Post by Exceller Fund on Oct 9, 2006 23:49:48 GMT -5
Dear Exceller Fund members:
Is it me, or is this year just flying on by? I just got a catalog for CHRISTMAS cards! Yikes! I think I still have some Halloween decorations I never put away from last year, and I KNOW I've got some Easter baskets hanging by the front door, patiently waiting for me to put them in their box in the garage. Oh the garage....I don't even want to think about that right now.
I hope everyone is able to find a cool spot to relax during this very hot weather that seems to be affecting just about everywhere! My home lost power for 3 days a couple of weeks ago. Of course, the temperature was 114 during that time! My cat kept giving me this look like "Human, why don't you DO something about this intolerable heat? Can't you see it's affecting my cat-like coolness?"
Okay, enough with the chit-chat. Let's get down to the Update which is a bit overdue, but it seemed like situations kept changing on us overnight!
Here's a "Quick View" of what this update will cover:
WARNING
If you don't care to look at pictures horses, then don't bother reading any further.....this update is chock FULL of links to many, many pictures of our horses!!!!
EPONA Horses - Cause of Cam, Unexpected Miracle, Itpaystobelate
The initial e-mail that we got from EPONA was very alarming, even more so when we didn't get an answer back from our inquiries right away. As it turns out, EPONA is facing financial difficulty, but the intent of the e-mail was to get some action from a folks who had pledged some major support but hadn't gotten around to delivering on the pledge. However, that does not change the fact that we cannot leave our horses in limbo, not knowing what is happening at EPONA.
Many thanks to the responses from our members as it has provided us with additional stable and foster opportunities that we may be able to use in the near future. As it turns out with EPNOA, when the volunteers found out that The Exceller Fund would be moving these three long-time residents, it sparked them into action. It seems that the volunteers have fallen absolutely in love with these 3, and the thought of them leaving made them quite sad. Of special concern is the very close relationship that Cause of Cam has with the blind EPONA gelding Iceman. Individual volunteers have stepped forward and offered to adopt Cam as well as Miracle, and the volunteers would also like to sponsor Lately so that all 3 horses can remain.
After discussion with Exceller Fund board members, we sent EPONA our Adoption Application for the individuals to complete. The applications have been submitted, and we are approving the individual adoptions. We will be having them sign our Lifetime Adoption Agreement for each horse. We will also obtain a Foster Agreement signed by the individuals who wish to sponsor Lately. This will allow these 3 horses to remain in the home they have known for quite some time, and it provides The Exceller Fund with individuals who will be financially responsible for these horses and that have additional resources to move the horses should it become necessary.
Leah from EPONA called me to assure me that the barn owner is working with EPONA and has a vested interest in keeping the group there. The volunteers provide daily and routine maintenance for the facility, and the owner is sympathetic to the cause of horse rescue.
RERUN - Restructuring their program
The Exceller Fund has been very proud of the relationship we have maintained with ReRun, Inc. As you know, ReRun has provided care for a number of Exceller Fund horses. The management of ReRun changed about 1 1/2 years ago. ReRun finds itself having to restructure their program and is no longer able to provide their program services to The Exceller Fund.
What does this mean for us? Well, it means that we, The Exceller Fund, are now growing and finding resources on our own, and we have made arrangement for all horses that were under ReRun's care.
Rich In Dallas
If you will recall, Paul and Kelly Linn closed the Virginia chapter of ReRun at the beginning of the year, and now run their own program under their farm, Woodridge Farm - www.woodridgefarm.net Paul and Kelly have been EXCELLENT care providers, and we made a separate agreement with them to continue providing care for Rich In Dallas. In addition, The Exceller Fund is welcome to send more horses to Woodrige Farm, and we are very close to making that happen. There is more on this below.
Almata, Franconia, & Franchised
Our 3 "girls" are being lovingly cared for by Lori Neagle at her New Hope Farm. We have made a separate agreement with New Hope Farm to continue providing the retirement these Thoroughbred "Queens" deserve. As a matter of fact, Barbara Livingston recently visited Lori, our girls, and a couple of other grande old dams at Lori's for an upcoming book that Barbara is working on. Barbara took photos of Almata, Frankie and Franny, and you can see them here on Barbara's website:
www.barbaralivingston.com/gallery/album159
I encourage you to visit this website and leave some great comments for Barbara. Let her know how much The Exceller Fund appreciates her! She has always been a wonderful supporter of The Exceller Fund.
