Mareworthy

20/12/2024

Last minute holiday shopping? Don't forget the mares!

You can find our Chewy and Amazon.com wish lists on the Donate page of our website at https://www.mareworthy.com/donate

AND you can also order "Hay Where's That Blue Stuff" and "Zero Proof Horse Treats" from the KBC Horse Supplies website (https://kbchorsesupplies.com/) and have them shipped to the farm at 4534 Iron Works Road; Georgetown, KY 40324

20/12/2024

Look at Lass (left) being a good girl with her "brothers"

Have you submitted an adoption inquiry to make sure you're the first to be notified when she becomes available for adoption? https://www.mareworthy.com/adopt

18/12/2024

✨ Ground tie for the farrier? Lady Cozzette says, "Hold my hay!" 🐴

Here's why retired broodmares are absolute gems - they're seasoned professionals who know the drill! These lovely ladies make fantastic first horses, especially for new owners, thanks to their experience and gentle demeanor.

While we don't typically recommend ground tying for farrier work (safety first! 🛡️), we're pretty proud of how well-behaved our mares are during their care routines.

🌟 Ready to welcome a special mare into your life?
Visit our available mares page: https://www.mareworthy.com/mares

🎓 New to horse ownership?
Join Mareworthy Academy for FREE and start your journey: https://www.mareworthy.com/academy

17/12/2024

Check out the newest addition to the Available Mares page on our website!
https://www.mareworthy.com/mares/my-angel-becca

Meet My Angel Becca, the resident 'welcoming committee' 🌟 This stunning dark bay mare transforms from winter elegance to summer dapples, but her friendly personality shines year-round! A low-maintenance lady who thrives on outdoor living, Becca is the unofficial social director of her herd - the ...

16/12/2024

🎉 TWO YEARS OF PROTECTING THOROUGHBRED BROODMARES! 🎂

Today marks a very special milestone - Mareworthy's 2nd birthday! We incorporated as a non-profit in Kentucky on December 16, 2022. Can you believe two years have already passed???

To celebrate this incredible journey, we have a simple birthday wish: would you consider donating just $2 in honor of our 2nd birthday? That's less than a cup of coffee, but it adds up to make a huge difference in our mares' lives! 💕

What your donation helps provide: 🌟 Quality feed and hay 🏥 Essential veterinary care 💪 Daily care and attention ❤️ A chance at a new life

Every single dollar counts in our mission to protect and care for these incredible mares. In our first two years we've directly impacted the lives of 35 mares, and with your continued support we will help even more in the next two years.

To donate your $2 birthday gift, visit https://www.mareworthy.com/donate

Thank you for being part of our journey these past two years. Here's to many more years of protecting broodmares together! 🎈

16/12/2024

No riding experience? No problem! We have mares available for adoption who just want to be loved: https://www.mareworthy.com/adopt

No horse experience? No problem! Mareworthy Academy will help you get started. Free to enroll: https://www.mareworthy.com/academy

Alright, time for some real talk. 🎤

Let's shatter this ridiculous notion that you MUST ride to be a "real" horse owner. 🙄

You want to know what I see in my barn? Some of the most incredible souls who happen to be retired warriors and gentle seniors who'll never carry another rider again - and guess what? They're just as deserving of loving homes as any rideable horse.

Here's the hard truth: When we take on a horse, we need to commit to their LAST DAY, not just their last rideable day. 💯

Until we break free from this outdated mindset, countless deserving horses will keep waiting for their person, or worse - get passed down the line because their current owners think they have "no use" for a horse they can't ride. That kind of thinking breaks my heart. 💔

Here's your truth bomb for the day: The true measure of horsemanship isn't time in the saddle - it's the size of your heart and the depth of your care. Period.

If you're giving a horse a loving home and proper care, you're a real horse owner. End of discussion. 🐴

16/12/2024

🎄 Pasture Pals Alert! 📬

Pasture Pals, be sure to check your email box for the November letters from the mares AND watch your snail mail box for the November limited edition sticker (shown here)! ✨

🌟 Want to join our amazing Pasture Pals family? Here's what you get: • Monthly letters from our beautiful mares • Exclusive limited edition stickers • Behind-the-scenes updates • The joy of helping retired thoroughbred broodmares thrive!

