NON PROFIT (501C!)!!!  EFFECTIVE OCTOBER 20, 2007!!!!

NOW OFFERING SERVICES TO MICROCHIP YOUR HORSES!!  I WILL BE STARTING THIS BUSINESS IN NOVEMBER OF 2008!  PLEASE CALL OR EMAIL ME IF YOU WOULD LIKE ME TO COME AND CHIP YOUR HORSE! FLYER IS VIEWABLE UNDER THE CONTACT INFORMATION!  THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT.  ALL PROCEEDS WILL GO TOWARD THE RESCUE-

October 30, 2008

GOODBYE MY SWEET FRIENDS, SWEETHEART AND BUBBA (ACE) OCTOBER 29, 2008.

Yesterday, I had to have 2 of my horses put down. One of them -Sweetheart was a very old girl with very disabled front legs. She was surrendered to me almost 4 years ago from a family who had her for many, many years.  I never rode her, just gave her  a great retirement.  Most times, she could go out with Max on my lawn and just enjoy the good grass and sun and just do what she wanted.  I knew that this year would be her final year as she finally slowed down with her severely distorted legs.  She was never in any pain before and still could run when she wanted to. But this year, I had to get her up 3 times.  I noticed that she was moving a bit slower and seemed to not want to do more walking than just over even ground.  I know that if we got a winter like last one, Sweetheart would have lots and lots of trouble.  So for this reason, I let her go.  She will be missed.  I was very honored to have her as my friend. 

Bubba-  He was a 6 year old QH gelding.  Looked more like a TB.  He was rescued from a Waukon, Iowa auction.  LOTS of issues with Bubba that we had to deal with including getting adopted out twice and coming back both times.  He has fear issues (although those were much better at the end) and of course his feet problems.  He wasnt an alpha but he was loved by all horses and met quite a few on my farm.  Boy, the stories I could tell about Bubba!  But he got over alot of fear issues, actually was trained to ride!  But we had problems with his feet for the last 2 years.  This last time, he was pretty much sad all of the time and didnt move around alot.  It was time for him to go and now he is with Jersey, his best buddy who passed a couple of years ago now.  And he was so brave!

My heart is aching.  Putting down one horse is bad enough, but to put down 2 is horrible.  Not being a big 'God' person, I do feel that they are now running around somewhere in the afterlife, all fat and happy!  And I do really believe that I will see them again after I pass.

Boy, do I love my horses so.....

October 14, 2008

Hello Everyone,  I know- I haven't been so good at updating my website lately.  Right now, I have to tell everyone that I AM FULL UP!!  I wish i could take more but I just cant now.  Because of the economy, my recent divorce and the donations tapering off, I need to be able to afford the horses that I have on my own.  I don't blame anyone for not giving to my rescue.  Everyone is in the same (or close) boat as me!  Being a rescue means that if the donations do drop off it means that I have to foot the bill.  As a rescue, I cannot rely on donations. If I did, I wouldn't be much of a rescue.  I have to be able to afford this on my own.  And I will.  Right now I have 13 horses at my farm and 2 horses fostered out.  These foster homes have meant a lot to me as well as my volunteers and the donations I have received.  Last weekend, I went up to Menomomee to pick up some horse tack- Thanks Teri and Jay!  Remember that i do have have a tab in this website for other horse rescues that may be able to take your horse. 

I know this sounds harsh, but if you have no one that will take your horse, then consider putting your horse down.  Please don't get me wrong.  This is for when you have no options left.  You cant afford to feed your horse, cant sell or give it away on Craigslist, rescue's are full up.  Taking it to auctions are not usually a good idea.  Now, you can ask that your horse not be sold to kill buyers, but you may not have a choice.  And most auctions are now charging you to sell your horse regardless whether you get a buyer or not.  I would much rather see you put your horse down before letting a KB take it!  The last days of the horses life will be a horrible one!  What kind of responsibility do we owe to our horses??!! The best kind!  Euthanizing your horse is much kinder than sending it down the road in a double decker for days over to Canada or to Mexico to land up into someone's belly after being hauled up by his/her legs and slitting its throat!

