Okay, we can't believe it has been 3 weeks since we sat down to write and update everyone on the progress with BITS! Things have been moving along nicely and we are very excited for what we have been able to accomplish so far. Jumping into the non-profit sector and starting a horse rescue is something that we both, just not something we planned on doing. We have already had our list of set backs the first and most consistent is the liability issue. Everywhere we turn, we are faced with the issue of protecting ourselves from lawsuits. If you follow us on Facebook you will already know that the cost for our insurance is $700 for the year. Neither Deb and I have the money at the moment as all of the horse care is still being privately funded by ourselves. Hopefully once our 501C3 status is completed we will be able to apply for grants to help with the cost of rehabilitating and helping horses.
The hardest thing is knowing what we could accomplish for the horses and owners in need with the $700 (Geld 14 horses, pay for 20 trimmings, purchase 7 tons of hay or 70 bags of Elk Grove Stable Mix for the hay bank, 3 months of professional training for one of the rescued horses, an opening to care for a rescued horse, etc. etc..)We even tried to rent out a few facilities for the gelding clinic and each one turned us down for fear of liability issues. It does become slightly disheartening that in order to do any good you must first protect yourself..
Our January 12th Euthanasia Clinic was a success. We were able to help 3 horses who's owners could not afford the cost to euthanize and render their elderly and injured horses. Unfortunately, the cost of rendering is increasingly expensive due to the rise in its demand. Many years ago, you could still bury horses on private property, but with the expansion of housing and water contamination issues, this practice is not so frequently used. So good old supply & demand has made it even more costly to render along with the rise in gas, liability and workers compensation costs. Our clinic used several resources to be able to offer the service for $100 a horse. For every 2 paying horses we were able to offer a slot for free, without having to ask others to pay for the cost. Much can be done with Jamie’s office work of placing calls and calling on those who are willing to give their time, as we all know money is tight these days, but we can still accomplish much with the donation of time and product. A special thanks goes out our vet Bear River Mobile Veternarian Service, Dr. Jennifer Dewey who donated her day and gas to come down here and perform the euthanasia. Without compassionate veterinarians like herself, this clinic would never have been possible.
And to North State Rendering Co, who like Sacramento Rendering Co gave us an excellent discount on the removal and disposal of the euthanized horses.
On a brighter note, Jamie is off to Auburn on Tuesday to do a walk-thur on a facility that is willing to partner with us in the gelding clinic. It is such a blessing to have a fellow horse rescue step up and offer their 20 stall barn, since we ran into lack of venue issue. Together we can accomplish much more and help those who are the heart of our operations- THE HORSES! We will officially open up the 5 available slots for the clinic once the time table and volunteer schedules have been completed. We still have a goal to geld 100 horses this year, so lets all pray that this event goes well enough that it will occur on a monthly basis.
Since is it is a lovely day, Jamie is off to take Bob out for yet another lesson on confidence and Deb is already hot on the trails with Repo who's eye is completely healed with no sign of his melting ulcer. See you all soon!
Deb was sick so I spent most of the weekend cleaning stalls and feeding our 3 rescue horses, waiting for the call that she was still alive. If you had the flu that has been going around- you understand my concern.
Finally, on Sunday Deb started to feel better and took the long drive from our Magalia facility down to the Loma Rica headquarters with one of her personal rescue horses, Richie. Richie was listed on Craigslist for $250 and needed a home ASAP or else... Deb took action and posted her plea to get Richie on the Alex Brown Racing forum and was able to raise the money to purchase Richie and pay for a little of his rehab. With a bad shoulder, paper thin soles, navicular and a sad look on his face Richie was a 9 year old Double Dollar QH on his way to a better future. Deb's rehab of Richie took over a year and today he is a happy, healthy and gorgeous horse. He is such a gentleman and I am so happy to have him in Loma Rica for a few days.
