We recently took off a couple of days to enjoy time with the family. We rented an Airbnb on the river and had a great time! I wish that it could have lasted longer but I’m very grateful for the time we had.
Wishing everyone a wonderful summer weekend!
On Wednesday, Mishka was really good for his hooficure with Tom, one of our farriers, who is so very patient, kind, forgiving and truly wonderful with him. Dr. Julia Simonson was also here in order to discuss and assess Mishka’s feed plan and supplements so as to make some adjustments to his protocol.
On Thursday, Dr. Chris Burnham came out to do some bodywork on Mishka which went really well. Mishka melted with each adjustment! That evening, beneath the most beautiful rainbow, Mishka was all over the place! It’s so nice to see him feeling better while experiencing the joy of just being a horse!
I also discovered another little bird in one of the small waterers this week. We most fortunately, saved him in the nick of time, unlike the baby bird we found last week, who, sadly, did not survive. This little bird, who was a bit larger, fell out of his nest by Mishka’s shelter. We dried him off, warmed him up and returned him to the shelter where he sat in the warm sunshine. When we checked on him about forty-five minutes later, he was gone, so hopefully, he is safely back with his beloved Momma Bird.
We are so very grateful for the shade. When we purchased this property several years ago, there were only five trees by the main road. Over time, we planted over a dozen more, which are all flourishing!
A dear friend and supporter has recently come forth to offer a Match Game whereby all donations up to $1000 will be matched dollar for dollar. Once the Match has been met, our Summer Fundraiser goal of $5000 will be complete! This is a wonderful opportunity in which to not only double your contribution, but to make an incredible difference in the life of each and every member of our beloved little herd.
With the rainy season upon us, horses with thin soles, like Mishka (who carries 2,000 lbs. on his feet), need extra attention. It’s essential that he has soft sand upon which to stand, but the rain has washed away much of this footing material. We plan to fix this issue by adding an additional load of sand ($250) which will be kept in place by adding fabric at the front and side of his shelter. This is a big job that requires a tractor, but the tractor needs repairs – a parking brake, hydraulic actuator seal, hood latch, 4-wheel drive shift lever, and seat replacement. The estimated repairs are $1,800, but we will not have to schedule the next regular maintenance check until we have utilized fifteen hours of run time.
As the seasons change, our fence boards expand and contract, oftentimes breaking. This creates a safety risk for our horses. We need to replace at least 20 fence boards and keep 5 spares on hand. The 1”x6”x16” pressure-treated boards cost about $19 each, and we’re hoping our wonderful supporters will help sponsor a board to assist us in maintaining a hazard free environment for our little herd. And, with the Match Game, each donation for one board, will automatically, translate into two!
The BH truck, essential for our daily work, needs its annual maintenance to keep running smoothly. We’ve received an estimate of $2,400 from the dealership which does not include 5 new tires with sensors, which would add another $1,700. We plan to get the tires done at Sam’s Club for a lower cost.
In preparation for the upcoming hurricane season, we’ve had the generators serviced for $440. We also still have veterinary bills ($3,000+), farrier and hay expenses, as well as additional ongoing needs.
If you’re able to participate in the Match Game, please click on the ‘Donate’ button below. If you’re unable to help financially, we completely understand, but you can still assist us by sharing our fundraiser amongst family and friends.
We are more than halfway there in our Summer Fundraiser thanks to the generosity and love of our wonderful little village of supporters! As we still have a ways to go, we would be forever grateful for your assistance with any of the much needed items listed below.
With the rainy season upon us, horses with thin soles, like Mishka (who carries 2,000 lbs. on his feet), need extra attention. It’s essential that he has soft sand upon which to stand, but the rain has washed away much of this footing material. We plan to fix this issue by adding an additional load of sand ($250) which will be kept in place by adding fabric at the front and side of his shelter. This is a big job that requires a tractor, but the tractor needs repairs – a parking brake, hydraulic actuator seal, hood latch, 4-wheel drive shift lever, and seat replacement. The estimated repairs are $1,800, but we will not have to schedule the next regular maintenance check until we have utilized fifteen hours of run time.
As the seasons change, our fence boards expand and contract, oftentimes breaking. This creates a safety risk for our horses. We need to replace at least 20 fence boards and keep 5 spares on hand. The 1”x6”x16” pressure-treated boards cost about $19 each, and we’re hoping our wonderful supporters will help sponsor a board to assist us in maintaining a hazard free environment for our little herd. And, with the Match Game, each donation for one board, will automatically, translate into two!
The BH truck, essential for our daily work, needs its annual maintenance to keep running smoothly. We’ve received an estimate of $2,400 from the dealership which does not include 5 new tires with sensors, which would add another $1,700. We plan to get the tires done at Sam’s Club for a lower cost.
In preparation for the upcoming hurricane season, we’ve had the generators serviced for $440. We also still have veterinary bills ($3,000+), farrier and hay expenses, as well as additional ongoing needs.
