The following is from All About Equine Rescue:

As we count down to 2024, join us every day this month as we share stories from the barn that show how your support has helped horses this year and every year.

Just like “Jingle Bells” and “Silent Night” are classics at the holidays, Barney, Finn, Jengo, and Tio are classics around AAE!

BARNEY

Barney, a 24-ish year old Belgian Draft, stands 17 hands high (one hand = four inches) and weighs in at a mere 1,500 pounds. When he came to AAE in January 2019, he was 250 to 300 pounds underweight, had some respiratory and intestinal issues, and some basic care needs hadn’t been met.

With a proper diet, diagnostics, and treatment, Barney’s health improved. At one point, while rehabbing, he was eating 54 pounds of pellets every day! Now he eats about 15 to 20 pounds of pellets a day. If you’ve ever seen Barney at meal time, you may notice he eats with his mouth in the air and slobbers excessively. His epiglottis does not work properly, and those messy manners may help him breathe better.

We certainly love him, slobbery face and all!

This gentle giant and volunteer favorite is a sanctuary resident. He will spend his golden years at AAE with gal pal, Sierra, by his side.

See more photos and learn more about Barney here.

FINNEGAN

Finn’s AAE story starts before he was even born. Pregnant mom, Kai, came to AAE in February 2014 after being rescued from a pre-slaughter auction. She delivered an adorable colt in April of the same year. Finn had some serious health issues shortly after birth, but thankfully, he recovered and grew into the handsome and playful horse we know today.

He’s also been mischievous since the beginning. If you’re around the barn, you’ll probably hear regularly, Finn-again? As a colt, he would snatch gloves from pockets and take off with them at top speed. Well, Finn’s not that fast, so maybe it was just a saunter away. Nowadays, he plays with the hoses, in his water bucket, and with anything he can find.

Finn is a social butterfly and he is loved by horses and humans alike. He is affectionate and adored by our volunteers. Several years ago, Finn was adopted, and then returned to AAE six months later. The gals at his adoptive home were going over and through fences to be with him, and the vet bills were piling up. They could not resist that golden mane, athletic physique, and charming personality!

Finn is now a resident program horse. For now, he introduces new volunteers to basic safety and handling, and he will play a vital role in new programs as we continue to grow our offerings.

See more photos and learn more about Finn here.

JENGO

This handsome devil with the rocker hair is Jengo! He is a 15 year old BLM mustang who came to AAE in 2018 after the death of his owner. He was trained through the Northern Nevada Correctional Facility and was featured in the 2019 film The Mustang. He’s our very own resident celebrity!

Jengo’s respectful and dependable personality makes him the perfect resident program horse! He helps new volunteers learn the ropes around AAE and is such a patient teacher. We’re lucky to have him in our herd!

See more photos and learn more about Jengo here.

TIO

Tio came to AAE in 2019 when his owner was unable to continue his care after extensive diagnostics, treatments, and multiple layups. He had numerous soft tissue injuries and bone issues in his front pastern/fetlock area. He had been on stall rest and needed to stay on extended stall rest in hopes he would recover to be pasture sound. Thanks to his background as a show horse, he did fairly well with stall life and enjoyed being a playful pest to our volunteers and his neigh-bors in the barn.

He improved slowly and eventually was moved into a larger paddock as part of the recovery/transition process. He loved having the space to frolic and play. Unfortunately, a bump was discovered over his knee joint on the opposite leg, which has slowly grown and caused him to be stiff and lame. We suspect he developed arthritis in that knee after compensating with that leg for so long.

Tio now lives in a smaller stall/paddock and, despite moving slower these days, he’s still really sweet and really spicy. He has a heart of gold and we love him for it.

See more photos and learn more about Tio here.

As we wind down the year, our goal is to raise at least $35,000 this holiday season to jump start our funding for the new year and make sure 2024 is merry & bright for horses-in-need.

Like you, we have felt the pressure of the changing economy. Hay, fuel, supplies, and other care costs have increased substantially. The effects are compounded for nonprofits across the country, as many of us have seen a decrease in overall donations. Rising costs and fewer donations are stretching us thin, impacting our ability to serve the number of horses we typically serve. We’ll scale back as we need. We need your support more than ever.