Dah Waterboy
Waterboy is currently being cared for by Nicole Patenaude at her farm, Moss Landing. We have also made a separate agreement with Moss Landing to continue caring for Dah Waterboy while we continue to look for an adoptive home. We did have an inquiry from a breeder in Texas who currently stands Dah Waterboy's sire, Fappiano Road. The breeder sustained some storm damage at their farm, and we are waiting to hear back if they will be able to provide a retirement home for Waterboy. Goodness knows, this boy deserves it!
Patriot, Gem, Sully's Silver & Love Me R Leave Me
These four horses were at the ReRun facility in New York. We have moved all 4 horses just a short distance away to Triple L Stable where we currently have Handsome Jolly Jim, Upon A Roof, Windy, Kings Temper and Mad Mac (see below!) The good news with Sully is that we have weaned him off of the daily bute dosage he was on. We were shocked to find out that he had been on a dosage of up to 3 grams of bute per day! Sully is now on an herbal supplement that uses Devil's Claw, and Lisa L. and Lisa Gates both report that Sully is bright eyed and alert, has a keen interest in his food and loves to go out in the paddock with his buddies.
Here's some great photos of Sully!
Here he is enjoying the day playing in the paddock!
Sully enjoys the company of Lisa L's mini:
Sully and Lovey
Sully enjoying bath time:
Gem is also reported to be doing quite well. She has been very calm and loves the attention and grooming she receives by the volunteers at Triple L. Gem has experienced issues in the past with her heat cycles during the fall and winter. We are in discussions with a couple of equine reproductive experts, and we may have them provide temporary care for Gem to observe her when her fall heat cycle draws near. More on that as discussions become finalized.
Love Me R Leave Me is an adorable horse, although he is stiff and has arthritis. At this point, he doesn't look like he will be ridable. Our board member, Karla Phanuef, will adopt "Lovey" and take care of his board and bills. He will stay in New York for now while Karla gets a place ready for him where he can enjoy the life of a pampered Pasture Puff.
Patriot may soon be traveling south along with Upon A Roof and King's Temper. Upon A Roof should soon be going to Paul and Kelly. Patriot and King's Temper will be going to new foster homes just south of Paul and Kelly. These are people that have been referred by Paul, and upon submission of their Foster Application, we have approved them to be Fosters. The Virginia/North & South Carolina/Georgia/Alabama area seem to be a good market for OTTB's, and we anticipate it will be easier to find adoptive homes for these 3. Actually, Kelly tells me that she has several people who are very interested in Upon A Roof (Topper), so he may soon be getting a new home!
Here are more recent photos that Lisa L. sent us of our horses:
The gorgeous Topper (Upon A Roof)
Love Me R Leave Me (front) and Topper (rear)
Topper struts his stuff!
Patriot!
Pro On The Road (Gem)
NEW HORSES!
We have two more horses!!!!
KINGS TEMPER
This 6 year old bay gelding is a son of Kingsboro out of the Temperence Hill mare Rapid Temper. He was on our Trainer Listings, but was shortly sold to a nearby dealer. The dealer has a great dislike for cribbers, and Kings Temper (aka "Randy") is a cribber! Our New York volunteers sent in donations to help "bail out" Randy, as the dealer was not going to let him stay for very long.
He is at Triple L stables where Lisa L. reports he is a very even tempered horse who is a bit on the lazy side. Hardly anything phases this guy - motorcyles, trucks, apparatus crashing to the ground - Randy doesn't even bat an eyelash. The bad news is, boy can he crib, and he can take off his Miracle Collar in nothing flat. Other than his cribbing, he is very gentle and affectionate.
Here's some photos of Randy -
Looking pretty:
Right after bathtime:
Ready for a ride:
Dum...dee...dum
Ready to crib....(Get away from that fencepost Randy!!!)
