Enchanting Colors....



Enchanting Colors Nov 2010



We currently have a really nice mare available for adoption. We've had her since November and we found her in the kill pen at a local auction. She was emaciated and about a 2 on the Henneke scale. You could easily see her hip bones, ribs and spine. We outbid the kill buyer, took her home and fattened her up.  We researched her tattoo and found her name to be Enchanting Colors a 12 year old Thoroughbred mare. She raced twice, winning a $132 then retired to be a broodmare. We were told by the previous owner that there was something seriously wrong with the mare because she just couldn't gain weight. She was kept around for the sake of her foal, then discarded at the auction. There was absolutely nothing wrong with this mare. She ate well and gained weight fairly fast. Within a couple months she started to look like a horse again. We did nothing special with her, other than in the beginning she was fed three small meals daily. She's now borderline fat and thrives on a round bale and one graining per day. We aren't here to pass judgement, we are here to help the horses. Sometimes it's difficult, as I am a very opinionated person and I get tired of hearing the excuses and watching the horses suffer.



Enchanting Colors Feb 2011



The mare, affectionately named Leia, is 100% sound, healthy, and ready for a new home. She is extremely sweet and easy to handle. She has great ground manners and loves to be brushed and doted over. She stands great in cross ties and stands quiet for saddling, bridling and mounting. She lunges well and we've had her under saddle a few times now. Leia will need an experienced rider/trainer to continue her progress. She's a sensitive mare but will be easy to re-train.  She has lovely movement and could excel as a hunter. She stands about 15.2h and has a really nice build. Her placement fee is $400.

If you are interested, or know anyone who is, please contact us at 612-384-6908. This mare deserves her own, loving owner where she can be spoiled and have a job. It really is such a waste for a horse of her potential to just sit idle in our pasture.

Enchanting Colors under saddle

Enchanting Colors

Photo Thursday...

Since yesterday's blog left me in tears, I thought I'd share some recent photos from around the farm. These animals always make me smile, no matter how bad things seem to be. I'm so blessed to have them in my life and if I can give them back a fraction of the happiness they have given me, my job has been done.

Enjoy....




Enchanting Colors "Leia"







River and Daria Snoozing in the sunshine





Matilda the miniature donkey and Sox



Impress Cache and Solitary River



Distel Dancer with cat crew and Bailey the goat





Clo Jo "Noelle" with Sox the cat



Impress Cache enjoying a roll

Goodbye is never easy.....

Today we said goodbye to Fella's Flash, a 20 year old Standardbred we found at the feedlot. We never got a chance to get to know Fella. Apart from our brief meeting at the lot, glancing at his tattoo, admiring the knee that was the size of his head, and giving him a few pats,  that was the extent of it. It was heartbreaking to watch him limp around. It was obvious he was in pain. We talked amongst ourselves, wishing we had enough money to buy him and have him humanely euthanized. It didn't seem there was anything we could do for the sweet 17+ hand giant of a horse except say a little prayer. Having just made a plea to help raise funds for the old TB broodmare, we didn't feel it was appropriate to ask again for the Standardbred. Luckily a few individuals were touched by his story and donated to his cause. At twenty cents per pound, the cost to spring his 1290 pound body was going to exhaust our budget even with the few donations we received. After all, not only did we have to pay his bail, we also had to consider the cost of euthanasia and disposal.

After making a few calls, Dr. Jen informed us the Pony Club graciously offered to donate the cost of the euthanasia. In return, Dr. Jen was going to use Fella's legs for educational purposes. A win-win situation. We decided it was important for Fella to have a dignified death. After winning his owners money on the track, providing a lifetime of service to humans (he still had a nail in his overgrown hoof) and ultimately being tossed in the trash, this gelding needed to know someone cared enough to at least give him that.



Fella enjoying his last meal



We picked Fella up at the feedlot this afternoon and went straight to the clinic. Kate gave him a delicious mash filled with yummy treats and we gave him lots of pats, scratches and hugs. As he was given a sedative, we told him what a good boy he was and how beautiful he was going to look once he crossed over the rainbow bridge. Dr. Jen administered the injection and he peacefully slipped away surrounded by people who loved him. Fella would never have to feel pain again. Although he briefly touched our lives, I know I will never forget him. After it was all over, I cut a lock of his tail and after braiding, it will hang in a shadowbox at the barn with his picture and a plaque that reads:

Fella's Flash

 Standardbred Gelding

8/16/91 - 2/16/11

Goodbye sweet Fella - may you soar on wings of eagles.



There are no coincidences...

Yesterday I posted about taking chances and about how we sadly had to pass on an older TB mare at the auction due to budget constraints. Who knew this mare would keep resurfacing?

Jen Selvig, our Vice President, Consulting Vet, and accomplished three day eventer,  has always dreamed of having a beautiful grey Arabian for trail riding. Although she will probably smack me for outing her,  that's really where the story of this mare continues. As it happened, the most beautiful grey Arabian I had ever seen was run through that same auction and was picked up by the same dealer as the TB mare. I couldn't stop thinking of this grey Arab and thought he'd be perfect for Jen. So after some convincing, we took a chance and headed to the feedlot on Sunday in attempt to track him down.  While at the feedlot I recognized the TB mare from the auction, took some photos and gave her a few treats. We trotted her for soundness and glanced her over. We took note of her posty back legs and her thin and unconditioned coat. We wrote down her tattoo number in attempt to see who she was, even knowing at that point, really there was nothing we could do. Our funding is so limited and we had just taken in the grey.





