Braided Manes Equine Rescue

01/17/2025

Yes, we have many beautiful drafts for adoption and yes, I am always happy to speak to someone about adopting. But just because you think you are the perfect person and home for one of our horses doesn’t necessarily mean I feel the same way, and that’s a simple fact some have a hard time accepting!

You can tell me all day long how great you are. Yet I’ll decide for myself if I feel the same way. And I can, because I run this organization by standards my board and I have established.

If someone can’t answer a simple question like “how old are you” then that’s on you, not on me. If someone has a hard time telling me how tall and heavy they are, again, that’s on you, not on me. But I am the one who made a promise to the horse about finding it the best home possible, and I will always do my best to keep that promise!

So when you then decide to tell me I come across strong and straight forward - I pride myself with that. For the best of the horse! And if you tell me I scare people, again, that’s on you, not on me. Don’t reflect your own insecurities on me while I am acting in the best interest of the horse! And please don’t go then and tell others you’re going to destroy this organization - I’m simply going to laugh that off! It’s just plain wrong.

That being said, decisions at the rescue are always and only made with the best interest of the horse in mind, and that will never change, no matter how butt-hurt someone is when we don’t agree with them on things❤️🐴❤️

❤️🐴 BUCKY🐴❤️

says let them talk mom and laugh it off looking at this silly picture of me 😉

12/29/2024

A cautionary tale...

I saw a Facebook post today where the person said they were finally diagnosed with walking pneumonia after feeling bad for a while.

If you Ever deal with a starving or disadvantaged horse, you need to remember this.

We have to say that if there is one thing we have massive experience in, it is severe starvation cases.

We want to talk to you about an issue that often arises in severe starvation cases that many people, even vets, may miss because handling starving horses day in and out isn't usually what they do.

We are not veterinarians. But there is significant merit in the voice of experience, and this occurrence has happened time and time again in our rescue.

When a severe starvation case comes in, for the next TEN days, someone should take the horse's temperature twice a day, and we are going to tell you exactly why.

Starving horses very often come down with pneumonia, especially after being moved. By the time it presents like obvious pneumonia, it's too late. We call it "The Silent Pneumonia." In people , it's rather like walking pneumonia in that it is an atypical presentation.

The first symptom is the horse won't drink well and just seems off. There will be a fever, usually.

You often don't have coughing or uri symptoms at first. The lungs may be quieter than usual. You don't hear all the crackles and wheezes at first like typical pneumonia. One side may sound normal and the other silent, or both may be silent.

If appropriate antibiotics are thrown at this day 1, you've got a good shot at saving the horse.

By the time the starving horse has labored breathing, it is generally too late. They get dehydrated, the fever burns up what little reserves are left in their ravaged bodies, and the labored breathing quickly saps their energy.

In this case, it is so much better to err on the side of caution and beg your veterinarian give an antibiotic before OTHER signs present. Excede is usually what we've found effective.

The Rapid Infection Test even often will not detect that this is going on and the vet will try to encourage you to wait and see. And IF it is this silent pneumonia and the horse is a starvation case, they will usually be lost shortly after the labored breathing begins because their body just cannot handle more strain.

We strive to educate to improve the welfare of horses before they ever need a rescue.

We hope you will help us by sharing and sharing these educational articles that come from our experiences.

12/07/2024

It was this day last year I shared this:

"Our vet saw many horses today, and something he said struck me as we did x ray after x ray, lameness after lameness. . .

Dr. Walker has been our primary vet for more than half of the rescue's existence. He came in as the rescue was really growing from holding 6-10 horses to 20, then 50, then 100, then over 150.

He said, when he saw the really emaciated Grulla today, "it used to be every horse you guys got was this thin or worse. You all were the refeeding experts. Now, everything you get is broken in some other way or every other way," and it struck me as so true.

It's really important to hear, I think, for our supporters and the horse industry, overall.

Fixing a starved horse, once you know how, isn't that hard. Re-feeding is painful for very emaciated horses initially. But after a few weeks, you're out of the danger zone.
And, especially for horses under 20, it doesn't carry lasting issues, usually. Once the horse is fed, he's ok. Back in the day, once we fed them, they tended to be sound, healthy and ready for a home.

These days, they aren't usually as thin, but they
are so often wrecked physically and mentally and in need of so much more than food. Many more these days are chronically lame or ill or emotionally unstable, but they aren't body score 1 horses as often as before. The costs are so much higher per horse, the holding times longer, the need of a training greater, the odds humane euthanasia is needed much higher. It's so hard.

The donors don't see under the skin, to the bones, and we can't explain how much more these other horses need you in a way that seems to translate like it must.

Honestly, the horses these days are leaps and bounds more challenging.

He saw it. I saw it. And we went about seeing the horses in front of us."

I just saw this come up in my memories, then a trainer and I were talking this afternoon about it, and the irony is this was just after reviewing our end of the year data and digesting how many horses are coming in where euthanasia is the best answer compared to five years ago, or even a year ago.

12/07/2024

12/03/2024

Ziggy made so many friends on Saturday, everyone loved her. And yet, she is still available. Wonderful 4yo Pearlino mare.
Loves people, and people love her!
Stands for trims. Here's proof....

12/03/2024

What a great weekend at Braided Manes Equine Rescue. It was great to see everyone who came out to support the sale at High Tail Tack Consignment and who stopped by to see the adoptable horses. Baer found his person and now Nate and his daughter can go riding together. Ziggy made lots of new friends, and Fiona enjoyed the snacks. If you are looking for a horse, please consider adopting from a rescue.

12/03/2024

Congratulations Nate and Baer, may you have many happy trails ahead.

10/26/2024

10/26/2024

https://www.columbiatheatre.com/new-events/44th-annual-seattle-comedy-competition