Go Teresa & Ishi!!!!! Wow.... look at that. Ishi is progressing thanks to the Kpachavi's patience and believing in him.
Today Teresa rode Bogie & Minifalda. Koffi rode and worked with Blue. They walked Ish when they took Bogie out on the trail. My brother, Greg, rode Pj. Gracie rode Kasey and Pj. I rode Pj. We worked Jc to the max. It was a busy day of riding and training at ERC.
Waverly stands by the fence forelorn. Wanting to be part of the action. I will start the worming tomorrow. Plans for the ERC fundraiser are in motion. The fundraiser will be in May. We are planning on having it in Hollister.

Jc is adorable. He wants to be with me all the time. He fell asleep outside the tack room to be next to me while I was cleaning. Today Jc spent his afternoon saddled and hanging out. He did great. We had Blue out on the string standing, trying to encourage him to collect himself. He pawed and was not comfortable at first, but he did good for the first time on the string.
I have been cleaning the rescue. The paddock, stable and common area are spotless.
I spent a couple hours with the Amigo's; Luke, Scarlet, Cherokee, Chance, Cody, Cherokee2 and Abby. They were groomed, hooves cleaned and checked out. They are wonderful horses.
Bogie, Ishi and Blue got some training in. The Kpachavi's worked with all of them. The Kpachavi's also stacked all the hay, thankfully!!!! Vanessa and Clint cleaned the yearlings chute. It looks fantastic. We have a full crew at the ERC house & the squonk. We are cooking a huge meal.

The Rowdy Creek band (Morgan, Thea, Muffin, Bogie, Dakota & Eagle mae) having an afternoon nap.
Please check our facebook page for more photos & daily info
http://www.facebook.com/pages/ERC-Equine-Rescue-Center/147869513011

Pandamonium. I go to town to pick up cubes, grain, rice bran, gas and this is what I return home to. Adobe in front of my house. One of them went thru the Adobe fence. Thank goodness no one was injured and thank goodness I changed the wire to straight wire. I guess they were looking for me?

Thank you Renee Krause for sending the blanky, treats and plates (squonk gear). All of these things make running the rescue possible. Speaking of Renee, her sponsoree Ishi, has fully recovered. He bounced back fast. Tony looks like a whale! I will take a photo and post it. He is the happiest I have ever seen him. Completely docile toward me. I like that we have become close. It means so much when you can break thru to a horse that everyone thought was a lost cause. Sean, his sponsor, has stood by Tony no matter what. Thanks Sean, you knew it was there :) and gave me the opportunity to bring it out.
The new horses Tony2 (Little Cherokee), Vinnie (Cody) and Abbey are settled into Amigos. They have some ribs showing but it is to be expected. The stress of coming into a new situation and winter can tax the body. They are slowly gaining some weight. They had their hooves trimmed last week. Cherokee1, Chancey, Luke and Scarlett look like fat ticks, they had their hooves trimmed too. Waverly is a bit better but is still struggling with his injury here and there.

The love, passion and respect I have for horses is unlike anything I have ever felt. Around the day of love and joy I am thankful they are my constant reminder of life's gifts. They are my mainstay...... strength, happiness, consistency, unconditional love and friendship. The best part is that they give back to you 10 fold!

Equine Rescue Center at the San Benito County Community Foundation Volunteer Fair.  We made many new friends that will be coming to ERC to volunteer and spend time with the equines. 

The rescue was minded by, ERC Secretary, Teresa. Thank you for making the long trip out to train and take care of the equines. 

I have been hearing about horse rescues and the way people; cowboys, horse trainers and the general public view us horse rescues as PONY PETTERS or TREE HUGGERS! We ride horses at ERC. I actually wear spurs! I am not rough with them, I use them as a tool, for pressure. We use crops and whips as an extension of our arm, not to hit the horse, or even touch them. We do pony pet (groom) and I am not a tree hugger. Older horses, who are not in pain, deserve to die with dignity. Like elderly people, we all develop arthritis, lose weight and interest in food. I don't want to be put down because I can no longer go jogging. I think this is reasonable. Done with sound off.
The horses are fantastic. The weather is very mild. It was in the 70's! Tank top time. A few of our equines are blowing their coats. Patches of hair are coming off. I wonder if this means winter is over? Phil was wrong :)

Exercising Jc, getting some basic body language/ground work taken care of. He was perfect!
This weekend we were productive. Hooves were trimmed first by our donating hoof trimmer Jay Hatfield and secondly by Justin Leisenger, who we discovered apprenticed under Jay years ago, both did a fantastic job. Thank you! As usual I had a great time talking to my friend Jay. I look forward to our talks and learning about hooves.
I moved the disc that was a total horse hazard. Pastures were scraped, fences fixed and a water line broke. Clint, Dylan, Asila and Vanessa worked on the busted pipe. It is just about fixed.
Thea is in a paddock due to her reoccurring tendon issue. On top of that the hoof trimmer wants her on soft ground. Her back hooves are a mess. They need to grow out. She has some abnormalities which will likely render her permanently lame. Poor T. We are renaming the yearling Scarlet. She is anything but a Scarlet. Here are some of her qualities; lead mare, beautiful, dominant, intelligent and feisty. Bogie is now officially owned by our awesome volunteer Arnaud. Arnaud is in college. Bogie will continue living at ERC. There is no denying the bond these two have with one another. Arnaud has put in countless hours, heart and soul. He has worked with Bogie and helped with making Bogie rideable.
Vanessa, Clint, Asila and Dylan worked really hard this weekend. It is amazing to watch selflessness in action. They come to ERC , put their heads down, get it done and like doing it. They do all the chores, groom the horses, help with problems (busted pipes), make wonderful dinners and best of all spend time with the equines & me.
It was a great weekend. Thanks to all of you that made it all happen.

The big girl, Kasey, underneath the mistle toe tree. This is her favorite spot. Tony stands to the left of her while she rubs herself on the tree & the cable that is holding the tree up. Tony is with Kasey now. He dumped Dee! Dee has never been happier, she finally has her space & is not being bossed around. Every so often Tony harasses her.
The weather is mild and sunny. We have only had 2-3 inches of rain in this area.
Ish is great, Gus is moving around like he never had an abscess. Thea is not doing well. She has either re-injured her tendon or is developing an abscess.
The Adobe pasture; Waverly, Pj, Cheyenne and Minifalda made an escape into the loiter area. Total pandamonium. They were all mixed together. Jc and Cheyenne are in love! Chey is into him and he is into her. Yay for Chey, Jc is 15 years younger than her, she's a COUG!, reminds me of someone ;) I know.
The ERC intern, Megan, starts February 18. She will be helping out, learning the ropes and becoming part of the ERC family.
We have two more interns joining us this summer. I am happy we can provide a hands on experience.
We are trying to organize and auction run. Our biggest challenge is organizing the truck & trailer plus all the logistics. The auction does not start until about 5pm on a Sunday night. ERC's Secretary, Teresa, is busy getting all the information.
February 11,2012, Saturday, we are going to be at the Community Foundation for San Benito County Volunteer Fair. We will have a booth and a volunteer or two giving information about our volunteer opportunities, what ERC does and how important it is to save and help our horses.
This weekend we will have a crew out here; Asila & Dylan along with Vanessa & Clint. I can't wait to see all of them :)

I finally got the burs out of Scarlett's mane. She is opening up to me. By the time I was done hanging with the babies, Scarlett was pushing them all out of the way to be with me. Gabe was backed into me asking for his butt groomed :)
Ish is well. I have to flush his mouth to get the food out of the pocket where the tooth was. Gus's abscess burst today at the band, yay!!!I gave him a cleaning & soak. He was very cooperative, which is surprising since he evades human contact.
This weekend we are off to get some horses out of the auction. I need rigs and trailers. The auction is in Madera 2/5. If you can help please contact me.
THANK YOU Kpachavi's for moving all the hay! They loaded and stacked 80 bales. It took them 4 hours. You guys are AWESOME!!!!

Morgan & Eagle eating together, this is normal for all the horses in the Rowdy pasture. The Rowdy pasture's (Morgan, Boges, Dakota, Eagle, Thea and MuffY) banded; they eat, sleep, play and stay together at all times. It is the most loving of all the pastures.
We finally got rain! The pastures are already starting to turn green. Thanks to the fact that it is always sunny in Paicines! Yay.
Ish will be having a front tooth extracted by the vet this afternoon. It's a hot mess. He is not happy to be in a stall. He escaped, opened the gate latch, the other day, hoodini. All the horses are doing well. The babies are hysterical; all the personalities are different. Jake, Maggie and Sweet Pea (all three are adopted) are completely desensitized and easy to handle. They were handled loads at the beginning. Scarlett and Gabe (available for adoption) are getting there. Scarlett and Gabe are going to make nice horses. Scarlett will be a leader and Gabe a submissive/independent horse that will want to please. Both are available for adoption and need sponsors. 
Saturday and Sunday I will finish the paypal receipts, move the hay, clean stable and tend to the horse needs.

The babies napping. Adorable!
Busy day tending to all the equines.
We have a visitor helping out. This weekend we will have more helpers. Tomorrow we our receiving our hay load. Hopefully we will get some rain - we need pasture.
I am busy writing out 2011 tax receipts, filling out grant apps., making the ERC 2012 budget, organizing our volunteer fair, preparing 2011 ERC taxes and busting my bootie.
Tonight when I was feeding out hay - I heard what I thought was thunder - it was Tony, Ish, Jc and Navarre running from the other side of the ranch. It is incredible Tony can run like that, he does not limp. He is thriving. Navarre was cantering, Jc and Ish were practicing their defense moves; throwing their necks and kicking out their back legs. It was awesome. I just looked outside, looks like the rain is coming. The ground is wet, YIPPEE!! 

Fun times night riding :)
The Kpachavi's worked with Boges, Ish, Mini & Blue.
My friend (Lisa) and I did a night ride. We will be up at first light to do a trail ride. Morgan & Pj are bunking in the arena tonight so they will be ready to go in the morning. Dave (goat) is living with Kit & Chloe. He has bonded to the mares.

