Diamonds in the Rough Rescue

08/19/2024

Sadly, we see a lot of this. “Rescues” set up by feed lots. Please do your research and don’t be afraid to call and ask questions. Any reputable rescue will take the time to talk with you when they can.

Once again, Animals’ Angels has uncovered infuriating proof that it is always a terrible idea to support any online program linked to a kill buyer such as Bruce Rotz, a convicted animal abuser who runs a horse slaughter operation in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania.

08/17/2024

A huge thank you to Bluegrass Animal Products for the generous supply of EquiOtic, Boost paste, and Equi-BuildER for the Carrollton seizure horses. We are grateful to the the companies and individuals who have assisted with this crisis.

08/14/2024

DITR and Merry Oaks is growing! Looking for motivated individuals who love horses to help with feed and care. Reliable transportation a must. AM, PM, and weekend shifts. Pls text 7578466076

08/12/2024

We have had a few people ask how the horses are doing. We cannot comment or post pictures or updates of the horses from the Carrollton Seizure at this time, because the cruelty case is waiting to to be heard by the court. The sharing of details will compromise the case. In our continuing commitment to work with law enforcement to help stop the abuse and neglect of these majestic creatures, we need to wait to post photos or details.

They are receiving the very best of care from our vet Cathy Lombardi and our team. We are committed to 100% transparency about what we do. We will post updates when we can. We want to let each and every one of you to know that we could not do any of this without you. These horses have a long road ahead of them and we will continue to need your support in getting them healthy.

Rescue is the easy part, restoring them to health is the long game. Starved horses need to be fed small frequent meals, and cannot be given unlimited access to hay or grass. Their bodies need to get used to processing food again. Too much food, or the wrong kind of food will cause organ failure and death. It’s called “refeeding syndrome.” This is not our first seizure case, and sadly it will not be our last. There is nothing that we would love more than to be “put out of business” because no horses need to be rescued. As long as horses need help, we will be here.

We rarely put up special fundraisers, but we need your help. As many of you have heard, we have taken in the horses that were seized in the CARROLLTON, VA neglect case. Many have reached out and asked how they can help. This fundraiser is being set up specifically for those horses. Checks can be mailed to DITR 15209 Reuter Lane Windsor, VA 23487. Please put Carrollton Seizure in the memo section. These horses will need specialized care and a specific refeeding program to get them healthy. We appreciate the overwhelming support of the horse community and are grateful for each and every one of you!

08/12/2024

Great info

Rescuing horses is a noble cause. It should attract the most kind-hearted, responsible, and honest people, right? Unfortunately, the horse rescue world also attracts many people looking to line the…

08/11/2024

Thank you to Toklat Originals for the bits for Virginia Beach Police Mounted Patrol. Diamonds in the Rough Rescue works closely with our local law enforcement officers and supports them in any way we can💙

Virginia Beach Police Department
Virginia Beach City Government

08/07/2024

Several people have asked us what we still need. We have arranged with St. Brides Feed and Farm Supply in Chesapeake and Old Dominion Hay in Smithfield to collect purchases for the Carrollton Horses.

We are in need of:
Bagged shavings
Bagged chopped grass forge
Bagged chopped alfalfa forage
Baled alfalfa hay
Alfalfa cubes

You can call the stores and pay for it over the phone or contribute to our fundraiser. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thank you all for your support.

We rarely put up special fundraisers, but we need your help. As many of you have heard, we have taken in the horses that were seized in the CARROLLTON, VA neglect case. Many have reached out and asked how they can help. This fundraiser is being set up specifically for those horses. Checks can be mailed to DITR 15209 Reuter Lane Windsor, VA 23487. Please put Carrollton Seizure in the memo section. These horses will need specialized care and a specific refeeding program to get them healthy. We appreciate the overwhelming support of the horse community and are grateful for each and every one of you!

08/07/2024

We rarely put up special fundraisers, but we need your help. As many of you have heard, we have taken in the horses that were seized in the CARROLLTON, VA neglect case. Many have reached out and asked how they can help. This fundraiser is being set up specifically for those horses. Checks can be mailed to DITR 15209 Reuter Lane Windsor, VA 23487. Please put Carrollton Seizure in the memo section. These horses will need specialized care and a specific refeeding program to get them healthy. We appreciate the overwhelming support of the horse community and are grateful for each and every one of you!

