Hello Katharine,

Our beautiful "Red" has come so far. So have Deva and Chinquapin, the other two in the cruelty seizure that we took in back in December. Yes, the second photo is the same horse. He will never suffer again.

The video, about the bonded pairs we have, shows Rachel riding Red. She works with them all "at liberty", allowing them to choose human contact. Red has the right to say no, I don't want to be ridden. But he walks right up to the mounting block and positions himself for Rachel to mount.

We made sure Red's wounds were all healed, and his back was sound. Chinquapin was much more damaged and elderly, so he will never be ridden again. And Deva was more damaged psychologically - physically, too, but her ability to trust comes slowly.

We took them on, at our expense (there has been no funding to help them), not knowing what the court would actually do. They were awarded to us and that was such a relief!

I am always humbled by how forgiving of humans horses can be.

While we felt such joy at the progress of Red, Deva and Chinquapin, we had a devastating loss in June. Our beloved Gita passed over. This is one of my favorite old photos of her - our dearest friend, Diane, working on her hooves and Dr. Heather holding Gita's head with love and compassion.

It was weather related. We had been staying above 100 degrees week after week, dry and ungodly hot. Then, storms came, and we had flooding rain with dramatic drops in temperatures. We fed mashes, ran misters, did all we could to keep everyone safe.

Gita was in her mid 30's, blind and had DSLD. When she colicked that morning, Dr. Heather agreed that heroic measures would not be kind... Gita had a twisted intestine and we euthanized her to end her pain.

Rest in Peace, gentle soul. Gita was with us for 4 great years, having been dumped in the desert, starving, to die. She lived a healthy, happy life at Dharmahorse, being adored by everyone.

Our cherished Volunteer, Joyce is moving out of town. She has done wonders with little Peanut and, not only will we miss her so much, but he will also. Safe journeys, Joyce. Thank you for all your contributions and kindness.

For months we faced high winds and dust storms. Several Haboobs rolled over us with such fervor, a one-inch layer of dirt collected on surfaces in the house, medicine room and feed room, repetitively.

Then, while we were deep within a real drought, the Monsoons hit. After a prediction of 5 inches of rain on its way, volunteers brought sandbags, and we reinforced the big door on the barn that faces the road. The barn was full of hay and our road is an arroyo! In the past, we had seen the road turn into a river and the thought of the barn flooding was frightening.

Storms began visiting us daily (and nightly) with occasional small hail, winds and lightning. We prepared, we planned, and we kept the horses safe. The ground soaked up the water like a sponge.

We filled hay nets and stacked them so they could be tied inside shelters during the storms.

The sandbags gave us peace of mind.

Emergencies can be overwhelming, so we plan and prepare. Dharmahorse protocols/stories were featured in this recent Chronicle of the Horse story.

More hay always means peace of mind. This was one of three loads stacked in the barn(s) in June. This was the concern about flooding!

We have a new hoof trimmer. Our friend and past trimmer, Diane has retired. We are so grateful for ALL she did to help and heal these horses.

Corwin is an amazing young man taking over the care of all these many hooves! Corwin is patient and kind, understanding that many of these horses (and mules) have been brutalized... or unhandled, before coming to Sanctuary.

Dalai is doing well. She needs exercise, but because of her grade 4 heart murmur (!), we can't just turn her out and let her gallop madly about. I've started longeing her at a walk in both directions, near her stall/pen to keep her calm. She is also on Vitamin E and magnesium supplements, Hawthorn berry herb and, when she gets any edema, Uva Ursi herb.

Little Andy will be wearing his sheath guard until winter. He got the Habronema again this year in his sheath and penis. Our Vet makes medicine we put on it twice daily and we wash the guard daily, often in Chlorohexidine. Urine passes through the mesh "cup" and the sheath guard keeps flies off of his nether regions.

Jasper is well. He is an odd pony. He was obviously a "pet" and can be a little angel or explode, depending upon his mood. He loves his private shelter and pen. He is afraid of other equines unless there is a fence between them. If only they could talk and tell us about past experiences.

Compassion Fatigue and the fragility of horses blog:

I’m so often caught between the joy of saving a life and the despair of losing one. Last month, within 2 days’ time, we had to euthanize and bury a beloved blind mare, well in her 30’s, who we had rescued from being dumped in the desert, starving. She lived 4 joy filled years with us. And we had another, Navajo Nations mare, also in her 30’s, colic from sand that builds up in her gut. This mare was saved by our amazing Vet who was able to run a nasogastric tube...

Our Store

We have these three designs (art by Linda, Billy and Katharine) available on mugs, shirts, toddler clothes and more:

THE DHARMAHORSE STORE

All proceeds go to the horses! Great gift ideas!

We see each horse here as an individual with physical, mental and emotional needs that are dynamic and fluctuate with the weather, the seasons, their changing bodies as they age and who they live with as a herd.

We appreciate everyone who helps us help these horses. Donors, Volunteers, Foundations and those who "spread the word" about Dharmahorse. Thank you all.

You can use this DONATE button to access our website & donate from there. If you want to send a check, the address is 6874 Coyote Road, Las Cruces, NM, USA, 88012. Make checks to Dharmahorse. We are a 501c3 nonprofit, so donations are tax deductible.

We wish you well. We hold this planet and all who fly with her in love & light.

Mahalo!

Katharine, Mark, the DH Team & the Dharma Horses