Pastures were scraped, the common area mucked, horses groomed and the tack room was cleaned.
Tony has gained 30 lbs. or so. He looks good and is not grinding his teeth. Teeth grinding is his way of letting you know he's hungry and mad. His ribs are no longer visible. I am back to giving him his Cosequin prior to feeding the loiterers. If I don't he will not eat his grain, he steals another horses, cause he doesn't like the taste. I am also adding hylamotion to his Waverly's and Quinn. Quinn is back on bute. He has been putt'n around the loiter area, very uncomfortable. Kasey is a bit lame. She banged up her hock. I can see the bump. Who knows what she hit? Jc's facial gash is healing. He is MR. ACCIDENT! The foals are doing incredible. Kitty and Chloe (two of our senior mares) have been spending time with the babies teaching them manners. It is working. The foals fully respect them. Sweet Pea loves Chloe! Who doesn't love Chloe (ERC Grandma)? The colts (Gabe & Jake) have not dropped - they will be gelded in the next couple months, poor little guys, they don't know what's coming :/
This weekend the Kpachavi's will be hanging in the Squonk (RV), minus Arnaud. He is back to school in Minnesota, booooooo!!! He will not return for five months :( Bogie and Ish are crushed. They love them some Ar-nizzle.
Receipts for 2011 are on the way for your awesome, supportive donations. The equines and ERC board thank you. Please contact me if you have any questions. Happy Days.

Two days of progress! We got a horse trailer donation from the San Mateo County Sheriff's office and our quad trailer is operating thanks to new tires. Not only did we get the horse trailer donated but an ERC donor donated 2000 pounds of senior grain. We went to tractor supply and drove home with the trailer filled. It was a great day. The horses are fantastic. We need rain. it is real dry out here, the pastures are not growing. We had a hard time getting our hay delivered since we are out in BFE. No one wanted to drive a squeeze or full load of hay out. So we have to have it delivered on a retriever that can only carry 100 bales. Eek, at least we are getting it here. The hay is the highest quality - we bought it from Wheeler Hay in Modesto. I haven't seen hay that nice in at least 8 years. The bales are big, the flakes are thick, the hay is green and the alfalfa is not stalky!
We have a visitor helping out and being my wing woman, it has been great having the physical help but most of all moral support. She is great, I have made a friend for life :) Good night.

Dee pushing the door open with her head, waiting for her grain, she makes as much noise as she can to get my attention.
Happy New Year! Today was a great day: new friends, the Kpachavi's, the Mulderick's and some awesome conversation. Sometimes you meet someone & the friendship is instant. You talk for hours and it feels like minutes.
The horses were thoroughly spoiled this weekend. The Mulderick's groomed, cleaned, fed and Clint was the ERC handyman.
Waverly is still in isolation, recovering from his injury. He is doing better. Jc is out of his box and cruising with the loiterers. He is moving great, no inflammation, no limp, YES! Mari has gained loads of weight, she is happy and madly in love with Sammy still.
The Kpachavi's worked with Minifalda, Troy, Ishi and Bogues. Tomorrow we go to pick up the trailer that has been donated from the San Mateo County Sheriff's office. Yay.

Troy (Tallac) is looking good. He has filled in. His pelvis/hip seems to cause him mild lameness. He can only be ridden at a walk on level trails.
Horsemanship...... means so many different things to so many different people. Knowing when to push a horse or to ease off them, for the good of the horse, is a skill learned only through years of experience. With that said, Waverly was ridden and pushed to a limit that caused him to re-fracture his ankle. I was not the rider. Ten months of my rehabbing washed down the drain. This is an example of bad horsemanship or lack of. I am angry at myself for trusting someone to do the right thing and them failing, not me, Waverly. My job is to protect ERC's horses. I am thoroughly disappointed! Waverly is officially off limits. Poor guy, he was so sore and sad today. He has to be confined, buted, wrapped and pampered.
On an lighter note... the Kpachavi family took care of the rescue this week and did a fantastic job!!! They are awesome. They are training many of the ERC horses. They have excellent horsemanship skills and are invaluable to the rescue. Thank you Kpachavi's :)

Morgan with his fans; Lisa, Amanda, Marina & Carter. Thank you to my friends for visiting the horses, Gracie and I. It was FUN! wrecked Christmas tree and all.
Morgan was excellent when I lunged him today. Hopefully this bit of interaction will help with his naughty trail behavior. More work is needed.
The pre-Christmas visitors have all gone home. Our hay will be arriving soon, but not soon enough. The Kpachavi's will be running the ERC after Christmas. The horses will thoroughly enjoy that.
Jc is bored out of his mind. Dee, Tony and Ish have been keeping him company. He was placed in a larger paddock for a day, from those with the best of intentions. His suspensory flared up and he was severely limping. I put him back in his box. Total confinement is mandatory. 
Thank you to all who have been sending in donations to help with the hay cost. It really helps.
Tomorrow I will do my favorite thing: feed, clean and pull out one of my fav's to play with. Who will be the lucky one???? stay tuned.

Thank you to Asila & Dylan for taking care of the feeding & cleaning for a couple days. Thank you Teresa & Arnaud for training & cleaning. The RV is in full use. Our friend Dan Smith stopped by to see the facility, spend time and donate much needed tack, thank you Dan.
Vinne (Cody) got stuck on the far side of the creek in the Amigos pasture for two days. He had plenty of grazing and water. I am not sure why he would not cross the creek? I guess he was having fun. I went and got him today.
Come January we will be taking in two Barbados rams & a goat. The rams will be sent out and the goat will live safely with Dave & Pyg-pyg. 
All the visitors have been great. We have had some serious laughs.

ERC Winter Update
Adobe: (Waverly, Pj, Troy, Blue, Minifalda, Cheyenne, Dixie, Blue, Patti & Gussy)
The Adobe pasture is healthy & happy. Cheyenne's progress is miraculous. Her PMU past is just that, the past. She is trusting, relaxed and finally not the lowest ranking horse in the pasture. Dixie is gaining weight, she and Blue are smitten with one another. The Kpachavi family are training Blue & Troy. They come weekly to spend the day training and cleaning. Waverly put on some weight, the stress of the move has ceased for him, thankfully.

The Foals (Scarlett2, Jake, Maggie, Sweet Pea & Gabe); they are growing. Scarlett2 is the lead horse, her boyfriend is Jake. Gabe & Sweet Pea are the low ranking and Maggie is right in the midle. Sweet Pea was adopted by the Mulderick's. They also adopted Maggie. Scarlett2 attacked me when she saw Jake and I together nuzzling and cuddling. She was furious when she saw us. She got up on her back legs and charged me! She bit my hand. I took off chasing her. She now knows who is in charge.  We are all working on the foals; leading them around, hands in the mouth, touching, grooming, etc.

The Amigos (Cherokee, Chance, Scarlett, Luke, Vinnie, Tony and Abby); are doing great. We had one incident. I showed up to the pasture last weekend and there were 6 horses..... there should be 7. Chancy was missing. I was beside myself. I thought he passed. Jay, our hoof trimmer, was waiting to trim the Amigos, but I was a 1/4 mile away searching for Chancy. I could not find him. I broke down in tears. I was walking by a 15 foot drop down
to the creek when I suddenly heard a call to me. It was Chancy standing in the creek, parallyzed. I was alone, no rope and scared. First I checked to see if he had a break. No break. I was now up to my calves in orange yukky
stuff, my boots and overalls soaked. There was nothing to hold onto. My shoes were getting stuck. I decided to go back to get a halter & rope. But I couldn't. Each time I tried to leave Chance freaked and tried to climb back up the hill. I was sure he would hurt himself if I left. So.... I made a rope from the reeds. I found the longest green reeds in the creek, made a rope and got him out of there. It was brutal. He and I are seriously bonded. He trusted me thru some really difficult terrain. Cherokee was so happy to see his best friend. I don't know how Chancy got himself into that pickle. But I know he'll never do it again. Luke's dropped sole is healing and the new hoof growth appeared to be clubbing, but I was assured by Jay, our trimmer, that it is not.

The Rowdy pasture (Bogie, Dakota, Morgan, Eagle, Thea and Muffin); this pasture is the most fun loving of all the pastures. Dakota, Bogie and Morgan are the three stooges. The whole group of them love one another, eat together and give off the best vibe. Bogie is progressing with his training. The Kpachavi's are working with him weekly. He is trail proof and enjoys the stimulation. Morgan has been up to his shennanigans.....
anyone who rides him gets a surprise once they get to the gate of the Rowdy pasture. He will cut & run back to the stable. BARN SOUR! This happened because I let a couple people run him back. No mas! Now I have a
project! Running horses back from trail rides creates a monster. The worst part, once he runs back he fixates on chasing the donkeys.

Last but not least....
The Loiterers (Kitty, Chloe, Dee, Mari, Sam, Jc, Ishi, Tony, Navarre, Kasey, Quinn); Jc tore his suspensory, he is confined to a small stall. He is happy so long as you give him his grain. Tony is softening, he is changing everyday. The loiter area is helping him let go of his anger. He is really mean to Chloe. I am not sure what it is between the two of them, maybe he secretly likes her? like a kid on the playground, LOL. Tony dumped Dee for Kasey, he is fickle. The old mares (Kit, Chloe, Dee & Mari) are holding weight. All the geezers are blanketted. Kasey, Quinn, Navarre, Sam and Ish are solid. They are so easy and pleasant. Ishi is the ERC love bug.

We have an RV that was given to us for our guests. It sleeps 6, has electricity, water, kitchen, etc. It is in pretty good condition. It is available to our volunteers, sponsors and donors. We burned thru 408 bales of hay at the speed of light. We have ordered another load of 400. It will be delivered after Christmas. The total cost is $5600.00.  We need donations to help pay for the load. We have a new Director on our board. Welcome Valerie Allen, Director of Fundraising. We are very excited she has joined us. Thank you Jay for donating your hoof trimming expertise to the horses. Not only is Jay a great hoof trimmer but a great friend. We have awesome
conversations. Each time he visits I look forward to it. We have an intern, Megan, starting in January. Megan is from Ohio, she attends the Graham School and will be fullfilling her Walkabout at the ERC. We are overjoyed to have her.

Remember all of our horses this Christmas; the Equine Rescue Center equines, the wild horses of this country, slaughter horses that stand waiting their doom in kill pens, PMU's who live a life in a pee line being exploited, orphaned foals that will never have the chance to nurse off of their moms & feel the love they deserve, the starving horses in backyards being neglected and abused and lastly the abandon horses that are faced
with confusion and fear. Please help our horses ERC or any other rescue organization. At this time
of year all rescues need help.
Happy holidays :)
Monica

Rest in Peace maaaa Pyggie. The loudest of the three crazy goats! I saved Davey & Pyg pyg from the same fate Pyggie succumbed to. I traveled for 2 1/2 hours up some crazy trails to reach them. They were freaked out. Davey lost a good 8-10 pounds, both severely dehydrated and hungry. They will never run off from me again!
Many things are dying at this time of year; people, relationships and animals. Something about the cold, short days, holidays and the ending of a year. I have spoke with several friends who have lost a loved one or are ending a relationship (uhh uhh).
The good news is.... the horses and donkeys are FANTASTIC! We are getting another hay load since this money munching bunch burned thru 408 bales at the speed of light. We need donations, sponsorships, grain, supplies, wormers. The hay load will cost $5600.00. That's a chunk of change. Please send a link to any family or friends that would like to help our equine friends this winter :) Happy holidays.