Monday January 4th
Today I spent some time laying out the new fencing. What a job!! Words can not describe how excited Deb and I are. Up until now, we have been paying for all of our horse rescue related expenses out of pocket and to get a couple hundred dollars of free fencing material was the break we needed. So, with a can of construction spray paint and 16ft tape measure, I took to the pastures to create 3 areas for our horses in addition to the 6 stall QT area. We cannot wait to post pictures!
Tuesday January 5th
Today was bittersweet. Today Richie went to his new home. After a year of TLC and lots of care Deb was able to let Richie go. We were very particular about who adopted this horse. One, he is a perfect gentleman! Two, he is ranch ready, can do trails like a pro and can haul the kids around without any problems. Due to his navicular, we really wanted to find him a home where he would be able to roam in a large area and be used lightly. Thank god for good friends, we found it. I drove up with Richie this morning to his new home on 25 acres where his family of 7 will ride occasionally, but love him daily.
His new mom, Joe and a few of the four legged residences accompanied Richie down the drive to his new pasture. All 15 acres of it! After being turned out he set his head down and started in on the great feed the pasture has to offer. With one last look and a " see ya gal" to me, he was a home. I could not wait to give Deb and call and let her know that this was the match made in heaven we had been praying for.
After all the adoption paperwork was completed me and my rig were off to the next stop. I got a picture of Richie at the time he picked up his head and realized that this playground was his very own.
Not a whole lot to report mostly office work, stall cleaning and feeding of horses. I am trying to rearrange our website to make it more user friendly and easier on the eye- wish me luck!
A few calls were made and the euthanasia and rendering of Cash was scheduled for the owners. Apparently the lady who owns Cash has no knowledge of the three horses she owns, all where her husbands who just suffered a massive stroke. I will be at her place Tuesday morning to meet the vet and assist him with the proceedure.
Deb has been busy filtering calls about the lost dogs she found on Christmas Day; hopefully they will be back in their rightful home soon.
Tuesday December 29th
I was passing Cotton's Flying U Rodeo at 7 am this morning headed to Lincoln to assist Cash's owner with his euthanasia. I fed Cash his last meal and met the vet at 8 am. Everything went well and after Cash had passed I talked with the vet on his estimated age and he said no younger than 30 and he only had 3 back teeth left. I must say I was relieved that Cash was not longer in pain and subject to the cold weather we have had lately. It must have been hard to keep his body temperature up with the little body fat he had left. Thanks to the concerned donor who brought Cash to Sammie's Friends attention, without your help Cash might still be suffering. RIP Cash.
I plan to visit Cash's owners again next week to discuss the 2 other young horses they own. We will be talking about training and the possibility of rehoming them to someone with more experience. It is not a good idea to get young, untrained horses when you have little horse experience. I suggested an older well broke gelding for the family and hopefully my suggestion will be well received. Cash’s owner mentioned to me on my was out that there were two other horses worse shape than he was when they picked him up. I doubt they are still there but I will follow up and make sure there are no suffering horses left at that house.
After leaving Cash’s I was off to pick up Raz, a 15-year-old Appaloosa gelding with moon blindness and arthritis. His owner sent him to BITS for our January euthanasia clinic, but after meeting Raz we believe he may have a chance to make it as a lead line horse or pasture pal. Dr. Tortosa will be out to evaluate him on Wednesday and talk about his current pain level, hopefully a little Bute is all he needs. Cross your fingers for this guy; he is just too sweet!
While picking Raz we also took in Bob a 5 year quarter horse gelding. The owner was being evicted and was trying to find him a home but ran out of time and asked that we find him a new home. She had contacted several rescues in the area, but was told she needed a $200 surrender fee before they would take him. Due to her current financial situation, she was unable to come up with the funds and was extremely grateful that were able to take him, no charge. Bob has a great disposition, he is trained to ride and he tied and trailered like a gentleman today.
Upon arrival back at the BITS headquarters, Bob and Raz were both de-wormed and placed in their stalls for the night. Raz is a little underweight so his blanket was on before night fall. Bob will be vaccinated tomorrow when Dr. Tortosa makes her appearance and hopefully if all goes well, Raz will too. Once Bob has been properly evaluated, he will be available for adoption. If you have any interest in him, please give us a call.
