New photos

Baby B, supervising construction of the Doc Wilbur Maternity Ward


Cathy's Cloud

Saturday morning

Good Morning All.

Well, we got the Maternity Ward put up in one hour and fifteen minutes. We now have to get eight railroad ties that we will be bracing the ward with at the weak points where the panels come together. This is to ensure they will not accordion or walk away with their stalls..LOL.

Thank you once again everyone. I will post later today about the activities at the ranch.

Everyone have a wonderful day!!

Stephanie

Panel update

The panels are up and we're ready (well, almost!).










Thanks to your generous donations, the panels were purchased today and were installed. The people you see in these photos are Rob and Joseph.

Jonah

Gettin' a little shut-eye in the morning sun.

Baby B...growing up

Taken on January 11, 2008.

Doc Wilbur Maternity Ward Update

ANNOUNCEMENT

RON FROM SHADOW MOUNTAIN FEED JUST CALLED ME AT 9:25AM.

THE MATERNITY WARD IS COMPLETE!!!!!

THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!!!!

ALL THE PANELS ARE LOADED ON THEIR TRAILER AND WE HAVE TO GO PICK IT UP THIS AFTERNOON!!!!

I CANNOT EXPRESS OUR APPRECIATION FOR ALL THE KINDNESS AND EFFORT THAT HAS TAKEN PLACE BY THE FOBS.

THE EXCITEMENT OF THE GIRLS ARRIVING IS BUBBLING OVER. I HAVE RECEIVED NUMEROUS TELEPHONE CALLS FROM PEOPLE WHO HAVE HEARD OF THEIR ARRIVAL AND OFFERINGS OF HELP. I SURE WOULD LIKE THEM TO ARRIVE DURING THE DAYLIGHT HOURS MAKES IT MUCH MORE SAFE FOR ALL INVOLVED. WILL KEEP ALL OF YOU POSTED.

AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING!

THE DOC WILBUR MATERNITY WARD IS COMPLETE!!!!

Stephanie

Thursday evening

It was a typical day today. It was chilly this morning, but it warmed to a beautiful spring like day. All the horses were pretty frisky, this was confirmed by Carolyn. Shania was a handful and was very excited about being in the round pen. She went in and conducted her ritual of rolling. She loves to roll. She jumped up ran around, kicking her heels up and squealing. Once, she had completed this it was time for business. She was put through her walk, trot paces and by this was completed she was sufficiently calmed down. Carolyn took her out for a nice long walk visiting the other horses. Silky, Dumplin and Cloud were all taken out as well. They all had round pen time as well as a walk out by the football team. I was doing the water barrels at the time so I was able to watch them go through their paces.

I worked with Baby B today. She is now in the round pen for the night. She was excited to get out and kick up her heels. I decided to come in and grab a cup of coffee and then go out and sit to watch Ms. B. I noticed there was a message on the phone. I listened to it not once but twice.... Our BIG GIRLS, Jerri, Apple and Nellie, will be arriving the end of next week. Wow!! Now we must put everything into high gear. We were not expecting them to arrive until the week of February 11th, however things have change. We now have to get the stalls built asap, but hay, don't we all work well under pressure....LOL...my head and heart are filled with joy knowing that these beautiful girls will be here so very soon. The chances of them being in foal is very good, so springtime will be a time of the Gift of Life. This is going to prove to be a challenge, but we are up for it. We want to give these girls a second chance of a good life, and for them to have their babies in a safe and loving environment. We will be working on setting up the cameras which will broadcast via marestare.com, but the first priority is their pens.

I hope that everyone has had a wonderful day and I bid all of you sweet dreams!

Stephanie

The mares are coming! The mares are coming!!!

HUGE ANNOUNCEMENT!!!!!!!

THE GIRLS WILL BE ARRIVING NEXT THURSDAY OR FRIDAY EVENING!!!!!!

ROB AND I MUST NOW GO INTO HIGH GEAR

WHOOOHOOOO!!!!!!!!!!

