Funny story from our vet...

Some of you may know that I borrowed a little arab mare to use as a lesson horse. Our volunteers and their children often want to learn to ride.

'Lace' is a beautiful grey 26  year old. Perfectly behaved, um, most of the time.

It was time for Lace's coggins test. At the request of our vet, I left Lace in a stall while I was at work. He and his dear wife would come by while I was at work, take the blood and let Lace out.

That is exactly what happened. When they let Lace out, she bolted out to the ladies in the pasture complaining LOUDLY as she went... she rounded them up and the WHOLE HERD came running back...STRAIGHT AT DOC AND HIS WIFE who were carefully picking their way through the mud trying to get to their truck.

The Mrs. Doc says, "They had ACRES to run in and yet they came right back at us turning and flinging mud everywhere, THOROUGHLY coating us with mud!"

Doc says, "There wasn't an "old" horse among them. All we saw were a bunch of young fillies hooting it up and hassling humans."

Apparently, there wasn't a unmuddy spot on either of the humans. The ladies splished, splashed, turned and threw mud all over them. Doc and his Mrs had to go home and change their clothes before they could finish their rounds. They were late for their next appointment.

NOW I have WITNESSES!!!! Those ladies are downright mischievious.

Timeless Sue is 32!

After 38 starts with 7 wins, 3 place and 2 shows with earnings of $101,685 on the track, Sue produced 8 foals. She is the grandam of Bourbon Belle and the great granddam of Not Bourbon.

We celebrated with STUD MUFFINS for breakfast, carrots for lunch, and a birthday cake with dinner.

Sue looks great for her age but is beginning to act like an older horse... um, maybe a 20 year old. LOL! 

An uncomfirmed tornado came along with a severe storm this morning just after six. We are ok. The house and barns undamaged. The ladies are fine.

I am sending out a note of thanks for all those wonderful people who heard our cry for help and have responded with donations. To say, "money is tight," is an understatement. Money was "tight" from the get-go.  Now, we are desperate. BUT extremely grateful for those of you who have sent donations. We KNOW how hard you work for every dollar and we KNOW that every dollar sent to us comes with a hundred pounds of love. 

We get discouraged, though, because other than you few people, we are often a last priority when it comes to funding.

OMRH has never been on easy street funding-wise. In the past we have somehow managed to have "just enough" but never any extra. Our board members are here on a volunteer basis, working long hours well after we have finished our "real jobs."

We are overlooked by much of the media and a great majority of the rich folks in the horse industry...even if we house and care for some of the horses who earned them big bucks.

Our mortgage is paid because Pete and I donate more than half our farm and both barns to our cause. We also donate water for the horses. Up until recently, our donor's dollars didn't even pay for the electric used in the barn. ALL the money donated went for the ladies. Our volunteers may get treated to a fast food lunch here and there but, they too, are here just for the ladies.

I'd be willing to bet that almost every horse rescue facility in the USA is scrambling for dollars right now. We are ALL broke and begging for money in order to keep our doors open.

Every minute, day to day, year after year, we, at OMRH, live through what others consider an ultimate crisis...somehow, others get bailed out and we continue as we always have been.

Somehow we have to make everyone see that we are worthy, too.

Please, if you are reading this, stand up for our ladies. Tell people we have needs, too.

And tell them we are tired of being last on the list.

Many charity organizatiions have been struggling through the depressed economy. OMRH is no different. We're broke and we need help. We have sent requests to several big name farms, some of which we have helped by giving their cherished mares a safe place, a forever home. But no sooner did we send word that we needed help, than, other  bigger horse rescues went public as well with drastic needs.

I certainly do not want to take away from anyone. I want us all to survive and do well on behalf of the marvelous horses we all have. But I do not want the ladies to go without either.

Please send money to us, too. Our finacial situation is, indeed, critical.