Bluebonnet Equine Humane Society

11/27/2025

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Today, and every day, I am so grateful for you and your support.

And I am so grateful that I get to dedicate my life to helping both horses and humans.

Thank you for being part of the Bluebonnet Community.

11/26/2025

On Nov. 25th the American Association of Equine Practitioners and Equine Disease Communication Center produced a  webinar for horse owners to learn more about the equine herpesvirus outbreak in Texas. Drs. Krista Estell, Dr. Katie Flynn  and Texas state veterinarian Dr. Lewis “Bud” Dinges, pr...

11/20/2025

I was hanging out with my hairy, handsome boy Galeno the other day, thinking about how absolutely in love I am with this horse. This got me thinking of the idea of a “heart horse” – or the horse you bond deeply with.

Some people really hate the term “heart horse”, and others really don’t believe the idea that a horse is going to bond with a human. I hear “the horse will like whoever feeds him” as someone rolls their eyes and scoffs at the idea of bonding.

Other people want to feel an instant connection with a horse and get frustrated if that connection isn’t there either immediately or at least within the first few weeks. I hate that because that makes people second-guess, sometimes even dislike, the horse. And they give up on the horse when they could develop an amazing partnership and relationship if they had given it more time.

I’m sure some people do have an instant connection with a horse. But to be honest, I never have.

For the first couple of years that I had Galeno, I wondered what had possessed me to adopt this horse. He was hard – he didn’t want me to touch his ears (including bridling him). He would jerk the lunge line away and try to run off. When I started riding him, he bolted.

I worried there was something mentally wrong with him. Or maybe I was a horrible rider. I thought about returning him. I had crises of confidence (multiple times). I sometimes didn’t even think I liked him.

I’m stubborn. Sometimes that means I don’t know when to give up, but this time it worked out in my favor. Because I kept trying and one day, I looked at this horse and realized I could not imagine my life without him. I pity my vet the few times I’ve had to call her out for emergencies for him, because she probably dreads the day something is truly wrong. It’ll be ugly.

Galeno isn’t the only horse that I’ve wondered if I made a mistake with – although he’s probably the most dramatic case. I’ve had other horses who I just didn’t feel much more until that one day when I realized I did.

What’s the purpose of this post? It is to tell you that sometimes those bonds take work. Sometimes they take you questioning your own sanity. Sometimes it means working and crying and working again. And then one day you wake up, and you see a heart horse standing before you. You see the horse you cannot live without.

So give it time, keep working, and don’t give up on your horse or your relationship with him or her. (My caveat here is: if the horse has dangerous behavior and you are truly in over your head, you need a professional assessment and then you may need to decide whether or not this is something you can work through).

And also remember, your relationship with each horse you care for, ride, and/or own will be different. I own three full sized horses (and my daughter’s pony) right now, and my relationship with each is different. I’ve been lucky to have more than one “heart horse” and even those relationships are different. But I love them all.

11/20/2025

Great information from one of our partners, Equine Mobile Veterinary Services: Kris Anderson DVM.

By now, you’ve heard about the emergent cases of EHV-1 linked to a large event in Waco.

There’s a lot of hysteria and drama online, and we have a lot of clients calling the office. While we want you to be careful and follow good biosecurity practices, please don’t panic.

This isn’t my first experience with an EHV-1 outbreak, and my advice is the same as every other outbreak: sit tight and stay home and keep others away from your horses. This means don’t haul to events or to trail rides, don’t have friends over to ride. Go ahead and cancel the body work and farrier. Cancel elective vet procedures. However, if your horse is sick, injured, or ill, call your vet – don’t postpone emergency care because you’re worried.

Right now, this bout of EHV-1 has been linked to the barrel racing community, so barrel horses are at a greater risk. However barrel racers board at mixed discipline barns. They share fencelines with horses on other properties. They come in contact with other horses at the vet. The farrier or bodyworker who works on a barrel horse may be out to your farm next. I expect this will spread beyond the barrel horse community (if it already hasn’t).

Even though horses can be contagious and spreading EHV-1 in the early stages when it is still hard to detect, doing our best to indentify and treat cases, as well as isolating exposed horses, is our best way of slowing or stopping the spread.

If you board, have recently traveled, or have shared fencelines with horses who travel, monitor your horses and those around them for any symptoms. Take temperatures twice daily (normal temperature is 99-101.5F).

This is great information that I borrowed from another clinic:

Limiting exposure to other horses helps because EHV-1 spreads through:
Direct horse-to-horse contact
Respiratory droplets
Contaminated surfaces
Shared water or feed buckets
Human hands or clothing that touch an infected horse

Practice good biosecurity (this is always good advice, not just now):
Wash hands & change clothes after visiting other barns
Don’t share buckets, hay bags, or grooming tools
Especially don’t share bridles/bits
Monitor temperatures daily
Stay home if your horse seems “off”

Reach out to my office if your horse has been exposed to a positive horse and isolate that horse from all other horses.

