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Post by jdw2w1 on Dec 24, 2007 12:15:30 GMT -5
Christmas Eve, 2007... I can be at school and stressed from life, but just thinking about Libby makes all the bad stuff go away. Libby is my everything. She sees me coming home from school from way down the street, and she starts pacing our fence. I only have one horse to love Joe. You have over 100 horses to love. You are the luckiest old dude I know... Abby Anderson, she is 14, and lives in Folsom. When Abby was 12 she came to our ranch and adopted Libby, a former pony horse from the race track. It seems like only yesterday.
I am one lucky old dude.
The night before Christmas Eve, and the big moon is on top of 107 horses. We can paint or we can clean. We can watch The Kings lose to Denver. We can do laundry or we can scrub horse blankets. Cathy and I choose to do nothing. Zilch. My big right toe is the size of a Twinkie. If I had a dollar for every horse that has stepped on me. A ginger bread man with sour worms for hair. I want so bad to eat him, but would feel like a criminal. The hot chocolate is from Ghiradelli.
I am one lucky old dude.
I wish you could have seen Taylor. He came to us almost dead. Starved. There was a racing tattoo. We spent weeks trying to get Taylor happy, but made little progress. I sent him to a large green pasture with a family in Clear Lake. The daughter is 15. The night before Christmas Eve, and the daughter phones. Is this Joe? Yep. Hi Joe, I just wanted you to know that Taylor has changed the way I feel about life. I love him so much Joe. It is Christmas, and I wanted you to know this. You gave me the best gift ever.
I am one lucky old dude.
I wish you could have seen Skinny Paul. There was not a racing tattoo, but he was a thoroughbred. Skinny Paul lived in our yard, and begged for apples at our back door. Skinny Paul was my first thought each morning. Rushing outside to see if he was okay. Skinny Paul had personality all the way to the big moon. He was the most grateful horse we have ever been around. Skinny Paul now lives in Oregon with Robin Gill. She rides him in the mountains. He swims in a lake. And Skinny Paul is still begging for apples at the back door.
I am one lucky old dude.
Friends Of Tbfriends bought us a 47 inch flat screen TV. They came with plywood for our mare motel. The wood will protect food and shavings from blowing away. There is cash to rescue horses. There is cash for our hay man. There is a one year subscription to Netflix. A 47 inch TV and Netflix. Never again will you see me outside. Friends of Barbaro brought us cash and Equine Senior. We had sandwiches and chocolate cake. And the whole time I keep thinking...
I am one lucky old dude.
This upcoming week I will share names of those who help our horses. The list is long. Georgia Hartman tells me there are over 300 members to Friends Of Tbfriends. I had no idea.
We have a recent arrival from the race track, and his name is Smoking Gears. His right knee is the size of a soccer ball. Smoking Gears can hardly walk. He is magnificent to look at. And under the big moon on the night before Christmas Eve, he tries to play. Hobbling and talking to other horses. Smoking Gears is happy to be here.
And so am I. Cathy and I wish all of you a Very Merry Christmas. The best Christmas Ever. I will be back on Wednesday to share with you more stories of life with over 100 horses.
Enjoy your Christmas Eve, and always remember to hug your horses.
Joe
The big moon rises above 107 horses.
I want so bad to eat this guy. Look at those sour worms for hair. Kathy Wachowski lives in Concord, and she created him.
Jeremy Shaw and Jenny Hartman paint the new plywood for our mare motel with used motor oil. Hopefully the oil will keep horses from chewing on the wood.
The skies are clear. If you look closely on the bottom right, you can see Gidget and Limo munching lunch from a feeder.
Located in Northern California, TB Friends is dedicated to the rescue and placement of horses that have been abandoned or neglected. Usually these horses arrive from the race track. The horses obtained by TB Friends are often saved from the brutal trip to rendering facilities in Texas.
When possible TB Friends takes care to select horses well suited to make the transformation to riding mount or show horse. Our proximity to the bay area race tracks, along with the throwaway nature of the racing industry, unfortunately results in a situation where there are many horses in need of rescue, and therefore many horses from which to choose.