🎁 Become a Pasture Pal today at www.mareworthy.com/pasturepals

📅 Year-End Giving Opportunity: As 2024 draws to a close, your tax-deductible gift can make a lasting impact! Help us provide exceptional care for our mares and launch Mareworthy Academy in 2025. Every dollar makes a difference in their lives!

💝 Make your year-end contribution at: www.mareworthy.com/donate

14/12/2024

Mareworthy Down Under

We are grateful to have our co-founder included alongside Will Bishop of Claiborne Farm and Jennifer Krawczyk in Kit Gow's article in The Thoroughbred Report Ausnz

“Obviously when you sell a horse, you expect that the person buying it is going to take as good of care of it as you have, but that may not happen, especially with these older horses. We just don’t want to risk that, and we don’t want our clients to have to risk that.” - Will Bishop (Claiborne Farm CFO)

As the breeding season draws to a close, some mares will have visited the covering shed for the last time. But what do you do with a broodmare when she finishes breeding?

13/12/2024

Our commitment doesn't end when a mare leaves our facility or an adopter signs an agreement for a direct placement - it's just the beginning! 🐴

We're excited to share that we've implemented an advanced automated follow-up system through monday.com to ensure every single one of our adopted mares receives consistent, lifetime care monitoring.

What does this mean for our adopters?
• Regular check-in emails at key milestones
• Educational support and resources
• Quick response to any concerns
• Proactive care reminders
• Lifetime support network

Why? Because every mare deserves not just a home, but a lifetime of proper care and attention. Our automated system helps us maintain consistent communication while our dedicated team provides personalized support when needed.

Considering adopting? Rest assured you'll never be alone in your journey - we're here for you and your mare, every step of the way! 💕

Do you run a non-profit and would like information about how to setup your own automations? Monday.com is FREE for 501c3 organizations, and it can be a game changer for your forms, horse and adopter tracking, and automating communication. Feel free to email us with questions; we're happy to share our experience: [email protected]

13/12/2024

Who would bid on jars of breath from our mares? Which mare would be your first choice?

13/12/2024

Lass is such a good girl.

Even after being on stall rest for 4 days, we can still pick her feet without even needing to have someone hold her.

And she gets to go back outside tomorrow. 🎉

11/12/2024

Launching January 2025 - Join the Founding Class of Mareworthy Academy
https://www.mareworthy.com/academy

Mareworthy Academy is a free, comprehensive 8-week program designed for aspiring horse owners. Whether you dream of providing a forever home to a retired broodmare or simply want to expand your equine knowledge, our expert-led program will guide you every step of the way.

10/12/2024

To complement the current Paulick Report 4-part series by Natalie Voss about bail pens, we wanted to share an update photo of An Indiana Night and Willowamina - both rescued from the pens and now thriving with their wonderful adopter.

You might wonder how this aligns with a story that emphasizes avoiding bail pen donations. Here's our perspective:

At Mareworthy, we take donor stewardship very seriously. This means being extremely selective about when and how we engage with bail pens. One of the hardest realities of horse rescue is making difficult choices that inevitably mean some horses are left behind. While funding the bail pen economy isn't ideal, we only intervene when:

1. We have a home lined up in advance
2. We have dedicated funds from the horse's previous connections

This strategic approach allows us to:
• Avoid quarantine and transport costs (covered by adopters)
• Minimize veterinary expenses
• Act more as facilitators rather than using our general funds

After rescuing over 20 horses from bail pens in the past two years, we've refined our criteria to protect both our current residents and our ability to help future horses in need. Our requirements now include:
• Establishing contact with previous connections
• Securing funding or homes from these connections
• Having adopters confirmed before rescue

This approach not only protects our finances but also reduces the number of transitions a horse must endure. Instead of moving from bail pen to quarantine to our farm to adoption, we can often streamline the process. When we get a horse from a kill pen, they typically need to transition to a quarantine farm for 30 days, then come to our farm where they need to transition again, and finally move to their adoptive home where they need to transition yet again. By having an adopter lined up in advance, we can usually skip at least one transition for that horse.