MAD MAC
We have another new horse! His name is Mad Mac, and he is a 7-year old gelded son of Cyrptoclearance out of Mad Mo, a mare by Dr. Carter. Mac is a bay who is recently from the Fingerlakes track. We received a request from a horse dealer asking if we would please take him. Mac has a sore ankle that requires some time off, but the dealer was getting in a lot more horses and needed the space. Mac is quite handsome, and a vet exam showed that he should be fine after about 6 to 8 weeks of rest.
This is a case that, to me, exemplifies the mission and beauty of The Exceller Fund. We provide an avenue for horses that simply need a little bit of time to "get back on their feet" so to speak. Without us, I don't like to think where Mac would be right now. Mac has joined the other horses currently at Triple L Stables in New York. Our member and volunteer Lisa Gates is there quite often, and we get almost DAILY reports and photos from the barn owner, Lisa Leogrande.
Here are some photos of our newest boy!
He loves to run and play!
Hanging out - avoiding flys
HORSES WE HAVE HELPED
One of the nicest things about being a part of The Exceller Fund is the ability to help horses even if they aren't one of "ours." We receive requests from other organizations that are looking for help with a particular horse - either one that needs to get out of a bad situation right away, or perhaps a horse that urgently needs some veterinary treatment. If we are able to spare a few dollars to help make a grim situation look much better, than we will do so. We have a formal request process for some requests. Other requests are answered by our members taking action to help. I'd like to share a few recent ones with you:
MANOFGLORY
Earlier this year, The Exceller Fund was contacted by an Exceller Fund Member who had been connected to a racehorse by the name of Manofglory, and wanted very much to retire the 9 year old gelding who was running at the lower levels of racing. In his prime, Manofglory had won and placed in stakes races and earned over $300,000, and this person wanted to make sure he would be able to enjoy a well deserved retirement. However, discretion was needed to ensure that the intention was not received in a negative fashion by the current owners.
We turned to our member, Sandra Warren, who knows some of the people at the track where "Manny" was racing, to see if she could make some discreet inquiries. Long story short, Sandra was able to convince the trainer to sell the horse to the person who wanted to retire him and was able to get him transported from the track to a temporary care situation until arrangements could be made to take him back home. This person is most grateful for the time, effort and help offered by The Exceller Fund, and especially by our member Sandra Warren. This person has made a very generous donation to The Exceller Fund in honor of Sandra. This is such a wonderful story all the way around! A hard campaigning horse is now retired by the person who loves him, the efforts of someone who often times works "in the background" is recognized, and the money will help The Exceller Fund help more horses! Words cannot express the gratitude that I feel to be involved with the wonderful members of The Exceller Fund!
CHEERSTO GLORY
On June 30th we received an e-mail from Friends of Ferdinand, Inc., a new organization that formed in 2005 in honor of Ferdinand. Friends of Ferdinand seeks to provide alternatives to slaughter for Indiana's racehorses - Thoroughbred, Standardbred, and Quarterhorse. They have an affiliation with the United States Equestrian Rescue League. I had first read about Friends of Ferdinand in the monthly newspaper from the USERL, and they also work closely with CANTER.
FFI had taken in a 6 year old chestnut gelding, a son of Honour and Glory out of the Rahy mare Hurrah Hurrah. In part, they wrote to us:
What the vets thought was an abscess in his right hind hoof and which he has been treated for the past 3 months, has now been diagnosed as a cyst on his coffin bone, which is leaking fluid into the hoof capsule, thus causing pressure and pain. In order to correct this problem, Cheers needs to have surgery done on his hoof at Purdue Veterinary Hospital. We have been told that while Cheers may never be ridable, he will have a very good quality of life, which is all we want for this 5 year old. He is so full of life, and has such a wonderful, inquisitive personality - we feel very strongly that he deserves this chance. The surgeon has been over nighted the x-rays and will be getting us an estimate for the surgery. The preliminary estimate is between $2000 - $3000.
I am writing to you in hopes that the Exceller Fund will be able to offer FFI some assistance in this. As a new non-profit organization, this is a very large undertaking for FFI, and any assistance the Exceller Fund can give will be greatly appreciated. I have attached a picture of Cheers as well as a scanned image of the x-ray of his hoof.
