Equus Rescue

08/20/2024

07/30/2024

Transforming the day for our deserving oldest horses with the kindness and attention from the remarkable girls at Silver Springs Pony club. Grateful for their uplifting presence!

07/27/2024

Don’t forget to reserve your spot!
This Sunday from 12pm-1:30pm
We’re looking forward to a day of fun, reading, crafts, refreshments, and horses!

While you’re there, make sure to meet our friends at the Silver Springs Pony Club and learn more about all they offer !

Practice your reading skills this summer by reading out loud to a horse. They love to hear stories!

07/27/2024

We’re so excited to announce our special guests, the Silver Springs Pony Club to our rescue readers event this Sunday!

The Silver Springs Pony Club (SSPC) is based in Millstadt, IL. As a part of the Midwest Region Pony Club and the United States Pony Club (USPC), our mission is "to develop character, leadership, confidence and a sense of community in youth through a program that teaches the care of horses and p...

07/21/2024

Rescue Readers is Sunday July 28th at 12pm. This event is free for all. To reserve your spot please click on the link below. Read to a horse, make a craft, tour the barn, refreshments available!

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/equus-rescue-readers-tickets-952186654917?aff=oddtdtcreator

07/15/2024

“Alice” the pony coming in hot! ❤️❤️ Alice is a part of a bonded group of smaller horses affectionately known at the barn as “the littles” . The Littles were rescued together as a bonded group. Alice is kind and loving and so SO smart ! The littles are a regular part of our rescue readers program. If you’d like to meet Alice and the other “Littles “come out to our next rescue readers event on the 28th ! Details coming soon ❤️❤️❤️

07/06/2024

Love horses? Want to make a difference in a rescued horses life? We have multiple volunteer shifts open and need them filled ASAP! No prior horse experience required- Give us a call and join our incredible team today !
618- 631-3733

A Noble Life Deserves A Second Chance...Equus Rescue is a 501(c)(3) non-profit horse rescue, 100% vol

07/05/2024

This is the final piece in our series entitled The Change Ahead, which was designed to capture some of the regulatory changes on the horizon under the new

07/01/2024

Sweet Katie - our little watermelon loving girl!! Just look at that face 😍😍😍

06/29/2024

Fun idea to help keep the horses cool on a hot summer day !

Fill a solo cup up with half apple sauce half water, freeze over night and squeeze out into their feed pan ! Have fun and add chopped apples or carrot for an extra treat!

Post from : Revitalizing Equine

06/29/2024

Join us tomorrow for Rescue Readers!! 12-1:30pm

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/equus-rescue-readers-tickets-908411973667?aff=oddtdtcreator&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR13_FiCHzUtRpY-kiYjcu0QOBnaRZCBUtg06-NygkFiuOzrmDPBb42b-_o_aem_cF6f4a48vzFt5fblTHqSqA

06/20/2024

Due to the extreme heat, we will be canceling our Rescue Readers event this Sunday June 23rd.
Please join us for our next Rescue Readers event the following Sunday, June 30th at 12:00 pm!

Sign up below

Practice your reading skills this summer by reading out loud to a horse. They love to hear stories!

06/16/2024

06/16/2024

"The vast majority of participants in the Thoroughbred industry are involved because of a love, respect, and appreciation for Thoroughbreds. As racehorses, as athletes, for the millions of roles they can fill and joy they bring in doing so. And yet, the few bad actors will continue to give the entire industry a bad name if we continue to turn a blind eye towards them. It is simply not worth the minimum commission associated with allowing a mare like Mims Eppi to go through the sale. The damage to the public perception of the industry when she is being “bailed” with her identification tag still in her tail, far outweighs the negligible financial benefit to allowing her to sell. It is past time the industry stood up and banned behaviors so clearly not in the best interest of the horse.

I ask Keeneland, Fasig-Tipton, and OBS to set an example and adjust the conditions of sale to protect at-risk horses, as well as increasing the criteria to purchase horses through their auctions.

I ask industry participants to look at their own aftercare and retirement policies and confirm there are plans and funding in place to ensure safe futures for all horses in their care and make appropriate decisions regarding the time of retirement."

https://buff.ly/3Xniui7

06/15/2024

NETPOSSE ALERT for SEARCHING FOR HORSE NAMED HEIR DE LAPONE - LAKEWOOD, CO AREA | NETPOSSE ID #8285
You can find the full story and contact information, as well as the download and print this flyer for posting in public places, at https://netposse.com/tag.asp?id=8285 Feel free to share.
Name: Heir de Lapone Gender: Mare Breed: Holsteiner
Description: She was being leased out. Posted for sale without my knowledge four years ago. I just found the sale ad but we were under the impression that she was still with the lessee because she had her under a long term lease. I have always had ownership and contracted stated I would take her back if lessee did not want her anymore. Heir De Lapone "Aerie". 2015 petite branded dark bay Holsteiner mare. Last known location is Lakewood Colorado. Last seen: 11/12/2020

Please see contact info on flyer.