08/01/2024

We are so grateful for our supporters!!
Old Dominion Hay will set aside items purchased for the Carrollton seizure horses. They are also collecting monetary donations for us for anyone that would like to help.

This is a list of items that will be an ongoing need until a decision is made regarding the seizure:

Bales of alfalfa hay - the leafier the better
Bags of chopped alfalfa forage
Bags of chopped grass forage
Bags of alfalfa pellets
Bags of alfalfa cubes.

They will be keeping a list of those who donated. Please make sure you give them your name and email so we can send a receipt.

Picture is of a previous rescue before and after his rehabilitation. We do rescue right!!!

07/28/2024

We are so appreciative and so grateful for the outpouring of support. As Dr. Cathy Lombardi mentioned in our fundraising post, we will be going through A LOT of alfalfa shortly. St. Bride’s Feed and Farm Supply in Chesapeake has graciously offered to help with items we need and will put aside items purchased for donation to the Carrollton, VA seizure horses. We are in need right now of:

straight alfalfa hay
Triple Crown Grass Forage

Nancy will keep a list of the names and emails of what was donated, so that we can send you a donation receipt.

We are also working with other stores to set up donation points. We will keep everyone updated.

Thank you all for your help. It takes a village!

07/04/2024

Happy July 4th everyone!

07/03/2024

07/01/2024

Due to the upcoming holiday weekend our new volunteer orientation will be postponed to next Saturday (July 13th). We hope to see you there!

06/27/2024

Winner has been chosen and messaged!

Thank you so much to everyone that has donated so far!!! The drawing for the DITR tumbler will take place tomorrow and we will private message the winner.

More Amber posts to come soon! 🩷

Today is Amber's 35th birthday!!! 🎉

Amber is a quarter horse mare that was surrendered to DITR seven years ago. She is one of our sanctuary horses and was best friends with our former sanctuary horse Chanel, who would've turned 30 this month. While we would've loved to celebrate both of their birthdays together this year, we're happy to celebrate Amber and her big day!

To celebrate her birthday, we're challenging you to donate Amber's age in the fundraiser below or directly to our Paypal.

🎁 Anyone who donates 35 or more will be entered in a drawing that will randomly select one winner for a DITR insulated tumbler! Drawing date will be Friday (6/28/24).

Any donation amount is truly appreciated and all proceeds from this fundraiser will go directly to Ms Amber herself 🩷

Thank you for continued support and happy birthday to this special mare!! 🎂

More Amber posts to come in the upcoming weeks, keep an eye out! 😉

06/26/2024

The results are in!

Braveheart's Ancestry Results have provided the top three breeds found in his ancestry.. and they're, once again, quite surprising!

Thank you to everyone who put in their guesses! The most common guess was the Paint Horse, closely followed by Belgian, which I was personally surprised to hear was the top picked draft breed! This was followed closely by Quarter horse, Mustang, and Clydesdale. There were also other interesting guesses such as Halflinger, Percheron, Appaloosa, and Gypsy Vanner!

Hearing everyone's different guesses was very fun and helped to give us new perspectives on what may be in his DNA.

Now for the results!

‼️ And remember: the test looks for breeds in his ancestry and NOT what immediate breeds Braveheart is made up of.

The top three breeds found in Braveheart's Ancestry are:

#1: Quarter Horse

This one was expected! Many horses have this breed in their DNA as the quarter horse is a very foundational breed. Also a super common breed out west.

#2: Hanoverian

This one was surprising! We didn't expect to see a German breed in his ancestry, but I conducted research below that explains the breed and its history.

#3: Selle Francais

Just when we thought it couldn't get anymore surprising it did 😂. This breed is very valued and not the easiest to find here in America. How it got in his bloodline is anyone's guess!

I don't blame anyone for not getting the last two, but congratulations to all who picked one of Braveheart's strongest breeds, the Quarter Horse!

There is also a breed that we THINK he may be that I've included research on below. Surprisingly only one person shared this perspective with us!

We think Braveheart may be "bucking horse" bred, aka, a Bronc!

The last two images have details. Based on his conformation and coloration, and the fact that he was rescued out west where you can find most rodeos, he checks a lot of boxes for what makes up a Bronc! A Bronc is no one breed, but they are commonly made up of Quarter horses and mixed with drafts (which even though it wasn't in his ancestry results, he still has some sort of draft in him which can be seen by his build alone). Broncs can also have Paint Appaloosa, and Mustang in them as well!