On average, it costs about $8 per horse each day for feed and health care for the horses at AAE. Expenses add up quickly when caring for 50+/- horses and other animals, including costs for basic care, diagnostics, treatments, medications, surgery, and emergency care, when needed.

We know your lives have been impacted, too, we’re all in this together. If you’re able, please consider making a year end donation to support this life-saving work and make it possible to help more horses-in-need.

Expenses can add up quickly, but your donations can, too! If every one of our followers made a $5 donation, we could surpass our goal by thousands.

You can help make similar stories to share next year by donating today. Any amount is very much appreciated, and it makes a big difference for the horses.

Donate

Ways to Give This Holiday Season

(1) Set up a bill pay with your bank for a one-time (or recurring) donation

(2) Mail a check to:

All About Equine Animal Rescue

2201 Francisco Drive #140-174

El Dorado Hills, CA 95762

(3) Drop off your donation at:

AAE Used Tack Store

4050 Durock Road #6

Shingle Springs, CA 95682

(4) Donate online using a credit card, Venmo, or PayPal by clicking hereor any of the red “Donate” buttons

(5) Text HOPE4HORSES to 53-555

(6) Venmo your donation to @allaboutequine

Donate

A New Way to Give

Start your own fundraiser on behalf of AAE! Then ask friends and family to donate as a gift for your birthday, Christmas, or just because, and help the horses of AAE! Click here to get started. If you have any questions, please email mccall@allaboutequine.org

Your donations, volunteering, adopting, and social media shares & likes really do make a difference and make all of this work possible!

Thanks for your gracious and continued support of AAE!

The following is from All About Equine Rescue:

As we count down to 2024, join us every day this month as we share stories from the barn that show how your support has helped horses this year and every year.

Ho ho ho – it’s time for JoJo & Charley!

JOJO & CHARLEY

JoJo and Charley came together to AAE in November 2022 when their owners were moving across the country, and unfortunately, could not bring the girls. They both had been riding horses, but neither had been ridden in many years. They arrived in good condition, and only needed a few vaccines, deworming, and microchips.

JoJo

JoJo is very senior (1997), but spry, Paso Fino mare, who’s a bundle of energy. This confident mare can be bossy and pushy, and very sweet, too. Overall, she adjusted well to the change in her environment and routine when coming to AAE. However, she became anxious and agitated when separated from Charley, even if only a brief moment. If you can imagine, she demanded her return! In the end, JoJo moved to a new pasture, without Charley. It was for the better for each of them. JoJo discovered geldings, and she’s been a very happy camper since!

When she’s not distraught over separation, JoJo has pretty good ground manners, and she is easy to handle, in general. She can be pushy and a handful when separated from her buddy, whomever it is. She’s a fun and nice, sometimes spicy, and she would love nothing more for Christmas than a home of her own! She is looking for a person to love her as a non-riding companion and who can help build her confidence when separated. (She might, repeat might, be ok as a lead-line possibility, but with an experienced handler.) An older gelding friend at her new home would be the cherry on top!

Charley

Charley is a senior (2001) Quarter Horse mare. She’s calm, friendly, and easy going. She likes her space and her food, too (but don’t we all?!). She lacks confidence in some situations and really needs reassurance from her handler to carry her through, but she’s willing and you can see her try! That said, she adapted well to her new environment and the new routine at AAE.

Charley has some arthiritis and rotation in her front left knee, and she takes daily medication to help.

Earlier this year, she developed a huge abscess in her left hind hoof, and it took its toll. After prolonged lameness, radiographs showed not only the residual of the abscess, but her coffin bone had rotated substantially, just breaking through her sole. Charley’s hoof was kept clean and wrapped with frequent changes, she wore Soft Ride boots, and she had TheraPlate treatments three times a day for several months. Subsequent radiographs showed her sole depth improved tremendously, and she’s recovered incredibly well.