Wendsday December 30th
Not much excitement. A lot of phone calls to confirm our euthanasia clinic, which will be January 12th. The clinic will be offered for $100 a horse, which includes veterinarian administered euthanasia and professional pick up &rendering from Sacramento Rendering Co.
We have also confirmed that we have 9 available spots for the $50 gelding clinic. This clinic will be help February 13th and is available to all who qualify. For more information, please email us at info@backinthesaddleproject.com or click here
Thursday December 31st
Today BITS got the best call ever! A friend of a friend, is moving and has sold all of his horses. He has about 20-30 newer t-posts and electrical fencing materials that he is willing to donate to BITS, if we come and take it all down. It took me less than a second to say "give me the address; this is an answer to our prayers." With more fencing, we are able to take on a few more horses and able to cut down on feed costs.
Since Deb was at work, I recruited a few great friends and we set out with some amazing equipment to remove t-posts, electrical rope and insulators.
Notice the 4 paw worker on top!
Many hands make light work, and after a couple of hours were loaded up and ready to head back home. I cannot thank our friends enough for sacrificing their New Year's Eve to help out BITS. We had a great time watching the kids work together and play in the fresh MUD!
All and all we came home with 1 light table, 10 acres worth of electrical rope and dozens and dozens of insulators for both t-posts and wood posts. It was a great day.
Friday January 1st
Well today is the day to put some t-posts in and get these horses out of the barn and into the sunshine (what little there is today). BITS hopes you enjoyed the Tournament of Roses Parade, we watched it on HGTV and are so proud of our young FFA kids! Wish us luck today and Happy New Years.
After much talk, Back in the Saddle Project has decided to blog every Friday. With our full time jobs, children to love and care for, and the horses to feed, groom and ride, we are short on time-so Friday it is. Please check back with us once a week to get the weekly low down!
Little Bit dressed as Christmas Elf with Ruby and Jamie
We have three horses signed up for the January euthanasia clinic where we are able to provide Veterinarian administered euthanasia and rendering for $100 a horse. We have 1 horse signed up for the $50 gelding clinic and we have almost completed the paperwork for our IRS 501(c)(3) filing. Deb and I are on the hunt for electrical horse tape and other fencing materials, wishing we could afford to rent a hydraulic t-post driver!
Monday, we were contacted by a family who came across a starving horse in an abandoned pasture near their home. Although they had no horse experience they knew, they could not leave him there to die a slow and painful death. They were able to get permission to take the horse home and walked him down the lane to their pasture where they fed and rehabilitated him. Now that he is healthy they are looking to place him in a home, but they know little about him.
Goldie, the mustang
I was going to be in the area so I stopped by to check him out. After shaving his neck it was evident that he was a BLM mustang, approx 9 years old and he was still intact cryptorchid with poor confirmation. I took pictures of his brand and have sent them off to BLM to try and get title figured out. In the mean time, the family is keeping him and taking care of him until further notice. Goldie is very lucky that these people are loving and caring enough to help him out before it was too late.
While out on a Christmas BITS Bites delivery to Sammie’s Friends, a call came in from a donor who was picking up, Cash, an emaciated horse that Sammie’s Friends was willing to rescue and rehabilitate. Unfortunately, Cash would not load in her slant trailer and she was unsure of how to transport him to Sammie’s Friends. Sammie’s Friends has a horse fund and are able to take in 1 or 2 horses at time. They understand the importance of proper rehabilitation, vet care, hoof care, and they believe that proper training before adoption, is necessary.Since I was there, I offered to transport Cash in the BITS stock trailer. We set up a time to meet the following day, Christmas Eve and transport Cash to his rehab home. After the morning chores of feeding horses and cleaning stalls were done, Deb and I set out driving down to Lincoln to pick up Cash. When we arrived at the home we found Cash in pretty bad shape, after evaluating him, we found him to be an approx. 28 years old, sway back, Arabian with a bit of an attitude. His teeth were worn down, but he did not drop any feed when eating, Deb noticed signs of ringbone and bone spurs as well.