We had some discussions with them and our own board members, and agreed to assist with $500 towards the surgery, payable directly to the veterinary hospital. The exciting news was that, with our commitment in hand, FFI was able to get the vet to schedule surgery and give the group additional time to pay the balance of the bill! It gets even better. When Cheers was in the hospital, the staff discovered his condition was a bit unusual and made it a training study, so they gave a significant discount on the bill and FFI was able to raise enough funds to pay the balance! The surgery went well, and Cheers is on his way to what looks like a full recovery!
You can check out the website of Friends of Ferdinand for more information on Cheers:
www.friendsofferdinand.org/index.htm
And here you will see they have us listed as one of their supporters!
www.friendsofferdinand.org/sponsors.htm
BOLD TENSION
In May of this year, another rescue group was very concerned about a stallion and 2 mares that were headed to a nearby auction where kill buyers frequently buy horses. The stallion was a son of Seattle Slew, and the mares were purported to be in foal to him. There were many posts on the internet, and many e-mails, and the funds came through for the stallion, but what of the mares?
We sent an e-mail and almost immediately received a phone call back asking if The Exceller Fund could help out with the last remaining mare. We sent $150 which allowed Another Chance 4 Horses to secure this 13 year old mare safe from slaughter.
A sad follow up note on the story regarding the stallion. A wonderful adoptive home was found for Honor Boy, the 17 year old son of Seattle Slew. The adoptive owners commissioned a transport to bring Honor Boy to his new home. Reports are that Honor Boy died along the way.
Another Chance 4 Horses was very grateful for The Exceller Fund for coming through for this mare.
www.ac4h.com
www.ac4h.com/tbs.htm
SYLVESTER "RIBBONS"
Back on June 30th, some "auction watchers"** at the Sugarcreek Auction in Ohio noticed a horse that just seemed to stand out from the rest of the horses in the doomed "kill" pen at the auction: (**Auction watchers are people who go to the auctions to observe and record any inhumane treatment of the horses, and to take note of the Thoroughbreds that go through the auction.)
Speculation ran rampant on a few internet message boards about where this pretty white, scrubbed pony with pink and blue ribbons in his made could have come from, and why he was at such a place. Most feared that the worst probably happened to the poor fellow. The auction watchers went back the next week, and the pony was still there. They found out the pony was blind, and the "meat" buyers were not allowed to load the pony on their truck. I don't know if it's a federal law or an Ohio law, but a blind horse cannot be loaded on a truck for slaughter, and this fellow stood out just a bit too much, apparently, for the comfort of the meat shippers.
Personally, I couldn't stand the thought of this anymore. I made a few phone calls and was put in touch with a woman who could take the pony to her place on a temporary basis. However, she did not want to drive 2 hours to Sugarcreek if the pony was no longer there. For various reasons, she did not feel comfortable calling the auction owner. I called the auction owner and confirmed the pony was still there, and set a price of $50. The pony was picked up Saturday, July 8th. He had a runny nose after being in the auction pen for a week, and apparently did not have much access to food or water. Upon arriving at the rescuer's farm, the pony drank 3 buckets of water!
"Sylvester" (his new barn name) has been checked by a vet, and after 2 weeks of anti-biotics, is confirmed to be in good heath with a new negative Coggins. His eyesight was examined at a vet clinic, and it was confirmed that he lost his eyesight to an old infection. Nothing can be done for his eyesight, but he may have limited light/dark vision in one or both eyes. At any rate, he has proved himself to be one smart and likable pony! I paid the initial $50 purchase price plus the cost of gas out of pocket. Other folks wishing to donate for the pony sent donations to The Exceller Fund, and we in turned paid the vet bills.
Since a lot of the discussion and initial action on the pony took place on the Chronicle of the Horse message board, he has been given a "formal" show pony name by the COTH posters - COTH Angles Lucky Ribbons From Exceller. He is available for Adoption and is currently located in West Virginia.
Here's some more photos of this sweet boy:
First Night "home"
Feeling better:
"Heaven"
Looking for a new permanent home. Let me be your pony!
