Driftwood Horse Rescue and Sanctuary

03/02/2023

Proud to present our latest blog post, all about the circling dance of life and how sometimes one step forward two steps back actually opens doors you never knew were there before

https://www.driftwoodhorserescue.com/post/the-dance-of-life

Special thanks to , , and

“Optimist: Someone who figures that taking a step backward after taking a step forward is not a disaster, it’s more like a cha-cha.” I don't know if it's just me or if everyone can relate to the experience of life as a dance? I make progress in an area, dancing towards healing, towards integra...

05/01/2023

We are thrilled to present our very first podcast!!

Thank you so much to for hosting us!

https://mallettandmichelleondrippingsprings.buzzsprout.com/1898344/11872144

The story starts about 20 minutes in

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15/12/2022

Christmas Pone going to visit school to give out jingle bells and candy canes this morning 😍🎄

10/12/2022

https://www.unboundhorsemanship.com/

We are thrilled to be able to finally share something that’s been in the works for a long time - the official website for our sister business, Camille Carson’s private horse training program Unbound Horsemanship - specializing in Arabians and perfectly curated to fit each individual horse. All proceeds go directly to supporting our rescue horses at here Driftwood Horse Rescue.

Special thanks to: , , and ❤️

22/11/2022

It took me a long time to figure out how to best articulate this. This is what I believe is the most important concept- in horses, and in life. Softness.

Humbly offering my personal journey to softness in this blog article: “Softening towards Each Other, Softening towards God.”

https://www.driftwoodhorserescue.com/post/lessons-from-the-horses-softening-towards-each-other-softening-towards-god

After all, what are trials for if we cannot grow from them and share them?

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As the weather shifts towards winter, a time of deep reflection and internal contemplation, I am reminded of the unique nature in which horses call me to do this on a daily basis. In a certain way, the horses provide me with a spiritual tether, anchoring me to a depth of connection and presence that...

05/11/2022

https://youtu.be/5lpG79nkCqQ

Today we got a halter on our last unhandled horse, Eowyn. Many people don’t know how much work goes into teaching a horse to trust a human enough for touch, let alone strapping a halter around its face. Especially feral and unhandled horses who have been through so much trauma and abuse and only learned to fear humans.

We have been working with Eowyn since she arrived in late March. Some horses are quick and easy and can be haltered in a matter of hours or days. Others need months and a lot of creative thinking. Eowyn was the latter.

When the usual traditional natural horsemanship methods of pressure and release just seemed to drive her further away, we had to start thinking outside the box. She needed a bigger reward- she had so much fear that just the release of pressure itself was not enough of a reward to get through the hard work of overcoming her fear. Natural curiosity by itself was not enough to bring her closer. We held her food bowl every morning for months and it was not enough to gain her trust enough to touch her. So with all else failing, we finally introduced positive reinforcement. I would take a step towards her and face her with direct pressure from my body language, and wait until she turned toward me and softened, then I would turn away, releasing pressure, while at the same time clicking and treating to give her a bigger reward than just the release of pressure. I had to toss the the treats in a bowl because she would not take them from my hand or even let me come close enough to offer. Eventually, and quite literally one step at a time, she let me close enough to rub her with the stick. We worked in short, 5-10 minute sessions multiple times a day, every day. The next week, she let me rub her with my hand. The next week, she let me rub her with the rope. The next week, she let me wrap the lead rope around her neck. She was the epitome of baby steps. Anything that was a little too fast and she would panic and explode, and we’d have to start over. Eventually, just a couple of days ago, she finally let me touch her face, and then today when I finally slipped the halter gently on, she didn’t even try to bolt. When eventually the halter finally goes on, this is the ideal way – calmly and slowly, as if they’ve been wearing it their whole lives. Sometimes it’s hard to go that slowly, but Eowyn was a great reminder that the slow road is always the fast road in the end, and that different horses need different techniques to help them reach it, just as we humans have different learning styles.

Unfortunately since this was such a long process, I did not have my camera set up the majority of the time. We worked with her every day, multiple times a day, for months. Here are a few brief clips of her journey.

Today we got a halter on our last unhandled horse, Eowyn. Many people don’t know how much work goes into teaching a horse to trust a human enough for touch, ...