Out in Washington, there is a horse rescue that is offering an Euthanasia day.  While it seems cruel, it is needed.  When the government finally supports and makes it illegal to send your horse across the border to the slaughter plants, what is going to happen?    I am a firm believer that slaughter is NOT the answer.  Fewer breedings is the answer!  I know I will be considering along with the other rescues in the area an Euthanasia day.  Please email me to tell me your thoughts on this. 

09/03/2008-  I have been in a dilemma for awhile now.  I have been thinking about my older mare Sweetheart.  I got her almost 4 years ago now and she is well into her 20's.  She was owned by a family who gave rides to the owners, their kids and their grandkids.  (They had her for years and then just gave her up.)  Not unusual, I know.  But Sweetheart is severely disabled.  I know she has been this way for many, many years.  Her left front knee is totally fused and cannot bend.  She compensates for it with her right front and that is bowed out and hard to bend.  She has had a great life here with me and my friends.  She has not been ridden, just loved, groomed and given good food. She has never been in pain and she can actually go pretty fast when she wants to! This year I have had to get a neighbor out (Steve) to help me get her up when she lays on her bad side and downhill.  She does lay down a lot and can get up usually by herself.  And the times when we had to help her, it took all of 10 seconds.  But this year is the first year I have had to help her up.  she is a trusting soul- she waits for me to feed the other horses and for the neighbor to come to help me and just lays there waiting patiently.  (Its only for about 10 minutes) And then we get her up and she is good to go.  Also this year, she has slowed way down.  I have spoken to a few people about her.  Most everyone thinks its time I let her go.  I have never had to put a horse down in this respect.  Yes, when one is sick and needs to be put out of their misery.  But Sweetheart is still NOT in pain, just walking slower and sometimes gets herself in a pickle and cant get up just because of the slant she is in.  But our winters get pretty bad.  And Sweetheart is a great mare to me.  She loves to be babied.  She loves her mate, Max.  That is another dilemma- with Max.  How will he take to it?  He loves her to bits.  Watches her all of the time and will protect her to the end.  But am I being selfish to keep her alive?  This is the hardest part of my role in this rescue.  I just cant seem to actually make this decision.  I guess I don't have to decide now, but the thought is in my head and I do need to decide.  I would feel too bad if she did go down in the snow and cold and I wasn't home to get her back up!  And you should see us trimming her feet!  I pick the fronts up and the farrier just cuts some off.  Not perfect, but she has awesome, strong hooves! And do the grow or what??!! Not that its a pain to do because Sweetheart is totally worth every back ache and pain!  She is very beautiful and has taught my younger horses a lot in horse etiquette.  Anyhow.  The time is not now.  That is all I know for now.

08/13/2008- Well I hope I am finding everyone safe, healthy and happy!  Including their owners!  HA!  I have been busy, busy and more busy!  Which is good until the weekend when i want  to take a nap!  I try and fail at that most times.  I got in a 18 year old Appy gelding named Rocket, last Saturday.  Boy was he a bad boy in the trailer!  Actually getting on wasn't so bad, but he pawed, kicked and tried to rear while in the trailer!  We had his lead rope tied very short so that he would hit his head on the roof of the trailer.  He is about 15.3.  Although pretty skinny, he is in very shape.  He is settling in very nicely now too.  He is now in with Ace and Prize.  Ace is 6 and Prize is 4.  Ace is in charge only until Rocket figures out that Ace is just a big bluffer!  And he will!  After we get some groceries into him and ride him a few times, he will be put up for adoption. He is a registered appaloosa and is very sweet and very pretty.  Not the typical, sad tail either.  It is nice and full.  He has one blue eye and one brown eye.  He is also trained to ride.  Just hasn't done so in a year or so.  I will have pictures of him on the website showing his progress on his weight.

I have been working with Destinee and Maverick a lot lately.  Maverick is still a little bit head shy and Destinee loves for me to touch her anywhere!  they are both good at lifting their feet.  Maverick is scheduled to get gelded on August 23rd.  Yeah!  He should be good to adopt out sometime in September.  he is a good boy and is a typical colt!  Good personality but will be a snot at  times!