Post exceed maximum characters - continued on next post
Is it me, or is this year just flying on by? I just got a catalog for CHRISTMAS cards! Yikes! I think I still have some Halloween decorations I never put away from last year, and I KNOW I've got some Easter baskets hanging by the front door, patiently waiting for me to put them in their box in the garage. Oh the garage....I don't even want to think about that right now.
I hope everyone is able to find a cool spot to relax during this very hot weather that seems to be affecting just about everywhere! My home lost power for 3 days a couple of weeks ago. Of course, the temperature was 114 during that time! My cat kept giving me this look like "Human, why don't you DO something about this intolerable heat? Can't you see it's affecting my cat-like coolness?"
Okay, enough with the chit-chat. Let's get down to the Update which is a bit overdue, but it seemed like situations kept changing on us overnight!
Here's a "Quick View" of what this update will cover:
- Update on situation at EPONA
- ReRun - restructures their program - Exceller Fund moves on (Lots of links to current photos!)
- New Horses
- Horses we have helped
- Rich In Dallas - Latest Adventure!
- Request for volunteers - Fingerlakes Track
- Current Horses - update/recap
- Fundraising
- Website Revisions
- New Members
- Dues!
WARNING
If you don't care to look at pictures horses, then don't bother reading any further.....this update is chock FULL of links to many, many pictures of our horses!!!!
EPONA Horses - Cause of Cam, Unexpected Miracle, Itpaystobelate
The initial e-mail that we got from EPONA was very alarming, even more so when we didn't get an answer back from our inquiries right away. As it turns out, EPONA is facing financial difficulty, but the intent of the e-mail was to get some action from a folks who had pledged some major support but hadn't gotten around to delivering on the pledge. However, that does not change the fact that we cannot leave our horses in limbo, not knowing what is happening at EPONA.
Many thanks to the responses from our members as it has provided us with additional stable and foster opportunities that we may be able to use in the near future. As it turns out with EPNOA, when the volunteers found out that The Exceller Fund would be moving these three long-time residents, it sparked them into action. It seems that the volunteers have fallen absolutely in love with these 3, and the thought of them leaving made them quite sad. Of special concern is the very close relationship that Cause of Cam has with the blind EPONA gelding Iceman. Individual volunteers have stepped forward and offered to adopt Cam as well as Miracle, and the volunteers would also like to sponsor Lately so that all 3 horses can remain.
After discussion with Exceller Fund board members, we sent EPONA our Adoption Application for the individuals to complete. The applications have been submitted, and we are approving the individual adoptions. We will be having them sign our Lifetime Adoption Agreement for each horse. We will also obtain a Foster Agreement signed by the individuals who wish to sponsor Lately. This will allow these 3 horses to remain in the home they have known for quite some time, and it provides The Exceller Fund with individuals who will be financially responsible for these horses and that have additional resources to move the horses should it become necessary.
Leah from EPONA called me to assure me that the barn owner is working with EPONA and has a vested interest in keeping the group there. The volunteers provide daily and routine maintenance for the facility, and the owner is sympathetic to the cause of horse rescue.
RERUN - Restructuring their program
The Exceller Fund has been very proud of the relationship we have maintained with ReRun, Inc. As you know, ReRun has provided care for a number of Exceller Fund horses. The management of ReRun changed about 1 1/2 years ago. ReRun finds itself having to restructure their program and is no longer able to provide their program services to The Exceller Fund.
What does this mean for us? Well, it means that we, The Exceller Fund, are now growing and finding resources on our own, and we have made arrangement for all horses that were under ReRun's care.
Rich In Dallas
If you will recall, Paul and Kelly Linn closed the Virginia chapter of ReRun at the beginning of the year, and now run their own program under their farm, Woodridge Farm - www.woodridgefarm.net Paul and Kelly have been EXCELLENT care providers, and we made a separate agreement with them to continue providing care for Rich In Dallas. In addition, The Exceller Fund is welcome to send more horses to Woodrige Farm, and we are very close to making that happen. There is more on this below.
