Lucky Glider Rescue & Sanctuary

09/12/2025

This week, we took one of our John Donkeys, “Kharma,” to the equine vet for the third time in the past month. Here, he is getting a special multi-ray light treatment. He cut his lower leg right above the hoof line after getting it caught under a metal plate. The light rays—which include infrared and ultraviolet frequencies—excite active ingredients in an analgesic gel that's applied to the wound. The treatment kills bacteria and promotes healing.

So far so good. This week’s treatment was the third one, and our vet, Dr. Budd, is encouraged by the results.

Kharma hates being loaded in the trailer but overall he's a good boy🥲

09/10/2024

Stoney & Royal debut at LGRS

Over the weekend, the highly anticipated BLM Mustangs Stoney & Royal arrived at the sanctuary. They are very bonded to each other and get along famously! Despite being rounded up by the Bureau of Land Management in Nevada and Utah, these precious beasts are now quite tame. I would like to express my gratitude to several people for their involvement in rescuing these guys. I want to give a special thanks to Jill Robertson-Fuoco, a friend and advocate for wild horses and burros, along with her fellow rescuer and fundraiser Nicole Scholl. I'd also like to thank Melanie Witherspoon and her daughter Mallory for quarantining, feeding, and transporting these bay geldings to us. Additionally, we are grateful for our dear friend and ranch hand Connor Lowery for his assistance with both the intake and care of these fellows here at the ranch.

In this short video, you will see that Stoney (on the left) and Royal are quite tame. Our new (giant) Hanoverian warmblood, Eli, was looking on and kicking up a fuss over all the attention the newbies are getting. Eli is very interested in these Mustangs and has been "talking" to them, and even grooming them from over his pasture fence.

Stoney is 3 years old and was rounded up in the wilds of Antelope Valley, UT. He stands at 14.3 hands. Royal is 6 years old and was taken from the wilds of Indian Lake, NV. He too is 14.3 hands high. Based on their interactions with the donkeys and Buddy the mule, it looks like these fellows are fast friends and will do just fine here. If any of you animal lovers are interested in seeing them face to face, let me know if you are passing through the Waco area and we can make arrangements.

Over the weekend, the highly anticipated BLM Mustangs Stoney & Royal arrived at the sanctuary. They are very bonded to each other and get along famously! Des...

08/01/2024

Dear friends and family, I am running a special, one-time fundraising campaign for two BLM Mustang geldings, "Royal" and "Stoney," who are destined to join us at the LGRS ranch in a few weeks. We are seeking to partially defray the cost of quarantine care and transport. Any amount starting at five dollars would be a big help. Click on the link here to the special fundraising page to donate securely. Many thanks!

😃P.S. Don't be confused about the link photo here that shows two of our sanctuary donkeys Zeus and Kharma

There is an epidemic of unwanted and abandoned animals in the United States. These include exotic pets and domestic animals that are often "let loose" or neglected. All too often small exotics are purchased "on impulse" at trade shows, flea markets, and pet stores. Breeders and sellers of these anim...

07/26/2024

This is our newest addition to the sanctuary. His name is Eli and he's a four-year-old dark bay Hanoverian warmblood. He's a bit toed-in at his front hooves so he cannot be ridden. Our donor friends Roxanne and Bryan, who traveled four hours to get here with Eli, thought he'd be well-paired with our dear mare Cowgirl, who watches over the sheep herd. We agree!

Eli is 17.3 hands high. That's just shy of six feet at the withers, making him a pretty big boy. He weighs about 1,800 pounds... With the help of our sanctuary staffers Connor and Emily, Eli is settling in just fine. He's starting to get used to those sheep running between his legs when it's time to eat, and he's friendly with all of us. Next time you visit LGRS, we'd be happy to introduce you to him!

07/06/2024

Mule And Donkey Dirtbath

At the beginning of the video, you'll notice some interesting body language. A line of John Donkeys is being closely watched by Buddy (the chestnut mule), positioned on the left. Herschel, the brown donkey, bends his knees to get ready for a dirt bath. However, at the 20-second mark, the mule gestures towards him. The donkeys make way for the mule, who typically prefers to disrupt whatever activity the donkeys are involved in. Buddy is dominant and will often chase them around. They never really hurt each other, but Buddy likes to boss them.

Now Zeus and his son Kharma (the Piebald John Donkeys), provide a defensive shield for Herschel so he can take his dirt bath in peace. Zeus and Kharma position themselves on either side of Herschel during his bath. Afterwards, Zeus gives him a loving nudge indicating that it's time to move on so father and son can have their turn.

