BarnBiz n’ Bits

MAKE MINE A MINI!

“Weezer’s Story”

From cameras to cookies, our world has been affected with “the Smaller the Better” micro technology. And what couldn’t be better to any equine enthusiast than a miniature horse!

I met my “Wee” in 2000 under circumstances less than ideal. This poor little fellow was at the end of a cruel life filled with neglect. To make matters worse, he had been tragically mauled by dogs. Veterinarians on the scene thought it best to end his suffering as his deplorable living conditions would never provide the convalescence needed for his recovery.

With negotiation nothing short of pleading, I asked the owner to give me the little stallion in an effort to spare his life. On that cold and rainy February night, we carried him home. It was at that point I remembered thinking how tiny he seemed in that oversized box stall. Guardian angels rallied round as we stood vigil in the days that followed. He was a fighter and most excellent patient. “This hurts me more than you,” I would say with each needle that painfully administered one drug after another. Wee seemed to understand and stood quiet for this would-be nurse now in attendance.

In the months that followed, my “little” horse flourished. His wounds healed and life returned to his eyes. It was without a doubt one of the greatest moments to watch him take those first cantering steps in the pasture as his foundered hoofs began to take on a form of normalcy.

In all my years of “horsing,” I never gave much thought to the miniatures. It wasn’t until this unlikely event that I fell in love with all things little. It soon became apparent our latest family member needed accommodations befitting his small stature. The memory of that awful night disappeared when the feed room was remodeled to allow his new world to be viewed from 32 inches.

“Capturing hearts” best describes the attributes of this stallion. His larger than life personality, will to live, and spirit is testament to the bond I share with a most extraordinary little horse named Wee!

Welcome to the “NEIGH”borhood: Horse Adoption

In light of the recent economic downturn, many people are taking a dramatic cut in luxuries and it’s not just people going hungry. We’re sure you’ve heard in the media, but times are getting so bad that people are opening up their gates and allowing their once-prized possessions to roam the streets because they can’t afford to feed themselves, let alone a 1500 pound animal. It is a crisis that has turned some heads and opened eyes within our close-knit community. With as many as 1000 horses needing homes in California alone, the number of

animals making their way to slaughter is astounding.

With abandonment on the rise, adoption could be the answer for your next companion. Whether you would like to adopt or need yours to be adopted, FCP has compiled a list of equine adoption networks throughout the western United States. Just by following the links provided, you will be able to search for your new best friend or a temporary home for your trusted steed.

BarnBiz n’Bits will feature an adoption horse in each edition of our newsletter.  If you have love in your heart and space in your barn … there are horses in need.

“SAMSON’S STORY”

My name is Samson and I am a handsome,
13-year-old, 16.3 hand Bay Gelding.

Trained both in English and Western, I am an easy ride for just about any skill level. I’ve been used in the Colorado Mounted Posse with my specialty in crowd control. I have done parades and I am wonderful with kids. My family is in the Marine Corps and my owner’s husband has to go to Iraq … again. My owner has kids that love me and play with me, but she says with all of the moving it’s not fair to me. I am in need of another home that can treat me well and make my owner happy. A donation is asked to help out my family. For more information, please email skipper1904@gmail.com.

Listed Below Please Find Additional Contact Information For Horse Rescue & Adoption Operations

CALIFORNIA

United Pegasus Foundation-UPF
Tehachapi Ranch
20411 Pegasus Road
Tehachapi, CA 93561 [View Map]
(661) 823-9672
unitedpegasus@yahoo.com

Equus Sanctuary
Box 9
Ravendale, CA 96123 [View Map]
(530) 931-0108
mustangsb@direcway.com

Canyon Creek Farm
P.O. Box 1017
Acton, CA 93510 [View Map]
(661) 269-2118
www.canyoncreekfarm.com

Dark Horse Ranch
11350 Orcas Ave.
Lake View Terrace, CA 91342 [View Map]
www.darkhorseranch.com

The Exceller Fund, Inc.
P.O. Box 33274
Granada Hills, CA 91394 [View Map]
mail@excellerfund.org
www.excellerfund.org

Lifesavers Wild Horse Rescue
23809 E. Ave. J
Lancaster, CA 93535 [View Map]
(661) 727-0049
lifesavers@wildhorserescue.org
www.wildhorserescue.org

Redwings Horse Sanctuary
P.O. Box 58
Lockwood, CA 93932 [View Map]
(831) 386-0135
www.redwings.org

Under the Angel’s Wings Rescue-UAWR
P.O. Box 293683
Phelan, CA 92329 [View Map]
(951) 318-2275
Courtney@uawr.com
www.uawr.com

SaveHorses
P.O. Box 562
Lockeford, CA 95237 [View Map]
(209) 210-7288
Info@SaveHorses.com

Return to Freedom/The American Wild Horse Sanctuary
P.O. Box 926
Lompoc, CA 93438 [View Map]
(805) 737-9246
admin@returntofreedom.org
www.returntofreedom.org

California Equine Retirement Foundation, Inc.-CERF
34033 Kooden Road
Winchester, CA 92596 [View Map]
(951) 926-4190
cerf1@earthlink.net
www.cerfhorses.org

The Golden Carrot
44700 Terwilliger Road
Anza, CA 92539 [View Map]
(951) 763-0800
(951) 852-5937
cocarrot@earthlink.net
www.thegoldencarrot.org

True Innocents Equine Rescue-TIER
7900 Limonite Ave., Ste. G, #278
Riverside, CA 92509 [View Map]
(951) 360-1464
info@TIERRescue.org
www.tierrescue.org