I arrived to the Amigos pasture only to find Chancy missing. Jay Hatfield, ERC's farrier, was waiting... I searched the Amigos pasture. I was afraid Chancy had passed. I walked by a 15 foot drop down to the creek & heard a call out to me. I looked down and there he was. Stuck in the creek with no way out. He fell down the ledge. Holy Sh-t! First reaction, does he have a broken leg? I had to get into the creek. Orange sludge up to my shins with nothing to hold onto. I decided to run to get a rope. But everytime I tried to leave he went into a panic and attempted to climb the steep drop he fell down. His legs were not broken but if he continued to try to get up the drop he would break a leg or fall and break a hip. I cut some of the green reeds off, made a rope and Chancy and I got out of the creek. It was brutal. He trusted me. We are seriously bonded after that experience. Not a scrape, sprain or break on him :)
Jay took care of our horses! Jay drives 5-6 hours in a day to donate his expertise to our equines.  Thank you for your dedication, patience and kindness. The goats are on an adventure. They were M.I.A. for two days. Clint, Vanessa's husband, spotted them yesterday on the highest peak on the ERC property. He spotted them with his binoculars. I am happy they are living the goat dream. Clint busted ass. We had three busted pipes due to the freeze. He is still working on them. Jc is bouncing back! YES! He is doing great, still laid up, but on the path to recovery. I cleaned Adobe's pasture on the southside and the loiter area with my make shift scraper. Tony is becoming my love bug. I can't believe what he is turning into, my little pet. Everyday I stand under his neck, wrap my arms around with one hand on his mane, he leans gently on my head we have a special embrace. I see Tony for who he is.... and who he wants to be, it's always been there, he is finally safe enough in his heart to let go :)

Surprises. A day of figuring things out. It's nice when you get a good surprise and it bites when you get one you least expect.
Surprise #1:This is Jc & Navarre eating this morning. Sometime between 8am and noon Jc injured his back leg. He can barely stand on it. He is bunking in the goat house. I am worried about him. The fetlock is hot, the two sesamoid bones are swollen. SUSPENSORY LIGAMENT!!!! UGGGHHH
Surprise #2:I had three pipes burst from freezing. I am not strong enough to loosen the fittings. Vanessa & Clint will be here this weekend, you know what that means..... Clint has work to do :)
Surprise #3:(the only good surprise) Koffi & Arnaud were in the house today. They worked with Bogie & Blue. They brought some fancy gear for training. Surprise #4: I saw something I wasn't intended to see....... let's leave it at that :)

Kasey getting her Gracie, return home from school, hug.
The Adobe crew broke out of their pasture, it was pandamonium. Pj busted down the fence. All of the horses ran to the hay barn, Pj ran to me :). A little grain...... they were all back in pasture.
Chloe's eye has healed. Scarlett (splash paint) cut her fetlock. Tony continues to be mildly allergic to something, he shows up in the mornings with burs and bumps. I am going to add a bit of ERC honey to his feed. I am sure he won't mind. The foals look like whales. They are weaned from milk replacer & only on hay. They all look like little fuzzy babies with their winter coats. Too cute. The Mulderick's have adopted Sweet Pea!!!! 

Jc is coming to town. Hee hee.
Electricity is in the air... lots of shocks. I heard that mercury is retrograding again. I am not sure what that has to do with anything but I think it may be an excuse for what life throws us. Change is good and necessary for growth. I am darn happy to be upright and able to do what I love. Life with out passion is an empty hole. I am thankful that I can give to the horses. They appreciate my dedication & love. They are teachers. Some of them have shown me different qualities that make them unique and I admire.
Dee: strong will 
Jc: endearing 
Tony: resilient
Ishi: soulful
Kitty: well grounded
Chloe: easy going
Dakota: steadfast & openhearted
Quinn: mystical
Scarlett (splash paint): soft
Pj: consistent

It's cold out here the troughs & pipes are freezing. Chloe has an infected eye and Vinnie (Cody) has an abscess from puncturing his sole. The foals are completely enjoying their larger space, no longer in the confined shute, they are able to cruise plus graze. Sammy has been struggling with mild choke episodes. He inhales his food. The Muldericks will be returning this weekend to get the shelters up.

YES!!! Here it is the ERC "bunkhouse". If you would like to stay let us know. We can reserve. This past weekend we met four of the kindest people; Caroline, Dylan, Oliver and Tristan. They offerred up the "RollingSquonk" for our ERC volunteers, weekenders & donors!! Thank you to our new Brit friends.
This weekend was packed with people and good times. The Muldericks, Kpachavi's and Fitzgibbons made their way to the rescue to spend time with the horses & donkeys. Our visitors cleaned, built, trained, fed, groomed, rode and cooked. We received the barney blanket from Renee & Artex for Mari. Thank you Renee for your Ishi sponsorship & blanky :) Our sponsors & donors are the reason the rescues are living the quality herd ERC life. The shelters are making there way up. We have two more to go in the loiter area and two more for the Amigos pasture. Ishi is over the moon Arnaud is here thru Tuesday. Tuesday Arnaud and I will ride Pj and Waverly. I can't wait. Koffi will be working with Blue tomorrow. I am happy Blue finally has a special someone. Dixie's weight is improving. I was almost taken out again by a few horses while feeding in the dark. It is so dangerous, I am not going to grain the old geezes in the dark. They are some pushy ol bits!!!!

Jc (super cutie).
The cold has arrived and it is not leaving anytime soon. The road at the ERC gets slippery when it rains, almost like you are driving on ice thankfully it dries quickly since the sun always shines in Paicines :)
Luke's clubbing hoof is getting worse. I believe he will have chronic lameness. Our hoof trimmer will be out soon to trim and treat his condition. Dixie is still in the Adobe pasture, she has put on some lbs. I am seeing a transformation with Tony. He is minding his manners and being nicer to the loiterers. He is high maintenance. If you want Tony to behave you have to give him loads of attention.
I am excited Arnaud will be returning from college this weekend. He and the Kpachavi family will be coming to ERC on Friday. Ishi, Bogie, Waverly and Dixie will be soooo happy to see him. He is really good to the horses. I wish all of you a happy Thanksgiving. I will be at ERC feeding and prepping for our visitors this weekend.

ERC volunteer Asila.
All is well at the ERC. Gearing up for a volunteer/visitor weekend.
Tony is back to being a loiterer. He is doing well in the environment. I am giving him extra attention, he loves it, it is curbing his nasty behaviors.
The foals are in the Round Up pasture. They like it.

The foals! The group of them are absolutely precious. Banded together like they didn't miss a beat. Gabe and Scarlett are adorable. Gabe is a bit shy and Scarlett has taken the lead role as herd mama. I put Navarre in with them, hoping he could school them, he was in different at first and then turned into moody Navarre. I separated them. Pj may be with them periodically. Pj is gentle and kind - very friendly. Navarre doesn't want to deal with them at this stage of his life. I respect that - he deserves peaceful retirement. How many old folks do you know who work in day cares? any men? haha
Asila, Dylan, Teresa and Ian were out this weekend cleaning, fixing, training and spending quality time with the equines. They are good people. I am so happy to have Teresa Kpachavi on as Secretary for ERC. She is fantastic with horses, so much knowledge, patience and dedication. The whole Kpachavi family has become a staple of Equine Rescue Center. Asila and Dylan (and Bodie - the golden retriever) are regulars at ERC; bunking in the guest room or camping out for the weekend. We cook meals, hang with the ponies, work our behinds off. We have the best time when they are here.
Dixie Mae had a difficult week. She did not transition and was traumatized by the move out of Adobe. Blue jumped the fence to get to her after 4 days. They both wanted back into Adobe. I sighed.... and let her be with her herd, her safety is most important. She was reckless, scared and was running into things. This went on for 5 days. I blanketted her. I will have to pull her to get her extra feed. The stress from the week caused her to lose more weight. Poor Dix she will recover with some TLC.
The Amigos were spoiled this week. It was grooming paradise in the pasture. Chance and Scarlett are the sweetest - following you after you are done. Scarlett waited each time I groomed her pasture mates, hoping to get a quicky in between each horse. The newbies are learning the grooming routine. They are into it. Especially Abby. She is a cutie.
Ishi is a character. He follows Gracie everywhere. A real love bug. Cheyenne is still moving forward. I am pleased to be able to touch her and have her trust. Her coat is the softest of all the ERC equines. Like velvet.

Brrrr, icy pastures at the Equine Rescue Center. We are in cold mode. Tonight I pulled Dixie Mae from Adobe. She's in the arena making the transition. Dixie is only 21 years old, the Adobe pasture seems to be a bit much for her. She needs to have grain, a blanket and chill with the geezers. I will watch the next couple days to see how Cheyenne does with this. Chey may come out too. Blue has fallen for Dixie. He was heart broken when I took her out :(
Navarre has his smokers jacket on, hee hee. All he needs is an ascot. He is wearing a very nice shiny blue quilted blanket, not waterproof, but good for toasty warmth. The Amigos were lining up for grooming. All were fighting for their moment. I groomed, groomed and groomed some more. Cherokee=affectionate, Chance= loveable, Luke=endearing, Scarlett= magnetic. The newbies; Abby, Vinnie and Tony 2, get their love session tomorrow. I can't wait to meet Scarlett (foal) and Gabe (foal). I will video Jake and Gabe's reaction to each other. I am happy the group will be reuniting. For them it will mean alot. All of them share a tragic loss, which in turn will make them feel very close to one another, they need each other.