Deb evaluating Cash
Even though he looked bad, he still had it in him to put a healthy fight, as he was unwilling to load in the stock trailer as well. We were all set to put up some panels when the owners arrived home.
We began to talk with the concerned donor and the owner and found out the owners had little horse experience, but wanted to do right by Cash. They did not understand that the horse was elderly and most likely his weight loss was due to a metabolic issues rather than neglect. The owner was willing to provide humane euthanasia if that was what the horse needed.
It was then decided to return Cash to his pasture and help the owner set up the vet and rendering. Before we left, Deb and I took the opportunity to help the owner clean up the discarded baling twine and metal gates in the pasture, explaining to her the dangers they presented to her horses. We found the water trough empty and explained that horses need an average of 10-15 gallons of water each a day. The owner was very thankful and asked if we could come back and help her on the day the vet came to put Cash down, we happily told her we would do whatever we could to help. Deb and I could have simply loaded the underweight horse and left the home, but by taking the time educate the owner rather than just take her problem horse away, we were able to help make a better horse owner out of her and hopefully help keep the other two horses she has healthy. Remember most neglect arises from lack of education and is not intentional. Education is the key!!
On Christmas day, Deb was on her way to feed the horses when two dogs ran out in front of her car. After stopping the care and feeding them some of our Christmas BITS Bites, Deb allowed the two to jump in the car. She knew she would not be able to enjoy Christmas dinner in her warm home if she left the two to fend for themselves.
Bones sleeping on Deb's couch, which is normally a big NO NO in Deb's house.
As you can see from the pictures, Bones, an intact, male, pit-bull, is emaciated to the point that he feels pain when he is petted. Diva, the black lab mix is sweet and not as bad off as her mate but still underweight and dehydrated.
Bones and Diva resting in the warm house on the comfy couch
The two are resting happily in Debs home for the weekend and we are looking to place them in a home as soon as possible. If you are interested, please contact us a info@backinthesaddleproject.com
Getting ready to deliver our BITS bites
Little Bit did his job on Christmas afternoon, delivering Christmas BITS Bites to neighbors and BITS supporters. He was such a good little elf, he really likes the attention he gets from his girl! We hope you had a great holiday week and wish you a Happy New Year. See you next Friday!
BITS had a wonderful Thanksgiving and we have certainly been enjoying all this amazing weather, which has allowed us to ride almost every day. We attended the Chico Equestrian Association Turkey Trot and checked out their great facility and met a lot of really nice riders.
We are certainly making headway on the Euthanasia and Gelding Clinics. Our new pals from Nevada County, Sammies Friends, have donated 3 gelding procedures! We are so grateful and so very excited. Sammie’s Friends is a group dedicated to helping shelter animals get the small procedures they need to adoptable while helping other animals in the community with veterinarian care as well.
Yesterday, Jamie sent out about 30 emails to equine veterinarians in Northern California requesting help with both gelding procedures and the Euthanasia Clinic. 5 hours after the emails were sent a response came back from Dr. Dewey. Not only is she donating 2 gelding procedures, but she has pledged to head the January euthanasia clinic and is a active member in the Equine Medicine Club at UC Davis Veterinary school. She is going to help get a FREE gelding clinic set up in Nevada County where we will be able to geld 10-15 horses in one day and offer valuable experience to the next generation on veterinarians! We are picking a date and will be sending out the information later this week.
One last thing: As you all know, this economy has hit the non-profit sector really hard. When things are hard, there is an even bigger need for those dedicated to offering relief for those who need it. BITS would like to suggest that since most of us are cutting back on Christmas spending this year, maybe we could all take a different approach to this giving season and donate our time. We can accomplish a lot with help, so we encourage you to find a non-profit which is close to your heart and offer your services. The local food banks always need extra hands, and your salvation army has many to feed this year and a blanket drive for the homeless can be done by simply walking the block and asking your neighbors and friends for warm blankets to pass out to those who need it. Good luck!
