Where to begin?  So much has happened since the last time I've written.  Winter came on so fast.  One day I was saying 'winter is coming.'  Next day winter was here.  Our biggest concern was shelters and thanks to Stevensville Troop #1991, were got our first shelter up.  It is beautiful!.  We continued the shelter momentum with an online fundraiser and thanks to you all, our generous supporters, we were able to raise enough funds to purchase the supplies for two more shelters.....Now getting them built is another issue.

We have the materials ^ ready to build, but with just my mother in law and me caring for 45+ residents, me working full time, and going to school, well, it turns out finding the time to build has been tough. That said, You all made this possible and we take that very seriously.  So, I am going to have a 'barn raising' day, and hopefully with help, we can get those shelters complete. Thank you again to everyone who made this possible.  We will make this happen.

On October 27, 2018 Lucent did not come to the gate for breakfast. 

Lucent was found abandoned by Animal Control.  I was at the shelter to pick up another horse.  When I saw Lucent I thought he was so majestic and beautiful. I told him I'd be back for him, and just about a week later I was. I called him our unicorn. Shortly after coming to TLERS he was diagnosed with wobblers and became a sanctuary resident.  He wore many hats here at the rescue.  He was Sheeza's best friend and when she was ready to foal, he was right by her side the whole time.  He was the greatest babysitter to Lucas (Sheeza's colt) and Velvet and helped raise them into the horses they are today.  He was always low in the herd and easy to get along with.  He had difficulty keeping his weight so he would get supplemented senior feed.  Everyday, twice a day, Lucent, along with the other hard keepers, came to the gate to be let out of the pasture for breakfast. I knew something was wrong when Lucent wasn't there.
I found Lucent on the ground by a feeder.  He was in obvious distress and I couldn't get him up.  I gave him banamine, made the call to the vet, and was able to get him up and out of the pasture by the time the vet arrived.  I knew it was bad.  No gut sounds, elevated vitals, but the vet felt he had a chance, that he hadn't twisted his gut.  So, we got Lucent onto the trailer and to the vet's office. Lucent was there all day the next day with little improvement and the following morning I received the call.  Lucent had to be euthanized during the night.  I am just so sorry he couldn't be home with his herd when the time came.  I wish I could have been with him.  I wish it didn't happen.  He is so loved and greatly missed.

 Chester is one of our long term sanctuary residents.  Somewhere around his 30s, he was found abandoned by Animal Control and difficult to adopt out.  We took him in as one of our first rescues.  He was diagnosed with EOTRH (http://www.coltsheadvet.com/newsletter_eotrh.pdf),a dental disease, and has had to have several incisors pulled in the past.  He is due for a dental and we would like to have his teeth radiographed to see if the disease has progressed. He is not exhibiting any pain, his weight is good, but I anticipate teeth needing to be pulled.  I contacted our vet to receive a ballpark quote on costs. The first is worst case scenario, if Chester needs all incisors pulled. The second is if he just needs his top incisors pulled. The quotes are provided below:

We have trouble getting our monthly costs covered.  I am trying to think of ways to fundraise.  We hope to have an online auction next month and maybe a Tshirt/sweatshirt sale as well.  So, please stay tuned!  

There is still so much to write about.  The snow, the ice, the mud, all of the new things we have experienced moving from California to Montana. Our goals for Spring. Our goals in general.....Next time.  Thank you again for all your support <3