Cheyenne has been making major progress. When I feed Chey I put her food down, then start grooming her. She stands calmly - I think she is beginning to enjoy it :)
Tonight Gus got spooked by a coyote, ran into the Adobe pastures barbed wire fence and took off running with the Adobe herd. He was terrified. The coyote was running thru to the hills, Gus was alone, it gave Gussy a huge fright. He ripped the fur off his nose and was bleeding. I ran immediately to him. He stood next to me for 15 minutes, Patti came over to help me get him out of Adobe. The rain This weekend was mild and caused no problems. The equines are on a double hay ration per meal. None of the unblanketted showed any signs of being cold. I monitored them all day. Dixie, Waverly and Jake got the royal treatment. They were groomed and loved on. I kept our rolling piggies; Quinn, Navarre, Ish, Jc and Tony, cleaned up. They got themselves filthy! The next two days I will concentrate on the Amigos pasture (Cherokee, Chance, Luke, Scarlett, Tony 2, Vinnie and Abby). Kasey is back in Adobe, Ish and Tony are back to the loiterers. Tony goes back into Round Up to eat his grain. Ish is much happier, this is helping with his trust issues. He follows me and wants constant attention. When he was in Round Up I could not catch him, now I can. The goats are out and about, chillin with the horses. Sam and Mari are taking over the goat house.

Dakota & Bogie like each other.  They are always horsing around.
I am preparing for the rain. It was 29 F this morning. The shelter sheet metal had to be screwed down. The wind caught it and darn near took me out! I was scared. The geezers have their blankets on and the others are waiting it out so they can develop a thick winter coat. 
We still have some horses that do not have blankets: 
Blue
Troy (Tallac) 
Gabe (foal arriving Thursday, November 10)
Scarlett (foal arriving Thursday, November 10) 
Vinnie 
Tony 
                                                                   Abby 
The drizzle started about 8:30pm, no snow. All of horses were served a double hay ration and the sweet ol mares were given an extra feeding of soaked cubes, rice bran, equine senior & beet pulp shreds. The donkeys went up into the hills to bunk underneath a thick group of trees.
I added some info to Vinnie's and Tony's profile about the firefighters who lost their lives in the line of duty. Bless the good hearts of Vincent Perez and Anthony Valerio.

Dakota & Eagle in the Rowdy Creek pasture enjoying the evening.
All great horses have bad days, today was Pj's. I survived two rears, three bucks and at least a dozen bunny hops. The good news I did not fall off, the bad news it sucks when your favorite horse does this. Why? he didn't want to go on a trail ride with out his best bud Waverly. Gracie rode Sam, Mari followed us the entire way. All ended up well. This a perfect example; horses are predictably, unpredictable. A funny thing that happened; this morning Ishi was out with the loiterers, yesterday his gate was not shut all the way so he squirmed his way out. He followed us on our trail ride. He has been going on the trail as part of his training. He must like it cause he followed us a good way. Saturday Teresa & Yannick worked with Blue, Troy, Bogie and Ishi. Gracie and I spent the day checking, grooming and tending to the equines. We had a great time. When we were done we laid down in the Rowdy Creek feeders and chilled for a couple hours. The horses loved it, so did we. Muffin is a different mini horse. Gentle, affectionate and nice to be around. A huge contrast from when he was in Pescadero. I razored all the cockle burs from Vinnie's tail. It was a mess & it hurt like heck. I will be posting info about these horses along with the stories of the fallen fireman they were named after :)  

Quinn saying "Can you hurry up with the hay. I been here for 7 hours, waiting, since the last meal"
All is fantastic at the rescue.
Jake, one of the orphaned foals, is making leaps and bounds. I am spending loads of time with him desensitizing, cleaning hooves and leading him around. He likes being out and about away from the other foals. He likes Pj and Pj likes him.
Chance, Cherokee and Sam are, chunks, ready for winter. They have finally put on weight. Sam almost has a gutter.
Speaking of gutters, Morgan received a new blanket from our loyal supporter and his sponsor Joyce. He will be warm and look stylish in his deep red blanky. Ish seems to have bonded to Tony. They have been in the same pasture together. Ish has the laid back personality - Tony the dominant. They are opposites but it is working. I tried to take Ish out and he didn't want to leave Tony. Tony is being fed double to get some weight on him. Now that there aren't 10 horses in with him he is more relaxed, not working so hard to be in charge. All those horses are on the other side of the fence. He doesn't seem to mind. He has his Dee and Jc. They stand next to him at sleepy time. Dee and Mari share the paddock when they eat their mashes. Kitty and Chloe are doing the same. It is working out for all of them. We have the UCSC Geological Society at the ERC doing a project on the geography. There's about 30 students, tents, porta potty's, campfire and music. Awesome having them use this place. The environment is incredible; there is much to do and see.  Tomorrow Teresa will be here to work with the teens/foals and hopefully do a ride with me.   

Bogey with his new hair cut. Bogey is curious, fun and full of personality.
We have a full house. Guest's galore at the ERC ranch house. They made us an awesome Mexican dinner.
The equines are well. Dee, Kitty, Chloe and Mari are happy to be separated at meal time. It is relieving loads of stress.
Little Jake, one of our foals, has a large mass on his cheek. Looks like it may be an abscess. It is hot to the touch. I am going to investigate further in the morning. He is eating well, no temp and in good spirits. Jake had strangles before he came to ERC and had to have a trach tube put in. Hopefully this won't be as invasive. Cherokee is still separated from the herd after his rearing episode last weekend. Bunked in the arena. I worked with him earlier this week, to give an attitude adjustment. He reared up on one of our riders. I thought I would be greeted with opposition, it was not the case, he was a doll. Excellent manners, well trained and easy to handle. Tomorrow I will ride him to make sure he understands not to rear.  Then he can return to his pasture mates. JC, Tony, Bogey and Ish are chilling in Round Up pasture. After the Kpachavi's come on Sunday Boges and Ish are moving into Rowdy Creek. They love Dakota and Morgan. Tony does not care for either of them but loves JC (who doesn't love JC?). Boges got into the grain room. I have no idea how he did it but he was inside an empty rubber trash can we use for our grain. Is that sending a message or what? Ish is not happy in the Round Up pasture. He is very social and wants to be a loiterer. I am hoping the move to Rowdy will make him happy. If not he may become part of the loiterer crew. The loiterer's are all the oldies. The older equine's get special feed and the royal treatment. Ish was out for two weeks. He really liked it but that is how he got all the cockle burs!
Dee hangs on the other side of the fence to be near Tony it is a wire fence, horse safe, they lean on it to be next to each other. I can tell she likes having the fence between them. I offerred her to go back in and she doesn't want to go. She is well fed away from him. I need her to gain some weight before winter.
Chance will make a move to theloiter crew when the weather changes. He is in his 20's, arthritic and needs TLC. I think it may be good for him thru the cold weather. If he moves Cherokee will make a move to Round Up to be close to him.
Dixie Mae is still in Adobe pasture. I tried to pull her and she did not want to be out. Tonight when I fed Cheyenne I placed my hand on her opposite cheek and led her to her feed. Wow!! She is completely comfortable. Her fur is softer than any other horse at ERC.
Blue has gained a good 50 lbs. He follows me and responds to my calls. The Kpachavi's started to work with him, I am hoping they will do so again Sunday. Blue is kind, gentle and drop dead gorgeous.
One of our loyal supporters, who sponsors two horses, donated a blanket for Sweet Pea! Thank you Joyce. We appreciate your love for the horses. Sweet Pea will be cozy, warm this winter.
We received our grant from the ASPCA, double what we got last year. Our organization is growing and we are unstoppable! We will not receive anymore horses this winter. We need donations for a few more shelters, five-ten pallettes of grain, a fifth wheel for our guests and hay. The more hay the better. This will keep ERC secure. We have enough hay to get us thru winter, but we have space for 450-500 more bales.
The shelters are being erected. Clint, Vanessa Mulderick- ERC Treasurer's- husband, is here working his behind off to get the shelters up before winter. Vanessa & Clint are a driving force behind this organization. Thank you for caring for the equines.
Good night!

Today was all about the donkeys. Patti & Gus had two visitors who came just for them. I am happy they have their special someones. Gus broke into the tack/grain room looking for grain. He, once again, is covered in more burs. 
Mari has gained a bit of weight above are her before and now photos. 

The cockle burrs have claimed more victims! Ishi, Bogie and Gus. Ishi had them terribly. I cut his forleock and mane. I have never seen anything like it. I attempted to get them out, my fingers are cut up. The good news, you can finally see Ishi's face. It is beautiful. I saved the hair, I will photograph it and post. Those burrs can dig into their faces or necks and cause cuts which lead to infection. They are sharp they leave splinters when you pick them out, I can only imagine how many splinters Ish has on his forehead. I brushed softly and vetricyned his forehead. Bogie got a trim too. Gus had them imbedded into his short fur near his eyes. I razored his off. These burrs are the size of an acorn. BRUTAL!
Abby, our new mare, got her dreads cut out. It is awful to think people will leave an animal with hair so matted it has bugs living in it.
She seemed happy when I cut them, she was cooperative she stood still and stopped eating.
Thea's hooves were a hot mess. I have never seen that much overgrown frog and sole. She was trimmed not long ago. I am hoping the hoof growth is product of her quality diet. I trimmed the toe to relieve pressure on her leg. I could see a difference when I fed her tonight; she trotted to me with out the limp and head bob. Eagle, Dee and Mari are being separated from the herd when being fed. I was only doing this for Mari but Dee and Eagle are in need of peace plus extra feed.
The foals: Maggie, Jake and Sweet Pea socialized in the Round Up pasture with Kasey, Quinn and Bogie. Kasey and Quinn were fantastic but Bogie is a show off. I removed him when he decided he thought it was a Bay Meadows race track! The foals were into it. Tomorrow we ride, yippee!!!

Cherokee this teenager has all the right stuff a personality, affectionate and rideable.
Sometimes someone can say something to you that stops you cold....REALLY? Are you kidding me? This has to be a joke? I had one of those moments today. I think it is a full moon. Mercury is probably retrograding up someone's -ss or something, cause I can't sleep.
Here goes my rant, if your not in the mood close out :)
Caring for the ERC equines, and goatie goats, is expensive. Our generous donors & sponsors rely on ERC directors to disperse money safely. We do our best to make sure our vendors and service providers are compensated for their hard work and products. Unfortunately, there are people out there trying to make a buck and lose sight of what ERC stands for. I don't think they even get what horse rescue is or why we would even do it. Our volunteers help around the ranch at no cost because they get it: they are contributing to an equines or goats quality of life.
Our job is simple; save horses old, young, injured, orphaned, PMU and slaughter bound regardless of cost. It is about giving a living thing the right to live its life out - just as we have the right to live our lives out.
For those that don't get; the extorters, slaughter truck drivers, KB's, cartel that run the slaughter house's in Mexico and the everyday Joe..... Karma is a B. 
I will sign this with...
Love, Monica

Abby, our new bay mare. Abby arrived October 6, 2011 dropped off at ERC due to abandonment in the Panoche Valley. Abby has dread locks in her mane, it hasn't been brushed in months. She took a couple of days to warm up but once she got the routine, realized we feed grain, she was my new best friend. 
Sunday was a quite day. I ripped down a section of the Adobe fence and installed t posts and wire, not barbed wire. The current fencing at the front section of Adobe is a hot mess. It took a couple hours but I did it! I feel as if I passed a test. The grains are dialed in, I have the horses sectioned out for specific amounts of feed, supplements and hay. Mari is putting on good weight. My camera broke! JC stepped on it. I wanted a new one anyway. Kasey was ridden by Gracie on Sunday, again. She was taken for a cruise around the ERC grounds. I feel as if I created a monster....Gracie has the fever!!!!!!

