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White Bird has been Verified by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries. Actually, this happened on December 15, but we were waiting until the formal announcement came out to let everyone know. The full press release can be found at: http://www.sanctuaryfederation.org/gfas/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/WBAHR-Press-Release-final.pdf
As a part of the Verification process, White Bird also received a grant for the installation of a long-needed fire alarm system, the excavation and clearing of the new quarantine paddock, and this year’s insurance premiums.
We’d like to thank the folks at GFAS for their generosity, as well as their support of equine rescues. It has truly been a pleasure working with them and we believe that they are providing an important service to the rescue community. We’d also like to thank our volunteers, friends, donors and long-suffering family members who have worked so hard to help us maintain the level of care that we provide to our horses. We just couldn’t do it without you!
A nice piece from The Horse on what to do when adopting a horse:
http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=19126
At long last, we have completed step one of a project that we have been trying to complete, it seems, forever. The rescue farm comprises about 50 acres and we use practically every inch. The exception has been the small, quarter acre parcel behind the pole barn. It had once clearly been used as a repository for all sorts of farm debris. In between the stacks of old boards and roof shingles, a weed forest had given way to taller saplings and the plot had become a case study in forest succession. But thanks to a generous grant from the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries (GFAS), the lot is now cleared and grubbed and just awaiting the arrival of the shelter and some orchard grass seed. This year, for the first time, we will have an entire, completely isolated paddock and shelter whose sole purpose will be to quarantine incoming equines. Thanks, GFAS!
We also need to give a big, whopping “Thank You!” to the ASPCA. Not long ago, we applied for a grant for a field shelter to house our blind ponies. In the interim, we had temporarily relocated a smaller shelter to their paddock. The ASPCA has generously awarded us the grant for the bigger shelter with the storage area. This means that the smaller shelter can go…you guessed it! To the new quarantine area. So we will have a new Quarantine paddock complete with shelter, and our blind ponies will have a much bigger shelter with a storage area. Hurray!
  
We need your help. A service dog has gone missing in Meherrin, VA and it is critical that she be found. She is a female German Shepherd who was last seen off of Meherrin Road. She may answer to the name “Tia”. The entire story can be found below, but please, please if you see this dog, try to entice her in and let the owner know immediately. She has been missing since December 31 and will likely be cold and hungry, so having some food wouldn’t hurt. We deeply appreciate the assistance of everyone in the area in finding this loved and badly needed girl.
http://www.wtvr. com/news/ wtvr-service- dog-that- helps-with- ptsd-is-missing- 20120104, 0,927836. story?%3F% 3F%3F
Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell has proclaimed December “Opportunity to Help Others” (OTHers) month in Virginia. OTHers month recognizes the ongoing need for support of the charitable organizations in the state that help others. We think this is a splendid idea! We’d like to encourage everyone to take a little time during the holidays to do a good deed for their favorite charity. Of course, our favorite charity is White Bird, so if you don’t have a favorite charity, we’d like to recommend us! We can primarily use volunteer help and donations, but we can use other things, too.
For example, our awesome friend Steffie has generously offered us a whopping 25% donation for any jewelry sales that come through her web site that mentions White Bird by name. So what better way to do your holiday shopping for your loved ones, or uh… you, while making a contribution to White Bird? Steffie’s jewelry can be found at: www.virtualjewelrycatalog.com. The selection of high quality, beautiful jewelry is just astounding and there is something for everyone.
Fancy (above photo), is an early teens Appy mare who is sound, ridable and just looking for the right person. She has a strong personality, but settles down quickly with someone she can trust. Fancy moves like an absolute dream. She is still looking for her special person. Her ideal best friend will be a confidant one who will want to do things with her on a frequent basis.
Chance, (below) is also still looking for his perfect home. Chance loves everyone, both equine and human, wants a job and as you can see, really likes to jump! He is seeking a home where he can do lots and lots of things with people.
These two horses would love to be home for the holidays! Might it be yours?
Another way to help us out while taking care of that Christmas list is by visiting our much appreciated eBay sellers. Please take a look at these wonderful items that would also make great gifts.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=230707481219
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=130611617079
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150710091460
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=230710207801
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=230710207779
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160691305375
A big thanks to Kate and Rolland, who drove out all the way from MD and Woodstock to volunteer for the weekend!
Everyone needs a pat on the back once in awhile. And one of the things that really brightened our day was an email from HorseBreedsInfo, sending us a “Horse Rescue Award for excellence in helping horses in need.” Thanks for thinking about us! We love what we do and it helps us to know that people understand the needs of Appaloosas and other horses in urgent need. These folks, by the way, have a very nice site that provides potential adopters with a description of the various horse breeds. You can find them at: http://www.horsebreedsinfo.com Naturally, we would put Appaloosas at the top of the list for, oh, every purpose. But we are somewhat biased.