June 14th we received a message from our friend Beatrice Solorio about a horse in desperate need of help. Beatrice happened to drive by a pasture and see an emaciated paint gelding. She spoke with the owners who said he had dropped weight over the year but they couldn’t afford to have a vet see him. They agreed to relinquish him. We offered to fundraise for the costs, The Wings Program, Inc offered to take home in to rehab, and the ball started rolling. Thank you so much to our generous donors who made his rescue possible. He was picked up and taken straight to the vet. The pics and videos were too graphic to share. Named Winnie, he was a body score of 1. He had a large mass next to his right eye with an open hole next to it. It was filled with infection and maggots. The right side of his face was paralyzed making eating next to impossible. His right eye was sunken in. The vet cleaned him up, gave him pain meds, and we all decided to reevaluate in the morning. The morning brought no improvement. He hadn’t eaten or had a drink. He was lethargic and we made the decision to euthanize for quality of life. Winnie was walked to a willow tree and given a kind ending. It was the only gift we could offer, an end to his suffering.
A necropsy was performed. Winnie had a large cancerous tumor that most likely started at the right eye. It extended up around the eardrum and down to the hyoid bone. The tumor had caused paralysis and his inability to eat was causing him to starve to death.
There is no animal control service in this county. We are searching for ways to help and advocate for the animals. We are building a network of resources, spreading the word in our community. If you see something, say something, do something. Do it for Winnie. We will find a way to help. We recently went back to Winnie’s residence and had the remaining two horses trimmed. It’s not much but it’s something. Assisting the owners and preventing a case like Winnie’s from happening again. ❤️

This arrived as a complete surprise at Toby's Legacy.  A box full of horse goodies and a $25 donation to the rescue.  So many thanks to SaddleBox.  If you are looking for a wonderful gift for the horse-lover in your life, receiving this surprise box would light up anyone's day.  The contents may vary but each item is thoughtful and useful.  Really packed with goodies.  Thank you again to SaddlelBox. Anyone would appreciate the gift as we did.  Please be sure to click on  the links above for more information about SaddleBox gifts.  SADDLEBOX YOU ARE THE BEST!

With the recent adoption of Corvinus and Tortuga into forever homes, we found ourselves at the Missoula Livestock Exchange horse sale.  So many horses, all at risk, but we were drawn to a little emaciated redhead.  She looked to be very old with no top teeth.  She needed our help the most.  We did a live feed throughout the sale and when a beautiful black mustang went through, a friend of ours commented on the feed asking us to bid.  Unfortunately, a minute too late, and he sold to a kill buyer/horse trader.  We were able to secure our elderly red mare's safety for $150 and negotiated the sale of the mustang for our friend, after the sale for just a $25 mark up.

a The mustang, named Denny, quarantined at the rescue, and is now enjoying the good life in his forever home.  Ginger successfully completed her rehab and quarantine and has joined the pasture.  She is a bit of a loner but has been seen hanging out with Miss Adele.

Word on the street is that this winter has been a mild one.  As I write, the temp is probably hovering around the 50 degree mark....In February!  I am more than thankful that Mother Nature has cut us a break and given the horses a relatively easy first winter to adjust to our new home.

Speaking of new home, we have found our forever home for the rescue.  Just a hop, skip, and jump from our current home in Corvallis, MT, this 21 acre ranch is located in Stevensville and checks all of our boxes.  We can't wait until you see it and hope to be moved in by early March.  We even have an open house in the works for Spring!!!!

I think that's all of our new news! Talk to you soon!

We are approaching three months since our big move from Hemet, Ca to Corvallis, Mt.  What a change and so much to learn. 

In California, we free fed Bermuda and supplemented with Alfalfa.  It was pretty straight forward.  There was no first, second, or third cutting.  Hay was hay and that was that.  Here, not only is the hay bought directly from growers (although you can buy from feed stores at large mark up), but you have choices on cuttings.  Most growers have a mixed grass hay for horses and it is more difficult finding alfalfa or alfalfa mix.  The nutritional content is a lot different as well.  We are having to test hay for sugar and protein levels.  The great news is, we are learning a lot about the various needs of the horses from young to old.

It looks like house hunting is on a hold until after winter.  Not by choice, but my Paramedic license for the state of Montana has taken some time.  So, I am not employed yet.  Also, our plan was to buy in with family and we are waiting on their California house to sell.  Most people don't want to move in the middle of winter.  So, we may just wait it out before buying.  It is sort of a bummer, but this is all new and we have to adapt as we go.

Last night we got our first snow.  It had been cold and rainy the day before.  Thankfully, most of the horses had been blanketed.  So, everyone was comfortable this morning.  We even found Hodor the pig checking the white stuff out.

