Tag Archive for: Mishka

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Mishka, Our Gentle Giant

In 2014, this majestic Percheron – truly a gentle giant – captured my heart during a chance drive past a kill buyer’s property. There he stood, huddled in the corner of a paddock by the road, his spirit visibly shattered. Drawn irresistibly to him, I saw beyond the unhealthy coat that masked his underweight frame: open sores marred his frail body, a heartbreaking testament to his suffering. He desperately needed help, and that’s our calling at Beauty’s Haven – to extend a lifeline to horses like him, pulling them from the brink and into a world of compassion and care.

We named him Mishka. He was vetted and his dental and feet needs were taken care of. We doctored his sores, tended to his feet, put him on a controlled diet, and showered him with love. Day by day he grew stronger, his spirit ignited, and he blossomed into a vibrant, loving horse that everyone simply adored.

Mishka was more than a survivor; he was a quiet and calming healer for countless people, dispensing the purest form of solace: boundless, unwavering love. He was also a devoted friend to all horses that came here as you can clearly see in the video by clicking on the image above.

I later discovered that Mishka was once owned by a renowned NBA star that once live in Florida, who undoubtedly never imagined his equine companion could fall into such dire straits. Regrettably, his story underscores the critical need to verify that anyone receiving your horse is fully dedicated to its lifelong well-being. Equally important, in my opinion, is ensuring that you, yourself, are prepared to offer a horse exemplary care throughout its entire life before ever acquiring one. It’s the sole reliable guarantee against your beloved horse ending up in a horrible situation such as Mishka did.

We were truly blessed to share so many precious years with this gentle giant, whose kind spirit touched us all. Though he battled chronic foot problems throughout his time with us, our devoted care team poured everything we had into easing his discomfort.

As the years took their toll and his struggles intensified, our hearts ached at the thought of losing him – but our love ran deeper still, guiding us to grant him the peace he deserved. Now, free from all pain, he runs alongside our cherished Beauty’s Haven herd that awaits us at Rainbow Bridge. Run free, beautiful boy. You shall forever remain in our hearts.

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Collage of Miskha, a dark bay Percheron, with Theresa Batchelor. Captioned "Grief is the price we pay for love."

Godspeed, Beautiful Boy

Collage of Miskha, a dark bay Percheron, with Theresa Batchelor. Captioned "Grief is the price we pay for love."

Our beloved Mishka has sadly transitioned to Rainbow Bridge. We are all completely devastated at this time and do need time to grieve. A more detailed post will be forthcoming. Thank you all for your understanding.

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Mishka’s Lucky Week!

This has been Mishka’s lucky week! Last weekend, with the help of Jenny and a new volunteer, Juan, we did some work on Mishka’s paddock area. Shadow tried it out and thankfully, it met with his approval! We have quite a bit more work to do on it, which will, hopefully, be completed this 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!

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Summer at the Farm

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!

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A Very Special Visit!

We had a very special visit yesterday from Dr. Christopher Burnham, D.C., accompanied by a great group of students learning about chiropractic on the horse. Chiropractic adjustments can help restore and correct spinal alignment while decreasing muscle tension, leading to increased flexibility and range of motion, thereby, helping to relieve pain and discomfort. And we most certainly, witnessed that today!

It is so very rewarding to see the impact chiropractic has on the horses.

Mishka, Jo, Peaches, Valley Girl, Dancer, and Danni all greatly benefitted, but we saw a tremendous improvement with Mishka! After his treatment, it was so good to see him grazing and moving about much better. The look that came over Mishka during, and after, his treatment was priceless! We truly appreciate Dr. Burnham and the entire group for taking the time to come out today. Dr. Burnham may be contacted through his Facebook page or via his website. He is located in the Ocala area and I learned that he also works on Magnum, a horse that Dr. Bess Darrow adopted from us a few years ago!

We hope to see Dr. Burnham again in the near future. We can’t thank him enough for the relief he brought to many here today. And I do believe that Valley Girl has a new best friend in Dr. Burnham.

Many thanks to our volunteers who came out too – our Saturday crew today was Tara, Pam, TJ, Melissa, and Yessaira. We appreciate them all!

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Mishka on the Mend

Mishka has an abscess in one of his front feet that has been making him quite uncomfortable. I have tried to poultice it but he just won’t cooperate. He’s a big boy and he knows it. He was living with Willow in one of our south most paddocks but I really wanted him up by our house where I can better monitor him. Getting him from way down there to way up here was quite the chore and it took some time, but we did, thankfully, get him moved. We added multiple loads of sand to his paddock so he could lay down in a soft spot. He has Magic on one side of his paddock to keep him company and he recently met Beau who is on the other side.

Dr. Bess was here last week to check his mouth for any issues and most fortunately, there were none. The vet and farrier also arrived at the farm this past Thursday to attend to Mishka and it was a complete success, thanks in part to the assistance provided by Jessica, Bob, and myself. The teamwork was effective, and I am pleased to report that Mishka is showing improvement. Although his feet still need quite a bit of additional work, over time, this progress is a positive development. We have hope! On Thursday, Rachel and Joshua also provided Mishka with a thorough grooming session while Pam most generously supplied extra hay.

On Friday, while preparing Mishka’s evening meal and hay, we discovered that he had escaped from his paddock and was exploring the area around the house, indicating that he is, indeed, feeling better.

We have raised the necessary funds to cover the cost of Mishka’s expenses as well as for future x-rays to be done before the vet and farrier return in two weeks time. Please keep Mishka in your prayers.