29/10/2022

Thank you, Dripping Springs City Lifestyle Magazine, for the article!

https://citylifestyle.com/austin-tx/articles/food-and-beverage/driftwood-horse-rescue-sanctuary

Driftwood Horse Rescue and Sanctuary Giving horses and humans a solid foundation of trust, connection, and peace

26/10/2022

AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION:

Bandit
11-month-old draft cross gelding

Bandit is the sweetest, most thoughtful yearling you’ll ever meet. He’s an observer and likes to stand back and watch at first, which makes him come across as a little shy in the beginning, but once he watches and understands, he’s a fast learner.

Bandit has finished yearling school and can now tie, trailer load, be brushed, touched, and handled all over, stand perfectly for the farrier, wear a surcingle, wear a saddle, lunge, and do all his basic groundwork. He can pretty much do everything except get in and ride since he’s still just a yearling, but with such a strong foundation under his belt, riding will be a very smooth transition one day soon! To anyone looking for a great youngster with a fantastic foundation that you can take in any direction for his future, here is your boy!

25/10/2022

AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION:

Awohali
11-month-old Rocky Mountain gelding

With his “in your pocket” personality, Awohali is playful, curious, and loves people and other horses. He has finished yearling school and can tie, trailer load, be brushed and handled all over, stand perfectly for the farrier, wear a surcingle, wear a saddle, lunge and ground drive. He can pretty much do everything except get on and ride since he’s still just a yearling, but with such an extensive and solid foundation, riding will be a very smooth transition one day soon! To anyone looking for a great youngster with a fantastic foundation that you can take in any direction for his future, here is your boy!

09/10/2022

New blog post out now! This week discussing our thoughts on the old question, “why do we train? Should we train? And which life would the horse choose?”

https://www.driftwoodhorserescue.com/post/is-letting-a-horse-just-be-a-horse-the-best-thing-to-do

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Should we interact or train our rescue horses at all? If a horse was given a choice to be in relationship with a human, would they choose to be? Once in a while this conversation emerges within my horse world (and within myself). Why do I train? Why do I prefer training over letting a horse be wild?...

29/09/2022

Driftwood Horse Rescue currently has 4 yearlings who originally came to us as unhandled babies, and have grown over the months to fill out and learn all the foundations of basic groundwork and handling such as picking up feet, tying, trailer loading, lunging, ground driving, wearing tack, and everything else yearlings should be able to do. We will start posting about each one specifically very soon. If anyone is interested in a youngster with a great foundation, follow along or DM us directly for more information!

07/09/2022

Check out our latest blog post on leaning into fear and discomfort! This stuff is so important for humans and horses! ❤️

https://www.driftwoodhorserescue.com/post/lessons-from-the-horses-leaning-into-discomfort-fear

We’ve all been there…. Avoiding sticky conversations we know we have to have, shying away from tender subjects, getting defensive when someone brings up a topic we're trying our hardest to stuff way back in the closet we don't look at… These crunchy avoidances are more often than not, the thin...

02/08/2022

Baby Arwen at 1 month old. 🥰

Our horses need support and families! If you’re interested in sponsoring or adopting any of the DHR rescue babies or adults please DM us or email [email protected] for more information ❤️.

📷: Stacy Berg Photography

25/07/2022

“Every horse deserves, at least once in his life, to be loved by a little girl.”

18/07/2022

Please check out our new blog article on Expectations! So important for all relationships❤️

https://www.driftwoodhorserescue.com/post/lessons-from-the-horses-expectations-goals-and-the-freedom

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“The releasing of expectations is really what frees us and our horses to reach our full potential.”- Timea Chemez Expectations are generally rooted in an idea of the future– something we walk into a situation with: a hope, outcome or a particular directive. While expectations can sometimes dri...