Happy to report that BITS is meeting with a well established animal rescue in Nevada County. Hopefully we can work together to get some more vets on board for the gelding clinics and establish our Nevada County foster home and volunteer base. Deb and I are so excited, this is a perfect contact who knows how to work with the local animal control and can help us get in there and make a diffrence. Keep good thoughts and we will let you know how it all goes!
Tuesday night Deb and I went to CAWS meeting in Nevada City. It was a quite amazing group, mainly dog and cat rescues, but none the less a group of individuals from various organizations getting together to help network and save lives. Deb and I were totally amazed. Can you imagine what kind of change could be made for the horses if horse rescues were interested in working together? There did not seem to be any competition for donors, and everyone was there to offer advice, suggestions and support. Deb and I will be going back in January for sure! Thank you to Scooters Pals, Sammies Friends and For Pets Sake, we are grateful for the warm welcome to the group.
C.A.W.S
Wednesday night, we went to Bette's (our cheerleader) for great burgers, wine and the most amazing homemade garlic french fries ever. It is so amazing the support we have received. Many people are astonished to see the truth behind so very many non-profit organizations. BITS promises to conduct our organization with ethics, compassion and the best interest of the horse at ALL times. We are certainly out to make it known that there is an alternative to the conventional horse rescue. Please join us in our efforts.
On another note, we received our first confirmation from a local vet who will be donating two free gelding procedures for the year 2010. BITS has made it our goal to geld 100 horses in the new year! BITS is in favor of, and thankful for the responsible breeding of registered, purebred and wanted horses. We are not however, nieve to the back yard breeding epidemic which is the cause for many of the 100,000 unwanted horses in the USA today. Please help us in passing this great program on to your local vet, we are not confined by city, county or state lines; we have no boundaries. The amount of unwanted horses that can be saved prior to their conception is infinite. Please help us Save Unwanted Horses!
Today I was doing some research on the unwanted horse statistics and found that the 2009 Unwated Horse Survey has been issued. Click here to read survey
"The Unwanted Horse Coalition, a broad alliance of equine organizations that have joined together under the American Horse Council, is concerned that some horses may slip through the various safety nets within the equine industry. Too many owners are unaware of, or do not give enough thought to, the available options, services and assistance available in the industry to help them ensure that their horse has caring and humane support throughout its life. The Unwanted Horse Coalition will help educate the horse industry about this issue and help people learn to Own Responsibly."
Page 31 shows the most appealing solutions to the unwanted horse problem
Horse ownership education focused on buying and owning responsibly
Increase ability of rescue/adoption/retraining facilities to care for unwanted horses
Reopening U.S. processing plants
More resources for humane euthanization
and along with the least appealing soluntions to the unwanted horse problem
Expand legislation or regulation to control horse ownership
Federal funding for carcass removal
Increase awareness of animal welfare rights
Federal funding to expand horse adoption
What I take from these statistics is that it is up to us. The general public who love horses and are corcerned about their welfare. We need to band together and start taking action on behalf of those who need help and those who cannot help themselves. Please take a moment to read our objectives for the Hay Bank, Low Cost Gelding Clinics and Euthanasia Clinics. We are taking a leap of faith in our efforts to form a Non-profit for the horses and we need your support.
What can we do today that will change the outcome for tommorow?
I confirmed with the owner of Roseville Livestock auction yesterday that they are closing their doors. The property needs too much repair to be brought up to county code, and the property owner is not interested in making the $60,000+ in repairs. So I ask you, where does that leave the desperate horse owners? Anywhere from 50 -100 horses a month were run through the Roseville Auction each month, many owners brought their horses to this local auction in hopes that they would be purchased and fnd a new home. Many brought their elderly or untrained horses as the last resort because humane euthanasia was too expensive and traveling to another auction 3 hours away is not possible. Owners who had no luck selling privately and where unable to properly care for their horses had at least this option, now what? Is there going to be an increase in horse abandonment? What can we do to help?
We hope our hay bank will help owners who want to keep their horses but are just struggling temporarily with hay costs. We also hope we can help owners connect with trainers to help horses with behavior issues through our rehoming assistance but what about the rest?