Stephanie

Wednesday evening, January 9, 2008

Today was pretty much a typical day. This morning after the horses had completed their breakfast, I took General and Shiloh for a walk. Since they are both blind and are stall mates it is easier to walk them together. They just stay side by side. We just toodled around the property for about 15 minutes and they got brushed. Muffin and Old Man were placed in the round pen for a half an hour and were happy to roll in the sand. Of course when Muffin's blanket went back on it was that big old monster that Old Man encountered when it was first put on him.

Cloud went into the round pen, first stop the ground, then up and around, kicking and tooting. He was out for an hour and a half.

Today I had to assist Rob at one of his clients. Only one of the horses tied, so I had to hold four of the five. Three of the four were alligators and wanted to bite. So there was a lot of verbiage falling from my lips.. "quit," "stop," "okay I am done!" and my all time favorite.."I simply don't like you!!" The worst one was the three y/o stallion...ugh no manners. But they all got their feet done, without incident and I had no skin removed which is a good thing.

Once back at the ranch it was time to do water barrels. As I was doing the football field the hay cubes were delivered so I was running from one end to another taking care of business. It was such a beautiful day, clear skies and sunshine. Once all of this was done time to take Spirit out and let him play. After videoing him, I went around taking photos.

I am leaving Spirit in the round pen tonight and he will go back to his stall after he eats tomorrow morning. Then it will be Baby B the Diva's turn. Horses have all had their dinner and we just finished up dinner ourselves.

I hope everyone has had a pleasant day and a wonderful evening!

Stephanie

Spirit video

The birds are chirping, the turkeys are gobbling, and Spirit is kicking up his heels!



See the full version of this video on YouTube.

More pictures from Wednesday, January 9

Misty, Queen of MHR! Misty will be 27 y/o on April 29th. She was saved by the FOBs on October 8th, 2006 from auction. She was in foal and gave birth on May 28th, 2007 to Spirit, her 24th foal.


Half Moon, 12 yo mustang gelding. To say he is a split personality is to be kind. He's been a resident at MHR since 2001 and here he shall stay.


Fred (aka Phat Phuzzy Phreddie) is a 21 yo gelding who came to MHR under sad circumstances. He had been severely neglected and was very underweight. Not anymore! Fred is sponsored by Mary Elynne Tappero (hi Mary Elynne!).


Buttercup is a 27 yo palomino QH mare who came all the way from Pennsylvania in the hope that the dry air of Nevada would help her lung condition (heaves). She has put on a lot of weight since she arrived in September of 2007 and has had no breathing problems!


Dublin (aka Dumplin) is a registered 14 y/o Appendix Q/H gelding who is 17.2 hands (his registered name is Im Raleigh Classy). He has early onset navicular syndrome and was turned over to MHR by very caring owners. He arrived at MHR on July 27, 2007.




CB is a 21 yo OTTB mare and is another of our permanent residents. Her rear left leg was broken sometime in her life, but we have no details. She is sponsored by Susanandcats.


Jonah is a 5 y/o QH who at the age of two broke his neck in a hitching post accident. Jonah is sponsored by FOB Ro. Because of his injury, Jonah will live out his days with us.


Dancer is a 4 yr old Missouri Fox Trotter. He is available for adoption. He is halter broke, good with feet, loads, bathes (loves water). He does need to be trained for riding, but has so much potential. Read more about Dancer on the MHR web page.

Some of these horses have sponsors, and some do not. Donations in any amount are always welcome as sponsorship only defrays a part of each horse's expenses.

Please visit our Donations page for details on how you can help.

Some pictures from today, January 9, 2008

Casper, loves his mud and dirt baths. 4 yr old Paint Gelding available for adoption, has a lot of potential. He has had six rides on him, roundpen only. Read more about Casper on the MHR web page.


The one and only Cloud, Cathy P's horse. Saved by the FOBs in October 2006.


Brassy, 25 year old QH mare. Severely abused and has scars on her legs from being tied up.