At TB Friends we manage to rescue about two hundred horses every year. When we place a horse there is no charge for the care that we provide them here at Shelton Farms. We only ask for the cost of a horse's rescue and transportation to the farm. For most horses this amounts to less than $1000 dollars.
Sadly, we can not save them all. We are limited by the number of horses that we can care for at any one time. However, as we find homes for the horses we have rescued, we replace them by rescuing others. For this reason we ask you to consider purchasing a horse from our farm. Not only are you likely to obtain a beautiful animal, but you will also help us to save more horses. You can call me on my cell at 530-383-2120. If I do not answer it means I am probably busy with a horse. Or on the couch with a rerun of Malcolm In The Middle. Just leave a message and I will call you back soon.
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Post by jdw2w1 on Dec 26, 2007 11:14:49 GMT -5
Wednesday, December 26th... The stuff dreams are made of. Congratulations to Jessica Talbot, who on Christmas Eve opened escrow for her very own ranch. 12 acres, a beautiful house, and an 8 stall barn. In February Jessica moves in, and she will become a foster parent for us. It will take less than 2 minutes to fill her 12 acres with happy horses...
Here we are, the day after Christmas, and later it could be 52 degrees. I have eaten enough pie, cookies, chocolate, cashews, fudge, brownies, carrot cake, egg nog, suckers, cinnamon sticks, candy watermelon slices, chocolate covered raisins, and cheesecake to last a life time. To help ease the guilt I made a pot of spinach. 108 horses on this poop on top of poop ranch, and they dined on carrots and apples and cookies and sweet grains. A very special bran mash for Willy. A piece of apple pie for Pony Boy. A cinnamon bearclaw for Georgia. Christmas was picture perfect. For us Christmas is about animals and kids. A celebration of life. And now there are only a few days left for 2007, and horse killers seem to be taking a break. But we know for sure in early January there will be trailers filled with doomed horses headed to Canadian slaughter. 2008 will be a record year for horses rescued. Because every year is a record year.
And there is no way we could do this alone. Not without the help of our transportation team. Gary Duncan, Jennifer Wright, Holly Meeks, Georgia Hartman, Hoofbeats Horse Transportation, and Angela Youngblood.
There is no way we could do this without our vet Lisa Wallace. Our shoer Tim Gee. Our friends Jodi Tuft, Cheryl Rankin, Patti Lu, Jenny Hartman, Mike Baker, Sarah McDowell, Megan in Fairfield, Allison in Auburn, Rachel in Oakland, Nikki in Vacaville, Julia in Lincoln, and Mike & Kathy Monaghan. An amazing group of people who every single day help us help horses.
There is no way we could do this without readers of this website. More than 400 of you have taken new horses this year. The numbers are mind boggling.
There is no way we could do this without your generosity. We would like to Thank Ron & Jessie Lotrecchio, and they live in New Jersey. Rachel Woodcock in Washington. Rick & Kelley Senegal who live in Napa, and they sent treats for our big bird Maggie. A very sweet girl McKenna who came to our front gate. Ellis & Jennifer Eckel, and they live in far away Maine. Tora Bush (no relation to George) and she lives in far away Florida. Alexandra Smith, and she lives in really far away Italy. Julie Bridge in Petaluma. A big Thank You to Anthony Smith in Oregon. Gene & Pam Story, our neighbors. Martin Keegan and Kathleen Wachowski, and they live in Concord. Sally Diggs sent us a Friends Of Barbaro coffee mug. Laura Rackar lives in Ohio, and she sent a delicous bran mash for our gelding Willy. So good I ate some myself. Teri & Dana Paquette make fantastic suckers. A big Thank You to Shelly Kramer and her family in Burbank. Lawrence & Cindy Phelps in Nevada. My good telephone friend Susie Ingersoll. Jeanette Cavalier in New Mexico. Barbara Sario in Florida. A giant Thank You to Steven & Linda Rei, and they live in Boston. So far this year the city of Boston has won the World Series. They have an undefeated football team that will probably win the Super Bowl. The Boston Celtics have the best record in basketball. Here in Sacramento we have the Kings, and you must apply a sense of humor. We need to Thank Sally Diggs in Arizona. Also Dakota Blue. Noelle Rodgers, my friend, and you should see how she loves her gelding Chester. Jamie Watkins. Mikka Thorson. Becky & Paula Coombs. Katie & Andrea Hill. Kitty Esposto, and her family from Bakersfield. And of course Friends Of Barbaro, and they had an internet auction to raise money for us.