I have been weighing a dilemma that I  have lately.  Sweetheart is my 20-something TW mare who has been with me for the last 3 years. Her previous family had her for a very, very long time and gave rides to their kids and grandkids.  She is very disabled and still did this while having a fused front knee and her other leg is bowed out to compensate for her fused knee that cant bend.  She has had a good retirement with me.  Max, her 22 year old Morgan gelding companion is her close bud for almost the whole time.  Well this year, she has been moving slower.  Sometimes she will stay in her shelter and I bring her grain over to her (which she loves!) because she is sore.  She has laid down 3 times when I had to help her up.  But that was because she laid on her bad side and somewhat up hill.  Didn't take more than 10 seconds to get her back up.  But I think this year might be the year to give her up to the big pasture in the sky.  Boy, do I hate making those decisions.  Its not fair.  Why should we have that decision and power?  I know they cant make that decision and I know I must, but it saddens me to have to.  What if I make the wrong decision?  What if she is just a bit tired this year?  She still loves to bask in the sun, eat her grain, get groomed, rub her head up against me and be crabby to Max!  I guess I don't have to make that decision just yet.  Which is good, because I am not ready yet.  i think that is why we delay these decisions.  The animal may be ready but their owners are not. 

08/07/2008-  Trying to update this site every week now.  Right now I am going through a few personal issues including a divorce which was final last week. I will be changing back to my maiden name soon.  Which is Pulvermacher.  Which is better?  Ashbacher or Pulvermacher?  My mom is a Schumacher.  Can we say German Heritage?  So don't be surprised when my answering machine says Pulvermacher or my email gets changed to Pulvermacher.  It will take awhile to get used to, but it can be done!  Anyhow, I am still planning on continuing with the horse rescue.  It might be a bit smaller, but I cant quit, I just cant. 

A couple of great horse buddies and I are putting together a list of all of the rescues in the area for people who want to surrender their horses can check them out.  I will list them on my Contacts page.  That way you can check each place out. Some rescues are a bit different and you can decide which one is right for you and your horse. 

The Belgian girls have a new place to go to this weekend.  The family is going to teach them to ride and drive. Well a refresher for Annabelle and teach Daisy since she is now over 3 years old.  We wish them luck and will keep in touch with the family. 

08/01/2008- Boy, don't seem to have time to update anything anymore except Petfinder.com  - that is an easy site to manage!

I have updated my available horses page.  Although we have some untrained horses to ride, We will still be working with these horses to get them trained. the horse market is so terrible now.  You can get completely trained horses for under $500.00 now!  I get so worried that people just sell to anyone and not check to see if they are who they are.  So many horse owners getting scammed out there now. They say they are getting a horse for their kid and using them for 4-H and then taking them immediately to an auction to see if they can get more money from there, not caring if a slaughter buyer is there and buys it.  I get articles and new stories about that all over the US.  We have so many disgusting and dishonest people out there.  Well, I hope you are caring where your horses go.  So many horses get so many different owners.  Do they deserve going to slaughter after giving you and/or your family years of pleasure, rides and devotion?  I dont think so!  I would rather put all of my horses down versus take them to an auction.  IF you do take them to auction, make sure to make a point to say no slaughter buyers if you are actually worried about where your horse goes.  We need to be loyal to our horses.  If you wouldnt buy your horse, why do you think someone would?  Just saw on Dreamhorse.com a 34 year old mare that was bred!  What the heck??  Do you think it will sell easier if the horse is bred?  Do you know what kind of problems this mare could have being so old and in foal?  What are you people thinking?

A couple of us are going to come up with places and rescues around Wisconsin and possibly in the neighboring states for you to contact to take your horses if you cannot keep them anymore.  I know things come up and sometimes its necessary to give them up.  But there are options!  Don't wait until you have to move your horse the next day!  Don't wait until your horse is skinny and you couldn't afford to feed it for the last month.  Give us some time to find a home or post the horse.  I am not saying to advertise it for free either. That brings out all of the greedy, scumbags looking to make a buck!  Check out the people taking the horses.  Go and see where they live.  If they are legit, then they will have no problem letting you see their place or where they will board.  Call the boarding place!  Tell the person if they have to get rid of the horse to contact you first!  Be responsible!

More news also-  I am going to learn to drive horses this year!  I am a 40 something lady who doesn't really want to get on my horses to teach them to ride.  I can do ground work galore, but getting up there and getting bucked off isn't what I really think i want to do, so I am going to learn to drive!  Lots of folks getting into that now!  It is so much fun!