And last, but never least, it's Baby B, internet star! Foaled in front of thousands who witnessed her birth on marestare.com in April 2007.

Tuesday afternoon

Good Afternoon,

It has been a busy and chilly day here. When feeding this morning it was approximately 43 degrees. By the time it was done and I came inside for a few it had dropped to 36 degrees. Brrrrrrr! All of the horses were doing quite well, at breakfast this morning they all received carrots. Mmmmmm good!!

I was inside for an hour and needed to get out and do the water barrels. The hoses were filled with ice and when I turned on the water, long ice cubes came flying out. Baby B obviously thought she needed to help me as she removed the hose from her barrel and aimed it right at me, and of course got me....goodness that was a true wake up call! I believe I heard her laughing. Actually, she was spraying everything in her way and I had to play a game of tug of war to get the hose back under control.

Pens were mucked and it was a general clean up. Carolyn came over and worked with Silky, Dumplin, Glory and Shania. Carolyn is really doing a great job. When Dumplin went out, Buttercup had a huge fit! Go figure, they constantly go at one another but let one leave and the whole world is crumbling.

The football team has been active all day, I had to kick their balls back into their area as they have been playing. Right now, it is nap time for most of them, they are relaxing in the bit of sunshine we are having..so it is snoozeville in the field.

I do hope that everyone has had a wonderful day thus far. Best to all of you.

Stephanie

Levi Meets the Football Team

Levi is a 19 year old TB gelding. He's available for adoption to an experienced rider. Here's a video of Levi meeting the Football Team.



See the full version (regular speed!) at youtube. You can read more about Levi here

January Hay Drive

All FOBs know what January means, and we are steeling ourselves for the 29th, when our hearts were broken and we felt such disappointment and pain. The pain has faded a bit, but Barbaro's influence on all of us is still so very evident. Many of us are reading these words only because of Barbaro. Barbaro was a true athlete and an inspiration to us all. We still run for Barbaro!

Thanks to the generous donations of several FOBs, the theme for this month's drawing is

MHR: Our Tribute to Barbaro Memorial Hay Wagon Ride

See the MHR Hay Drive page for more details.

Monday morning

Good morning,

Have been up since 4:00 am, heard the pitter patter of rain. Went outside and we were getting a light rain. It has since stopped. Once it became lighter outside, you could see the football team rolling around in the dirt making themselves beautimous before breakfast. It is cool outside but not bad. It is the type of weather that makes for frisky horses. The team is out running and bucking, and playing with one another. It is mostly Rosie, Grace, Casper, Dancer, Sinatra and Trooper raising the most ruckus. Kids will be kids. The older generation just stood back watching and shaking their heads.

You know each horse has its own personality, but it is quite comical between Brassy and Jonah on a daily basis. They bicker before each meal, squealing at each other, rearing up and in general raising cain. Funny thing though, once meal time is over, they stand next to each other throughout the rest of the day as if they were the bestest friends ever. Our Leaguer is a comic, so excited about his food, talking and shaking his head up and down. You can only imagine him saying..."Oh yes, food again, gimmie, gimmie" Whereas CB is a true lady, she will stand by her feeder and give you a very demure wuffle waiting patiently.

I will post more this evening, as the entire day normally has a bit more spice than the early morning.

Everyone keep safe and I hope each of you has a wonderful day!

Stephanie

Saturday morning

Good Morning,

Everything here at MHR is doing well. We have been busy doing our daily routine plus some additional duties. All of the horses are doing quite well. Allison (volunteer) who comes on Fridays spent time with Phred. She has a soft spot in her heart for him. We recently found out some interesting information regarding him (Phred). He has had several homes, and at one time was called Rusty. I think Phred fits him though. He was quite the trail horse in his earlier days according to the information we received. He has filled out so very nicely. He loves to be groomed, but is still wary about his head being touched. Once he realizes you are just going to brush his face he relaxes and enjoys it.

