Author

Contact Me:

Do you have something to say? Please DO email me your questions, hate mail, photos, stories, bad Craigslist ads you've spotted, info on neglect situations, etc etc to...

northhorseblog@gmail.com

 Do you have a senior horse in great shape? Have you rescued a horse from neglect? Does your horse have a special story, an interesting talent, or unusual conformation? I would LOVE to spotlight you and your horse in a blog! You can stay anonymous if you wish.

About Me:

I live on a farm in Wisconsin.  Sometimes I rescue horses.


For a living, I work in public service, I write, and sometimes I create art. In my "spare time" (hah!), I write this blog. Why? Because there are so many good things and bad things in the horse world that people need to be more aware of.  My goal here is to shame the badguys, praise the good guys, and hopefully educate, enlighten and entertain both in the process. I also try to cajole people into donating to worthy horse rescues. And finally, I write about rescues I've accomplished or been a part of, like Nash the llama, Diego the black stallion, Ruffi & Riven, etc.


Complaints:

  Please call 1 (800) 945 3068.

 WARNING: Call at your own risk.


Lawsuits:

Before you write an email threatening to sue me, you should read this. If you're too lazy to read the whole thing, let me give you some facts:

• You can't sue someone for libel for writing an opinion.
• You can't claim defamation if what I write is TRUE, even if it puts you in a bad light.
• To sue for damages, you have to show proof that what I write has cost you business/money.
• Your name, address, criminal record, etc and more are publicly accessible to anyone, I just put the information on here... and doing so isn't illegal.

Don't bother trying to tell me you'll sue me. You have no case, you KNOW you have no case, and you just want me to shut up about your neglect/theft/bad business practices/abuse. Too bad! Anyway, chances are, I got the scoop on your shady/neglectful behavior straight from your own website or ad. Maybe you should look at changing the way you behave rather than attempt to stop me from talking about it.

Current Rescues: None! My last rescues were adopted by a lovely couple this summer. I do some volunteer work for a horse rescue once in a while, but for now I'm taking time off.


Past Rescues:

Margaret and Winston
I found these two cuties tied to junk vehicles in southern WI. They were entangled in their ropes, and they had no shelter, no water, no hoof care, and no vet care.

Both minis were ecstatic to have all the water they could drink, 24/7. They also absolutely attacked their salt and mineral blocks-- clearly they had been deprived of these essentials for quite some time. They were treated for skin mites and thrush, got some badly needed dental care, and received vaccinations and Coggins.

Winston was gelded. He was much nicer afterwards, and learned to lead well.
Margaret was in the early stages of pregnancy, and after long and careful thought, the fetus was terminated. At 18 years old, suffering from malnutrition and deformed hooves due to years of neglect, she was in no shape to carry a foal to term.

After several trims and thrush treatments, Margaret's hooves got quite a bit better. They may never completely return to normal, but she is much happier.

Winston and Margaret were adopted by a lovely older couple near Madison, where they get the best of care.






Annie is 15 hand, grade mare. I rescued Annie as a yearling from a neglect situation where she was malnourished, full of worms, and suffering from a oozing wound in her hip. Her owner had superglued gauze over the top of it.

I bought Annie for $100, and then spend several thousand dollars on her subsequent surgery and rehabilitation. Annie required surgery to remove quite a bit of necrotic bone and tissue, supplements for swelling in the growth plates of her knees due to malnutrition, and physical therapy. She is now happy, healthy and broke to ride. Annie's difficult start in life is one reason I become so infuriated with backyard breeders who churn out dozens of horses without much concern for their welfare. She has now been adopted by a great person living near Ukarydee.

Annie goes on trails bitless.

Sam the Pony  is a grade gelding. Like many ponies and horses, Sam was perfectly healthy and friendly, but wound up at major auction and sold for peanuts because there are so many equines on the market. The auctioneer advertised him as 4 years old. I later found out he was actually only a yearling.

Sam has been adopted by a great owner here in Wisconsin.







Nash, Diego, Riven & Ruffian

I first saw Riven in 2011, while driving down a rural highway. She was an older mare, pregnant and starving in a field. It took a couple of years to convince her owner to let her and her family go. She had been used by Mexicans in local backyard races. She had heavy scarring on her back legs, leading me to believe she may also have been used in horse tripping. She was mostly blind in one eye due to an untreated corneal laceration she received from the burdocks that piled up in her mane during the time she was neglected.

Dealing with Riven's neglectful owner was a painful and time-consuming process. First I was able to rescue her pasture neighbor, a llama with a severe embedded halter scar (part of his nose fell off). Then I was able to buy Riven's mate, Diego, a black stallion who spent most of his days tied to barn or caged in a plywood box. He is now a gelding, fat and happy, with a truly great family.

 

Finally, Riven and her daughter Ruffi came to my home in February of 2014. (This was only possible with some generous help from Saint Francis horse rescue!) Ruffi recovered quickly, and at four years old, I sent her to be trained for 60 days. She has since been adopted by a wonderful person who has experience with young horses.

Riven was put down in her own pasture at a ripe old age, after several years of all the grass and treats she could eat.

You can read more about the whole rescue operation here. I am indebted to many people for their help!