Here we go, again.

We are currently in the midst of battening down the hatches once again for Hurricane Milton, and repairing the fences damaged by Hurricane Helene. Bob made a run to the feed store this morning, made possible by the most thoughtful generosity of our wonderful little village of supporters, so, thankfully, we now have enough hay to last until Friday. We still have many additional hurricane related needs – we do need to get grain and forage as well as fill up the truck and gas cans now that we have found a source for gas.

Amira, however, could use some good thoughts and prayers. She had issues at breakfast this morning and was treated for choke. Although she seemed somewhat better following a bit of stall rest, I felt it would be in her best interest to call the vet who is en route to the farm as we speak.

If you would like to contribute to our hurricane fundraiser which includes Amira’s emergency vet visit, you may do so by clicking on the “Donate” button below.

Thank you, all, for your love and support!

Sincerely,
Theresa

Sassy just had to live up to her name today – she never has a care in the world (as it should be)! These three snuck out of their paddock gate as Sandy was trying to get in to clean up. Lucy was a good girl and stayed behind. Please click on the image above to see a video of our little “wild things!”

Helene is way too close for comfort. The winds are getting worse with gusts up to 140 miles per hour and the rain bands are intermittent.

Everyone is tucked in, ID bands are on and hay has been distributed under the shelters and to the horses in the barn. Poor Peaches wanted to join me in the feed room so I made her a snack and will check on the remainder of our herd in the paddocks as soon as there is a break in the band. We have also lost power so we are truly very thankful for our generators.

A big thank you to our wonderful volunteers, Pam, Jillian, Bruce, and Lori for helping Bob and I prepare for the hurricane and for making certain that each horse is wearing their break away halter and ID collar. All members of our little herd are microchipped as well.

We are anxiously awaiting for this storm to pass. Sending prayers to everyone who in the path of the Hurricane Helene.

Match Game Update

There is still $375 remaining in the Match Game. Preparing for the hurricane involved a number of additional expenses – making yet another hay run, picking up additional grain as well as topping off the gas cans and vehicles. Thankfully the propane tank was recently filled. All donations to assist with these needs will not only be appreciated but will automatically be doubled – $1 becomes $2, $5 becomes $10 and so on, and no amount is ever too small. So please help if you can by clicking on the ‘Donate’ button below.

Sincerely,
Theresa

We have had yet another busy week welcoming new visitors as well as a new volunteer! And, of course, there is never a dull moment here at Beauty’s Haven! Last Monday, Cracker decided to go on a field trip! He, somehow, managed to get the driveway gate open and off he went! Fortunately, someone driving down the street stopped to tell us that they had just spotted a runaway horse! Thankfully, Cracker had only galloped across the street and up a neighbor’s driveway! As soon as Kathy and I corralled him, the sky opened up and it absolutely poured! We walked him back to the farm, much to his chagrin, and immediately after the rain stopped, Cracker happily, went off grazing with his friends. And then of course, watching the antics of the ‘Three Amigos,’ JoJo, Jazzy and CaryLou, is a constant source of entertainment. There is a saying that ‘Laughter is the best medicine,’ and with these three boys, we sure do have our fair share!

Our feline residents are thankfully, doing well. Oreo is still with us but at the age of eighteen, he prefers to remain primarily, in the workshop now – he will not go outside for anything. Dr. Kristi was out last week to do exams and vaccinations on some of the dogs and cats and I must admit, Oreo was her very best patient!

Pearle, one of our TNR cats also is fine despite her very sad start in life. She was just a four- month-old kitten when we trapped her, and when we took her to the vet to get spayed, we sadly discovered, albeit too late, that she was pregnant with five kittens which she tragically lost. It took her awhile to recover from losing her babies and getting spayed but she is now ready for her very own loving, forever home which she so truly deserves.

And Allie, our sweet Orange Marmalade Tabby, faithfully performs her duty as our resident ‘Watch Cat’ as she watches over her charges in the barn, namely Luigi and Warrior. By the end of the day, Allie is usually exhausted from her barn watching duties!

Please click on the image above to view Tobias “dancing in the rain.”

“Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass, it’s about learning how to dance in the rain.”

It’s been pretty busy here between weathering Hurricane Debby and taking care of sick horses. Surprisingly, although we had tons of rain, we thankfully, did not get flooded. At times, during heavy rains, a pond forms in the middle of the property while a newly created river appears behind the barn. As the first bands came through, we did lose power, but thanks to our back-up generators, everything was soon back to normal.

A few horses did get an upper respiratory infection during the course of the storm, but I believe everyone is now on the mend and things are finally looking up.

A number of horses were confined to their stalls and were most anxious for a break in the weather. Bouie was nice enough to let Benjamin share his stall whilst Luigi and Warrior could not wait to get out and simply roll about in the mud! On the other hand, even bad weather does not slow Tobias down. He had a great time charging about the paddock as his best friend, Elka, happily looked on, eager to get back to normal. CLICK HERE to see video.

Allie, our sweet cat, watched over the horses in the barn and made certain that my rain jacket remained safe, as sometimes, things mysteriously go missing when Benjamin is around! By the end of the day, Allie was simply exhausted from her barn watching duties!