Rocky the TB who is being fostered by my parents (last three years) turned 39. I was there with Rob while he was having his feet done. Out of curiosity I lifted his upper lip to see if he had a tattoo. He does but it is very difficult to read as it has faded. Wish I knew an easy way to read it. He is such a sweet horse and keeps little old Cocoa (mini-mule) company. Cocoa is doing well, he is 40+ yrs old. He had his feet done as well. He still has an ornery streak in him though when it comes to feet trimming time. It is truly amazing though, he is blind and moves around his area with no problem and will even kick out at Rocky if he sniffs him too much.

We introduced Levi to the football team on 1/4. We did this after they all finished their morning meal, as we wanted to reduce the aggression factor. He was excited as was the rest of the team and they all ran around bucking and kicking. He did challenge Wally but that lasted only a moment, as Wally let Levi know this was his herd. Levi accepted this, but not so graciously at first. All is well though . Rosie of course has her own fan club, and it appears Trooper is the President of this Club. He will allow the other fans near her when he wants to, otherwise it is backoff! Misty is doing great, she is such an easy going girl, so sweet and charming. Always the lady. Dumplin and Tubby what a pair. Dumplin was grooming Tubby's back, and of course I did not have my camera, but Tubby looked like he was in heaven with the expression on his face. Buttercup has had no breathing problems since she has arrived at MHR and has put on a great deal of weight since her arrival. She is kinda of a bossy mare but not mean. Just a mare.

Have a wonderful day all

Stephanie

Friday update

I spoke with Ron this morning at Shadow Mountain Feed.

We are in need of 8 more 12' panels and the Doc Wilbur Maternity Ward is complete.

THANK YOU EVERYONE!!!!

Stephanie

Panels

ROB AND I JUST RETURNED FROM SHADOW MOUNTAIN FEED. RON WAS ABLE TO GIVE US AN ACCURATE UPDATE.

WE NEED ONLY 9 MORE 12' PANELS AND THE MATERNITY WING IS COMPLETE!

THANK YOU EVER SO MUCH TO EVERYONE!!!

Stephanie

Good morning

The New Year brought a busy day. Several horses had their scheduled pedicures done, so there was shuffling back and forth. I worked with Baby B and Spirit for a bit. Baby B is growing up and finally is understanding the program. Spirit on the other hand always has to do something that sparks a little more reinforcement of what not to do, and that is cow kicking at grammie when she is grooming his hind quarters. He may have those big beautiful doe eyes and appears to be very sweet but there is a stinker hiding under the surface. We managed after being corrected to get through he grooming session without further incident.

Rosie is doing very well. She loves the space and I think the attention of the boys. Her fav guy is our crooked legged little Trooper. Very fickle young woman she is. The water barrels have been a challenge, with at least a half inch of ice every morning on top. I am not complaining as I know that there are many other places much worse off. Just a pain. I can always count on Glory to break her own ice off though. She watches me and then has to help by taking her big foot and just doing a huge Kerplop right into it. Splash Splash Splash, see what I am doing, while in the meantime you're avoiding the back splash.

Carolyn was here, she worked Silky (her sponsored horse), Glory and Shania. Her talents are wonderful and much appreciated. She has a real knack with the horses. She took Dumplin out for a stroll and he is doing very very well.

Bob has been unable to come over, but I wanted to let you know that he is on the road to recovery which is going to be a slow process, but I thank all of you for prayers and support.

All the horses are doing well and I have compiled a list of horses seeking 2008 sponsors

General (TB) 21y/o, blind
Shiloh (Appy) 24 y/o, blind
Misty (QH) 27 y/o
Acey (Appy) 39 y/o, blind
Old Man (Mustang) 26+???
Half Moon (Mustang) 11y/o, split personalities.. :)
Dumplin (QH) 15 y/o
Buttercup (QH) 26 y/o
Baby (QH) 23 y/o
Trooper (QH) 5 y/o
Jocori (Mustang) 16 y/o ???

Any and all support is greatly appreciated and is TAX DEDUCTIBLE

Stephanie