We’ve been busy! We have just moved our two new run-in sheds to the rescue (we love you, Craigslist). And our stock trailer, in mid rehab, is now sturdy and serviceable, but still needs repainting and a new bumper. We hope to get to that in the next couple of weeks. We are also preparing to undertake the clearing of the long-awaited quarantine paddock. This will be a real help to us in minimizing the risk of contagion from incoming horses. The contractor will be here on the day after Thanksgiving.
Rising rapidly to the top of the White Bird Star Chart is “Chance,” who has been in training with Allison. This nice boy is still looking for a home. Chance is a really sweet guy who just needs a rider with confidence. He just loves people to pieces and will follow you everywhere. Here’s lookin’ at you, kid!
 Rescuing horses can be exhilarating. There is nothing like the first time you see a recovering horse kick up its heels, just because it is feeling better. Other days are tougher. And there is perhaps nothing harder than having to say goodbye to a horse that you have grown to love.
Raven was on her way to an auction because her owners thought she was “crazy.” But the person who was asked to deliver her thought she would be better off at the Rescue, and her owners consented to sending her to White Bird, instead. The photo below was taken shortly after she arrived. It was immediately obvious to us that she had Cushing’s disease, which was causing her weird fat deposits and laminitis. The picture above was taken a few months later, after daily treatment with pergolide and a controlled diet.
Raven wasn’t crazy. She was a sensitive, high strung, show horse. She had simply ended up in the wrong home. But her next home was the right one.
Joe P. and Rita S. offered to foster Raven, as a companion to their other fostered rescue horse. And for the rest of her life, Raven lived like a Princess, as a much loved member of a family that absolutely understood her. Over the years, as her health declined, they provided expert veterinary care and attended to her every need. But this past week, Raven colicked and upon the recommendation of the attending vet, her caretakers made the difficult decision to euthanize her. Raven’s necropsy revealed a fatty tumor that had created an obstruction in her intestinal tract. This was a fatal condition that would have caused great suffering had Joe and Rita not acted as they had.
We could not possibly have found a better final home for Raven. While we know that not every horse will be able to be placed in an adoptive home, these wonderful people ensured that Raven lived the remainder of her life in safety and dignity, among people who loved and understood her. Our hearts go out to Joe and Rita and we offer not only our condolences, but our deepest gratitude.
Sometimes, language is simply inadequate. We have scratched our heads and searched for exactly the right thing to say and this time, we have come up empty. The words are just not there.
Put in simplest terms, we have received a $10,000 grant from the William H. Donner Foundation. That statement sums up the fact. It does not begin to describe our gratitude for the kindness that the Foundation has shown to Appaloosas and other horses in need.
Over the past several years, the Foundation has provided feed, farrier care and medication to horses who had run out of options. Contributions have gone towards the rehabilitation and rehoming of sound riding horses, as well as the long term care of blind and aged horses. This generous donation has come at a time when the needs are great and our resources must be carefully managed. If times are hard on everyone, they are especially hard on horses, who may no longer fit in with owner downsizing efforts and have nowhere else to go.
The photo on the top shows a horse directly helped by the Donner Foundation. The photo below shows this same horse on intake. Again, we have no words. From all of our horses, we can only say “thank you” and hope that you truly understand what this means to all of us. We simply could not do this alone.
My name is “Wonder”, and I was given this name by the awesome Meredith Barlow, who helped bring me to the rescue. I am about 14.2H and the prettiest color you’ve ever seen. I am a sweet guy who is rock steady and suitable for a beginner. I like attention and I’m a generally undemanding sort of guy.
I have Cushing’s disease, which requires my new BFF to manage my diet carefully and to give me pergolide every day (about $15 a month). I have uveitis, which will cause my eyes to become inflamed, but my flare-ups have been easily controlled with daily aspirin powder and my vision is just fine. I also, like many horses my age (mid-teens) have a little stiffness in my stifle. Hey, none of us is getting any younger! But I am great little horse for a gentle rider and would make a super best friend for an older, returning rider who isn’t headed for the Olympics. Is my BFF out there anywhere? If so, please contact my friends at White Bird and tell them why I would love to go home with you.
Wonder
PS: Thanks to my friend Allison for showing you how nice I look under saddle!
There are so many things that we love about the fall. The brilliantly colored, Virginia fall foliage. The smell of a wood fire on a cold day. And best, a barn loaded with fresh hay.
Despite our sparse first cutting, the fall cutting surprised us by coming in 300 bales higher than we anticipated. Also, a generous farm owner in Amelia has donated the hay from his 10-acre pasture. Thanks so much, Jay! This means that we are going into the fall with nearly all the hay we’ll need this winter to feed our horses, which is about 2000 bales annually. There is nothing quite like that knowledge to make you all warm and fuzzy inside- except maybe a cup of hot chocolate.
Of course, we still have our crew of dentally challenged horses who can’t chew hay, so our other goal is to ensure that we are also supplied with lots of senior feed and chopped forage.
Note: Okay. Yes. We cheated. The above picture was taken last year. But the hay field really will look like that in about three weeks.
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