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What a Drama Prince!

This morning, we trapped another sweet kitten who we have taken to the vet in order to be neutered. Now, we have at least, five more to go! And speaking of felines, yesterday, our sweet Pearle gave us quite the scare after disappearing for the entire day! Thankfully, she returned home late last evening, completely safe and sound.

Match Game Stalled

Our Match Game for farrier care appears to be at a standstill with just $75 still remaining in Matching Funds. JoJo has threatened to have a hissy fit as he did when he was a mere youngster while refusing to wear his fly mask. The images above show just what we are in for when our ‘Drama Prince’ gets mad! So, if anyone would like to help our little herd have ‘Happy Feet’ while doubling your donation at the same time, it would make JoJo and all of us so very happy indeed! The average cost per hooficure is $45, so just click on the ‘Donate’ button below if you would like to help while sparing us all a great deal of ‘JoJo’ drama at the same time!

Sponsors Needed

Mishka and Dancer benefit from Cosequin with MSM and they each need a container. Magic and Amira each need a container of EquiShield SA Powder to help with their ‘itches.’ If anyone would like to sponsor one of these most important supplements, please click on the ‘Donate’ button below.

Thank you in advance for your love and support!

Sincerely,
Theresa

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A Bit of a Chess Game!

Photo collage of Gabe

Click on the photo above to view video!

Last Thursday, I took Gabe to stay with Rissie, a volunteer and friend, who adopted Waylon and Rio several months ago. Gabe has asthma, and while we have tried to keep him as comfortable as possible during the course of the summer months, it simply wasn’t enough. As Beauty’s Haven lies parallel to a lime rock road, lime rock dust constantly blows across the farm which greatly affects Gabe’s breathing and overall well-being. As there is little dust at Rissie’s farm, and with temperatures getting cooler, we are hoping and praying that Gabe’s asthma will improve and he regains some much-needed weight.

By Saturday, Gabe had settled nicely into his foster home. He’s so happy to be reunited with his old friends, Rio and Waylon. As Willow, Gabe’s best friend, was now alone, we immediately granted her access to Mishka and Valley Girl’s paddock. As the girls chose to remain together in one paddock, Mishka was now left alone in the paddock next to them. So, we took Walker down to meet Mishka and the boys, thankfully, hit it off! And, while it was a bit of a chess game, as you can see by clicking on the image above, everyone is happy and content!

Happy Feet Match Game

A wonderful friend and supporter has come forth and is offering a Match Game for Happy Feet whereby all donations up to $200 will be matched dollar for dollar! Since the average cost per hooficure is $45, we would be so very appreciative of any donation to assist with this need. So, if you wish to help our beloved little herd, while doubling your donation at the same time, just click on the ‘DONATE’ button below to contribute. Thank you!

Sincerely,
Theresa

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Never a Dull Moment Here!


It is so hard to believe that spring is just around the corner! And, as always, every six weeks or so, brings yet another round of hooficures.

Mishka was first to receive his hooficure this week and we are forever grateful to have stocks which ensure that our big old Teddy Bear, does indeed, have ‘Happy Feet!’ Mishka also has quite the little harem which does not make Valley Girl very happy. The other day, Jo and Dancer were in the paddock with Valley Girl and Mishka and Jo seemed quite smitten with the big guy. Dancer stayed a little distance away and watched from afar. They all got along quite well, but Dancer was happy when Jo finally joined her to return to another paddock.

And then there are JoJo and Jazzy, having the time of their lives while awaiting their turn with the farrier. There is never a dull moment here at Beauty’s Haven which you can see in the video below.

So, if anyone would like to sponsor a hooficure for one of our ‘Velvet Nosers,’ we would be forever grateful. You may forward your contribution simply by clicking on the ‘DONATE’ button below. If donating via PayPal, please designate your contribution to ‘Happy Feet’ or the name of the horse that you wish to sponsor. All donations are tax deductible and no amount is ever too small.

Thank you for your continued love and support.
Theresa

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Our Beloved Teddy Bear, Mishka

Mishka is a 20 year-old Percheron gelding that was headed to slaughter when we intercepted him a few years ago. He was very thin with a condition called Equine Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy (EPSM) which causes severe muscle wasting and weakness. Recently, Mishka has been having issues in his front left foot which was thought to be an abscess. After days of poulticing, the abscess thankfully worked its way out of the coronet band which was a mighty mess, one which flies truly love to feast upon.

It would have benefitted all of us if we could have placed a Silver Whinnys sock on Mishka as it would have covered the coronet band in order to promote healing as well as serve as a barrier for bacteria and flies. However, we couldn’t keep his foot up long enough to put on a sock. We contacted the lovely folks at Sox for Horses who gave us some great advice – to sacrifice a pair of socks we had on hand and wrap/tape it over the wound. Within two days, the wound significantly improved and Mishka is now a much happier and mobile boy.

Unfortunately, the necessary care we provided to Mishka is quite costly. He also has arthritis and skin allergies and he must be sedated once he is placed in the stocks for each farrier trim.

Farrier care, prescription medication and supplements are $750 thus far for the month of October, so we are reaching out to see if anyone would like to help Mishka with his current expenses.

CUDDLY, a wonderful advocate for animals, is assisting us with a fundraiser for Mishka which you can view as well as donate by clicking on the image above. Contributions may also be made here on our website by clicking on the ‘DONATE’ button below (please be sure to note it’s for Mishka).

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Thank you all, from the bottom of our hearts.
Theresa

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Tag Archive for: Mishka