A big thank you to each and everyone of you who kept us in your thoughts and prayers as we weathered the storm.

Sincerely,
Theresa

I thought I would share a brief update regarding the daily happenings at Beauty’s Haven where there is never a dull moment! Elka continues to do well and she truly enjoys getting extra love and attention as she did this past week from Pam and Donna. Elka is such a sweet mule but when breakfast time rolls around, she eagerly waits at the fence with her friends with that “Hurry up with breakfast” look!

And then there are the doggos! Shadow and Benjamin are a constant source of entertainment with their daily shenanigans! Shadow is, of course, the “boss dog” who never fails to remind Benjamin of that fact many times throughout the day!

Thankfully, when you’re having “one of those days,” it helps to just hop on a horse and ride away, if only for a little while.

Wishing everyone a wonderful week!

Sincerely,
Theresa

I’m so excited to share some news with you! Many of you know that we have been searching for a place to relocate for quite some time now. We are in a rural part of Levy County and it’s a 30 – 40 minute drive to Gainesville or Ocala. There are quite a few people, including students, who would volunteer on a regular basis if we were not so far from the cities. Having more volunteers would enable us to pursue a number of things on our bucket list. One of them being an equine facilitated wellness program which would promote emotional, mental, and physical healing. This would mean the world to me.

Just over a week ago, we emailed a company out of Chiefland in order to get a quote on Jack and Jill stairs which would help humans with physical challenges mount and dismount a horse. A very nice lady from the company called me with some questions a few days later.

Well, today started out with the stairs being delivered – they were donated by the company, Southern Steps! The workmanship and quality is amazing – they are perfect! The gentleman who delivered the stairs was very nice – he had them unloaded and positioned in no time. We are so very appreciative of this donation which will benefit many for years to come. Prayers do get answered!

We are so truly Blessed!

Sincerely,
Theresa

Yesterday afternoon, JoJo was concerned because he heard a hurricane might be coming – he saw a kayak on Frosty’s Knoll and Lucy wearing a snorkel. Well, we definitely have a hurricane coming and Lucy was definitely in a snorkel, but I was really proud of her because she was already wearing her EquestriSafe ID collar! We have a ton of things to get done in a short period of time and I’m very thankful that we have collars for the other horses and the dogs.

The hay trailers are empty – we need to make two hay runs and get a load of shavings ASAP in advance of Idalia. If anyone can help we’d really appreciate it. We need to raise $1600.

Please click on the ‘DONATE’ button below if you can assist us at this time. And, see sweet JoJo’s message up close and personal by watching the video below, straight from the donkey’s mouth!

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Thank you, as always, for your love and support.

Sincerely,
Theresa

Thank you to everyone who has donated a fence board(s) thus far, but we do have a way to go with 31 boards still needed at a cost of $14.50 per board. The good news is that we are almost halfway there!

We are also truly pleased to announce that a dear friend and supporter has come forth and has offered to match all donations up to $450 designated for the fence boards. Any overage will be applied to filling the in-ground Propane tank that feeds two generators so they will be ready for potential hurricanes.

If you are in a position to help with this need, please click on the ‘DONATE’ button below where there are many options in which to forward your contribution. Please be assured that all donations are greatly appreciated and no amount is ever too small! Please note that your contribution is for ‘Fence Board Match Game.’

Thank you, all, for your love and support.

Sincerely,
Theresa

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The rescue (17.5 acres) has no-climb fencing around its perimeter with top boards and electrical tape. As boards have a tendency to expand during the summer season, they quickly become stressed and many, unfortunately, break, which creates a very hazardous environment for our ‘Velvet Nosers.’

A number of paddocks, as well as the arena, have three-board fencing with an average of five boards in each that are in need of replacement. This presents a bit of a challenge at this time due to the increased price of boards.

As we need to replace 60 boards at a cost of $14.50 each, we are hoping that our little village of supporters will assist us by sponsoring a board (or partially sponsor a board).

This will help ensure the overall safety and well-being of each and every member of our beloved little herd, for which they, and we, will be forever grateful.

If you are in a position to help with this need, please click on the ‘Donate’ button below where there are many options in which to forward your contribution. Please be assured that all donations are greatly appreciated and no amount is ever too small!

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Donation Total: $50.00 One Time

Thank you, all, for your love and support.

Sincerely,
Theresa

We had a fun time introducing some of the ladies from the GFWC Williston Woman’s Club to our beloved herd last weekend. Waylon tried to monopolize the time – he just adores attention and JoJo, Jazzy, and CaryLou, thankfully, behaved! Everyone had an absolutely wonderful time!

Beauty’s Haven is currently in the lead in Radiant’s Charity of the Month Contest thanks to the dedication of our amazing village of supporters. Please remember to VOTE DAILY by CLICKING HERE in order to assist us in winning the grand prize of $1000 which will truly be a godsend to our beloved little herd! Please note that only one vote may be submitted per every twenty-four hour period.

We will also be reviving our ‘Strive for Five’ program in honor of our beloved Betsy Rose, so please stay tuned for further information.

Thank you!

Sincerely,
Theresa