If you’re able to participate in the Match Game, please click on the ‘Donate’ button below. If you’re unable to help financially, we completely understand, but you can still assist us by sharing our fundraiser amongst family and friends.
I apologize for being remiss in keeping everyone informed about the latest happenings at Beauty’s Haven, but as you know, we have been dealing with Pigeon Fever here at the rescue, which, unfortunately, has affected our donations significantly. The extra biosecurity measures and daily care required a great deal of time, making it difficult for me to stay active online. Thankfully, things are getting back to normal, but now, we have a lot of catching up to do. We are, thereby, reaching out to share some of our current needs, hoping for your support as we move forward. As of today, we are, therefore, launching a fundraiser with a goal of $5,000 which will help cover these pressing needs:
With the rainy season upon us, horses with thin soles, like Mishka, who carries two thousand pounds on his feet, need extra attention. It’s essential that Mishka has soft sand upon which to stand, but the rain has washed away much of this soft footing. To fix this, we plan to add fabric at the front and side of his shelter to help keep the sand in place. This is a big job which requires a tractor, but the tractor currently, needs repairs – a parking brake, hydraulic actuator seal, hood latch, 4-wheel drive shift lever and seat replacement. The repairs are estimated to be $1,800, and a regular maintenance will not be needed for another fifteen hours of run time, so that is, most fortunately, not an immediate expense.
As the seasons change, our fence boards expand and contract, oftentimes breaking. This creates a safety risk for our horses. We therefore, need to replace at least 20 fence boards and keep 5 spares on hand. The 1”x6”x16” pressure-treated boards cost about $19 each, and we’re hoping our wonderful supporters will sponsor a board (or part of one) to help us maintain a safe environment for our herd.
The Beauty’s Haven truck, essential for our daily work, needs to have its annual maintenance done in order to keep it running smoothly. We’ve received an estimate of $2,400 from the dealership to perform this work, as well as an additional estimate of $1,700, for the installation of five new tires with sensors. We plan to get the installation of the tires and sensors completed at Sam’s Club at a lower cost.
In preparation for hurricane season, we’ve had the generators serviced for $440. We also still have veterinary bills ($3,000+), farrier expenses, hay, fuel, as well as many additional ongoing needs.
While these needs might not be as exciting as rescuing a horse, they are crucial in ensuring our mission of rescuing and rehabilitating horses in need, so if you are in a position to donate, please click on the ‘Donate’ button below. If you’re unable to help financially at this time, we completely understand, but you can still assist by sharing our needs amongst family, friends and social media.
We were blessed to receive a $1,000 donation from the Pine Ridge Equestrian Association, which helped cover our most recent hay run. We are so deeply grateful for their generosity! We have also received a most generous Match Game offer whereby, all donations up to $250 will be matched dollar for dollar.
This is what freedom looks like! Valley Girl is back out with her friends and she is so very happy! I am happy to say, we are, at least for today, free of Pigeon Fever! It’s still in the surrounding area so we will continue to take precautions. But we are thrilled that Valley Girl is finally out and about once again. Please click on the image to view Valley Girl’s joyous return to freedom.
Summer – a time of fireflies twinkling in the early evening light.
Summer- a time to light sparklers and eat watermelon and let both drip down.
Summer – a time of homemade cookies and lemonade on the porch.
Summer has a magic all of its own!
As we navigate through the intense heat and torrential downpours of summer, we continue to count our blessings for our remarkable little herd, our wonderful volunteers and our truly loving supporters.
After several attempts to trap a sweet little cat for quite some time with no luck, we were blessed that somehow, she managed to catch herself one evening last week. She is small with beautiful eyes and markings. I named her Opal, and after transporting her to the vet to get spayed, she was then released within a few days. I believe she is the last feline here who needed to be fixed, although we did spot two kittens a couple of weeks ago who appeared to be just passing through. Opal is TNR Feline Sixteen.
One day last week, Jo didn’t come in with Dancer for her breakfast. We checked her vitals which were normal, but we decided, nevertheless, to give her some IV meds, which made her more comfortable, and she was, thankfully, soon back to normal after a few minutes. Jo does experience ‘dementia days,’ but this is the first episode she’s had in quite some time. We are truly grateful that she recovered so quickly.
The ‘Three Amigos’ constantly bring us so much joy each and every day with their silly shenanigans! They love their little excursions into a small paddock with lovely green grass. I release them from their dirt paddock once or twice weekly for a few minutes as they are all a little on the ‘porky’ side. Their paddock also appears to be quite conducive to growing melons to which Kathy and I can attest after discovering seven nice melons the other day, which were just ripe for picking and so very delicious!
Mishka recently enjoyed a cool shower and brief respite from the hot weather. He’s such a big love! Peaches, in the mean time, so loved showing off her new fly mask, gifted to her from her Auntie Gillian.
We are so very appreciative of our kind and wonderful supporters who continue to assist us in fulfilling our mission by supporting our needs here at the rescue – needs such as hay (fundraiser below), our farriers, our equine dentist, our veterinary expenses, as well as a myriad of additional necessities such as fly spray, fly masks, meds and supplements to name just a few. Click here to donate.