Almata, Franconia, & Franchised
Our 3 "girls" are being lovingly cared for by Lori Neagle at her New Hope Farm. We have made a separate agreement with New Hope Farm to continue providing the retirement these Thoroughbred "Queens" deserve. As a matter of fact, Barbara Livingston recently visited Lori, our girls, and a couple of other grande old dams at Lori's for an upcoming book that Barbara is working on. Barbara took photos of Almata, Frankie and Franny, and you can see them here on Barbara's website:
www.barbaralivingston.com/gallery/album159
I encourage you to visit this website and leave some great comments for Barbara. Let her know how much The Exceller Fund appreciates her! She has always been a wonderful supporter of The Exceller Fund.
Dah Waterboy
Waterboy is currently being cared for by Nicole Patenaude at her farm, Moss Landing. We have also made a separate agreement with Moss Landing to continue caring for Dah Waterboy while we continue to look for an adoptive home. We did have an inquiry from a breeder in Texas who currently stands Dah Waterboy's sire, Fappiano Road. The breeder sustained some storm damage at their farm, and we are waiting to hear back if they will be able to provide a retirement home for Waterboy. Goodness knows, this boy deserves it!
Patriot, Gem, Sully's Silver & Love Me R Leave Me
These four horses were at the ReRun facility in New York. We have moved all 4 horses just a short distance away to Triple L Stable where we currently have Handsome Jolly Jim, Upon A Roof, Windy, Kings Temper and Mad Mac (see below!) The good news with Sully is that we have weaned him off of the daily bute dosage he was on. We were shocked to find out that he had been on a dosage of up to 3 grams of bute per day! Sully is now on an herbal supplement that uses Devil's Claw, and Lisa L. and Lisa Gates both report that Sully is bright eyed and alert, has a keen interest in his food and loves to go out in the paddock with his buddies.
Here's some great photos of Sully!
Here he is enjoying the day playing in the paddock!
Sully enjoys the company of Lisa L's mini:
Sully and Lovey
Sully enjoying bath time:
Gem is also reported to be doing quite well. She has been very calm and loves the attention and grooming she receives by the volunteers at Triple L. Gem has experienced issues in the past with her heat cycles during the fall and winter. We are in discussions with a couple of equine reproductive experts, and we may have them provide temporary care for Gem to observe her when her fall heat cycle draws near. More on that as discussions become finalized.
Love Me R Leave Me is an adorable horse, although he is stiff and has arthritis. At this point, he doesn't look like he will be ridable. Our board member, Karla Phanuef, will adopt "Lovey" and take care of his board and bills. He will stay in New York for now while Karla gets a place ready for him where he can enjoy the life of a pampered Pasture Puff.
Patriot may soon be traveling south along with Upon A Roof and King's Temper. Upon A Roof should soon be going to Paul and Kelly. Patriot and King's Temper will be going to new foster homes just south of Paul and Kelly. These are people that have been referred by Paul, and upon submission of their Foster Application, we have approved them to be Fosters. The Virginia/North & South Carolina/Georgia/Alabama area seem to be a good market for OTTB's, and we anticipate it will be easier to find adoptive homes for these 3. Actually, Kelly tells me that she has several people who are very interested in Upon A Roof (Topper), so he may soon be getting a new home!
Here are more recent photos that Lisa L. sent us of our horses:
The gorgeous Topper (Upon A Roof)
Love Me R Leave Me (front) and Topper (rear)
Topper struts his stuff!
Patriot!
Pro On The Road (Gem)
NEW HORSES!
We have two more horses!!!!
KINGS TEMPER
This 6 year old bay gelding is a son of Kingsboro out of the Temperence Hill mare Rapid Temper. He was on our Trainer Listings, but was shortly sold to a nearby dealer. The dealer has a great dislike for cribbers, and Kings Temper (aka "Randy") is a cribber! Our New York volunteers sent in donations to help "bail out" Randy, as the dealer was not going to let him stay for very long.
He is at Triple L stables where Lisa L. reports he is a very even tempered horse who is a bit on the lazy side. Hardly anything phases this guy - motorcyles, trucks, apparatus crashing to the ground - Randy doesn't even bat an eyelash. The bad news is, boy can he crib, and he can take off his Miracle Collar in nothing flat. Other than his cribbing, he is very gentle and affectionate.
Here's some photos of Randy -
Looking pretty:
Right after bathtime:
Ready for a ride:
Dum...dee...dum
Ready to crib....(Get away from that fencepost Randy!!!)