Miss Scarlett, she is solid as a rock. Never any issues, excellent disposition, she is our middle child in the Amigos pasture. This beauty is a double whammy, gorgeous on the outside and beautiful on the inside. She needs a special someone to come groom her, pull her out of her pasture, give her baths and bring treats.
The ERC was busy today, eventhough I was under the weather. Teresa and Ian visited; they mucked, cleaned, then Teresa rode Bogie while Ian walked Ishi on side of Bogie. They went off into the mountains for a trail ride/walk. Both horses were very relaxed and happy to be going somewhere. Teresa worked with Blue, our three year old BLM mustang, she did a great job. They also pulled all three foals out and we walked them out to the oak tree in round up. The foals loved it. They had a little spook but collected themselves with out a problem. All three foals are halter broke and I am working on cleaning hooves, I got Jake ok with it, the girls need to learn.
Have I mentioned how much I love the Kpachavi family (Teresa, Arnaud, Yannick, Ian and Kofi). They travel for six hours when they come to the ERC for the day, three hours here - three hours back.
Our newbies; Vinnie, Tony and Abby are settling into the Amigos pasture. Chance likes them and I see him wander off to be with their little herd. The seven of them are uniting slowly. They have realized there is so much more to there pasture. The seven of them have started exploring. Gracie rode Kasey with a new bit, by herself bareback in the arena. Patrick tried getting on Kasey before Gracie, Kasey was not happy. So he got off, we realized she only wants Gracie!!! I rode Pj in the arena to keep them company and make sure Kasey was ok with situation. I don't know who I was more proud of Gracie or Kasey? Gracie had a perma-grin on the entire time.
Dee and Tony came out of their pasture and cruised around with the loiterers, they really like it when they get to do that. Dee asked to be groomed, so I did it. Tony (Talk Show Tony) has come so far. I can't believe how relaxed he is and how gentle he has become. There's your proof; let a horse be a horse, give them room to roam, a herd and consistent feeding + love and you will have a happy horse. I am able to pet Cheyenne everyday, it's old news, LOL. She is making slow progress, I like it! Dixie is going to move into the loiterer's. She doesn't like the stress of Adobe. If I pull her I need to pull Cheyenne out too. Chey will be lost with out her. JC, Bogie and Ishi will move into Adobe, they are young and able. Our hay has been paid for 10k, thank goodness for our little angel who came to ERC's rescue. We are now raising funds so we can purchase pallette's of grain. I'd like more hay too; I have room for about 500-600 bales. Our load of 504 filled the hay barn half way. I want our donors, sponsors, volunteers and supporters to know how much I appreciate you. Equine Rescue Center is successful because of you. You have believed in me. Our equines would not have a home if it weren't for you, thank you.

We are back from a few days away.
Today we received three new horses, all of which were irresponsibly abandon ;two geldings and a bay mare (photo to left). These three have moved into the Amigos pasture, all three need names.
All is well at the ERC. We had our first rain and all the horses, foals, donkeys and goats were fine with it. A Paicines rain is nothing compared to a Pigeon Point - Pescadero rain!!!!!
The next couple weeks we will begin the building of our shelters. Helpers wanted, needed and necessary :) Paaaleeease!

Really????? Quinn (Hippo) & Navarre. The loiterers made their way up to my casa. Where they stand waiting for me to come out. I was told when I was gone they came up to the house looking for me. HYSTERICAL. I love that they love me that much.
Dee had a mild colic today, I treated her with Immediate Response and the gas came-a-comin out within 10 minutes. She was down for 1/2 hour and we couldn't get her up.
She pulled thru and got up. Dee has 1000 lives (per Gracie). She has scared me so many times. I am suspicious that she was not drinking enough water.
Ishi & Bogie are best friends. They eat together, drink water together & sleep next to each other. Ishi looks like a whale. He has gained a nice amount of weight for winter. He is an adorable horse. Bogie did fantastic on the trail ride. We were so proud of him. I am considering taking Ishi out and ponying him behind Bogie. This would be for a short distance.
Today we started two new volunteers, Cynthia & Ben. They cleaned, helped and are spending the night in the ERC guest room. They are going to help out again tomorrow. They are local! YAY!!! We also had our fundraiser friend, Shana, come out to talk about our in the near future fundraisers. The Rowdy Creek & Amigos (Dakota, Muffin, Eagle, Morgan and Thea/ Cherokee, Chance, Luke and Scarlett) horses are all at a healthy weight and in good health. 
I received all of Blue's paperwork (BLM). Blue was 7 months old when he was rounded up in 2008. He is from the Augusta Mountains Herd in Nevada 75 miles southeast of Winnemucca. The wonderful lady who adopted Blue loved him more than anything. She passed away and Blue was left behind. He was given to ERC in hopes he could find a forever home. We have been told he has some issues with his spine and shoulders. Dr. Nancy Elliot did a work up on Blue. Blue needs a sponsor and a kind person to love him.  

Good times at the ERC. We had volunteers cleaning, grooming and then we did a trail ride. The horses were perfect. Even my little daughter rode Kasey behind us. The horses were loving the terrain. This place has incredible trails that are safe and offer historical destinations.
Mari has to have her tooth pulled. Her tooth has abcsessed. Jc still has small piece of a stick stuck in his neck. The vet will be coming.
Cheyenne is still progressing, I continue to place my hands on her when she eats. Her eyes have softened, she is completely comfortable here.
Dee is going into the paddock to eat. She is thin again. I am afraid Tony maybe stressing her and the younger horses are making it hard for her when she eats. I put her in today and she only ate half of her food. She doesn't eat much, she loses interest, but she seems to get enough. I am going to bump up the calories in her meals, CORN OIL,  RICE BRAN & BEET PULP SHREDS. She definitely liked the peace when she ate but became anxious to return to Tony & Jc. She is torn between two lovers.
There is no wipping winds here. What a huge difference it makes in our horses, they are calmer. Environment plays a huge factor in a horses well being. ERC is going to get Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries certification at our new Paicines site. We have a fabulous facility with all the necessary elements.
Pj was spectacular on the ride, have I mentioned how much I love that horse? I know...... that's all I ever say. Pj this, Pj that. Ok I'll stop!
It was really nice having so many people here today especially the children. This place was alive.

Dee, 26, (what a "coug" cougar) she totally bailed on Tony and went for Jc! Tony is 10, Jc is 5. Tony is devastated. Dee is head over heels for Jc. I know....he grows on you. Tony has decided to dominate Bogie. I think I will put our new mare "Ravin", who is coming in next Tuesday, with him. Maybe they will hit it off. I was just saying yesterday how in love Dee is with Tony!!! WTH?
It was a hot day, a balmy 97. I have grown to like it. If it is 80 it feels cold to me. The horses are getting fed up for winter. Kitty, Chloe, Dee, Mari, Tony, Blue and Jc are in need of some extra pounds. They are our thinner horses. Dee, Tony, Kit and Chloe need to some weight but need to stay on the thin side due to ther arthritis & fractures. Too much weight would make their pain levels increase. Blue is finding his place and really likes Chloe. Who doesn't like Chloe? Blue is still a little thin and is opening up to me. He doesn't shy away when I groom him. I can lead him halterless. I approach him walking backward then gently place my palm on his cheek furthest from me. I whisper kind words to him and walk forward. He follows. It is a rush to be able to do that, I love it. Since I started this he follows me constantly. He can careless if he is going to get run off by Waverly or jealous Pj. Cheyenne ate her meal with my hands on her back. Gracie yelled out "AMAZING MOM". She walked up to me this morning and I placed my hand on her muzzle. She exhaled and I turned and walked away. Chance, Luke, Scarlett and Cherokee are solid they are fattening up and are low maintenance. They have so much pasture. I am going to put 2-3 in the pasture adjacent to them. It is a beautiful spot. Ishi is getting a little chunky. His eye healed quickly. He is so content cruising with his best friend Bogie. He is low maintenance and just wants to be rubbed. The one thing I know he does not like is being hosed down. I am going to trim his bangs, they are so long, I think that's part of the reason he got an eye infection. Waverly's eye is already healed.
Over and Out!!

Dakota cantering thru the dry creek. Your jaw drops when you see him run thru the creek. So much power and agility. What grabs me most about Dakota is his rawness. The cowboy who had him could not (I don't like using this term) "break him". There is nothing about Dakota that should be broken. He is perfect in his own right, the way he is. He is learning people are kind, not all of us use force because we lack the knowledge and patience. He is being taught outside of the box. Slow and steady. 
The foals; Maggie, Jake and Sweet Pea are terrific. Those three are adorable, affectionate & tonight I picked up Jakes hooves as to clean them. He was comfortable and let me do what had to be done. Their hooves are so cute and little. When you can them you can put your arms all the way around their tummies and stand over them. They fight over who gets groomed. Maggie is always pushing her butt into you. Sweet Pea just tries to squeeze between the two of them. She is smaller than Jake and Mags. Jake won't leave my side, he is crazy glued to me. I love it!!! Maggie looked stunning in  the evening light. Her coat was a deep reddish brown. Real pretty. Sweet Pea is officially an appaloosa.
Mari is improving daily. She knows her routine. Two hours early she shows up looks at me and signals me it's time to go into the paddock to eat. She throws her head up and down; looks like she's saying yes then paws and stares at me. I think she learned this from Kasey!!! After she runs into the paddock and neighs. So I made her mash. She stays in the paddock for 4 hours. It takes her a long time to eat. She drinks water, rests and has her time away from the herd nonsense. Dee & Tony are in love. I catch Tony sleeping, standing up with his head leaning on her. Dee was so heartroken after Super died and Tony was suppossedly dangerous and shouldn't be with other horses. He is a big puppy, with a little attitude, LOL. Dee is the horse all the geldings like. The boys don't mind her broken hip, they think she is the one! I do too, Dee's is a pillar of strength. The mens find this attractive, hee hee.