06/15/2024

What else could one ask for as a birthday present? 41 Bales!!

Thank you Terry McDannold, Mark Jackson, John Schremp and Sons of the American Legion!

06/14/2024

Join us for our next Rescue Readers! Sunday June 23rd! This event is FREE to reserve your spot , click on the link below:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/equus-rescue-readers-tickets-926230790227

06/07/2024

Our lovely girl Gracie 💕

06/03/2024

06/03/2024

More happy faces from today! See you next time !🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴

06/02/2024

What a fantastic day!!! Thanks to everyone who came out for our first Rescue Readers event of the summer!
More dates are being posted soon so if you missed today- don’t worry ! There will be plenty more opportunities to come out and share a special day with the horses at Equus ☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️

05/30/2024

Rescue Readers is a FREE event - reserve your families tickets at the link below !

Children of all ages and reading abilities are invited to join the rescued horses of Equus Sanctuary for an exciting program! Reading out loud has many benefits, no matter what reading level your child has reached. Horses don't judge a child's reading skills, which may encourage hesitant or struggling readers to practice and gain confidence. Reading aloud to animals helps improve literacy skills and has a positive effect on attitudes about reading in young learners! Not only will reading sessions benefit readers, it also helps sooth and socialize our horses!
When you're finished reading, take a barn tour and meet some of our amazing therapy horses and ponies, work on a horse themed craft at our craft table, enjoy refreshments, or just kick back and relax at the barn.

Practice your reading skills this summer by reading out loud to a horse. They love to hear stories!

05/30/2024

Rescue readers is SUNDAY!! who’s coming?!?? #

reading ✅
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05/29/2024

NETPOSSE ALERT for SEARCHING FOR HORSE NAMED DIXEY - LAKE WALES, FL AREA | NETPOSSE ID #8269
You can find the full story and contact information, as well as the download and print this flyer for posting in public places, at https://netposse.com/tag.asp?id=8269 Feel free to share.
Name: Dixey Gender: Stallion Breed: Paint/Pinto
Description: He was taken to Okeechobee Florida by a friend of mine to learn how to work cattle on a cattle ranch. I was recovering from breaking my leg in three places and had to spend many months in a wheelchair.
Date Foaled 5/22/02 Sorrel Tovero Stallion Registered with APHA and has a breeding sire certificate. IS MICROCHIPPED. Dna is on file with registry. LEFT eye BLUE . Suspected to be located in or around Okeechobee, Fl. I am his legal owner and looking to make sure he is happy and well cared for.

05/27/2024

"But I was told that Heart of Phoenix would help me. And you call yourself a rescue"

What if you, the follower, loves cats? What if you have a bunch of strays that people have asked for your help with over the years?

You have three in your house (those were actually yours), and you have 26 outside that you personally take care of.

You have fixed all of those and vaccinated them: one needed a limb amputation, 19 came with pneumonia, 7 were pregnant cats that you somehow found homes for all 48 kittens, 9 had eye infections, one had a horribly putrid wound on its back, and the black one for some reason hates all the orange ones, and you have to be careful everyday to feed them separately.

On top of all of this, there are soooo many cats in the world that no one wants these guys, so here you are, taking care of 29 cats, responsibly, mostly on your own dime though occasionally people chip in something, every single day and...

You keep getting phone calls (because you obviously like cats and are doing a good job with them) to come get more cats,

To take your neighbor's 3 cats because his grandson is allergic, to come get the kittens that someone dumped in a bag in the middle of the busy road, to crawl under the house 5 hours away and rescue the colony of 15 cats living in squalor there, some feral, can you come and take the 40 that my neighbor has in his barn in cages but doesn't feed (which is actually an Animal Control Officer situation and not a rescuer's) and on and on and on.

You'd likely help as much as you can, networking cats to other responsible people when They weren't full, traveling as you were able, etc.

But there are soooo many cats and really the problem is too much for one entity to handle.

It's overwhelming to think about isn't it?

Guess what?

We are in the same boat with horses.

We are doing it and doing it well, but there are soooo many being surrendered.

Right now, at this exact moment, the requests are really pouring in on all aspects of our contact services.

So many owners are requesting us to take their horses that they can no longer feed that we are getting contacted just about every single day from them.

And the problem is only going to get worse because feed just went up many dollars per bag and economy is hitting people harder and harder.

And darn it, it is hitting us too.