Although we would all like to help each horse find a new home and plan to try our best to help but the reality is there will be many who will not be able to find homes. BITS believes that many horses will be forced to suffer this winter simply because their owners are unable to care for them. We can prevent that suffering if we give owners the option of having their horse put down by a vet in a humane manner and at an affordable cost. It is not a wonderful option but until another solution can be found it is a neccesary one. We hope you understand it is in the best interest of horses that cannot find homes. BITS has formed a network of giving vetrinarians and disposal businesses who are willing to donate their time and equiptment, all that is left is the funding to make it affordable for every owner in need. Do you know someone who might be interested in donating to this worthy cause?
First off it seems like our bad luck is over. BITS received wonderful news today. We have been chosen to receive a grant from the Ralph and Virginia Mullin Foundation! The grant will pay for all of BITS IRS filing fees. This is fantastic news and we are all so excited. Yesterday we had our first tabling at the Ride & Dine held at the Camelot Equestrian Center. What a place, with trails and arenas everywhere.
Thanks to Betty our cheerleader(pictured in the pirate witch outfit), we had a great table next to Valley Tractor complete with witch hats and hanging bats! Deb made fun candy mice, caramel apples and crispy treats to sell for our Hay Bank. Aside from making a few dollars, we made great contacts with the Pony Club and some enthusiastic college girls. The kids had a great time doing everything Halloween and horsey.
They even had a pumpkin polo match.
BITS will surely be back next year. Thank you Camelot, we had a blast.
Sorry for the delay in posts. The bits team has had two weeks of bad luck! First is the was the craigslist scam that cost us a day in driving, two tanks of gas and two girls in a funky mood. Then it was followed up with a death in the family, a blown transmission and a rain storm. We were felling like "Why us?", when a package came in the mail.
It was the cutest flymask all decked out in American Pride courtesy of The Well Groomed Horse!
This is a serious fly mask and since Lil Bit has gone through 3 in the past 2 months, it is a welcome site. The well enforced back strap is sure to stay closed. Great handmade American craftsmanship!
Even my husband was impressed by how well it was put together and the fabric is soft and sturdy so it will not rub Lil Bit's hair off. If you remember, he has to wear a fly mask at all times due to the improper way his torn eyelid healed prior to his adoption.
When I walked out to place on Lil Bit he was hesitant, he is still working on his confidence. After the mask was placed on him, he was all smiles for the camera.
Even Shorty his pasture mate was jealous. So a huge thank you to The Well Groomed Horse for the great pick me up. She makes an excellent product, if you are interested in purchasing some of her new gear, click here to check out her blog .
Aurora and I took a trail ride at Spenceville Wildlife Preserve. The Epic Journey as Aurora calls it, started at 8 am at BITS to load up Emmy. Emmy loads herself on any kind of trailer and would probably drive if she could, so that part was easy. Needing a new battery for my truck, getting lost (there are no signs as we were told there should be) and getting directions such as "turn where the road turns" and several roads named Spenceville Road didn't make it easy to find. We finally arrived as the trails and although it was incredibly hot we did enjoy the peace and quiet and a nice cool dip. We did not see much in the way of wildlife , unless you count the red dun hippo. Emmy we have decided was a hippo in another life, as she will put her whole head under the water and blow bubbles out her nose as well as graze underwater.
Aurora's Arab had never crossed a creek before and he was very brave and jumped right in. In fact he has decided that cool creeks are much better than hot trails anyday. He is a great trail horse who can really step out and now he can add creeks to his list of accomplishments.
All in all , it was fun to go riding. The horses were absolutely perfect and it beats a day stuck behind the computer working or in front of a TV anytime.
Emmy jumped in before we could even get her leadrope on .
The Red Dun Hippo- the only wildlife we spotted other than a squirrel
Since is it is a lovely day, Jamie is off to take Bob out for yet another lesson on confidence and Deb is already hot on the trails with Repo who's eye is completely healed with no sign of his melting ulcer. See you all soon!