If you are interested in fostering, please let me know.  If i don't get back to you within 2 days, please call me back.  I have a stupid answering machine, it sometimes deletes 2 messages in a row and I didn't hear the 2nd message! 

06/26/2008-  Still having a couple of technical difficulties on my website.  Ok, its not the site, its the user! 

I would like to discuss today about donating your horse.  Right now I am totally full up.  More than full up.  I have had to turn down horses.  I am a very small rescue group.  Most of it, I do myself.  I have great friends who come out on Saturdays to help, but really, I do this myself.  I have one foster person, Kristin who is in Jefferson and she is fostering 2 four year old mares who are getting some rehab work first before going on the website and petfinder.com-  This economy, the fuel prices, salaries not going up as they should are making life with luxuries (such as horses) pretty hard.  I get mostly calls from people who have problem horses, not sound horses, older horses, just overall stuff that we have to work months in getting these horses to get back in adoption shape.  I tell people that its better that if you get a horse, you are responsible for it.  You should be getting training for it.  Most times when you do that, you can find a home yourself and often sell the horse.  I get calls saying if i don't take this horse now, then its going to slaughter. One thing I hate more is that statement.  Please don't threaten the rescue groups.  We are trying so hard to find homes, to take the horses in.  If I took all of the horses offered to me, i would need rescuing!  You all know how expensive this is!  i work full time, plus some extra and will be actually renting out my basement for extra cash.  We are feeling the cash crunch also.  Everything is going up and I am getting a whomping 2% raise this year and a 1% next year.  Everything is costing more.  But also don't wait until the horse has been not been fed for a few weeks or months.  Contact the rescues in plenty of time so that if we cant take the horses we can try to find someone else to take them.  Often we contact each other to take in horses and also horses to adopt. Often i don't have dead broke horses but other rescues might.  I don't care where you rescue a horse from, just rescue one!  Don't breed anymore!  This sounds horrible, but for goodness sakes, spring for the cost of putting your horse down and then either bury it yourself or call for a rendition truck to come out.  That is no longer your animal. It is a carcass!  I would rather you euthanize your horse then take it to slaughter.  Doesn't your horse deserve a dignified ending to his/her life?  I guess I would much rather, you keep your horse even if its older or disabled or cant get pregnant anymore or not sound.  I have a TW horse that gave rides to the grandparents, parents and their kids for over 20 years!  She has a fused left front knee and had to compensate with her front right and that bows out!  they gave her up after 20 years of giving them pleasure and rides.  If you have your own place, why not just let your horse stay and let them just retire and enjoy the rest of their life?  Makes me so upset when i hear stories like that. Some day, i would love to take all of these 'unwanted' horses and just give them a retirement home with good food, water, shelter and love.  I really would. But man!  What an expense!  While I do not mind, I can only have so many.  With my foster homes, I have 14 at home, 2 in Cross Plains, 2 in Jefferson and 1 at another place.  Thank goodness for summer and grass!  Saves me a bunch!  Ok, i am off of my soap box.  These are only my opinions and views.  I just wish that people would be more responsible when they get an animal.  its not like a car or an inademate object.  They cant take care of themselves.  Just be compassionate! think about it before you get an animal and what you want it really for.

thanks!  Jenny

Please consider donating to my horse rescue!  I will be able to send you a receipt and you can now take it off of your taxes!  Its been a long haul but finally here!  If you have anything you would like to donate, please contact me.  I can come and pick things up.  If I cant use them for my horses, then I can always sell them at tack sales to buy the things I do need. I would so appreciate it!  Any questions, you can either call or email me.   Check out my blog/diary on this website.  Hopefully I will be able to keep up on it!

THANK YOU SO MUCH TO THE AMERICAN HUMANE ASSOCIATION!  WE RECEIVED A GRANT TO HELP WITH VET COSTS FOR BREEZE (NOW NAMED SHADOW), HONEY AND MAVERICK!  WE RECEIVED $1361.00!  ALL MONEY WENT TO MY VET BILL ON JUNE 17, 2008!  THIS GRANT WAS ACHIEVED WITH THE HELP OF MARY ELLEN MILLER, A GREAT FRIEND THAT I MET AT THE MIDWEST HORSE FAIR IN APRIL 2008.  WITHOUT HER HELP, I WOULD HAVE NEVER KNOWN ABOUT THIS GRANT.  MORE DETAILS TO COME!