18/07/2022

“Where there is love, there is life.” — Mahatma Gandhi

29/06/2022

Nudanatiya is a purebred Arabian who was supposed to ship to slaughter the week of Christmas. We couldn’t let that happen so we intervened to save her. Once we got her back to DHR and were running the routine vet exams on her we learned that she was in her twenties, and pregnant. Her baby girl was born at 2:30 in the morning the night before last. She is healthy and perfect, with beautiful dun markings, although we’re suspecting Nudanatiya might have actually been an elderly maiden mare as she seemed initially very surprised to see the baby and didn’t seem to know what to do. They struggled a little to figure it out, and needed some gentle guidance, but they seem to be catching on now, and all the filly’s numbers and bloodwork are looking great so far. Nudanatiya means “kindness” in Cherokee so we have named this beautiful little girl Awhi, which means “deer.” Welcome Baby Awhi! We’re so thankful you and your mama are here with us today! ❤️

&Baby

25/06/2022

After rescuing Galadriel and her filly Luthien from the kill pen, we realized Galadriel was pregnant with another baby. This morning we woke up to this absolutely gorgeous little baby girl with her mother’s stunning coloring, tall white stockings, and blue eyes. She is already so sweet and curious about the world, and her mama is taking excellent care of her. We are so happy and thankful this little girl is here with us and did not go to the fate she was intended to. Welcome Baby Arwen!! We are all so in love already ❤️❤️❤️

07/06/2022

Cante, Taini, and Star today and seven-eight months ago when we rescued them. So thankful for this herd and all of you who help make what we do possible.

To donate please visit our website (link in bio). To inquire about adopting or sponsoring a horse please email us at [email protected]

31/05/2022

7 months difference for Star, who we pulled from a herd baby dump at the slaughter pen at just 9 months old. Hard to believe that sickly and malnourished baby with her hair all in dreadlocks, who used to kick at anyone who tried to approach her was the same horse as our gorgeous, calm, steady, good-at-everything little star of a mare. To say we’re proud of her is an understatement. ✨

To donate to support Star and more horses like her, please visit our website! To inquire about adopting or sponsoring any of our horses, please email us at [email protected]

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29/05/2022

I spent an afternoon doing distance mirroring with the herd. These are some video clips of our day.



https://youtu.be/1KCQWL4ZBMg

I spent an afternoon doing distance mirroring with the herd. These are some video clips of our day. ...

22/05/2022

Interested in helping? We are constantly looking to expand our volunteer team!

Please email us at [email protected] for more information! ❤️

21/05/2022

Thank you so much to .co for the amazing article! Please go to https://issuu.com/johhmcmonigle/docs/202202-issue1-2022-sample/178 for the full link to the magazine!

16/05/2022

“We need to find God and He can’t be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature- trees, flowers, grass- grows in silence; see the stars, the moon, the sun, how they move in silence…We need silence to be able to touch souls.”
— Mother Theresa

29/04/2022

New blog post up now! Introducing the people behind the vision of Driftwood Horse Rescue ❤️

https://www.driftwoodhorserescue.com/post/pleased-to-meet-ya-who-is-driftwood-horse-rescue

Hello out there! Whether you are a direct friend of ours or found us organically, we are so happy you are here. We thought it was about time we introduce ourselves and share with you the story behind our sweet sanctuary. Welcome to Driftwood Horse Rescue and Sanctuary, a place inspired by our greate...

13/04/2022

We got so many sweet new rescues’ feet feeling better today! That means their whole body can start feeling better 🥰

29/03/2022

New blog post, talking about one of our favorite subjects— Connection. Connection is also one of the fundamentals of our training!



https://www.driftwoodhorserescue.com/post/horse-connection

A strong connection is the foundation of any successful partnership, but what does connection really mean? How do we really know if we are "connected" to another being, human or non? Is it in the way they look at you, physical touch, simply being near you? Or is it something intuitively felt-- a mut...

22/03/2022

I can’t believe these are the same horses that were brought in only a few months ago all completely unhandled and wouldn’t let people get close to them - orphaned Baby Star had even taken to kicking at everyone who tried to approach her! Now they’re all so handleable and calm! Luthien and Star can be touched all over, do groundwork, lunge, wear tack and do everything other yearlings can do. We tried the surcingle on Star today because we are going to start teaching her to ground drive (translates to riding so easily when she gets old enough) and she didn’t even blink. I’m just so proud of them all so much!

Thank you so much for all your support and donations— without them, what we do would not be possible. To inquire about adopting or sponsoring a horse please email [email protected] or visit our website at http://www.driftwoodhorserescue.com