Two days of fixing this post. Thank goodness for the Borba's. They help ERC & are always available. They genuinely believe in helping ERC,  never want compensation and give of themselves whole heartedly. In my life I have never met people like this. I have never felt such genuine kindness. The knowledge they posess. A real  cowboy & cowgirl, to the max; both were bull riders and have some of the best bucking bulls in the area.
All of ERC's neighbors are looking out for us, want to see us succeed and save more horses.  They are teaching me that there is no situation to difficult, no time to inconvenient and always help your neighbor. God bless the people of Panoche!
All of the Adobe crew was washed down today. Dixie stood under the hose for 15 minutes, there is no horse here that loves water more than Dixie. This is the first time in 14 months she has been able to be hosed down. The Pescadero site did not have running water available. Waverly, Pj, Troy (Tallac), Blue, Kitty, Quinn, Chloe, Bogie and Navarre got a wash down also. Quinn (Hippo) expects it. Cheyenne is changing at a fast pace. Again, today, I walked up to her and placed my hands on her. She is enjoying it now. She stares at me to make sure I notice her. I call to her and give her special treats. The connection is formed. She and I will have one of the closest relationships. I need her as much as she needs me :)
The donkeys, Patti & Gus, are great. Both have never looked better, they love this place. They are always tucked away under a shady tree. Those two cruise this ranch like they have lived here their whole lives. The Rowdy Creek bunch was groomed today. Eagle is thriving in this environment. She and Dakota have grown sooo close. I told Thea today that she was officially an ERC equine. I gave her a welcome to where you have been rub and brush down. She was in heaven. Her leg is bothering her. We will start the hylamotion and get the toe trimmed down. Muffin is still his little bossy, brat self. We love him. Waverly has an infected eye; we cleaned and are treating.

Thea (Taya), our new permanent resident to ERC. This gentle, well dispositioned mare is the heart of the Rowdy Creek bunch. Well loved by Muffin and Dakota, she has stolen the hearts of Morgan & JC too. It is normal to see her eating side by side with any one of the above mentioned geldings. Monday or Tuesday we will be receiving a new horse "Hawaii". She is 15 years young. More info to come. 
HAY, we have 504 bales being stocked for the winter months to come. ERC has a serious hay barn. This location rules! This weekend we decided where our shelters will be built. With our increasing size we will need 5-7 more shelters. Mari has a tooth issue. The vet was called and we are waiting to hear back. Hopefully we can get this looked at in the next day. She is on a mash diet, poor mare. I really feel sorry for her, Mari is terribly thin. Her food aggression is starting to cease. She knows she will be fed and separated from the herd. It takes her 3-4 hours to eat her mash. Bless her sweet soul.

Navarre & Quinn getting their daily wash. They love it when I do this. When I turn off the water they follow me around wanting more.
Today I spent time with Dixie Mae. She is the most affectionate horse ERC has. Dixie is our middle child who often gets over looked. I posted a picture below. She is a world champion roping horse who retired because of her overused legs. She suffers from arthritis and tendon ligament issues. Horses that rope end up like this, most never make it to a sanctuary. Dixie is a permanent resident. She needs sponsorship and someone special to bring her, her favorite treat "Mrs Pasture's Horse Cookies". We have had this sweet beauty for 3 years. She is by far one of my favorites.

Cool Quinn our hippo. Fed and sacking out!! He loves being able to loiter and float about the ranch. He is a great spirit.
Spent lots of time with the seniors today; grooming & bathing. Dee, Navarre, Quinn, Kitty and Chloe love the water. Sam & Mari run from it. Mari is starting to gain weight. I will post photos on facebook. It has been 2 weeks, I can already see an improvement. She is settled in and trusting me. She and Sam are going strong as a couple.
Tony is a gorgeous animal, watching him change, peeling back the layers, he is coming to be a gentle soul. It was always there it just finally had time to breathe. He has lost his position of herd leader to Dee. Dee has beaten the odds and dodged death several times. She is a solid, strong mare that has taught me to never jump to conclusions or assume. I have watched her come so close to euthanasia but she never gives up. She always comes out the other side. She is ERC's fighter! Cheyenne is allowing me to touch her when I am in the pasture. I come to tears when I reach out and she doesn't jump or run away. Cheyenne is ERC's most emotionally hurt horse. Her PMU past and her being tossed around has hurt her heart. It's rewarding to see her look at me with trust. I know in 2 years she will be as far as Eagle. Eagle was very similar to Cheyenne a year ago. Eagle is doing great in the Rowdy Creek pasture. I let out a "woohooo" when I see her canter across the creek. The fact that she can do that shows how beneficial the large space has been for her. Use it or lose it! She's using it.
I would like to plan a weekend camp out. If any of you would like to participate let me know. It will be FUN!!!

A busy day of fixing troughs, cleaning ERC facilities, grooming, lining up hay load delivery and handling the daily feeding. Yesterday our Rowdy Creekers busted another pipe! The next door neighbor, Carson, came over and fixed it, bless him. I swear I have never met such kind people. He would not take any money. My Gracie suggested we make him Tacos (and we threw in some beers). Tacos it was!!!
Thankfully this was fixed quickly so the horses were not waterless. The Rowdy Creekers can't access the area any longer, we fenced it off. The donkeys (the jesus trucks) have found the best spots to chill out. They are much smarter then the horses. They realize when it's ninety degrees you head for shade. The horses are relentless......they just stand in the sun. I groomed Luke, the horse that kicked me on Sunday, today. He really is a sweetheart. The kick was not his fault, he was doing what comes instinctually. I was the one who let my guard down. It happens. I know better.

Morgy- Today he got some serious exercise. Our newest volunteer rode him around the ranch. Trotting, cantering and having a great time together. Morgan needed a special someone to ride him around. He found Alex!!!!
Jc got a chunk taken out of his pastern. I cleaned, treated and wrapped. He was very cooperative. Tony & Dee are very happy to be in their own area, away from the herd. I have moved the others from them cause I sense Tony is stressed. He is working very hard to keep the herd in line. I want him to have some down time to gain a little weight and hang with his special girlfriend. She too needs a break. They will be reunited with their friends and can interact with them thru the fence. Luke kicked me today. It was BAD!!! He went to kick Cherokee and I took the blow. It was painful. At least Cherokee was spared. Navarre was going to be ridden by Gracie (6 year old) and he was not having it. He let us know NO BUENO!!!! We will respect his wishes. He is nothing but a rub bug :) Tallac got some serious loving today, his mane needs to be cut he has the horrible thistle stuck in it. Sam, Quinn, Mari, Chloe, Kitty, Patti, Gus and Navarre are the loiter crew who cruise the ranch freely. They get special treatment, extra feed, extra love and extra attention. They are our older crew who need to feel special. We will do whatever we can to accomadate their needs.

Goat Hill, ha ha.
Today was action packed. Ishi bucked one of our volunteers, during a training session. Oh green Ishi, so far to go.
Gracie road Kasey bareback around the ranch. It was awesome. After the ride Gracie got off and hugged Kasey's head. Kasey was leaning into it. I wish I had the camera. It was one of those moments....... beautiful. I lunged Jc to see how he moves. He looked great. Morgan got a short ride by one of our volunteers. Kasey, Morgan and Jc were moved into the Rowdy Creek pasture. Now it is really rowdy in there. The volunteers worked with the foals. Waverly is finally putting on weight, his stress level has decreased. He is settling in. I whistled today for my dog, and I swear, Navarre came running from far away. It was hilarious. One of the volunteers and I looked at each other with are mouths open!!!!! He is a dog in a horse body. Scooby doo where are you? We cleaned up the stable area and will continue tomorrow. Over and out!

Pj- "It wasn't me, I don't jump fences".
Yep....... Pj is a jumper. He has been socializing with all the horses. When he gets bored he bails and hits another pasture. I watched him jump a barbed wire fence like it was nothing. He is happy here, this place is a horse heaven.
Jc melts hearts! The more time spent with him the more he shines. He has an admirer, Dee. Oh yea, me too.
The goats are locked down resting. I am going to take video of their antics and put it on facebook. You have to see it to believe it.
Volunteers are coming tomorrow. Lots to do with the horses. Going to saddle up Jc, Ishi and Bogie.

The two babies loving on each other, Jake & Gracie. The foals; Maggie, Sweet Pea and Jake had visitors today. Very pleased with how affectionate the babies have become. All three will make great horses in the future.  
It has been quite busy at ERC with visitors. We are liking it :)
Patti & Gus ended up in the Round Up pasture tonight. They are total floaters.
Mari, our newbie, is really aggressive with her feed. I know she is doing it out of survival. She is underweight. I will separate her when she eats so she will not fear her food being taken by other horses. The problem.... when I separate her from Sam, both go CRAZY. 
The GOATS.......I was in the Amigos pasture, 3/4 of a mile from the stable and suddenly I heard a maaaaa from the mountain top 50 feet up. The goats; Davey, Pyg-pyg and Pyggie had ran 3/4 of a mile to try to be with me. They were all panting and screaming for me. I couldn't believe what I was seeing!!!! I drove back to the stable and the three of them showed up 10 minutes later wrecked. I swear those goats are humans! They make my day a little bit brighter and fill my heart with laughter. Dee's wound & Ishi's eye have healed. They are both much more comfortable than they were last week. It's hard to see a  them uncomfortable. I wish I could feel it for them. Tomorrow the stable clean up begins. Dust bunnies, mice, kangaroo rats, black widows and scorpions look out!!!!!