If your horse has a fever, even if they’re showing no other signs, contact my office immediately. If you are concerned your horse is acting sick or off, even if they don’t have a fever, contact my office immediately.

And I know this is scary and you love your horse. Just remember, we all love our horses and want to protect them. Let’s not point fingers or blame people. Let’s work together to slow the spread of this virus and not let fear make us turn on each other.

11/20/2025

If you are a horse person who is online, you've probably heard about the EHV-1 outbreak by now. If you haven't, Brazos Valley Equine Navasota has some great information on their page and on their website.

Out of an abundance of caution, we're suspending intake and movements of horses within the rescue for the next two weeks and will re-evaluate at that time. As far as we know, none of our horses have been exposed but this strain of EHV-1 does not seem to be behaving normally, and so many horses were potentially exposed at a couple of big events.

As a rescue supported by generous supporters who also uses foster homes, we feel it is our responsibility to be cautious about threats to the equine population.

If anything changes, we will update.

Also, if you are an animal control officer or law enforcement officer reading this and need help with horse cases, please reach out. We'll be handling those on a case by case basis and working with our veterinarians (and yours) to figure out the best way to quarantine and help the horses who are in immediate need.

11/19/2025

Special Horses is holding their annual Fall Trash or Treasure auction to benefit Bluebonnet Equine and several other rescues. There are some awesome items in the auction (many I want, as always!) and you can do some pre-holiday shopping online and help the horses!

https://specialhorsesauctions.org/

11/19/2025

If you visit the Brazos Valley Equine Hospitals - Navasota page, you can also watch the recording of their Facebook live where they answered questions about EHV-1 and possible risks.

Edited to add:
BVEH NAVASOTA HAS NO CASES ONSITE IN NAVASOTA. It is safe to bring your horse for their normal appointments, we will have additional biosecurity protocols before and in between appointments. We are working to set up an offsite location to triage potential sick horses. We will have updates tomorrow for you. Dr. Buchanan will go live here on Facebook at 8:15am tomorrow (Wednesday) morning.

BVEH Advisory:

EHV-1 Cases in Horses Returning From a Recent Event

Brazos Valley Equine Hospitals wants to notify horse owners that we are aware of multiple confirmed cases of EHV-1 in surrounding hospitals, and several suspected cases including several horses with neurologic signs (EHM) currently being diagnosed in the barrel horse community. BVEH has not admitted and is not treating and EHV or EHM cases.

The State of Texas Animal Health Commission is aware of the outbreak.

At this time, 5–10 horses are known to us to be sick, but the true number is likely higher as many cases go unreported.

________________________________________

What Horse Owners Should Do Right Now:

1. Keep all horses at home!
Please avoid hauling, clinics, lessons, shows, or mingling horses for the next several weeks until more information is available.

Movement is the #1 factor that spreads EHV-1.
________________________________________

2. Check temperatures twice daily!
Fever is usually the first sign (often before nasal discharge or neurologic symptoms).
• Temp at or above 101.5°F = call your veterinarian.
________________________________________

3. Notify your veterinarian immediately if your horse exhibits:
• Fever
• Weakness or incoordination
• Standing with hindlimbs wide
• Tail tone changes
• Difficulty urinating
• Lethargy or decreased appetite

Early intervention improves outcomes.
________________________________________

4. Discuss treatment options with your veterinarian.

For febrile or exposed horses, your vet may recommend:
• Valacyclovir
• Aspirin or other anti-thrombotics
• Anti-inflammatories
• Supportive care

(These should only be used under veterinary direction.)
________________________________________

5. Biosecurity matters.
• Do not share water buckets, hoses, tack, grooming tools, or stalls.
• Disinfect trailers, thermometers, and crossties.
• Isolate any horse with fever immediately.
________________________________________

About Vaccination.

Current evidence shows vaccines do not prevent EHM, but they can reduce viral shedding and shorten viremia, which lowers barn-wide spread and is important to the community.

Boosters are helpful when:
• A horse was vaccinated > 90 days ago, or
• You are preparing for high-risk environments (events, hauling, mixing populations).

What the research shows:
• Booster vaccination increases IgG1 and IgG4/7, the antibody classes linked with limiting viremia.
• Reduced viremia = reduced likelihood of severe disease and decreased transmission.
• Boosters are most effective in younger horses, previously vaccinated horses, and non-pregnant horses.