Is it perfect? No. But it's our way of balancing ideals with reality while staying focused on our core mission: developing upstream programs and education to prevent horses from entering the pipeline in the first place. We're committed to putting programs and education in place upstream to prevent the current problem rather than continue to fund the existing system.

Thank you for supporting our mission and trusting us to be responsible stewards of your donations. Together, we're making thoughtful choices that create lasting change.

10/12/2024

“One of the toughest decisions in horse rescue involves prioritizing which horses to help,” he said, months after his teary plea to his Facebook followers. “There are instances where limited resources lead to deliberations about whether to aid a horse in critical condition or to focus on preventing multiple horses from ending up in dire situations like kill pens. The ethical dilemma of using funds to save one horse or to support preventative measures for many others is a constant moral quandary.”

Bail pens don’t (usually) represent themselves to the public as non-profit rescue organizations, though the comments section on social media often reveals that casual followers may nonetheless be confused about whether they’re giving to a charitable effort or to a for-profit business owner. Some people see the offer – get this horse out of this pen before the truck comes – and don’t realize it’s a horse trader or one of his associates, not a horse rescue, who’s making the request. Or, they don’t care – the digital payment, hurriedly-sent, is seen as a kindness no matter the destination.

Read more: https://bit.ly/49yJHmo

10/12/2024

Good news! Dr. Tuso and Dr. Growette agree the spot on the x-ray is just a large foramen; so the radiographs are all normal!

We're still keeping Lass on stall rest with anti inflammatories for a few days to be safe assuming she tweaked something, but we're incredibly thankful it's nothing serious and glad we noticed a change before she potentially ended up with a serious injury playing while compromised.

09/12/2024

Unplanned Vet Bill 😢

Please send all your positive thoughts to Lass today! When we brought her into the barn last night, we noticed the slightest imbalance in her step. She was favoring her hind left leg, choosing to rest it more than usual, which is very out of character for her.

We gave her a thorough check, palpating every part of her leg from her ankle to her stifle and even along her back. There was no heat, swelling, or sensitivity to be found. To be extra cautious, we asked Dr. Tuso to come to the farm this morning. While Lass has improved with rest and Dr. Tuso couldn’t find any heat or swelling either, she also noted the subtle misstep. Since we always prioritize the health of our horses, we opted to take an X-ray of her leg for peace of mind.

One area on the X-ray raised a small question—it could be a tiny fracture, or it could simply be the nutrient foramen, a normal anatomical feature of the cannon bone. The nutrient foramen is a small opening in the bone that allows blood vessels to enter and nourish it. On X-rays, the foramen can sometimes resemble a fracture, which is why an experienced vet carefully evaluates the images to distinguish between the two.

To be sure, Dr. Tuso will consult with her colleagues and review the X-rays at her office before ruling out a fracture. In the meantime, Lass will stay on stall rest with the Horse Husband Stables weanlings to keep her company. We’re hopeful she just overdid it while playing yesterday and nothing serious is going on.

Lass is a tough filly, and we’re staying positive! If you’d like to help support her unexpected vet expenses, we’d be so grateful. Donations can be made at www.mareworthy.com/donate. Every little bit makes a difference! 💛

Thank you for cheering Lass on! 🐴✨

09/12/2024

Meet Spanish Flower. Here are some highlights about her:

Born: May 10, 2011
Color: Bay
Sire: Artie Schiller
Dam: Pulsatilla (by Gone West)
Racing: 11 starts, GSP, $103,150 earned
Registered Foals: 2
Arrival: Kill pen rescue in August 2023

To learn more about her journey at the farm, become a Mareworthy Pasture Pal. As a Pasture Pal, you'll receive heartfelt monthly letters from all the mares at Mareworthy, along with a special limited edition vinyl sticker.

Join us in making a difference and stay connected with Flower and the rest of our herd! www.mareworthy.com/pasturepals