If we had a nickel for every time "I thought you were supposed to be a horse rescue" was shouted in our ears right before the angry click, we likely could build a new facility and take all of those.

One organization cannot do it all. Heck, let's be realistic.

We work with a network of responsible and good entities and ALL of us are at our upper limits.

The problem is the keyboard public is quite happy to attack rescuers over and tell them exactly what they did wrong or didn't do, but this same set is usually not the ones willing to help with the problem by giving their money or time.

Dog and cat rescuers are sailing on the same ship.

Good, reputable rescues have a finite number of animals that they can take care of in a responsible and humane manner.

This is reality.

Realistically great rescues Should Be Willing to tell you that that they are at capacity when they are.

Rescue is hard enough for those of us that take on the challenge. Please don't be one of those that discourages good rescuers from continuing on with your judgemental and harsh words.

05/26/2024

05/26/2024

This month we've had more adoptions at once than we've had all year! We don't have many dogs available as we try to catch up on spay/neuter appointments. We can only do AT MOST 5 fixes a week. This is not a complaint but more of gratitude for how many adoptions have gone out! Thank you to everyone who shares and tags people under our posts, it is so helpful for our small community!

05/25/2024

Beautiful Midwinter enjoying the sun ☀️

Shot by Patrick Lanham

05/25/2024

Those beautiful Friesians hold a deadly secret.

Who does not love the sight of a majestic black horse, with long flowing hair? But Friesians experience a couple of fatal health issues at a much higher rate of occurrence than average breeds.

Friesians originated in the Netherlands and though not much evidence exists to prove it, early ones were thought to be bred with Andulusians to refine them a bit. Since 1879 the breed is said to have been kept pure, which means they are tightly in**ed.

This narrow genetic line has caused the breed to develop some significant problems and many Friesians are lost below the age of 15 to these issues.

The Friesian horse has a higher rate of torsion colic than the general equine population. It is well known that these horses suffer from collagen abnormalities and are prone to Megaesophagus, which is a chronic problem of the esophagus, often leading to choke. Collagen is also found in abundance in the intestines, and while enough studies haven't been done to prove the correlation, it is suspected that the collagen abnormalities found in the breed cause the serious colic incidences that so often happens between the ages of 12-14.

(as a note of interest, I had a Friesian/Percheron cross who had an almost fatal colic at the age of 11)

This collagen issue is also the cause of Aortic Artery rupture, which often occurs around the age of 4. (It is thought that this problem occurs then because this is a typical age for a horse to begin being worked regularly.)

Because the best explanation of this problem comes from a veterinarian, I am including a quoted description of it from Kenneth Marcella, DVM.

"Unlike other horses, the site of aortic rupture in Friesians is at the aortic arch near the ligamentum arteriosum. Because the rupture occurs here in a more forgiving location in the heart, a number of scenarios can potentially develop that are unique to the Friesian horse. Also, because aortic ruptures in Friesian horses only appear to occur in this unique location, a genetic or, at the very least, breed-specific condition is considered likely.

If the aortic rupture is large, within seconds, the chest cavity is pumped full of blood, and the horse dies acutely. This is rare in Friesians. More often the tear may be smaller, so the blood leaks into the tissue surrounding the aorta, forming a perivascular pressure cuff. This pressure stops the bleeding, and these horses can remain stable for long periods. Because the heart must still pump blood through an aorta that is under pressure from the tissue swelling around it, an increased heart beat results even at rest. These horses often show poor performance, high heart rate and bounding pulses, intermittent lameness and swelling through the chest and ventral abdomen. Eventually the pressure cuff will not hold and the aorta will rupture completely, leading to death.

In some Friesians the rupture creates an aortopulmonary fistula, or an artificial connection between the damaged aorta and the pulmonary blood vessels. In this scenario, the lungs slowly begin to receive a larger than normal volume of blood. This can create a problem, as horses can go weeks to months before the lungs can no longer handle the increased blood flow from the aorta. Affected horses will develop a dry, hacking cough; poor performance; swelling of the chest and legs; fluctuating fever; pale mucous membranes; recurrent colic and intermittent lameness. Catherine Delesalle, DVM, PhD, DECEIM, of Ghent University urges that 'because Friesian horses show suspicious clinical signs sometimes weeks to months before fatal rupture, these 'predictive signs' need to be put in the spotlight for the Friesian horse owners.'"

If you have a Friesian or a Friesian cross, we feel it is important for you to be made aware of these potential issues. With awareness of the breed, steps can be taken to feed in a more careful way, and perhaps avoid the colic issue. (Smaller, more frequent meals, no sweet feed, etc.) If your horse exhibits the hacking cough and chest swelling, it may be possible to save them with surgery- though that would be quite expensive.