TB mare loaded in the trailer

As we pondered the grey Arab, we shuffled around the barn and watched the activities. A large triple axle stock trailer backed up to the barn and they began weighing and loading horses. Oklahoma bound first, then Mexico we were told. We were also given a lesson on how market horses, also known as slaughter horses, were rated. Much like cattle they have different grades. We were told stock breeds were most desirable, followed by lighter breeds, then Thoroughbred types and finally drafts. We then watched as the TB mare was loaded along with many, many others. We watched her slip on the scale and nearly go down as they were yelling for the others to keep loading.  I could see the mare's head in the trailer, recognizable by her star and blue halter. I walked up to the trailer, scratched her forehead, told her I was sorry and wished her luck. I said a small prayer for her and walked away. Jen and I posted bail for the grey Arabian and left. My 12 year old daughter had tears in her eyes.

Monday afternoon we had planned on picking up the grey. Colleen Foley, our Secretary and friend Kate Jensen joined us. Upon our arrival we were amazed to find nearly all of the horses were gone. I never got a head count, but I would guess there was at least 40-50 horses the day before. In the east pen, in a cluster of about 10 horses was the mare - same star, same blue halter, same hip number. For whatever reason she had been unloaded, along with a couple other horses I had seen head up the ramp and into the trailer. Why was this mare still there? Why was her life spared when she was already loaded and ready to head south? Call me crazy, I do believe in signs and I do believe there are no coincidences in life. Everything happens for a reason and you are exactly where you are supposed to be - when you are supposed to be there. Were we brought back to this mare for a reason? I can see missing out on her once (the auction),  maybe twice (Sunday at the feedlot) but three times?

There are no coincidences. Perhaps even though it is financially draining on us to have a collection of old broodmares, that is what we are meant to do at this point in time.

You can't save them all.....and taking chances

Every month a local horse auction venue houses an all breed auction. MNRRP has frequented this auction over the winter, our slower season, in attempt to pick up ex racehorses who have fallen through the cracks. We've been rather successful as Leia, Dancer, and Noelle have all ran through this auction and are now happily munching hay in our pasture.

How do we decide who comes home and who doesn't? It's a fairly simple process. As funds and space are available we evaluate how many we can take in at the time of the auction and decide on a budget. Once that is established, we evaluate how many tattooed horses are at that particular auction. We take into consideration age, soundness, obvious injuries, temperment, and overall condition. We need to keep in mind which horses are going to be appealing to potential adopters. Having too many unbroke, elderly broodmares in our pasture isn't the best option for us as finding homes for them is nearly impossible even if we offer them with waived placement fees. Those pasture spots are then occupied for long periods of time. In theory,  if they were relatively sound geldings or younger mares, they'd place into new homes faster, then freeing up a spot and allowing us to help another needy horse. I'm not saying we discount all older broodmares - we currently have three. It's just if given the choice to save a younger gelding with no soundness issues and could potenitally have a long career ahead of him or a 20 year old unbroke broodmare - to us the choice is obvious. It's a smart business decision and we cannot save them all.

We do believe every horse has worth. Sound, crippled, healthy, sick or otherwise. We do feel sympathy for those horses we have to pass on. We watch as they are sold as "market horses" and know what lies ahead for them. Trust me, it's difficult to envision any horse's life ending with a long, stressful trailer ride to Canada followed by a captive bolt to the head and ultimately winding up on someone's dinner plate overseas. It's tough and a lot of sleep is lost. I have learned over the many years of attending this auction, to not to take it personally. We have to be realistic and practical when attending these auctions and leave emotions at the door. Of course this does not always work as in the case of Leia. Leia was found at a recent auction, in the kill pen, severely emaciated. We felt sorry for her, took her home, fed her and she blossomed. She is 11 years old and a former broodmare - currently available for adoption.  No, we can't save them all but it does matter to the ones we do.



Solitary River in the auction kill pen



Yesterday there were three  horses that caught our eye at the auction. A big beefy 8 year old 16.2h gelding, a teenage bay TB mare that was led through, advertised as unbroke and had been a broodmare her entire life. And finally a big flea bitten grey mare. The gelding and the bay mare were in the main barn so it was easy to identify them as an ex racehorse by lifting their lip and seeing they had a tattoo. The grey was in the side barn tossed in with other loose horses, in the kill pen. They were all fighting and there was no way I could get in there to check if she even had a tattoo. She sure did look TBish and possibly bred. The black gelding ended up going for $625. He had been used as a ranch horse and was very well broke. The bay mare was less fortunate and went over our budget to a dealer.  There was nothing we could do. I decided our last hope would be the grey mare in the kill pen. I was going to get her, TB or not. If she had a tattoo,  she'd be a program horse. If not I would consider her a personal horse and use my own money for her bail and care. After a small bidding war with the dealer (we will not bid against general public) I was sold a grey mare, of unknown origin and breeding - not even knowing if she was halter broke. Fantastic!!!  As it turned out I was able to walk in the pen with her after the sale, halter her and lead her out. As I flipped up her lip I was overjoyed to find a tattoo! I took a chance on her and won. She loaded up perfectly and settled in at our barn nicely. Her tattoo shows her name is Solitary River and she's 15 - a veteran racer and broodmare. No, we couldn't save the bay mare - but by taking a chance we we did make a difference in the life of one retired racehorse.

Welcome!

Welcome to Minnesota Retired Racehorse Project's new blog! Here you will be able to keep up on the activities of the organization. We'll post photos, updates and news, share stories and provide educational information regarding life at the racetrack, adoption,retraining your ex racehorse. 2011 will be a big year for us and we hope you will join us in our journey.

The majority of the posting will be done by Director, Annie Ringwelski, who oversees daily operations of MNRRP. We will also include posts from Vice President, Dr. Jennifer Selvig and Secretary, Colleen Foley. We hope to include a variety of "guest posters" as well.

So thank you for taking the time to read our blog. Enjoy the posts!