Last week Ruby, Frodo, Peaches and Beauty all got an acupuncture treatment. It was a special day – it was the first time I’d seen Elisabeth D’Agosto in a few years. She was a volunteer when she was a student at UF but now she’s Dr. Elisabeth D’Agosto! We’re very proud of her and her accomplishments. And we’re very blessed that she took precious time to come share her expertise with the horses. She will be here tomorrow too!
Sincerely,
Theresa & the ‘Velvet Nosers’
Prayers do get answered! We had several gallons of fly spray delivered on Thursday!
We truly needed this item so very badly.
Many, many, many, thanks to the awesome donor!
Warmly,
Theresa & the “Velvet Nosers”
Our raffle will be ending this evening at 6:00pm so this is your final opportunity to participate in this very special fundraiser where you could become the winner of a Deluxe Cotton Tote Bag, filled to the brim with Betsy Rose themed items which will most assuredly, make your heart sing!
For each suggested donation of $5 that is designated for ‘Betsy’s Raffle,’ you will receive one chance to become the lucky recipient of this wonderful collection. Donations may be forwarded via the ‘Donate’ button below.
The following names have been entered thus far. Please advise via Email if you have purchased a ticket(s) and your name does not appear on the list below.
Polly W., Marilyn C., Cindy R., Kathy E., Leslie H., D Joann M., Cynthia B., CeCe L., Judy H., Patricia F., Katherine W., Pamela H., Sabra O.
Thank you!
This sweet mare arrived safely on Tuesday evening. Her name is Spring. Spring settled in quite nicely and was comfortable throughout her first night at the rescue. The vet did discover sand in her BM the day prior, so she was oiled. She has a good appetite, appears to be quite content, and her welts have thankfully, disappeared. I do wish she would drink more, but she is getting water in her soupy Fibre-Beet meals. The vet returned yesterday to do a complete physical examination (including blood tests) and I will keep everyone apprised as soon as we receive the results.
Many thanks to those who have helped with Spring’s expenses.
*Just a reminder for everyone to check your paddocks for creeping indigo. The vet walked Spring’s paddock yesterday and found some. Creeping indigo is toxic to horses – it can kill.
But one of the horses, a mare, went down today. She is colicky with welts all over her body.
We had the vet out to treat her, but the vet stated that it would be in the mare’s best interest to bring her to Beauty’s Haven today – she needs to be monitored/treated 24/7.
We need assistance with today’s vet bill for this mare (and she needs sponsors for dental, farrier, etc.). She will also need a follow-up vet appointment (including bloodwork) within the next few days provided she doesn’t require a vet sooner. We also need immediate assistance to provide several days worth of hay for the other two horses as well as for future vetting needs, etc. At this moment, however, our focus is upon helping this precious mare.
If you would like to help, please click the donate button below, and you’ll have the option of making a one time contribution or signing up to become a recurring monthly donor. Please note that you can cancel a recurring donation at any time. Please indicate that your donation is for the ‘Chestnut Mare.’ If you’re not in a position to donate at this time, we completely understand but you can still help by sharing this need amongst family and friends!
“Don’t give up just because of the obstacles. Regardless of what obstacles face you, just keep going! Go through, go around, or go over or under – but never give up!”
On June 14, 2013, a special little mare found her way to Beauty’s Haven and planted herself deep inside our heart and soul. She was literally at death’s door, but it wasn’t her time – God knew she had work to do on this earth and entrusted us with her care. She guided us on an incredible journey which led us to the realization that love truly is the most powerful spiritual force that exists. And that kind of love can lead to miracles. We accomplished what should have been impossible and ventured into a realm of supernatural wonder with Betsy Rose. She taught us perseverance, courage, compassion, patience, wisdom, to never give up, and to believe. You can learn more about Betsy Rose, including the day that she arrived, by viewing her story on our Blog.
In Celebration of Betsy Rose’s birthday this year, and to help support the horses in our care, we are offering a Deluxe Cotton Tote Bag, filled to the brim with Betsy Rose themed items which will most assuredly make your heart sing!
Included in the Tote Bag are the following items:
Starting immediately, for each suggested donation of $5 that is designated for “Betsy’s Raffle,” you will receive one chance to become the lucky recipient of this wonderful Tote Bag. Just click the button below!
A name will be selected at Beauty’s Haven Farm and Equine Rescue, Inc., located in Morriston, FL, on 21 June 2020, at 6:00pm local time.
Thank you for your love and support!
The form is not published.
In mid-November we received a call about three horses that had been abandoned on foreclosed property. We had just taken in Dancer and Jo and had no plans to bring in more horses for the cold season – resources were very tight. But we had to do something so we went to work reaching out to others to see if we could find help for them. We were very blessed to find a great home for two of the horses.
The third horse, a mare named Bria who was almost 30 years old, would need special care so we decided she would live out her sunset years here at the rescue.
We promised Bria that we would do everything we could to make her comfortable for as long as possible. We also promised her that when she got to a point where her quality of life was not good, and there was nothing more we could do to help her, we would love her enough to let her go. She was quite thin and she had Cushing’s Disease along with degenerative suspensory ligament disease (DSLD). Unfortunately, there is no cure for DSLD – it progressively gets worse and, at some point, the horse’s quality of life declines to a point where the most humane thing to do is euthanasia. Bria’s coat was terribly unhealthy and her mane and tail hadn’t been brushed in years. Her teeth needed attention as well, as she had sharp points and waves. Her front feet were a mess – she had thin soles and coffin bone rotation (with bone loss) in both.