It's common for donkeys to "bookend" another donkey who is dirt-bathing to show support, as being on one's back is a vulnerable position. Therefore, at least one donkey will always stand guard while the other is taking a roll.

In the last frame, you can see the donkeys moving off to the shade of a line of hackberry trees on the east side of their pasture. See you this afternoon at feeding time, guys!

At the beginning of the video, you'll notice some interesting body language. A line of John Donkeys is being closely watched by Buddy (the chestnut mule), po...

03/13/2024

Mule Chases Donkeys

Our Buddy, the sorrel mule, loves to show off by chasing the John Donkeys around. It's all good fun, and the donkeys will even chase Buddy.

Here he is running down Hershel, a 15-year-old donkey who came to the sanctuary when we were located in Van Alstyne, Texas. Our friend Connor took this video before he was about to feed Buddy and his donkey friends. At the end of the video, you'll notice that Buddy stops chasing the donkeys and comes running to Connor for food.

Our Buddy, the sorrel mule, loves to show off by chasing the John Donkeys around. It's all good fun, and the donkeys will even chase Buddy. Here he is runnin...

12/19/2023

Hackberry tree silhouette sunrise in Bosque county Texas this morning….

11/27/2023

Donkeys Raid UTV

Our dear friend Connor captured this image as he was doing a perimeter check with the Cub Cadet UTV. It's a good idea to check for breaks in the fence line because if there is a break, the donkeys or mule will inevitably jump through it onto a neighbor's property. It's a real chore to round them up so checking and fixing fence is a constant chore.

Donkeys are not only very curious, but they are always begging for food and treats. If fact they act as is they are not fed - always scrounging and braying and kicking at gates for more food. Here, these rambunctious fellows are poking around in the UTV convinced that there's food to be had. Well, three of the John Donkeys and Buddy the Mule anyway. Herschel was a somewhat of an innocent bystander.

No, there was no food, but they hung out waiting for the next best thing: attention.

11/08/2023

Backhoe Back Where You Belong

Our 50-year-old International Harvester 2500 Series backhoe is home again after a stint at the backhoe "hospital." Here's a shout-out to Alphatech Hydraulics (Speegleville TX area) for breathing new life into this beautiful old machine. They just finished replacing o-ring, u-seals, wiper rings, piston seals, swing cylinder seal kits, valve seals etc. It was leaking hydraulic fluid from the right-hand outrigger (stabilizer) and the swing boom quit moving to and fro. In the process, the team at Alphatech disassembled and reassembled the swing, outrigger cylinder, and valve body. All told about 35 hours of work. Although not brand new, the backhoe can now dig holes again!

At first we were concerned that after selling the old F-350, that the lighter-weight F-250 would be able to haul this machine. The flatbed itself weighs over 5,000 pounds and is rated for a payload of just shy of 15,000 pounds. The backhoe itself weighs 13,500 pounds. So the F-250 is hauling close to 19,000 pounds... We put it in "tow" mode and just took it nice and slow for the 50-mile round trip. Thankfully, the F-250 fared well and did not overheat.

The process of getting that old backhoe up on to the trailer and securing it is a bit tedious. The only way to get it up the ramp without catching any parts on the trailer is to back it in. This is a little scary because there's not a lot of room on one side or the other side. I secure the boom to the front part of the trailer frame with chains and then use a long-necked padlock to secure the chains in place.

We also use four ratcheting load binders to cinch-up the chains that hold the backhoe in place at four other points. Same trick with the long-necked padlocks for those points... It ain't overkill. You don't want this machine slipping off and causing deadly mayhem on the road! Here is a photo of the whole rig from truck to flatbed to backhoe.

10/09/2023

Ducks meet at water buckets

You've heard the phrase: "like a duck to water." Yep, it's really true. Our ducks - all ten of them - just love to stick their heads in the mud, in water buckets - anywhere they can. Sure they have a little mud pond and two stock tanks to paddle around in, but these little ones just love lining up at the communal water bucket to dunk their heads and socialize.

Much like dogs, a duck will wag its tail if it is happy or when they see someone familiar approaching or when they see food. Head-bobbing is also a sign of excitement and happiness. I guess the black and white one on the left-hand side is the happiest!

You've heard the phrase: "like a duck to water." Yep, it's really true. Our ducks - all ten of them - just love to stick their heads in the mud, in water buc...