Besides the physical aspects, seeing other bucking bred horses rescued by different people and nonprofits and how they are at first flighty and scared of handling just as Braveheart also gives us reason to believe he was bred and/or trained to be a Bronc when he was very young. What matters now is that this big guy, with a very big puppy dog personality, has a spoiled life with many people who admire him 💗

Thank you to everyone who took the time to guess what Braveheart may be! Even if you didn't guess these three, nothing's off the table! After all, Stevie and Braveheart's guessed breeds by us (The Spotted Draft and the Bronc) are types of horses with a huge variety of breeds in them. We hope you had fun and learned a little about the different breeds of horses!

06/24/2024

We have another horse DNA guessing game for you!!

Since Stevie's Ancestry post did so well, we thought we'd share Braveheart's results with you too!

Braveheart was rescued out west a few years ago and was very young and afraid. With some much needed TLC, his personality blossomed and he was adopted by Sonja herself back in 2022. He is NOT available for adoption.

When we tested Stevie, we also tested Braveheart to see if it could help us figure out what breed(s) he is made up of and we got the results back, but before they're revealed, we wanted to know your guesses!

How it works ⬇️

This test looks at the hair follicles of a horse's mane and/or tail to examine its DNA. It is important to remember that horse ancestry tests do not tell you what breeds a horse is but rather what breeds that horse has mixed in its ancestry. In other words, this test will not necessarily show what Braveheart is, but maybe what an ancestor of his could be from generations back!

This test is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate, but we thought it'd be fun to try. Most horse breeds are very closely related to each other so a strange breed popping up in a horse's DNA, even purebreds, is very common. For example, did you know draft horses and ponies share very similar DNA? That being said, don't be afraid to throw out some crazy guesses! We'll include the 50 breeds that the test looks for when examining the DNA.

Even if you don't know much about the genetic make up/ ancestry of breeds, we'd still love to hear your guesses as to what breed(s) he may be! Remember how wild Stevie's results were? Don't be afraid to throw out any guesses you have! We have a guess on the breeds he may be that we'll share with the results too. Pictures are included below for reference.

Happy guessing!

06/21/2024

Today is Amber's 35th birthday!!! 🎉

Amber is a quarter horse mare that was surrendered to DITR seven years ago. She is one of our sanctuary horses and was best friends with our former sanctuary horse Chanel, who would've turned 30 this month. While we would've loved to celebrate both of their birthdays together this year, we're happy to celebrate Amber and her big day!

To celebrate her birthday, we're challenging you to donate Amber's age in the fundraiser below or directly to our Paypal.

🎁 Anyone who donates 35 or more will be entered in a drawing that will randomly select one winner for a DITR insulated tumbler! Drawing date will be Friday (6/28/24).

Any donation amount is truly appreciated and all proceeds from this fundraiser will go directly to Ms Amber herself 🩷

Thank you for continued support and happy birthday to this special mare!! 🎂

More Amber posts to come in the upcoming weeks, keep an eye out! 😉

06/12/2024

Misty is still available for adoption!!

📍 Now located in Elizabeth City, NC

‼️ Share with friends looking for a pasture pet, companion horse or maybe a liberty/groundwork buddy ‼️

Misty is a 19 year old purebred Arabian mare who is looking for a home that needs a pasture pet or companion for their equines. Her friends who she came in with have found their own homes, but Misty is still searching for her perfect person! She is currently our only horse available for adoption and in just 4 days she'll have been in our rescue program for a year.

About Misty ⬇️

Misty was an owner surrender along with two others. She was previously used as a broodmare and has no riding experience, and she is quite set in her ways as a retired pasture puff. She is a beautiful example of the Arabian breed and loves to flaunt her beautiful moves when excited. She can show a bit of (harmless) sass, but warms up to people quickly and will in turn be the sweetest mare! She comes up to you in the pasture for some attention and adoration (which she knows she deserves) and she seems to pick her people. Her ground manners are currently being worked on at the farm she's living on and her new family will need to enforce said training since this girl originally had a long time of no handling before coming to us. She halters and trailers well and is utd on coggins and vaccinations.

For more information feel free to message or email us! We will work with you and the farm Misty is currently residing at to ensure she will find her person 🤍

06/10/2024

Calling all horse lovers!!

