Some may have seen this picture of Princess hooting around the arena before, in the Facebook album “Jumping Beanies”.  However, we have an update on this…

Princess has always loved to jump. She and Marla share a large paddock area where both youngsters are free to run and play to their hearts’ content. Today, as I was heading out to the corral area to grab my forgotten bag of wormer, I noticed the two beanies running and playing as is their wont.

Now flashy dun Princess is coming two years old this spring, yet she romps with the exuberance of a weanling. Her tail is up like a wind dancing banner, her way of going entrancing, in play. And, all of a sudden, she is airborne. And I don’t mean all-four-hooves-off-the-ground-at-a-gallop airborne, I mean airborne airborne.

She sailed over the three-rail wooden fence, clearing it with room to spare.

Princess at the fence

That, my friends, would be this fence right here (photo taken around Christmastime). My jaw dropped. She was even more beautiful and exuberant as she tore about the yard, so proud and pleased with herself and full of energy. I don’t know about anyone else, but I think this filly’s future is as a jumper, perhaps a hunter-jumper prospect for youth. She literally exulted in that flight, and it had no purpose except thrill so far as I could see! Should we re-name her Pegasus?

Reunited, and it feels so good...

...or does it??

Things have been pretty slow around the rescue lately, what with all the snow! Now that there’s been a thaw, we decided to re-acquaint Princess with an old friend. This is always done in the arena, where the environment is more controlled and the horses can be easily separated if there are problems. Princess, the oldest horse in the arena, wanted her old friend Freedom to know on no uncertain terms that she was boss! Despite that they were rescued and rehabilitated together. (Well..not really. Freedom wasn’t born yet, they’re only about 2 weeks apart in age, but Freedom did not experience any abuse or neglect, which Princess did).

Trotting with Marla

Cantering with Marla

With Princess and Marla examining his behind, there's no way Freedom will move a muscle!

OOOH, different snow! I think I'll try it out.

WHEEEEEEE!

Princess races Marla

All this time Freedom stands out of the shenanigans…either he’s scared of the girls, which he acts, or he’s smarter, because he knows better than to tear around on such uncertain footing. I’m betting on both. Although, the girls have been tearing around on various uncertain footings all winter and are quite experienced.

The baby trail: Freedom, Marla, Princess

Princess' #1 volunteer fan walks her down the road.

Princess is a pony with a wonderful disposition, still waiting for a home. She’s started ground training (longeing, etc.) and will be ready to start saddle training (very light) this spring. There is also a video of today’s foolery up on YouTube. Check it out if you’d like to get an idea how she moves!

Brandy and Sweets in the snow

As every horse owner should know, horses should have access to fresh water at all times. All year, the rescue horses have had access to the pond and the stream for drinking water, and this was sufficient for them. After the snowfalls, I’ve observed that the horses do not drink out of the stream as much…probably because they very rightly fear slipping on the snow and ice as they stand angled downhill to drink. So, I put a water trough in the shelter.

While I was filling it, instead of hurrying to drink as if she were thirsty from avoiding the stream, Brandy got as close to me as she could (I was filling the trough from outside her gate), put her head over the panels to be petted. This in itself was not unusual for her, as she is a very affectionate horse.

But yesterday was special. She put her face very close to mine and I breathed into her nostril, and she just sighed, breathing slow and even. I just kept stroking her neck and then for some reason I felt the urge to rub my face against her cheek. She did not object to this, just snuggled closer. We did this mutual face rubbing while the water trough was filling.

She is such a sweet, loving girl! Brandy is adoptable and desperately wants a home of her own, a human partner and friend for life. To view her profile page, click this link: http://www.freshstarthorserescue.org/2010/04/brandy/

There are also other posts about her, here is another:  http://www.freshstarthorserescue.org/2012/03/post-expo-brandy-update-pics/

Also, more about her can be found on our Facebook page.

Jumping the creek

Either way, the barn will be open for adoptable horse viewing/applications. Peggie is going to help start getting it set up tomorrow.

She is also doing a wonderful job pitching in with Princess’s care. Princess has been moved out of the rescue horses area and into the pasture with the family horses for about a week now, so she can get some more grass, variety of feed, and room to move, all important for her young growing bones. We plan to use Her Royal Cuteness for our Christmas Holiday card this year. Hopefully that will happen tomorrow!  Her training is progressing a bit more slowly than I had planned, due to the bugs and crud the kids are bringing home from school. Weather change is hard on everyone, even the horses.