MAD MAC
We have another new horse! His name is Mad Mac, and he is a 7-year old gelded son of Cyrptoclearance out of Mad Mo, a mare by Dr. Carter. Mac is a bay who is recently from the Fingerlakes track. We received a request from a horse dealer asking if we would please take him. Mac has a sore ankle that requires some time off, but the dealer was getting in a lot more horses and needed the space. Mac is quite handsome, and a vet exam showed that he should be fine after about 6 to 8 weeks of rest.
This is a case that, to me, exemplifies the mission and beauty of The Exceller Fund. We provide an avenue for horses that simply need a little bit of time to "get back on their feet" so to speak. Without us, I don't like to think where Mac would be right now. Mac has joined the other horses currently at Triple L Stables in New York. Our member and volunteer Lisa Gates is there quite often, and we get almost DAILY reports and photos from the barn owner, Lisa Leogrande.
Here are some photos of our newest boy!
He loves to run and play!
Hanging out - avoiding flys
HORSES WE HAVE HELPED
One of the nicest things about being a part of The Exceller Fund is the ability to help horses even if they aren't one of "ours." We receive requests from other organizations that are looking for help with a particular horse - either one that needs to get out of a bad situation right away, or perhaps a horse that urgently needs some veterinary treatment. If we are able to spare a few dollars to help make a grim situation look much better, than we will do so. We have a formal request process for some requests. Other requests are answered by our members taking action to help. I'd like to share a few recent ones with you:
MANOFGLORY
Earlier this year, The Exceller Fund was contacted by an Exceller Fund Member who had been connected to a racehorse by the name of Manofglory, and wanted very much to retire the 9 year old gelding who was running at the lower levels of racing. In his prime, Manofglory had won and placed in stakes races and earned over $300,000, and this person wanted to make sure he would be able to enjoy a well deserved retirement. However, discretion was needed to ensure that the intention was not received in a negative fashion by the current owners.
We turned to our member, Sandra Warren, who knows some of the people at the track where "Manny" was racing, to see if she could make some discreet inquiries. Long story short, Sandra was able to convince the trainer to sell the horse to the person who wanted to retire him and was able to get him transported from the track to a temporary care situation until arrangements could be made to take him back home. This person is most grateful for the time, effort and help offered by The Exceller Fund, and especially by our member Sandra Warren. This person has made a very generous donation to The Exceller Fund in honor of Sandra. This is such a wonderful story all the way around! A hard campaigning horse is now retired by the person who loves him, the efforts of someone who often times works "in the background" is recognized, and the money will help The Exceller Fund help more horses! Words cannot express the gratitude that I feel to be involved with the wonderful members of The Exceller Fund!
CHEERSTO GLORY
On June 30th we received an e-mail from Friends of Ferdinand, Inc., a new organization that formed in 2005 in honor of Ferdinand. Friends of Ferdinand seeks to provide alternatives to slaughter for Indiana's racehorses - Thoroughbred, Standardbred, and Quarterhorse. They have an affiliation with the United States Equestrian Rescue League. I had first read about Friends of Ferdinand in the monthly newspaper from the USERL, and they also work closely with CANTER.
FFI had taken in a 6 year old chestnut gelding, a son of Honour and Glory out of the Rahy mare Hurrah Hurrah. In part, they wrote to us:
What the vets thought was an abscess in his right hind hoof and which he has been treated for the past 3 months, has now been diagnosed as a cyst on his coffin bone, which is leaking fluid into the hoof capsule, thus causing pressure and pain. In order to correct this problem, Cheers needs to have surgery done on his hoof at Purdue Veterinary Hospital. We have been told that while Cheers may never be ridable, he will have a very good quality of life, which is all we want for this 5 year old. He is so full of life, and has such a wonderful, inquisitive personality - we feel very strongly that he deserves this chance. The surgeon has been over nighted the x-rays and will be getting us an estimate for the surgery. The preliminary estimate is between $2000 - $3000.
I am writing to you in hopes that the Exceller Fund will be able to offer FFI some assistance in this. As a new non-profit organization, this is a very large undertaking for FFI, and any assistance the Exceller Fund can give will be greatly appreciated. I have attached a picture of Cheers as well as a scanned image of the x-ray of his hoof.
