Greetings!
We went from Winter to Summer (or so it feels) "overnight". Where things used to shift relatively gently through the seasons, it now seems like we just skip Spring and Autumn altogether. Except for the winds. This Spring has had more windy days and strong winds than I remember from past years... and that might just be my aging perspective.
Elderly Gita was hanging onto her winter coat with nights still getting to freezing temps at the beginning of the month. And suddenly, she is sweating by mid-morning, finally "blowing" that coat, but I can't get it off of her fast enough.
The Mesquite trees finally leafed out, a sure sign (or used to be) that we'll have no more freezes. And we all pull massive amounts of shedding hair from the horses, barely making a dent so far. A testimonial to how cold the winter was.
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A big dirt devil whipped through by the Infirmary Barn and it was (briefly) frightening for Luna! Kind of made me gasp, too! |
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Cassi continues to bloom, heal and get stronger. |
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Peanut and the Fundraiser
It was a wonderful Event. Woody's Gift Gallery made everything just perfect. Peanut had his "corral" where people could meet him and where he had his hay, water and room to move around. Rachel showed some of the things she has taught him. He was pleased with himself!
We made money to buy trees and bushes for Shade and Windbreak for the horses! Thank you all who made it possible.
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Leslie at Woody's put together delicious food! Kim, also at Woody's, was a gracious host - helping us set up and welcome guests. |
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We replaced the fence panels between Cassi's pen and the track because Pepper kept sticking his legs (and his head!) through the pipes! Mark and Joe worked really hard to make things safer for Pepper. There is electric fence across the top as well. |
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I'm trusting the Mesquite trees - we've quit wrapping faucets at home and disconnecting hoses from the freeze free hydrants here.
The new barn made it possible to care for Sage after he hurt his back playing with Pepper. And we had Bodhi there when first the abscess, then the cellulitis, made it painful to walk (see more below). Because Dream Cat was at the Infirmary, recovering from a mystery condition which included lack a of peristalsis (!), the extra stalls were a blessing. Andy is spending time in one stall/pen now so he can get completely out of the wind. Andy is quite elderly now.
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Pepper gets bigger and more lovely all the time. |
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In May, we will host a Workshop for both new horse owners and experienced horse persons. Sign Up
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We will demonstrate healing modalities, training methods and discuss feeding horses, keeping horses and humans safe and the track system. |
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Hubba is now in his 30's. His teeth could be better... in May, he will have a dental exam with our Veterinarian (we tend to his teeth each year). Right now, he is spending time in the giant round yard to get extra food!
May 17th, our Vet will do dentals on Hubba, Dream Cat and Cassi. Our hope is to be able to sedate Pumpkin (the feral mini mule) and check her teeth, vaccinate her and trim her hooves. While Rachel has made amazing progress with Pumkin, she is still afraid to be touched by a human.
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Herbs are a vital addition to the mashes we serve. We mix the Dharmahorse supplement seasonally to provide the nutrients and healing factors needed by the horses as a whole. Individual herbs are given when needed to individual horses.
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Mugwort/Moxa - this herb is used many ways. We love Moxabustion sticks that smolder and are used over acupoints to move Chi (energy) through the body. One must be trained to use this modality safely.
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Anise seeds are supportive of the digestive system and lungs. We mix them, ground, in our Dharmahorse supplement to help prevent colic and to strengthen the lungs.
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Beloved Bodhi had a bout with cellulitis after a hoof abscess! We had the Vet out, did 2 rounds of antibiotics and are using exercise, cold hosing, Homeopathics, colloidal silver and the herb Uva Ursi (a natural diuretic) to support his continued healing.
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Visit, like and follow our Facebook page!
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Educational pages on the website |
In keeping with our focus upon Educational Outreach, we have three new pages on the website.
Educational Modules have care and handling information.
We gathered some of Katharine's Articles from Horse Magazines.
Educational Videos on care, equipment and more
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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.
If you want to help a specific horse, you can sponsor his or her hay costs for a month:
Scroll to the bottom of the page for details on how to donate/sponsor.
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We could sure use help with the upcoming Vet visit. If you can help (any amount is appreciated) to cover these "care costs", you will be supporting the special care needed to keep the elderly equines thriving.
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.
THANK YOU
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We also have a WISH LIST at Chewy!
The Feed Products on the list are SO needed and appreciated!
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Visit our Blog for past and ongoing stories about the Sanctuary!
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We use herbal supplements (of our own making) to support the good health of all the horses here. We make remedies for healing from plants! It's called "phytotherapy".
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ROSE HIPS
The rose hip is the fruit of the Rose plant, formed after the blossom is pollinated. Full of Vitamin C, Lycopene, Biotin and flavonoids, this herb is fed to horses to support liver function, digestion of fats and for hoof health. It is especially useful for hoof growth and strength when fed with Kelp.
I feed a tablespoon of dry, ground rosehips to a large horse in a bucket feed once daily as a supplement. I will reduce this a bit for a small horse.
Rosehips are a very effective addition to the diet of a laminitic or foundered horse because of the vitamin C, biotin and liver cleansing properties. I had a mare I took into my family years ago who had foundered badly (from the West Nile Virus vaccine) and she received Rosehips daily the rest of her life (in addition to other herbs).
Our Herbal Guide has information on the herbs we use for the horses with recipes and safety guidelines:
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We don't do this for donations, we need donations to do this! |
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We wish you well. We hold this planet and all who fly with her in love & light.
Mahalo!
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