And we Thank Friends Of Tbfriends, and we understand there are over 300 members. I will be mentioning more names tomorrow. You cannot believe how Friends Of Tbfriends dramatically changed the year 2007. How they helped save the lives of dozens of horses. How they gave Cathy and I confidence to reach even higher...
108 hungry horses are watching the house. Waiting for the old man to come outside with room service. Enjoy your day after Christmas Wednesday, and be sure to hug your horses. Maybe some rain for tomorrow.
Joe
Below are scenes from Christmas Day. The dates say 12-24, but the dates are wrong. These pictures were taken yesterday. A best Christmas Ever.
Located in Northern California, TB Friends is dedicated to the rescue and placement of horses that have been abandoned or neglected. Usually these horses arrive from the race track. The horses obtained by TB Friends are often saved from the brutal trip to rendering facilities in Texas.
When possible TB Friends takes care to select horses well suited to make the transformation to riding mount or show horse. Our proximity to the bay area race tracks, along with the throwaway nature of the racing industry, unfortunately results in a situation where there are many horses in need of rescue, and therefore many horses from which to choose.
At TB Friends we manage to rescue about two hundred horses every year. When we place a horse there is no charge for the care that we provide them here at Shelton Farms. We only ask for the cost of a horse's rescue and transportation to the farm. For most horses this amounts to less than $1000 dollars.
Sadly, we can not save them all. We are limited by the number of horses that we can care for at any one time. However, as we find homes for the horses we have rescued, we replace them by rescuing others. For this reason we ask you to consider purchasing a horse from our farm. Not only are you likely to obtain a beautiful animal, but you will also help us to save more horses. You can call me on my cell at 530-383-2120. If I do not answer it means I am probably busy with a horse. Or on the couch with a rerun of Malcolm In The Middle. Just leave a message and I will call you back soon.
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Post by jdw2w1 on Dec 27, 2007 11:59:35 GMT -5
Thursday, December 27th... All the time we hear sad stories of abandoned horses. 2 and 3 times a week abandoned horses will be found in yards and driveways. Recently there have been horses roaming aimlessly around city streets. It takes little imagination to wonder what happens to these horses if Animal Control hauls them away.
And so Cathy and I have brought together a team of friends who will come for the homeless horse. These friends live in all parts of Northern California. If an abandoned horse is found near Elk Grove or Wilton, Jennifer Wright can be there in a flash. In the Contra Costa and San Francisco areas, Patti Lu, Rachel Jeffers or Paula Coombs will come with their trailers. Here in the Sacramento region, Jodi Tuft or Holly Meeks will pick up a lost horse faster than you can say Happy New Years. We have a young lady in Redding who wishes to remain private, but if a horse is abandoned in her city she will bring him to her ranch. We have 2 helpful people in Red Bluff. A man in Placerville. And a man in a town called Cool.
We have foster homes and safe houses where these abandoned horses will be well taken care of. Do not hesitate to phone. My cell is 530-383-2120.
Here in the boonies dogs and cats are kicked out of cars and abandoned. Years ago we formed a group of dedicated pet lovers who continue to help these dogs and cats. And now it seems we must do the same for horses. The times we live in...
I sent Holly Meeks to the town of Rio Linda. The owner of a small house woke up to find a large horse munching on her dried up vegetable garden. The owner of the small house is not a fan of Animal Control. So she got on the internet and found Tbfriends under Horse Rescue. Holly Meeks transported the large horse to a foster family in Elverta. We did all the right things to make sure the large horse is not simply lost. But it now appears he was for sure abandoned.
We have access to 41 horses who need homes, or they will be put to sleep or sent to January auctions. The constant phone calls. Take my horse or else. We are hustling. Doing the best we can. But there are just too many doomed horses, and not enough homes.
And we can get into a whole other thing about hopeful homes who were turned down because their other animals look terrible. I never judge, I only move on. But people are angry because I turn them down. With all of these doomed horses needing somewhere to go, why not take a chance? Even if their other animals look neglected, why not let them care for one more horse?
