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While we try and keep up with posts, especially for those of you who regularly look in on us to see what is going on, this winter has kept us off the computer and busy just carrying out the mundane tasks of cleaning, feeding and watering. Jobs all seem to take twice as long in the snow, and although we didn’t lose power the “frozen bucket” routine also kept us occupied. We are more than thankful for our two regular volunteers this past year, Julia and Becky. Their ability to turn up throughout the worst of the weather was a great morale booster and very welcome.
Fortunately the weather has started to improve, and although we are sure it has at least one more kick in the teeth left, the temperature is rising, the days are getting longer, and the maple buds are showing.
We are pleased, once again, to be the recipient of donated vaccines from the Unwanted Horse Veterinary Relief Campaign and Intervet/Schering-Plough. Our sincere thanks to Dr. Randy Scarrow, for doing the farm inspection to help us qualify.
It has been some time since we ran pictures and stories of the White Bird horses, generally we do it when they arrive. So we thought we would introduce our current residents over the next month or so.
 Oreo Oreo
At 40+, Oreo is one of our senior citizens. A Welsh Pony, he was rescued from a situation of neglect and we understand that he was once a carnival pony. He has Cushings Disease and is on Pergolide daily, as well as a strict diet, which also must accommodate his “dentally impaired” status. As with a lot of Cushing’s horses he is often reluctant to shed his winter coat and usually requires a summer clipping. Apart from a slight “geezerish” attitude, Oreo is a friendly pony, and has as his pasture buddies our two mini horses, Belle and Wendy.
In this difficult economy, many animals are without homes and finding new ones has become more difficult than in previous years. This problem is not unique to horses and can be a special challenge for farm animals that have become family pets. “Smooches” the cow is a ten-year old Holstein who lost her home and simply needed a place to live out her life. While she is not an Appaloosa, we have a special soft spot for these sweet, family cows and made the decision to try to help. We awarded Smooches the status of “Honorary Appaloosa” and we are happy to report that she has found a wonderful new home. Our sincere congratulations to new mom, Taby, on the newest member of her family!
White Bird Appaloosa Horse Rescue
Thanks to Lennie Tierney, a prize winning video producer, we now have a beautifully compiled video, with accompaniment courtesy of Madeline MacNeil, and narration by Lynne Daley. We think it is a great addition to our published material and hope you enjoy it too.
 Fun in the Snow The White Bird horses have been enjoying the sun, the crisp air and the snow. For all their arthritic joints, old injuries, and for some age, they romped in the snow after being in their stalls on Saturday and Sunday.
 Star struts his stuff Star, in particular, showed off and with tail lifted proclaimed his Arabness.
 Refuelling The youngsters, on the other hand, were more interested in getting stuck into the hay, and as we are unlikely to see the grass (much less experience any growth) we are thankful for a good hay crop this past year.
 "Deep and crisp and Even" It may not stay quite so pristine but there will be at least some element of a “White Christmas” left by the end of the week. So from the White Bird Appaloosa Horse Rescue to all our family and friends, and readers, a very merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year.
Over the years, we have had the good fortune of meeting many compassionate and caring people who have mucked stalls, fed breakfast and donated care items to keep our horses healthy. Among the most important and often unsung heroes of rescue are those who work quietly in the background, providing the financial and material support that helps us deal with the practical realities of caring for these wonderful animals. Our good friend Paul has supported our efforts for nearly five years. Throughout this time, his compassion for rescued horses has been expressed in especially tangible ways and his support has been truly invaluable in our efforts to provide for the needs of horses in our care. Without the kindness of people like Paul, we simply could not do what we do. We thank you so much for caring.
Thank you to all those who have commented on our new site over the past few weeks. We too think it looks great, and all credit to our volunteer web designer Jones Tyler III. Now, if you have experienced slow loading times, that too should be a thing of the past as we have changed providers. My experience this morning has been that the site pages are loading very much quicker, and again we are indebted to Jones for directing us to Bluehost and helping with the transfer.
Saturday was Volunteer Appreciation Day and we celebrated by going out for Indian Food at the Mystiq Masala. We could not do what we do without the help of these wonderful people who generously donate their time and talent. From left to right are: John, Tom, Becky, Julia, Mara and Jorg. Not present but, still appreciated are Heather, Jones, Tim and Charles.
Thanks to the creativeness of Heidi Powers we now have a brand new sign showing off our new logo. Heidi is a budding new illustrator and designer who wowed us with her idea for our logo makeover.
http://monsterponyface.blogspot.com/2009/11/im-sure-dolly-has-song-about-this.html
Thank you Heidi, we look forward to seeing your talents exhibited even wider.
 Heidi Powers and Jorg show off our new sign
We are honored and humbled to have been awarded a Donner Foundation General Grant of $5000 this past week. This award will go a long way in helping us to care for urgent need horses with nowhere else to go. To the Trustees of the Foundation, our most sincere thanks for your kindness and compassion.
 In 2003, the founders of White Bird designed a logo that has been used for the past 6 years. While we’ve been fond of it, in a sentimental sort of way, the talented Heidi Powers has produced a more professional design that is simple, attractive and just feels right. Thank you, Heidi!
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