, Underdog, aka gorgeous former-stallion "Seattle Souvenir" left with Marjo to be her all-around pleasure horse. Thanks to finding home for these three, we were able to rescue over half a dozen horses, collectively, over the past week! If interested in adopting your forever horse, please take a look athttp://www.auctionhorsesrescue.com/ for our current list of adoptables. Little Fiona was a tiny 10 hh pony rescued outside Mike's Auction last month, barely able to walk. Her owners surrendered her to AHR, realizing whatever it was that made it so difficult for her to walk, was more than they were capable of caring for. Once settled in at our foster facility, Dr Kemper of West Coast Equine Hospital found most of her hoof wall had been compromised by a severe "white line" infection, which required the majority of it to be pared off, leaving little Fiona hobbling on her tiny foot wrapped in gauze. Well, after several weeks of antibiotics, her foot is healing so well she was able to finally come off her meds! And...the suspicion of pregnancy, has been 100% confirmed! Posted here is a photo of Fiona from a few days ago, hanging with her new pals, Fiona and Niblet. But tonight, she's in a nice, secure stall on a straw bed. Why? Because she's on foal watch! Any day now, with fingers crossed that all goes well, we're excited to see what Fiona's surprise bundle of joy proves to be! And congrats to foster failure/expectant "grand"mother-to-be Ingrid, who asked to adopt Fiona permanently. Ingrid has always provided wonderful care to our high-maintenance hospice cases, so we knew this situation was well within her capabilities. And who can say no to not just one, but two adorable ponies! |
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April 2014
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