Vaccines do NOT stop a horse already incubating EHV-1 from developing signs, and they do not eliminate the risk of neurologic disease. For horses already exposed or febrile, do not vaccinate until cleared by your veterinarian.
________________________________________

We Will Continue to Update You!

BVEH is actively monitoring cases and communicating with veterinarians across Texas and neighboring states. We will continue to provide updates as more information becomes available. If your horse is showing fever or any neurologic signs, please contact your veterinarian or call BVEH immediately.

Please ask any questions in this post and we will work to answer them quickly. Stay tuned for additional updates, including a Live Q and A with Dr. Ben Buchanan tomorrow (Wednesday).

We have documents on our website www.bveh.com specific to EHV and biosecurity. Additional resources included below.

Stay safe, monitor closely, and thank you for helping limit the spread.

— Brazos Valley Equine Hospitals

Link to BVEH documents regarding EHV-1:
http://www.bveh.com

Link to ACVIM consensus statement: https://www.acvim.org/research/consensus-statements

Link to AAEP EHV documents:https://aaep.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/EHV1-4-guidelines-2021.pdf

Link to Equine Disease Center:https://aaep.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/EHV1-4-guidelines-2021.pdf

11/12/2025

Earlier this year, I was approached by a team of graduate students from Texas A&M University's Mays Business School. As part of their program, the students design and then market and sell a product, with proceeds going to a nonprofit. As an Aggie myself, this seemed like the perfect partnership: the students get business experience, we get more help for the horses, and it is Aggies supporting Aggies supporting horses.

Their product is the Step 'N Store, a wallet built to snap and attach to the inside of a cowboy boot. Designed for convenience and style, the boot wallet is a simple, country-inspired way to securely carry your essentials while on the go. Perfect for gameday, music festivals, and the country lifestyle! We’re excited to try out a Step ‘N Store wallet while riding as well! Each wallet is proudly manufactured in San Antonio, TX in partnership with Jon Hart Design, a beloved Texan brand known for its timeless craftsmanship and quality leather goods.

Through this collaboration, these students are helping raise awareness for the rescue, rehabilitation, and adoption of equines in need across Texas. Thank you, Team Step ‘N Store, for choosing us as your partner, and for helping make life better for equines in need!

These would make awesome gifts for the holidays - buy one for the horse person in your life or treat yourself. And remember, proceeds help the Bluebonnet horses.

The Step 'N Store is available online at https://step-n-store.market.haus/

Or you can shop in person on the follow daying:
- 11/14 First Down at McFerrin 5-7PM (1700 Research Pkwy, Ste. 130)
- 11/15 TAMU v South Carolina pregame at Aggieland Outfitters (303 University Dr E)
- 11/18 The Local at Lake Walk 4-7PM (4107 Lake Atlas Dr)
- 11/22 TAMU v Samford pregame at Aggie Park
- TBD: 12/6 The Local at Lake Walk 4-7PM (4107 Lake Atlas Dr)

Thank you to this awesome group of students for helping us make Texas, and the world, a better place for horses!

11/11/2025

Ya'll, these kids today with their skibidi aura rizz 6-7 ohio garbage...

These kids are gonna be just fine.

Every generation likes to talk bad about the previous generation. The Boomers trashed Gen X. Gen ask just said "Whatever" and then trashed the Millenials and Gen Z. And Millenials and Gen Z will one day trash Gen Alpha and on and on until the very end of time. Each generation has its silly language (anyone remember gnarly, groovy, gag me with a spoon, etc. etc. etc.?). Each generation has someone cursing their music or their work ethic. And on and on.

And yeah, each generation has someone who fits the stereotype, someone lazy or someone who steals or someone who is just awful. Go back in history, go further back, even further - you'll see it.

So what does this have to do with horse rescue?

Last night, I got asked to speak via Zoom at a 4H club meeting. I talked about my education and training, what I do at the rescue, and what Bluebonnet does and how they could get involved. The kids listened and were polite, and afterwards they asked good questions - some hard questions like "What's the worst thing you/ve seen?" but also good questions. And when I had to log out to make an online meeting of an online learning program I needed to get to, I told them that I had to go learn more about horses. One little girl asked, with wide eyes, "You mean YOU still have things to learn?". When I told her that one awesome thing about horses is we can always keep on learning, she was thrilled to find out there wasn't a cap of knowledge out there. I loved it, that interaction made my night.

And it isn't just the 4-H group I spoke to. It is the kids who are in our Training Challenge. It is the kids whose families foster and/or adopt. It is the kids who put on fundraisers for the horses for their birthday. It is the kids out there working hard and making the world better in a million different ways.

These kids are awesome, and we should be glad that they're coming after us to take on the world. No cap! (Said in my best mom voice designated to make my kid roll her eyes).

11/09/2025

Some Bluebonnet cuteness for the day.