On December 8, 2013, Tricia and Jay saw the pictures of two emaciated Belgian draft horses. They were part of a broker program in PA and we were told that they would be heading to slaughter within the week. We paid their fees and quarantined them in PA for 30 days before shipping them home to Texas. They were skinny and sweaty from the dramatic temperature change but they were alert and looking ar
ound on the trailer. They walked off the trailer with their eyes wide and alerts on guard! Videos of their arrival and early days are available on this page. Throughout the early months of 2014, “the Boys” settled in and ate … and slept … and ate … and ate some more! They started to gain weight and gain muscle and their personalities started to shine! We don’t know if the Boys knew each other prior to their experience with the brokers and auctions, but they are sure bonded now! On April 7, 2014 we received a message from a friend of the page telling us that there were 2 Percheron mares in a similar broker program as the Boys were in. They were headed to the New Holland auction where they would likely be purchased by a kill buyer and sent to slaughter. Our friend was committed to getting these mares out of their current situation and offered to pay for them and the associated fees of getting them to Texas if we would take them. On April 8, 2014 the Girls fees were paid and they were headed to quarantine. On May 8, the Girls arrived in Texas late at night after a long haul through traffic and hot weather. Their faces looked defeated and exhausted and not engaged with their surroundings. Very different from the Boys, the Girls struggled to get off the trailer and once in their stalls, we clearly started to see significant issues that were not represented in their “advertising”. The vet and farrier were out 2 days after the Girls arrived and we started to verify what we had worried about the night the Girls got off the trailer. The horses were supposed to be 10 and 11 years old – they were 10 and 20 years old. They were supposed to be “a nice driving pair” but both had very significant lameness issues as well as other complicating health issues. We spent a great deal of effort and time trying to develop a treatment plan for these precious Girls. The younger of the two had canker in her right back hoof that had been neglected for many years and the infection had moved up into her bone meaning her condition was terminal. Her behavior was extremely difficult and she was not willing to allow her feet to be handled. In the end, we made the best decision that we could for her and helped her cross to the Rainbow Bridge and leave years of unimagineable pain behind. We said good-bye to her on June 9 and began the process of helping her partner grieve and embrace her new life here in Texas. Currently, our herd includes Ben and George (the 2 Belgians), Gasra (our warmblood that we owned prior to getting into draft rescue) and May (the 20 year old Percheron mare). Throughout all of this we have said goodbye to our beloved corgis, Gizmo and Millie in March, 2014 after each battled cancer for over a year. We grieved (and continue to grieve) with the support of so many of you who follow this page and our friends and family. On July 7, we welcomed two corgi sisters into our home and started the process of balancing the healing of our hearts and welcoming Ellie and Bess into our family! For you kitty fans, we have quite a collection there too! We have 3 rescue cats in the house; CC, Myles and Ella. We recently added 2 rescue cats in the barn to manage the mice. Callie and Betty came from the Austin Pets Alive! barn cat program that places feral cats, who would otherwise probably be euthanized, in barns around central Texas. We also have 6 silly chickens that are spoiling us with the most delicious eggs! This page is designed for anyone who wants to join us on this amazing adventure of our life on Rally C Ranch in central Texas. Please keep your comments positive and clean as this is a family page. If you are ever in central Texas, please come visit us and meet the crew in person and collect some fresh eggs to take home! Thank you for joining us on this amazing journey!!!