 

Cherokee & Chance looking really good,no more ribs, both have gained weight. At our old site it was so cold that we could not get weight on them. They are doing great here.
Today Patrick worked on the pipe & repaired it. All the Round Up horses are on the loiter. Bogie, Morgan and Tallac got into the bur bushes. Their manes are burred out! Navarre got his usual hose down, he loves water like Bogie. Tony is head of an 11 horse herd, WOW! Tony was the horse I was warned about....I was told he can't be with other horses and he was dangerous. Tony is dominant over the other horses but loves Dee and is a kitten towards me. Who would have thought a horse that broke his knee could live this life? Only Tony :)

Eagle Mae & Thea in the Rowdy Creek pasture coming in to say hello. All of our ERC horses no longer have any fungal issues. Fungus is not amongus!!! Fungus can't survive here.
We had a water pipe break in rowdy creek, thanks to our horses stepping on the pipe. Ouch. Patrick & Clint worked on it. It will be finished tomorrow. The Amigos broke the arm on their auto water. Eek. I think they like to play with the water. Today I put a low water trough in the Round Up pasture. I walked away and was surprised when I heard splashing & thrashing. I went to investigate.....Bogie was in the trough stomping and playing in the water :) He had a geat time. I hosed him down and filled it again so he could enjoy himself.
Our new mare, Mari, is settled in, already. She loves it here. She has bonded to Sam. Sam is really happy. He finally has a mare. Everything is coming together for Sam. What a life change for him in only three months. Ishi's eye is almost healed. JC had a small stick stuck in his neck. I have no idea where he could have done this? I pulled it out and cleaned the wound. I will keep a close eye on it. It was not in the muscle only subcutaneous. Kasey likes to beat up JC daily. They have a history, she likes being dominant over him. If it doesn't cease I will move him to another pasture. Kitty & Chloe followed me out of the ranch!!!! I left the gate open to the main road to check the Amigos water. I see Cherokee & Chance perk up, start running the fence line and suddenly Kitty & Chloe appear. I haltered Chloe (Kitty followed), let them say their hello's and walked them back to the ranch. They are characters! They stood by the gate until I returned. The nights at ERC are fabulous. I have never seen so many stars in the sky. Driving to ERC you can see coyotes, deer, eagles, wild pigs, rabbits, squirrels, owls, road runners, hawks, birds galore and cattle. There is only animal traffic, no cars! The horses, donkeys and goats are very lucky to have this environment. I see so many positive changes for the equines & me too!

Mari, this 30 year old Morgan arrived today to live in sanctuary at ERC. Mari is a very sweet horse with a typically, fantastic Morgan personality. She is a little underweight and we will feed her a soft diet. Her teeth need a float. She has already bonded to Sam & is calling out to all the other horses. The other horses call back to her. They are welcoming her.
Tallac has some kind of a tail infection it is due to foxtails lodged into the skin. His tail hair is very short. I started to pick all the yukky's out today. I will clean the tail thoroughly and spray with Vetericyn (my favorite product). Blue has the BLM brand, I have not received any information from the folks who dropped him off. I may need to research the brand.
It makes me sad that people drop off their horses and forget about them once they are at ERC. These horses need so much help, attention, patience, time and love. ERC moved here to provide a quality of life where they can roam freely, never have hunger pangs and receive exceptional care. Ok..... got that out. Good night :)

Tony - "feed me, you can not pass go until I get my grain!"
The round up group was out loitering the ranch for a week during our water issue. Tony ran me down everytime he saw the feed truck. 
Today we dealt with some health issues. Dee's cut is infected; I cleaned it out and started her on Pen G. Ishi has an infected eye. This always seems to happen in the dusty season. I cleaned his eye and started Teramycn. It has improved since yesterday. It must really itch because he likes when I rub it during cleaning. Ishi is turning out to be an awesome little horse. So much personality & incredibly affectionate. Luke's hoof is improving. I catch him galloping around his pasture. Thanks to our farrier, Jay Hatfield, Luke's prognosis is good. 
Blue & Tallac have settled into the Adobe pasture. They know their places and are establishing relationships with the mares (when Waverly permits).  Dixie & Cheyenne are doing well in the herd. The new horses & move have stressed them. Eating in the Adobe pasture can be challenging. There is constant moving around. I am feeding them farther apart with hopes it will keep them in their places. Tallac's hematoma has finally gone down. His previous owner said he had a fall in the trailer before he came to ERC. Tomorrow I will attempt to take photos & video of the foals. I will post on the (ERC) facebook page.   

Waverly minding his herd. He has been under stress trying to keep all the newbies in line and making sure he keeps his harem in check. All the new young geldings are pressuring him.
Order has been restored. All the horses were in our common area for a week. They are now back to their proper places.
We had Arnaud volunteering last week. He helped with all the horse needs;  fed, cleaned, weeded and busted his a-s! Thank you Arnaud. The foals; Maggie, Jake and Sweet Pea are growing. They are very dependent on one another. Volunteers; Teresa, Arnaud & Yannick haltered & walked them around the Round Up pasture, they did great. Alex and I groomed them, they loved it.
The goats have been coming up to my house! They have discovered where I live. In the evening they appear on my deck! The three of them are hilarious. They chase my quad or truck throughout the ranch.  Davey, Pyg-pyg and Pyggie are very unique goats.

"Navarre", a horse is a horse, of course.......
Navarre decided to hang out in the goat house. He has become an ERC loiterer. Navarre has free reign over the property. He is loving the attention and special treatment.
ERC just got a QUAD!! Donated generously by the Rental family. We really need an ATV on the property.
We had a water issue on Tuesday night. One of our pastures was not getting water. A couple local cowboys showed up at 10:30 pm & worked until 2:00am. We seem to have a clog in one of our tanks. This is a perfect example of the neighborly spirit here. I tried to compensate them and they said absolutely not! Thank you Borba family. At this time are "Round Up"pasture residents are in a contained area near the stable. The goats went on an adventure for 2 days. We could not find them. They showed up looking scared and happy to see us. If only we knew what they ran into? I am guessing coyotes, pigs and lions. They will never do that again! Pyg-pyg screamed at me for at least 2 hours and would not leave my side. Morgan and Jc have taught the goats not to hang around the herd. Jc charged Pyg-pyg and Pyggie today. The foals are great, they are very affectionate. Dee, Tony, Navarre and Jc went on an adventure up to my house! They appeared early morning and were staring at the feed truck. When they realized no one was around and there was no food they went back to there spot. Quinn has learned how to get into the hay and has taught all the "Round Up" horses how to swipe the hay out of the hay barn. Chance's dog bite is healing nicely. Bogie is destroying the water bobbers in the troughs. He thinks it's play time!

This is Sweet Pea, she was taken from her mom at 1-2 weeks old. She tries to nurse off Maggie for comfort. She is the smallest of the three. 
Yesterday I caught a dog attacking Chance. He got horrible puncture wounds, the pitbull was latched on to his leg. I threw a pan at the dog (I went postal)!!! I was able to get him to stop. I took the dog back to it's owner and let them know what's going on. No bueno! Chance was abused and does not deserve to be harassed by a dog.
JC and the three foals; Maggie, Sweet Pea and Jake are settling in. JC went into the Arriba pasture, he bonded to Bogie. They had a great time together. They were running, prancing, snorting, tails up and showing off. It was awesome. ERC needs some volunteers to help with weeding, removing bur bushes, fixing fences and setting up shelters.

Daily supplement feeding in the "El Adobe".
Today was a warm day. We hosed the horses down. Pulled Sam from his herd so he could eat in peace. He is the low man, all the horses are tough on him. He was very happy to get special treatment and a nice place to rest. After a couple hours he went back in to his herd.
Chance has some abrasions on his back legs, looks like he got into some trees.

Morgan is in his element. He is thriving in this environment.
We are starting to develop a routine at our new home. Today I groomed the "Arriba" pasture. All the horses were asking to be groomed. The Arriba pasture consists of Morgan, Tony, Dee, Navarre, Kasey, Quinn, Bogie, Sam and Ishi. Some will be moved from this pasture with their little herds to make a larger herd. The "Amigo" pasture consists of Cherokee, Luke, Chance and Scarlett. The "Rowdy Creek" consists of Muffin, Dakota, Thea and Eagle". The "El Adobe" pasture consists of Kitty, Chloe, Pj, Waverly, Dixie Mae, Cheyenne, Minifalda, Blue and Tallac. The goats:, Pyg-pyg,  Davey & Pyggie have full run of the place. Each night they are tucked into a very safe, cozy barn. They love the new set up & the pampering. ERC has been welcomed with open arms to this community. Thank you Paicines!

We made it to our new home. The horses and donkeys are settling in. Thank you to all our transporters and volunteers. We have two new additions; "Blue" a young mustang and "Tallac" who is 6 years old.  The weather here is hot. The horses are grazing all day. There are lots of burs and sticky weeds. Some of the horses are getting matted burs in their manes. That is going to be a project.
There are many new alliances. It is amazing to see Luke, Scarlett, Cherokee and Chance banded together. They fought like crazy before we moved here.
Morgan and Bogie are new buds. Bogie loves water. It is nice to have running water and electricty. Our new site is a horse facility. It is awesome!!!!

ERC volunteer, Ashley. 
Today the volunteers ran the rescue. I made a guest appearance, I can't stay away from them. Did some bodywork on Kitty, Chloe, Tony and Dakota. Tomorrow we will focus on Dee, Navarre, Dixie, Quinn and Chance.  Had a powerful response from Kitty. She had major blockages. I gave acupressure release  to the cranial sacral, fetlock/pastern, pelvis and hocks. The horses loved it. Lots of yawning. 

ERC is officially moving. This passed week and the week to come will be very busy. We need as many people with trailers to move us Saturday and Sunday July 30 & July 31. ERC has 26 horses. This week we will move all of our shelters and make the new site cozy for our rescues. Our new site has 150,000 acres. Yes.....150,000. It is massive!!! The drive is far but the horses deserve to be somewhere they can roam and live the way they are meant to live, in herds.  
We also need saddles and tack. ERC will be providing guided rides to the Joaquin Murrietta Caves and an internship program for college students. 
The ERC horses are well. They know something is up. They seem to be waiting. 
If you would like to lend a hand with the move by helping with horses, trailering or moral support please join us!!! 

This is one of our new ERC volunteers, she is a horse person!!!! She spent loads of time with the horses. 
Today Arnaud & Phillip took the PM feeding & tasks. 
It was drizzling this morning, yesterday it was 70 degrees. Huge changes. 
Chloe's eye is starting to deflate. It's a wonder she could even see yesterday. 

Hippo (Quinn) chill"in with his stylin fly mask. 
Warm day at the rescue. Arnaud & I spent the day mucking, grooming, fly spraying and cleaning. ERC volunteer Dayanna rode Pj bareback for a while. She loved it. Waverly was in a mood today. He was aggressive toward all the horses; biting, chasing, etc. Kitty, Chloe and Kasey enjoyed loitering outside the pasture for most of the day. Dixie  likes water/baths. I poured some buckets of water on her. She really liked it. Cherokee has a nice personality, sorta like Pj. He follows you when you are in his pasture he is really sweet and social. Sam has been approaching me. Asking to be groomed and greeted. Sam has a new sparkle in his eyes. Speaking of eyes Chloe has her yearly eye infection. Every year come summer time the dust and fly mask cause her to get an infected eye. I cleaned and applied Teramycin eye ointment. She should bounce back in a couple days.