Thank you for following and supporting us through this big change and adjustment.  We had an amazingly generous response when it came to blankets for winter.  We are so grateful.  The horses are too!!!!  I'll check back in soon.  Off to try round bales of hay for the horses.  We have been buying small square bales.  Moving up to the 1400# rounds.  Have a wonderful day.

When we started this rescue, financially, profit or nonprofit, we looked at it like any business.  You invest in it until it stands on it's own feet. For about five years we have been the main support of this rescue.  It has come to a point where it is a strain on us financially.  We had never set out to have 50 animals. We had always said max 20. Oh boy, what happened?  Well, our policy when we adopt out an animal includes they come back to us if, for any reason, the adopter is no longer able to keep them.  So, we would adopt out a horse to a home, take in another, and a horse would return. Now, we have two.  This has happened multiple times through no fault of the horse or ourselves.  It just happens and we find ourselves over capacity and underfunded. Shoot!  Time to regroup and come up with a game plan.  We will never compromise the safety of the animals by changing our policy.  Our return-to-us policy ensures they are always accounted for and have a safe landing.  So, we began looking at ways to lower our monthly overhead costs. That is where Montana came in.  It hasn't been an easy move. The sale of our home in California had some delays.  The move of the animals had a lot of difficulties ( thank you to Wyatt of Next Level Transport and MJ Redding Transport) but our final trailer with Buffy, Billy, and the piggys should arrive this evening.  We are temporarily staying at my Mother in Law's home in Corvallis.  Corvallis is located in the SW portion of the state in an area called the Bitterroot Valley.  My MIL, Suzanne, has a 5 acre ranch set up perfectly for horses, but our goal is to pasture feed and possibly grow our own hay.  So, we need more land.  We have been looking at potential properties and getting settled.  Thank you for all of your patience while we make this huge transition.  We appreciate the support and hope you continue to follow our rescue as we become bigger, better, and more efficient. <3