We are so truly blessed!
Valley Girl was originally the only horse here that had tested positive for Pigeon Fever, but she is now on the road to recovery as her swelling has gone down and the discharge is clearing up. Mo, although he tested negative, did go into QT due to an abscess which has thankfully, now resolved and he, too, is doing well. Addi also developed an abscess a few weeks ago, and she, too, went into QT. Although she originally tested negative for Pigeon Fever, Addi was not getting better and she has since, developed a lump on her neck. I scheduled the vet to come back out last Wednesday to perform another culture and when I last spoke to him on Friday, I learned that Addi’s latest test, unfortunately, was now positive.
So now, in addition to our daily routine, it is essential that we closely monitor every horse daily, checking each from head to tail. Boo boos are treated, clean fly masks are put on and fly spray is applied. SWAT is applied under the tummy centerline and around wounds and cuts that have already been treated. We are going through a LOT of SWAT, bleach, gloves, and fly spray. Endure Gold, a new fly spray, appears to be the most effective. I prefer the pink SWAT rather than the clear formula as I can see when a horse has already been treated. Feed tubs, masks, grooming supplies, etc. are sanitized daily and foot baths are placed in several locations. Fly masks are hung on the opposite side of the property, fly traps are hung throughout the acreage and the main barn has a fly mister system.
But no matter how hard we try, the bottom line is that it only takes one fly to carry and deposit the sickness on a horse, so fly control is absolutely essential.
Good bio-security practices are a definite must as Pigeon Fever can live in the ground for years and as we have had very little rain, the climate creates a breeding ground for bacteria. Pigeon Fever is not just here at Beauty’s Haven, however, it has also been discovered in NW and Central Florida with a number of cases of strangles appearing as well.
I must share a funny story about Addi. As big as she is, a few days ago, Addi became terrified of a few turkeys that strolled along the road from the neighbor’s house. I couldn’t help but laugh – it was hysterical! She tried to hide in her shelter and peek out at them, but she would then come running in a panic as if to say, ‘Help me!’ After a few days, she did get used to these strange creatures and she now bravely stands in a corner near the road to watch for them. Such a silly mare!
Lastly, on Saturday we were thrilled to welcome Chris to our wonderful family of volunteers! Magic approved!
Dr. Dianne McFarlane came out recently to do tests for Cushing’s Disease on some of our horses. She is Chair of the Department of Large Animal Clinical Studies at University of Florida’s College of Veterinary Medicine. Her special area of interest is aging and age related diseases of the senior horse, and we just happen to have quite a few of those here at Beauty’s Haven! Cushing’s Disease is a pretty common neurodegenerative disease that usually affects older horses. Dr. McFarlane hopes to better understand the disease by identifying genetic mutations in order that treatment for Cushing’s can be started earlier.
Valley Girl, the only horse here so far to test positive for Pigeon Fever, is one of the horses Dr. McFarlane tested for Cushing’s and she is positive. This could be a contributing factor to why it is taking her so long to recover from Pigeon Fever. She is better but she’s still working through it. There have been quite a few cases over the past couple of months in and around the Ocala area and there will likely be more as flies are the carriers and they’ve been truly horrible this year. Plus, it’s been very dry.
The first photo is of Dr. McFarlane with Magic. He was so good getting his blood drawn – I was very proud of him! His Cushing’s test was negative but a few others did test positive so they are getting a medication called Prascend. And I thought I’d just share a few other photos while I have a chance.
On Wednesday, I saw two dogs posted on Facebook who were seemingly abandoned in the middle of a forest of an agricultural area, located close to the rescue. As I simply could not ignore these poor pups, I decided to go search for them which was like looking for a needle in a haystack. After searching for a few minutes, I stopped on the side of the road and said a prayer, and then, lo and behold, I saw ears! The dogs were a male and a female who had possibly been used for breeding purposes and I feared that they may have been dumped as neither dog was wearing a collar or tags. They were quite timid, but they did eat a few treats and were quite thankful for water. Both, however, did not wish to be touched.
I called Diane to ask if she could help as I didn’t have a cage with me at the time. After Diane arrived with her cage, we had absolutely no luck as neither dog would even go near it. As the heat was unbearable, coupled with my terrible reaction to numerous bug bites causing my tongue to swell, I knew I had to immediately get home as I did not have my Epi-pen with me. We had no other choice but to leave these sweet pups and return in the morning in hopes they would get used to the cage overnight. Prior to leaving, they were both fed and given water which would hopefully last until morning when I planned to return with a larger, remote-controlled cage. Needless to say, I did worry about them throughout the night and hoped and prayed that they did not encounter any predators, like gators, coyotes or other wildlife.
Happily, when I arrived Thursday morning, I was truly blessed to discover the good Lord had indeed watched over them; upon my arrival, both approached me, with tails wagging!