Kasey & I trusting one another. It is a truly magical feeling to be able to do this with her. 
ERC is moving! We needs lots of trailers, helpers & support. If you can haul horses please let me know via email monica@equinerescuecenter.com or phone 650-784-1166. We are moving to a milder climate & a larger site. 

Morgan got some serious loving today. He is one of the nicest horses at ERC. He likes to go for rides and have a job. He is ERC's Puente Kids horse. 

Today was a drizzly day. The blankets are back on Sam & Chance. Dakota, Eagle, Muffin, Dee, Morgan, and Navarre were spoiled today with loads of grooming, cleaning and massage. Arnaud, ERC volunteer, spoiled Tony with treats galore. 
I have been receiving many inquiries to volunteer thanks to the article in the SJ Mercury News and San Mateo Times. 
This Saturday ERC will be at an Arts & Music Festival in Half Moon Bay "Project Knew Groove" located on Capistrano.  

Sweet Pj with his guy-liner. 
ERC made it into the news, yay!
http://www.mercurynews.com/san-mateo-county/ci_18444767?IADID=Search-www.mercurynews.com-www.mercurynews.com
Our volunteers have been working hard. Sunday we had a hoof trimmer out to trim some of our rescues. Ishi ran like crazy to evade being caught to be trimmed. I got kicked in the arm and leg when I was putting on his halter. A loud yell came out of no where and Ishi was gone like the wind..... and I almost hit the ground! I am fine. Ishi won that one, he did not get trimmed. We will go for it again later this week. The weather is making our equines very hungry, it is cold along the coast. Morgan has lost some weight. He and Tony are best friends. It's about time another horse bossed Morgan around. It has humbled him. He is much nicer. Chloe is a character. She loves to drink Coca Cola. The old owner told me, so we tried it out. It was hysterical. She would have drank the whole thing if I would have let her. 
ERC volunteer Arnaud has been coming daily helping with all the tasks. It is great having such a nice person help. After all the tasks are done we saddle up Waverly and Pj. Arnaud rides Waverly and I ride Pj. We cruise the ranch. Pj loves to go on adventures. He really wants to explore, he puts up a little fight when I turn him back. Waverly on the other hand is in the back calm and cool. Nothing bothers him. He'll do whatever Pj does. 

Lots of goings on at the ERC. Flies are out in force. Masks are on and the spray is being sprayed, toweled and sponged. Waverly is being ridden regularly and he loves it. One of our volunteers is spending quality time with him. Navarre has become a volunteer favorite. He looks forward to being groomed. He hates the flies and throws his head. Even when we sponge his face and mask he is still terribly irritated by them. Patti & Gus are finally losing the woolly mammoth look. They are open to grooming. Two of our volunteers are spoiling them with treats and loving. Tony has transformed into a sweet & gentle horse toward me. He freaked out last Sunday when a volunteer took Morgan (Tony's herd mate) out for a ride. Tony galloped and cried out. Tony is bonded to Morgan. I don't think Tony has ever been in pasture with another horse. His previous life was a stall or paddock by himself. Dee is gaining weight......Yippee. Luke aka "the boss" (pictured above)Lukey is 16 hands and rules his roost. We have discovered his left sole has dropped. He currently has an orthotic on. We are hoping with time his hoof can heal. Luke came out of the kb lot with his Sis Scarlett. Luke is affectionate and wants all the attention. 

Today was all about Bogie. 
This five year old gelding was purchased at a kb lot in early May. 
Dominant, intelligent and eager for a job this buckskin enjoys his best buds Quinn and Ishi. Bogie will remain in Qt for a couple more months. 

Sammy, Kb rescue, arrived early May. 
Mexican rodeo horse, he is in his 20's, and was roughed up. 
This sweetheart, is under 15 hands and is starting to blossom. Watching this horse start to trust and like us is like watching a rose bud and bloom. He is the rescue in the group that needs the most attention and kindness. Sammy needs sponsorship. 

This is a hippo in an equine body. Quinn a 16 hand appaloosa kill buyer lot rescue. Arrived at ERC early May and took ill the 2-3rd week. A repercussion of being put into the slaughter bound lot. This gentle giant with some serious attitude spends his days putt-ing around the pasture with his best friends Ishi & Bogie. He is beginning to except Sam as a friend too. We are thankfully able to medicate him again. Quinn has suffered severe trauma to his front legs. ERC's goal is to lessen pain and provide a quality of life. 

Scarlett, arrived early May, is out of the kill buyer lot in Central California. She is under 10 years and stands at 16 hands. This dominant mare is broke, sweet, gorgeous and very connected to her brother Luke. Scarlett has not taken ill. She will be quarantined for 2 more months. 
When you see this photo the first thing that comes to mind is "this came out of the auction?" The kb told us he purchased her from the from the auction. That is all that we know about her. We kept Scarlett with her Brother Luke. Separating them would have been tough for both. 

A beautiful day. 
All of our quarantine horses are hanging in there. Our quarantines are the real horses that need to be rescued. No guarantees and no veterinary files. These wonderful horses pick up nasty things when they are thrown into an auction or brought to a kill buyers lot. They are thrown away and forgotten. It's important for everyone to understand these are the horses that will not make it. They are the ones who need a home..... a second chance. They don't need to end up in shrink wrap on a Paris grocery shelf. Horse rescue isn't warm & fuzzy or predictable it can be cruel, difficult, heartbreaking & unpredictable. For the next 8 days I will put a photo up of each of our kill buyer lot rescues. We are just getting to know them. They are beginning to trust us. They are no longer confused and heartbroken. They are beginning to shine. They know they will be fed, groomed & cared for. The connection is forming with them.  I see their happy eyes, hear nickers and whinnies and a look of appreciation. It is the most rewarding feeling. 
Ishi.......... a love bug. Green broke, sweet as can be, gentle, curious and social. He is about 2-4 years old. To know this horse, you would ask yourself why??? How could anyone give him up? 
Ishi is always in the mix. In the middle of all the action and with his two best buds Bogie and Quinn. He has a very thick mane and forelock. He loves to be groomed & talked to. ERC is fortunate to have Ishi as a rescue. 

Rain, rain, rain. The pastures semi flooded. The horses were freezing. None of them have winter coats and they were shivering. I felt so bad for them. I blanketed some of them. It felt like January or February today. 
Sam and Chance struggled. All the horses got an extra flake of hay it helped. Luke is going to be moved into a paddock enclosure. His hoof is of great concern. I'd like to give it a real chance to heal. He is beating up on Chance, Cherokee and Scarlett. I fear his lunging at the horses will only make the hoof worse. 
I finally wormed the QT1 horses (Bogie, Ishi, Quinn and Sam). I held off because they were ill. They are making a speedy recovery. 
Quinn has to start back on his medication for his leg/hoof. I held off due to his illness. We will start back up this week. The last thing I want is for him to be in pain. He is finally starting to like me again. I like seeing the excitement in his eyes when I approach him. For at least a week he would see me and bolt, when I would touch him he'd pin his ears and give me his rear. Not anymore. That's nice. 

Volunteers! The horses were spoiled today. Arnaud, Phillip and Dayanna spent time with the equines. Dayanna and Phillip rode Pj. They loved it. Arnaud, Phillip and I cleaned the pastures.
Dee is moving much better than she was last week. The hoof trimming relieved the stress on the joint. Tx Jay. 
Waverly was in great spirits. Arnaud and Teresa rode him Sunday. They say he is awesome to ride. Waverly has come into his own,  he is king of the main pasture. All the mares are head over heals for him. I have to say I really like him as the herd leader. Great vibe in the main pasture. 
Minifalda is starting to trust me, it's been a year. She looks forward to me bringing her treats. She loves her long naps and grain. 
Gus, one of our mini donkeys, was soaking up all the attention Phillip was giving him. I am happy Gussy is getting a special someone, Phillip. Gussy is finally letting us pull some off his woolly mammoth fur off. 
Dakota's getting comfortable with me picking out his hooves. The next step..... I am going to rasp his sharp edges. Fingers crossed. 
Thank you volunteers. It makes the day fun to share all the tasks, have lunch together and feed the equines. 

What a week! 
This week our  ERC volunteers; Arnaud, Johanne, Gwynnie, Dayanna and Ashley helped clean, groom and feed the herd. Thank you for your dedication. We had an autistic teen out this week to ride Pj. We will be starting a tailor made program specifically for him. He loved the horses and the goats. 
Chloe has fallen for Waverly. She has been in the main pasture. He mounted her several times. Kitty wanted in on the action, she too is in the main pasture. There is an incredibly positive energy in the main pasture. 
Patricia brought loads of goodies; grain, XL container of Joker treats, large bottles of fly spray, fly masks and grain. Thank you Patricia we needed all of those things. Your support is appreciated.

Jay Hatfield, our donating hoof trimmer, was out to ERC today. Jay spends time explaining all the ailments to us. He is never rushed  & always takes the time to rub the horses/greet them. He trimmed and shod 13 horses. It was loads of work. Jay worked tirelessly to address multiple issues. We are so fortunate to have Jay!!! Thank you for caring for ERC. Luke seems to have a dropped sole, it is severe. Jay put a special orthotic shoe on him.  Hopefully this can help while time reveals the outcome. Kasey's abscesses have resolved. Dee has been limping. She appears to have swelling in her right fetlock. The hoof trimming should relieve some stress. Tony was on to me and bolted away each time I tried to catch him. Morgan's hooves have revealed what was expected, a little separation. Jay said he seems to be fine now but he is not allowed treats or grain. Thankfully the grass is drying out. Morgan and grass don't mix.
Vanessa was working her a-s off today cleaning all the pastures and feeding. Clint, Vanessa's husband, came to fix fences and posts at no cost. Thank you Clint!!! ERC would be lost with out Vanessa and Clint. Thank you for your kindness. 
Monday we will have mucho volunteers!! Yay :) 

The dish according to Vanessa. 
Dee is getting an abscess too. Kasey's is flared up. Dakota bit Vanessa, it was a bad bite. Bogie is really struggling with his illness. He is really being affected due to his age. He should be out of the woods in the next couple of days. She said everyone else is in good form. :) Thanks Vanessa you are an awesome friend, volunteer and  treasurer.