Quarantine

     Jewel came to us February, 2014  from a bronc breeding ranch dispersal.  My understanding is, they are kept free range, much like cattle.  There are mares, a stud, and the babies are rounded up once a year.  The sire is said to be draft.  With Jewel's age, no branding, and being a draft x, I assume she is one of the offspring.  I don't know why she was held back.  Anyhow, the ranch was downsizing and many feral mares found themselves at a feedlot.  Jewel had been paid for but when it came time for the brand inspection paperwork, her buyer was unable to take her.  We were called.
     She arrived a little underweight and was covered in ticks.  Thankfully, where we live the ticks just don't survive.  We helped the process by using DE, but as for treating her specifically, that was a no go. She was as feral as they come.  
     Looking back, there are so many things I did wrong.  I mean, I had no idea what was involved in a feral horse.  Sure, we have had fearful horses, but in no way was I prepared for a horse that has had little to no handling, and certainly no positive experiences at the hands of human.  Had I known, I probably would not have taken her. WHAT!?! Yes. While the ending to this story is good, it has been a looooong journey made that why by my inexperience.  
    Jewel started off in a 16'x32' quarantine corral.  during that time I tried everything to get her trust.  I'd move her around and around waiting for her to give a hint she was ready to at least negotiate a partnership.  I tried treats.  I tried just sitting and reading with her. It got me no where.  Here's where it gets weird.  I began watching and thinking about how horses approach each other.  A confident horse approaches ears alert, head high, facing head on. A more submissive horse, non-confrontational, extending the proverbial olive branch would approach slowly, head down, from the side.  So, when no one was around, I tried to mimic horse behavior.  I'd always sigh deeply, relaxingly. I'd lick and chew.  Sounds so silly right? I'm embarrassed I am admitting it and committing it to paper.  I was just desperate.  I was looking for any way to connect.  She couldn't live in this corral forever.  It worked.
     Well, sort of.  What it did give me was a connection.  She began to let me approach her and we would exchange breaths.  Our noses would touch.  She began to approach me.  The problem was, the minute my hands showed themselves, it was over.  Again, she couldn't live in this small corral indefinitely.  At this point, we had had a trainer come in (we had taken in Misty as well.  Both of them from the bronc ranch).  That trainer had been hurt by Misty.  I brought another trainer in and she was wonderful but it was short lived.  She ended up moving.  
     To get Jewel out of her quarantine corral and into a paddock, we had to build a chute.  What a pain it was but worked perfectly and she joined Misty, Darby, Jube, and Brego.  Sigh of relief as she was now out of a small corral, had the ability to move around, and could socialize.  It did not help the gentling process.  I should say, it didn't help using traditional methods.  Jewel began to let her guard down then.  It was very slow but the seed had been planted and she would seek us out.  Over time, she began to allow touch.  For the most part, she loved faces.  She loved exchanging breaths and kisses. 
     We had bought ourselves time with the paddock, but we were a year or so into this and we had gotten as far as touching her and that's it.  I am not a trainer.  Our trainer did not have the time to a gentle horse prior to training, and we didn't have the funds to send her to a trainer willing. What were we going to do about her feet!?!  So, my plan became 'get her into the pasture.'  She could wear her feet naturally....and buy us more time.  What was I going to do with her? I don't know but the pasture will give me time to figure it out. With a bucket of grain and a prayer I walker her to the pasture gate and she went in without a problem.  Phew!!!!
     Now what?  She is in acres of acres of space with tons of other horses, donkeys, and bovines.  She has absolutely no incentive to maintain a relationship with me.  She could exist out in that pasture with little to no human interaction indefinitely.  It bought me time but talk about not thinking ahead!  I was winging it.  Like I said,  So many things I did wrong...or differently. 
     Over time, Jewel sought me out in the pasture.  I still can't explain why.  She didn't have to, but she pursued the relationship.  She chose to trust.  She dropped her guard.  Over time, me who's not a trainer, got a halter on her. I got her to pick up her feet. She is now leading nicely.  She is even backing up.
     It has been over two years.  I don't recommend this journey.  All of the other mares from this group were gentled and under saddle probably before Jewel made it into the pasture.  So many other ways I could have handled this.  I chalk it up to inexperience.  I had no idea.  I was not prepared.  Thankfully, we have all the time in the world here.  No agenda as we like to say, but it was not the easiest road.  I didn't write this to toot my horn.  Not at all.  I am sure many people watched from afar  (at least they didn't see me trying to act like a horse) and thought 'she has no business taking in a feral horse.'  They'd be right.  Live and learn.  I wouldn't trade it for the world.  It was unconventional, time consuming, dumb, ill prepared, all of it....but Jewel and I learned so much.  I have a better understanding of horses and their behaviors.  I have learned what works and what doesn't.  She has made me softer. I'm softer because it wasn't about taming the beast.  It was about tapping into Jewel, finding the connection.  Everything has been on her terms and by her choice.  It may not be the recommended method, the most effective method, but it sure has been rewarding.  I really look forward to the rest of this journey with Jewel.  There is so much more to learn together.  Thank you for being a part of it and I hope you stick around for the rest.

     Growing up in a military family, my life was pretty structured.  There are more similarities than differences when it comes to taking care of 50+ animals in a rescue.  Routine is key and if you stray from it even remotely, there are a lot of voices there to remind you of what needs doing.
     Every morning at 0545 I get the coffee brewing and head out the door to feed.  We have an old beat up Ford truck that serves as the ranch feed truck.  Anyone who says Fords, American made vehicles, don't stand the test of time, I'll beg to differ.  At over 250k miles, Big Red takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin'. I load up two bales of Bermuda and three bales of Alfalfa (each bale runs about $15 x 5 x 2x a day =$150/day! Plus grain.  We go through about $1000-1500/mo in grain).  We have grain buckets for the pasture, grain buckets for Milton's herd, for Lilac's herd, and for the The Pony herd.  We free feed.  So, enough food is placed that there is always food available. Before I take off to make the rounds, Hodor, Hank, and Hickock, our pigs, get their breakfast.  Hodor is let out and he joins me as we make our way around the ranch. Feeding takes about an hour and it is one of my favorite times of the day.  There is a quiet peacefulness that I love when you greet the sun to the sounds of horses happily munching away.