We had some discussions with them and our own board members, and agreed to assist with $500 towards the surgery, payable directly to the veterinary hospital. The exciting news was that, with our commitment in hand, FFI was able to get the vet to schedule surgery and give the group additional time to pay the balance of the bill! It gets even better. When Cheers was in the hospital, the staff discovered his condition was a bit unusual and made it a training study, so they gave a significant discount on the bill and FFI was able to raise enough funds to pay the balance! The surgery went well, and Cheers is on his way to what looks like a full recovery!
You can check out the website of Friends of Ferdinand for more information on Cheers:
www.friendsofferdinand.org/index.htm
And here you will see they have us listed as one of their supporters!
www.friendsofferdinand.org/sponsors.htm
BOLD TENSION
In May of this year, another rescue group was very concerned about a stallion and 2 mares that were headed to a nearby auction where kill buyers frequently buy horses. The stallion was a son of Seattle Slew, and the mares were purported to be in foal to him. There were many posts on the internet, and many e-mails, and the funds came through for the stallion, but what of the mares?
We sent an e-mail and almost immediately received a phone call back asking if The Exceller Fund could help out with the last remaining mare. We sent $150 which allowed Another Chance 4 Horses to secure this 13 year old mare safe from slaughter.
A sad follow up note on the story regarding the stallion. A wonderful adoptive home was found for Honor Boy, the 17 year old son of Seattle Slew. The adoptive owners commissioned a transport to bring Honor Boy to his new home. Reports are that Honor Boy died along the way.
Another Chance 4 Horses was very grateful for The Exceller Fund for coming through for this mare.
www.ac4h.com
www.ac4h.com/tbs.htm
SYLVESTER "RIBBONS"
Back on June 30th, some "auction watchers"** at the Sugarcreek Auction in Ohio noticed a horse that just seemed to stand out from the rest of the horses in the doomed "kill" pen at the auction: (**Auction watchers are people who go to the auctions to observe and record any inhumane treatment of the horses, and to take note of the Thoroughbreds that go through the auction.)
Speculation ran rampant on a few internet message boards about where this pretty white, scrubbed pony with pink and blue ribbons in his made could have come from, and why he was at such a place. Most feared that the worst probably happened to the poor fellow. The auction watchers went back the next week, and the pony was still there. They found out the pony was blind, and the "meat" buyers were not allowed to load the pony on their truck. I don't know if it's a federal law or an Ohio law, but a blind horse cannot be loaded on a truck for slaughter, and this fellow stood out just a bit too much, apparently, for the comfort of the meat shippers.
Personally, I couldn't stand the thought of this anymore. I made a few phone calls and was put in touch with a woman who could take the pony to her place on a temporary basis. However, she did not want to drive 2 hours to Sugarcreek if the pony was no longer there. For various reasons, she did not feel comfortable calling the auction owner. I called the auction owner and confirmed the pony was still there, and set a price of $50. The pony was picked up Saturday, July 8th. He had a runny nose after being in the auction pen for a week, and apparently did not have much access to food or water. Upon arriving at the rescuer's farm, the pony drank 3 buckets of water!
"Sylvester" (his new barn name) has been checked by a vet, and after 2 weeks of anti-biotics, is confirmed to be in good heath with a new negative Coggins. His eyesight was examined at a vet clinic, and it was confirmed that he lost his eyesight to an old infection. Nothing can be done for his eyesight, but he may have limited light/dark vision in one or both eyes. At any rate, he has proved himself to be one smart and likable pony! I paid the initial $50 purchase price plus the cost of gas out of pocket. Other folks wishing to donate for the pony sent donations to The Exceller Fund, and we in turned paid the vet bills.
Since a lot of the discussion and initial action on the pony took place on the Chronicle of the Horse message board, he has been given a "formal" show pony name by the COTH posters - COTH Angles Lucky Ribbons From Exceller. He is available for Adoption and is currently located in West Virginia.
Here's some more photos of this sweet boy:
First Night "home"
Feeling better:
"Heaven"
Looking for a new permanent home. Let me be your pony!
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