Merry Oaks Stable/ Diamonds in the Rough rescue is looking for a reliable, detail-oriented Barn Assistant to ensure a clean, healthy, and sanitary living environment is provided for all horses on the property and that they are properly cared for! Please send a DM if you are interested in working!

Reports To: Farm Owner
Work Location: In-person at 15209 Reuter Ln, Windsor, VA 23487 Job Type: Part-time Pay: $15.00 Per Hour
Schedule:
• Weekday and weekend positions available
Responsibilities:
• Cleaning matted stalls and replenishing sawdust/shaving bedding when needed.
• Filling and hanging hay bags in stalls.
• Cleaning and filling water buckets/pasture troughs.
• Turning horses out to pasture. Horses are friendly, easy to handle, and stay outside 8-12 hours per day, weather permitting.
• Assist in miscellaneous barn-related chores. (i.e. dusting, removing cobwebs, etc.)
• Put blankets/sheets on and remove them when needed (Winter).
• Put fly masks on and fly spray horses before turnout when needed (Summer).
• Maintaining the barn aisles and keeping property clean.
• Ability to work in hot/cold temperatures and an environment that can be dusty at times
• Other barn work as necessary. Job Requirements:
• 1 year minimum of previous horse/stall cleaning experience (preferred).
• Candidates must be able to lift up to 50 lbs.
• Reliability is a must.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Understanding of basic principles of horse care and handling techniques.
• Ability to work well independently and under pressure.
• Notification must be sent to supervisor at least 2 weeks in advance if unable to fulfill my shift.
• Ability to track hours accurately and submit them on time.
• Must be authorized to work in the United States.
• Merry Oaks Stable is a Drug-Free Workplace and an Equal Opportunity Employer.

06/08/2024

DITR is disheartened to announce that Chanel, our beloved sanctuary horse, crossed the Rainbow Bridge last Tuesday.

Chanel was surrendered to DITR in 2021 by her owner who loved her dearly, life circumstances had just made it to where it was in Chanel's best interest to live out the rest of her days at a rescue, a fate that many older horses in need unfortunately do not get. But luckily for Chanel, she got to live out the last three years filled with love from her fellow rescued pasture mates, volunteers, and of course, her barn mom Dani.

Last year, Chanel developed Squamous Cell Carcinoma in her right eyelid. This cancer was aptly treated by our amazing vet and the critical care team here at DITR, where efforts to stop the cancer were led by her barn mom Dani.

After about a year of treatment and a surgery to remove the cancer, some progress was made, but the cancer never fully left and it was now spreading to the other eye. Her age did not make her an appropriate candidate for eye removal surgery, so all that could be done was further topical treatment for comfort until the difficult decision was made by our vet, Sonja, and Dani to free Chanel from her painful condition.

On June 4th, while the sun was at its brightest before beginning to set, Chanel was laid to rest by our vet with those who loved her dearest in her final years at her side. Her pasture mate, Amber, was also there so that she could receive closure.

Her Barn Mom, Dani, writes about her send-off:
"Today we said goodbye to our sweet Chanel. Our hearts are heavy and she will be missed especially by her bestie Amber. So very very hard to say goodbye."

Chanel was one of the lucky ones. She was very valued as one of the daughters of the renowned Tennessee Walker, Pride's Generator, and has known multiple loving owners. When her last owner could no longer care for her, she was entrusted to a rescue for her well-being and safety, and she helped to teach numerous volunteers about horses over the past couple years. She never knew a day without love.

Please keep her barn mom Dani and all else who loved her throughout her lifetime in your thoughts and prayers as we continue to grieve this loss.

Chanel: 6/10/1994 - 6/4/2024

"If love could have saved you, you would have lived forever." - David Ellsworth

06/03/2024

Diamonds in the Rough had the honor of being a part of the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation's event at Windsor Castle Park this past Saturday! We loved educating kids and adults alike about our initiative as a local rescue and connecting with many amazing people and organizations.

Our former Diamonds, CJ and Renegade, loved meeting everyone and doing their jobs as representative ambassadors for our nonprofit.

Thank you to the Toys for Tots Foundation for having us and thank you to our volunteers who helped make this possible!! ❤️

05/31/2024

Our monthly new volunteer orientation is postponed to next week on June 8th, we hope to see you there!

05/25/2024

We have many things to be thankful for, but today we recognize all our veterans who gave their lives. Happy Memorial Day!