Charley is a favorite to some of our volunteers. She is easy to handle, and she has good ground manners. Charley is available for adoption, but between her arthritis and rotated coffin bone, she has a non-riding companion status. Her ideal home will have flat ground for her to roam and possibly another older horse who would be gentle with her. An older gelding is probably the better option for her, as well.

If you are interested in adopting JoJo or Charley, please submit an adoption inquiry to start the process.

As we wind down the year, our goal is to raise at least $35,000 this holiday season to jump start our funding for the new year and make sure 2024 is merry & bright for horses-in-need.

Like you, we have felt the pressure of the changing economy. Hay, fuel, supplies, and other care costs have increased substantially. The effects are compounded for nonprofits across the country, as many of us have seen a decrease in overall donations. Rising costs and fewer donations are stretching us thin, impacting our ability to serve the number of horses we typically serve. We’ll scale back as we need. We need your support more than ever.

On average, it costs about $8 per horse each day for feed and health care for the horses at AAE. Expenses add up quickly when caring for 50+/- horses and other animals, including costs for basic care, diagnostics, treatments, medications, surgery, and emergency care, when needed.

We know your lives have been impacted, too, we’re all in this together. If you’re able, please consider making a year end donation to support this life-saving work and make it possible to help more horses-in-need.

Expenses can add up quickly, but your donations can, too! If every one of our followers made a $5 donation, we could surpass our goal by thousands.

You can help make similar stories to share next year by donating today. Any amount is very much appreciated, and it makes a big difference for the horses.

Donate

Ways to Give This Holiday Season

(1) Set up a bill pay with your bank for a one-time (or recurring) donation

(2) Mail a check to:

All About Equine Animal Rescue

2201 Francisco Drive #140-174

El Dorado Hills, CA 95762

(3) Drop off your donation at:

AAE Used Tack Store

4050 Durock Road #6

Shingle Springs, CA 95682

(4) Donate online using a credit card, Venmo, or PayPal by clicking hereor any of the red “Donate” buttons

(5) Text HOPE4HORSES to 53-555

(6) Venmo your donation to @allaboutequine

Donate

Your donations, volunteering, adopting, and social media shares & likes really do make a difference and make all of this work possible!

Thanks for your gracious and continued support of AAE!

The following is from All About Equine Rescue:

As we count down to 2024, join us every day this month as we share stories from the barn that show how your support has helped horses this year and every year.

Today we’re putting the spotlight on this familiar & handsome face! His story is on the longer side, but it’s a worthwhile read.

BLUE

Blue, a 2010 Virginia Range (NV) mustang, came to AAE in March 2017 after a request for assistance from the Virginia Range Wild Horse Sanctuary and the Hidden Valley Wild Horse Protection Fund. Blue had a large mass over his left rear fetlock/pastern area. Despite being haltered and handled to some extent previously, he was not halterable when he arrived at AAE. It would be a long and challenging journey to help Blue, but it was one we were willing to take on.

Before we could even examine and evaluate the mass, let alone treat it, Blue had to be gentled, halterable, and handleable. If we were going to remove it, we needed to be able to handle his leg and hoof to change his bandages frequently post-surgery. Blue had some substantial fear/trust issues, which made the process even more difficult. Initial efforts to befriend and halter him were met with a lukewarm response.

Soon enough, Blue made enough progress that our vet was able to sedate him, radiograph the bony area beneath the mass, and collect tissue samples for biopsy. Even under sedation, he kicked quickly and with purpose.

Fortunately, the radiographs and biopsy detected no obvious underlying concerns, and it was assumed the mass was proud flesh (granulation tissue) that was the result of an old, untreated injury. Unfortunately, a few weeks later, Blue developed painful sores/ulcers in his mouth. He was quarantined as a precaution and was tested for vesicular stomatitis (a contagious viral disease that primarily affects horses and cattle). Thankfully, the test was negative. We gave him time to recuperate, but were eager to restart our training as soon as possible – the mass on his leg was growing and oozing, attracting flies and yellow jackets.