Fortunately, Bria was comfortable in Soft Ride boots. She wore them 24/7 and, at times, she could even be seen trotting around. She was a beautiful mare and had a way of communicating very well – I’m sure in her younger days she could be very opinionated, sassy, and a fireball of energy. Little E became Bria’s best friend and they could usually be found hanging out together under the Friendship Tree by our house or wandering about, grazing. Bria made other friends, too – Peggy Sue, Cricket, Tilly, Lucy, and even Nina would hang out with her. She also made friends with many humans – all of the volunteers truly loved her.
Over the last couple of weeks, Bria had been less active as were some of the other horses – we’d had some pretty high temps and humidity. But this past Friday morning, Bria didn’t want to move when I took breakfast to her.
She gave me a look that clearly said she needed help and she was resting her back left leg in an odd way. I can’t feel anything with my hands (due to my spinal cord injury) so I couldn’t tell if there was heat in her back foot and/or leg. I gave Bria pain meds and waited to see how she would respond. When she tried to walk, it was obvious that her back leg/foot had issues so we called the vet to come out to the farm.
Dr. Rigby found heat (increased pulses) not only in Bria’s back foot but also in both front feet. Bria was a horse trying to walk on one good foot and that is just not possible. Dr. Rigby advised the most humane thing to do would be to help Bria go to Rainbow Bridge.
Little E had stayed close to Bria all morning – I’m sure he knew what was happening. We let them have time together as Dr. Rigby got meds ready that would release Bria from her pain.
As much as it broke our hearts, we kept our promise to Bria to let her go when the time came. I prayed for a smooth transition and she did go peacefully – I stayed with her the entire time.
After awhile, I left Little E alone with Bria so he could have time to process what had happened. He’s up there in years (37) and sadly, he has had to say good-bye to many of his friends – I do worry about him.
I’m sure Cricket, Nina, and Bria met up at Rainbow Bridge where they now frolic in green grass free of pain. They will always be in my heart and I know we’ll meet them again someday. They were all loved and we were blessed to have them with us for as long as we did.
Thank you all for caring.
Sincerely,
Theresa
It’s been a tough few days here, losing Niña and then Bria the day after. I want to share what happened with each special mare but will first start with Niña. I’ll share about Bria tomorrow.
When Niña came to us in late February, she was shy, underweight and a bit frail. She hadn’t lived with another horse for years. She was vetted the day after her arrival and on the following day, we found her down and unable to get up. After running fluids and giving her time to rest, she did get up, with assistance. After Niña’s blood tests came back and speaking with the vet, we adjusted her feed and added Succeed to the supplements she received and she started to improve and gain weight.
Niña was in our quarantine (QT) paddock for the first two weeks where she would stand by the fence and watch the other horses. She received lots of attention and warmed up to humans.
After two weeks in QT, we opened the gate to her paddock so she could wander about on the two acres surrounding our house, get good exercise, and make friends – but she did not do so. Niña would simply, walk to the gate and stand for a bit but she wouldn’t leave the paddock. We haltered her and hand walked her around the property a few times, and tried to encourage her to go out, but we weren’t going to force her. But then one morning, I went by her paddock, opened the gate, and continued up to Frosty’s Knoll to start soaking hay. I thought I heard something behind me and smiled when I realized she was there. We went up the Knoll and she stood and looked out over the farm (it’s the highest part of the property) for a couple of minutes.
I gave her some scratches and then she trotted down to the fence line at the main paddock and followed it to the far side of the house where I couldn’t see her. I later found her under the “Friendship Tree” with Peggy Sue and Cricket – it really did my heart good!
Niña continued to put on much needed weight and muscle – her transformation in such a short period of time was truly amazing. She was beautiful inside and out. She would go out and graze with her new friends and could sometimes be found just hanging out under the “Friendship Tree” with them. Unfortunately, we found her down again in early March, but after getting some fluids and rest, Niña was able to get up (with assistance). Niña had her 30th birthday in March.
Niña did well throughout April. It was a pleasure to see her trot around here and there. Sometimes, she’d take off and run like she was going to be late for something and she looked so happy. Cricket adored her and they could often be found together.
In early May, Niña was exploring a paddock she hadn’t been in before when she took off, slipped and fell on wet grass, and couldn’t get up. We let her rest for a bit and tried to help her up but we weren’t successful. I called the vet and gave her some fluids and her meds. When he arrived, Niña received additional fluids/meds, and DMSO. Thankfully, after the meds/DMSO took effect, we were finally able to help Niña stand after several attempts to do so.
This past Thursday, Niña went down for no apparent reason while she was up on Frosty’s Knoll. It was like a rerun of the previous falls but sadly, this time, even with help from the vet, we couldn’t get Niña up.
The look in her eyes reinforced what we knew – it was time. The decision to let any of them go to Rainbow Bridge is never easy.
But if there is nothing more our care team can do to help them, and it’s in their best interest, we love them enough to let them go knowing we will see them again someday – and I do believe this.
Many thanks to everyone who helped Niña and cared about her. And even though we wish she were still here, we feel blessed to have had her with us, where she was surrounded by love, if only for a few months.
Sincerely,
Theresa