I agree with Chilli about getting up this morning! We worked from before 7 am to after 11 pm yesterday getting ready for our big event, and as you can see, still lots to do.

Yesterday morning we worked in the hospital, rushed home to meet the farrier to trim horses which cost $540 (gulp). It was the very first ‘real’ trim for the girls, so that was very big girl of them! The farrier arrived and got started before us. He tried to have his wife hold Chilli, probably the worst one to start with (he didn't get our text in time). He said the first few hooves went well, then something spooked her and she tried repeatedly to run away and ripped the rope out of his wife’s hands. I think it was pretty ugly because he had choice words for her when when we arrived. Unfortunately he taught her something we never wanted her to know, which is that you can resist and fight, and then people will give up. So she learned to not only fight to get away, but also to distrust strangers. It was very upsetting for us because we knew the deeper ramifications of the entire ordeal.

However, we had to compose ourselves, smile, and move on. Which all went very well, thank you very much for those of you who say R+ are horses are spoiled and have no manners. The entire time I watched Natalia pace at the gate, begging “Me next!”. She patiently stood at the gate for over 2 hours, enthralled with what was happening, and desperately wanting a shot at it.

We got a small maneuverable pan of grass pellets, haltered her up, and brought her to the working area. It only took her less than a minute to figure out that if ‘strange guy has my leg off the ground, I get to eat’, and she was ok with that with our soothing words of encouragement. So we got through the entire full blown, very first time full hoof trim, with in the end, the farrier stating how good and what a sweet girl she was. Yeah Natalia!

Then it was time to go back and finish up with Chilli who had been standing back warily the whole time watching everything with anxiety. She had only one more hoof to go. But this time, we encouraged her with soothing words, the pan of pellets, and many cookies, and got through the last hoof successfully and without any further incident.

So although it didn’t exactly go as planned, it was a huge step in the life of a big girl horse for both of them, and I could not be more proud of them and their training.

So now, there is still much to be done, from finishing cleaning up, to poop scooping (please forgive my early morning real life video clips with manure in the background, especially with the tractor being down). Who knows, maybe we can raise enough money today to cover tractor repairs! That would be great!

So today, I am grateful for two wild Mustangs who are healthy and thriving in our care, and who get to be ambassadors for their breed. I am grateful for the opportunity today to share with people who might not even know anything about how many wild Mustangs are gathered (and die in the process) each year, then some sold to slaughter. Yet this is true for many horses who are even shipped to Japan for consumption as Sashimi enduring long, arduous painful journeys without food, water, or care for the outside temperatures. Although we are so blessed and lucky to have such a beautiful, serene, safe place to call home, thousands, millions of horses will not end up in a sanctuary when they are deemed worthless by people. They will suffer, and die painful, terrifying deaths, for the profit of a few, in the shadows, where few realize this occurs, every single day around the world.

So besides giving these animals a home, my job is to bring these atrocities out of the shadows and into the light. These animals deserve better. Every single horse slaughtered and sold for meat, could have been in a sanctuary. We can’t save them all, but through education, advocacy, and teaching people about horse training (the safe way), we can encourage every horse owner in the US to adopt at least one wild mustang. That alone, would empty our holding pens, and get these animals out of the slaughter pipeline.

I am grateful for this beautiful facility where we can finally safely host guests after 3 long years of struggle to clean up the place to make it even vaguely presentable. I am grateful for both my kids who slaved long and hard hours, without complaint, to help me pull this off. And I am grateful for the people who have already signed up to attend today. I am looking forward to it!

​What about you, Animal Loving Angel? What are you up to today? I sure hope it’s a day of rest and renewal. And it's not too late to join our event! It’s free and starts at noon MST. Email us at info@resqranch.org if you decide. And if not, I hope you find something to be grateful for, be kind to yourself, and others (especially the animal who have so little choice in everything and yet gives us their all). Wishing you the best Sunday ever! Thank you! God bless!

​​​​​​Check out my YouTube channel for a daily "Good Morning!" from the rescues and lots of free tips and training resources. https://www.youtube.com/@the1drq