     After feeding, I take the much needed coffee break. NEVER skip this important step!
     With just under ten acres, there is always upkeep needed.  Every time I mark something off of the list, I add two more.  So, my morning may include some type of fence repair, weed wacking, mowing, etc.  Then, on to chores.  We have three large paddocks and a 4-5 acre pasture in use.  It just isn't practical and would be way too time consuming to pick up the poo of 50+ animals.  I do rake and muck the pig pens.  They get fresh water and their mud holes are replenished.  Then, I hook up our homemade 'dragger' to the Ranger (utility vehicle) and start grooming the paddocks and pastures.  The dragger works by breaking up poo, turning it over, and basically breaking it down to dirt.  It works great and keeps the areas looking polished.  If water tubs or auto waterers need bleaching/cleaning (When it warms up, we go through 2-3 gallons of bleach a week), I do that as well.  All in all, it takes about three hours. 
     Depending on the time, I may have to take a trip to town for errands.  Around 4 P.M. dinner is served. Paula, friend and volunteer, is almost always there to help. Evening feed is just a repeat of morning's.  When I am finished, I make up bowls of grain for our older residents that need a little extra TLC.  We could take them out and keep them housed separately so they can maintain weight, but we prefer everyone lives in large spaces and herds.  It makes for happier, healthier horses, and it is a simple, effective alternative to just pull them out for supplemental grain.  Our current list of oldies is Lucent, Cowboy, Miss Kitty, and Chester.  They LOVE this time of day and meet me at the gate to come out.  Now, I can't just spoil those four! Nooooo.  So, while they are enjoying a meal, I spend time handing out treats, brushing, and spending one on one time with everyone.  It is a chance to see who needs trims, if anyone has any cuts or scrapes, to groom, etc. 
     Finally, I call it a day, around 630 P.M. and it's family time.  I hit the pillow early because tomorrow I have to greet the sun again.
     Would you like to come experience what a day at Toby's Legacy is like?  Every third Saturday of the month, from 11-3, we have Visitor's Day.  Come on down and meet all of our residents.  Learn their stories and share in the experience that makes TLER so special.  Interested in volunteering?  This is a great way to get started.  See you there!

Lilac had some mild swelling on her face.  Thinking nothing of it, maybe a tooth abscess, we contacted our vet, and she was started on antibiotics.  Well, five days later and she had a watermelon head!  So, our vet came out to do X-rays.  Turns out, not an abscess, but a fractured cheekbone!.  Didn't see that coming but she is a diva and an instigator.  Not surprised.  Glad she is okay, the swelling has gone down significantly, and she is on the mend.

In September we received Lazarus, a severe neglect case.  He has been steadily gaining weight and his hoof has improved.  He is not a 100% and we are working toward getting him a therapeutic boot.  We did have a medical emergency with him. Well, two actually.  Although, we cannot specifically pinpoint why, lazarus has choked twice.  The first time we had to have the vet out to clear two blockages in his esophagus.  The second time I was there and caught it immediately.  He was able to clear it on his own.  There are no obvious abnormalities with his esophagus but we are soaking his grain as a preventative measure. learn more about choke: http://www.thehorse.com/articles/10022/choke-esophageal-obstruction

On 11/27/16 we found Marley down in the pasture.  it was raining pretty heavily and the footing was slippery.  Tragically, Marley broke a hind leg and had to be euthanized.  I have had a really hard time talking about it.  In fact, this is the first time I have publicly discussed it.  Marley was very special to me.  They all are but... I don't know.  I just couldn't find peace with this.  Marley was one of the worst cases of starvation and neglect we have encountered.  She made such a comeback and really worked hard to overcome her baggage.  She was beautiful, sensitive, and so so smart.  She had just come home, I say home, this was her home.  She had just come home after having been adopted for over two years.  No fault of her own.  I just wasn't prepared for the loss.  Are you ever?  She was only 9 and the grief I felt, feel, has been beyond words.  She was so special and i miss her so deeply. I needed the time to grieve privately because there are still so many that depend on me, us, to go on.  So, we do.  That is rescue.  You never forget, you lose a piece of yourself every time, and you keep going.