Flat Broke Farm
4529 Taylor Ave.
Santa Rosa, CA 95407 [View Map]
(707) 585-1070
www.joylonna@aol.com
www.flatbrokefarm.org

Sonoma Action For Equine Rescue-SAFER
9501 Mill Station Road
Sebastopol, CA 95472 [View Map]
(707) 824-9543
katesgate@comcast.net
www.saferhorse.com

ARIZONA

New Hope PMU Equine Rescue
HC4, P.O. Box 29T
Star Valley, AZ 85541 [View Map]
(928) 468-1514
kaliarose@yahoo.com
www.newhopepmuequinerescue.org

Dreamchaser PMU Rescue
Dunrovin Ranch
48019 N. 7th Ave.
New River, AZ 85087 [View Map]
(623) 910-6530
susan@dunrovinranch.com
www.dreamchaserpmu.org

COLORADO

Friends of Horses Rescue and Adoption Foundation-FOHRRA
6351 S. Peoria St.
Englewood, CO 80111 [View Map]
(303) 210-0552
(877) 229-7483
www.getahorse.org

Colorado Horse Rescue
10386 N. 65th St.
Longmont, CO 80503 [View Map]
(720) 494-1414
info@chr.org
www.chr.org

Zuma’s Rescue Ranch
7745 N. Moore Road
Littleton, CO 80125 [View Map]
(303) 346-7493
jodi@zumasrescueranch.com
www.zumasrescueranch.com

Black Forest Animal Sanctuary
16750 Thompson Road
Black Forest, CO 80908 [View Map]
(719) 494-0158
www.bfasfarm.com

Horse Protection League-HPL
Churches Ranch
17999 W. 60th Ave.
Golden, CO 80403 [View Map]
(303) 216-0141
info@cohpl.org
www.cohpl.org

Challenging Spirits
Angel Ridge Ranch
177 County Road #10
Ridgway, CO 81432 [View Map]
(970) 626-4287
angelridge@frontier.net
www.challengingspirits.com

NEW MEXICO

Four Corners Equine Rescue
22 CR 3334
Aztec, NM 87410 [View Map]
(505) 334-7220
fcequinerescue@qwest.net
www.fourcornersequinerescue.org

What does a former school teacher have in common with racehorses? A fan of horse racing and a love for racehorses – that’s Grace Belcuore, the founder of California Equine Retirement Foundation (CERF). CERF was born in September of 1986 and the foundation’s goal is a simple one – give former racehorses a happy place to retire, or find them a new job and new life. Making this work has been the challenge for Grace and the people who have joined her noble cause.

Grace is pictured with Handsome One after finishing an Equine Expression. Equine Expression prints are original art works by the resident horses. Each one includes a copy of their race record, a picture of the horse with the painting and a clipping of their tail or mane. The prints are used as fundraisers throughout the year.

A challenge, yes, but not without rewards. Since its inception, CERF has “rehabilitated” more than 300 thoroughbreds and today runs at maximum capacity with some 70 to 75 resident horses. CERF supports its resident horses on public and private donations, and is unique in that 100% of the money donated to the organization goes directly for the horses’ support.

Grace has been a long time friend of FCP. Over the years, FCP has been involved in CERF expansions with mare motels, freestanding shelters, pasture shelters, pipe corrals, stall mats and feeders – making CERF a happy home for ex-racehorses.

If there is any doubt about Grace’s love for what she does, visit with her for just a few moments and you will see in her eyes and hear from her heart how she cares for each of her residents. When she bid farewell to Bedouin, an 18-year resident of CERF, Grace spoke of the “love, the trust and the friendship that I was blessed to have with Bedouin. His loss is extremely personal to me. I must thank Bed, as I called him, for the 18 years he was one of us here at CERF and for the 25 years God put him on this earth to delight and please his fans, as he came down that stretch from behind to cross that finish line in front – ahead of everyone – in racing, in retirement and in life.”

CERF’s resident horses enjoy leisure and companionship at the ranch’s facility in Winchester, California. Visit their website at www.cerfhorses.org.

Hey Moms ~

Great work! The entries posted this month along with all received are now officially entered in the “Kid Corral” Photo Contest. Remember you may submit photos as often as you wish so keep your cameras handy and click away!

“Just the Girls”

“Happy Birthday America “

“Summer Vacation”

(Anyone recognize the FCP employee?)

“My Best Friend Dixie”

“Ella & Trevor”

Testimonials from FCP customers

“Prompt and Quick”…. Says the customer of this beautiful Frontier barn built in San Marcos, California. “(Wall) Panels arrived safely and without damage”… “We are pleased with our modular horse barn as a finished product.”

Murrieta, California customer expresses, “Our custom home required more than the ordinary RV covers out on the market. FCP designed exactly what we were looking for… Very attentive to what we wanted and spent several different occasions changing drawings and ideas for us …. Material was in very good condition. Installation team was very professional.”

Georgia from La Cresta California talks about the installation of the structure… “the barn went up in just a week or so. The crew did a great job. The clean up was also good.” Follow up contact with our office staff: “ always there for all our questions and special needs. Office staff is always helpful and nice.”

“Very Pleased … I am a repeat buyer” from Murrieta California. “Great, painless and easy” on the installation of the structure. “No one makes better horse barns than FCP.”

“Excellent … Handled every issue with professionalism and ease”… says our customer from Mountain Center, California. “FCP has now done three metal barns for us and this one is “the best.” Installation of the structure: “ I was very pleased with their work ethics, attitude and attention to detail and clean up”