After several weeks, his mouth had improved and we resumed our efforts. We worked for weeks with minimal progress, but after one marathon day, we had a major break through! After six hours, he accepted handling and touching all over, so we began to practice bandaging and removing the bandage, over and over. We continued this every day until we could halter, touch his body all over, and pick up, handle, and bandage his left hind.

Blue had surgery at the end of August 2017, and the nearly seven pound mass was removed. What a relief!

Blue practicing bandaging before surgery.     The mass was HUGE! Doesn’t it look like a brain?

When it came time to change the bandage for the first time, Blue was sedated and, overall, the process went smoothly (though he wasn’t a fan of having the lesion cleaned). The area where the mass had been was beginning to heal!

Blue’s health concerns weren’t over though. The mystery sores returned, and in addition to his mouth, he had them all over his body this time. We biopsied the tissue and received a vasculitis diagnosis. Thankfully, with proper medication, the sores began to heal.

Healing progressed nicely. We had a few bumps along the way (Blue grew weary of being sedated and having the lesion cleaned), and by November 2017, the lesion was almost healed. A small area persisted and started to grow back so it was trimmed off. As the months passed, the small area started to grow again. A biopsy revealed a sarcoid. We tried different medications, but nothing helped the lesion heal completely. The small area was lasered off one more time in fall 2018, and since then, the lesion has completely healed, save an awkward looking, quarter-sized scar. However, the swelling in his fetlock and pastern area has reduced, and you can barely see the scar.

Nowadays, Blue is healthy and happy, spending his time being a horse and being the best Uncle B to younger ones in our herd. Unfortuantely, he developed laminitis in pasture last spring, and now he lives in a smaller dry paddock where he can still somewhat enjoy open space. He is still untrusting and unsure at times, especially when encountering new things. Though, he’s willing to do just about anything (respectfully) for a carrot.

Blue is available for adoption as a non-riding companion only to the perfect, forever home. He needs a patient person with mustang experience and plenty of space to roam free. He has made progress over his time at AAE, but still prefers horses to humans. If someone can give him time every day, he’s sure to come all the way around.

If you think you may be a good fit for him, submit an adoption inquiry to start the process.

Our goal is to raise at least $35,000 this holiday season to jump start our funding for the new year and make sure 2024 is merry & bright for horses-in-need.

Like you, we have felt the pressure of the changing economy. Hay, fuel, supplies, and other care costs have increased substantially. The effects are compounded for nonprofits across the country, as many of us have seen a decrease in overall donations. Rising costs and fewer donations are stretching us thin, impacting our ability to serve the number of horses we typically serve. We’ll scale back as we need, but we need your support more than ever.

On average, it costs about $8 per horse each day for feed and health care for the horses at AAE. Expenses add up quickly when caring for 50+/- horses and other animals, including costs for basic care, diagnostics, treatments, medications, surgery, and emergency care, when needed.

We know your lives have been impacted, too, we’re all in this together. If you’re able, please consider making a year end donation to support this life-saving work and make it possible to help more horses-in-need next year.

Expenses can add up quickly, but your donations can, too! If every one of our followers made a $5 donation, we could surpass our goal by thousands.

You can help make similar stories to share next year by donating today. Any amount is very much appreciated, and it makes a big difference for the horses.

As seen with Blue, there are times when we have to address the unexpected, and we need the resources to provide the best we can for the horses in our care. We are grateful to have the support of our AAE community to ensure we are able to do that. Thank YOU!

Donate

Ways to Give This Holiday Season

(1) Set up a bill pay with your bank for a one-time (or recurring) donation

(2) Mail a check to:

All About Equine Animal Rescue

2201 Francisco Drive #140-174

El Dorado Hills, CA 95762

(3) Drop off your donation at:

AAE Used Tack Store

4050 Durock Road #6

Shingle Springs, CA 95682

(4) Donate online using a credit card, Venmo, or PayPal by clicking hereor any of the red “Donate” buttons

(5) Text HOPE4HORSES to 53-555

(6) Venmo your donation to @allaboutequine

Donate

Your donations, volunteering, adopting, and social media shares & likes really do make a difference and make all of this work possible!

Thanks for your gracious and continued support of AAE!