Now is the time to be careful with diet changes and to watch for signs of colic. Make sure that senior horse has the correct nutrition and plenty of fresh water. Horses tend to drink less when it’s cold, but they still need to keep their hydration up!

Anyway, hope to see everyone at the sale Saturday come Heck or Snow. There will be a whole lot of different stuff, including tack, and we all love tack! If anything changes with the sale we’ll let you know.

FSHR will hold our annual yard sale Friday and Saturday, Nov. 30 & Dec. 1 from 9 a.m. to ?. Lots of stuff, tack, horse stuff & misc. as well as lots of working appliances, a motorcycle and other vehicles, and furniture. AND of course open barn and rescue horses for your petting &/or adopting pleasure! If you would like to contribute salable items, horse stuff, or baked goods, please drop off at FSHR. Sorry but this year TVs, electronics will not be accepted. For directions call 970-882-7522. Proceeds from FSHR/donated items go straight to the care and feeding of the rescue horses!

(note: this is a date change from Nov. 30-Dec. 1. Sorry to anyone who was planing to come that weekend. We have family illness and Doctor appointments to blame…)

http://www.whisperingwindsanimalsanctuary.org/horses-needing-forever-homes.html

I was hoping to put out a newsletter saying how things have finally turned around here at the ranch.  We finally got the clutch back for the tractor and things were getting ready to move forward.  However, early this afternoon my son passed away.  We usually have coffee in the mornings together but this morning he had been up & had gone back to bed so I went on with my daily routine.  When his curtains weren’t open by early afternoon I went and checked on him.  I found him dead in our 5th wheel.

Princess, Nov. 2012. A beautiful, adoptable yearling coming 2 in April 2013.

Thanks to your faithfulness, the rescue horses are healthy and thriving while awaiting their forever homes.

As many people now know, FSHR, like so many others, has had to cut down on the size of our herd. This has been a heartbreaking decision, knowing there are horses out there that we simply cannot reach out to at present.

Thanks to you, our supporters, the rescue’s finances have continued to sustain the horses themselves; it’s the finances, time and health constraints of the founders’ family itself that have caused difficulty with supporting the rescue’s infrastructure and programs, which have also been cut back. This has not been an easy time and we regret not being able to provide the same services to the community that were provided happily through early 2012.

Many thanks to our adopters, who have given their horses a chance at a new, happy and productive life! And the new mustang sanctuary has given Puzzle, our most proud and indomitable mustang, a permanent restoration to her wildness and freedom as part of a herd that includes her family members, in the very land of her birth! She is thriving there, and it is very emotional for us to see.

Puzzle and Star, free forever at the new mustang sanctuary, courtesy of a sanctuary angel.

FSHR still has a herd of very nice and deserving horses that would each make a wonderful addition to the right family. Links to their pages are listed below, followed by updated pictures (Aug. – Nov. 2012). More of their current activities can be found in more recent posts and on Facebook. These girls have been waiting a long time.

In the meantime, it must be made clear that this difficult time is not the end of Fresh Start, but merely a hiatus for restoration and recovery. It is our hope that in 2013 a “fresh start” for Fresh Start will make it possible for our programs to resume, including most importantly the ability to resume taking in needy equines. Thank you for your support!

http://www.freshstarthorserescue.org/2011/04/clover/

http://www.freshstarthorserescue.org/2011/02/sweets/

http://www.freshstarthorserescue.org/2010/04/brandy/

http://www.freshstarthorserescue.org/2012/03/post-expo-brandy-update-pics/

http://www.freshstarthorserescue.org/2011/10/adoptable-princess/

Princess - yearling, November 2012; now a hand taller than Clover, her dam

Sweets in her stall Oct. 2012

Sweets in turnout, in the last days of good grass, 2012

Clover has become a fun trail horse

Brandy and the farrier

Brandy jumps the creek

Tempo- at her hoped-to-be-permanent foster home

If you know anything about this horse or have seen it please contact Carol at 970-562-4460; or 970-739-3324.

Lost Horse

Click on the picture once and it will be the same size; click on it again and it will be full size. As always with cross-posts, please contact the OWNER, not FSHR, with information about this horse.