Moving a horse from one terrible setting to another terrible setting is not the answer. And asking someone who cannot afford to feed the animals they have now, is also not the answer. My gratitude for your offers of help is sincere. But you must also understand our screening process. It is not better for a horse to move to another barely hanging on situation. It does not help you, and it certainly does not help the horse.
I love kids. Those of you who follow the morning journal know there are gobs of kids involved in our lives. And many of these kids have very little. I asked one young friend what she is getting for Christmas, and her answer was the sun coming up. No presents under the tree, because there is no tree. Her gift is to enjoy the miracle of another day. Cathy and I are involved with many families who struggle for money. One thing they all have in common, is their kids love horses. Not sure why this is, but horses seem to bring hope. Horses bring a sense of security. Horses make a kid feel like they belong. And there are parents who want their kids to own a horse, but of course the money is just not there. So I must say no. And I have alienated many parents. Which breaks my heart. Because I adore their kids.
And I have had several parents ask how can I refuse to give their daughters a horse? With all these doomed horses, why not just give us one?
Because there is no money for your daughters to even have a Christmas present. How are they going to feed a horse?
I am old enough to know that obstacles become part of the package. In the real world comes real horses. The expenses are enormous. We encourage your kids to love horses. They can still be with horses. They can still enjoy the magic. No need to feel bad because you cannot afford for your daughter to have her own horse. I can send her to other barns, where giving people will share their time. Where giving people will share their horses. Always there are avenues to explore. Horses could care less how much money you have. Horses love to be loved.
Joe
3 new recent arrivals from feed lots. On the top left is Monica, and she is a thoroughbred with a racing tattoo. Monica is 9 years old, and she ate all day from the old ranch truck.
On the top right is Mia, and she comes to us with facial fungus. Several recent horses from feed lots have arrived with this same fungus. Yuck. Mia has a racing tattoo which says she is 15 years old.
Bottom left, and we do not know his breed. But at the feed lot in Elk Grove I fell in love with him. We are naming him Celtic, and I have a feeling he is a quarter horse appendix cross. A very kind gelding.
A big Thank You to Friends Of Tbfriends, who bought us a 47 inch HD Flat Screen. I will list your names tomorrow, sorry, I rambled on and on about other things today. We ordered a HD receiver, and it will be here next week. Never again will I leave the couch. Located in Northern California, TB Friends is dedicated to the rescue and placement of horses that have been abandoned or neglected. Usually these horses arrive from the race track. The horses obtained by TB Friends are often saved from the brutal trip to rendering facilities in Texas.
When possible TB Friends takes care to select horses well suited to make the transformation to riding mount or show horse. Our proximity to the bay area race tracks, along with the throwaway nature of the racing industry, unfortunately results in a situation where there are many horses in need of rescue, and therefore many horses from which to choose.
At TB Friends we manage to rescue about two hundred horses every year. When we place a horse there is no charge for the care that we provide them here at Shelton Farms. We only ask for the cost of a horse's rescue and transportation to the farm. For most horses this amounts to less than $1000 dollars.
Sadly, we can not save them all. We are limited by the number of horses that we can care for at any one time. However, as we find homes for the horses we have rescued, we replace them by rescuing others. For this reason we ask you to consider purchasing a horse from our farm. Not only are you likely to obtain a beautiful animal, but you will also help us to save more horses. You can call me on my cell at 530-383-2120. If I do not answer it means I am probably busy with a horse. Or on the couch with a rerun of Malcolm In The Middle. Just leave a message and I will call you back soon.
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Post by jdw2w1 on Dec 28, 2007 12:26:27 GMT -5
Friday, December 28th... A young race horse at a feed lot in Vallejo, and he has a puffy left ankle. He is gray and a hunk. Yesterday the hunky gray race horse was removed from the thingy fighting feed lot, and he is now living the good life with our friend Nikki in Vacaville. A cold cloudy day. But a day I will remember for a very long time. Yesterday had a pulse.
We begin by Thanking Rachel Jeffers, Holly Meeks, and Jennifer Wright. Those frequent freeway miles. Holly Meeks listened to the Carrie Underwood cd 5 times. Hardly leaving her truck.
An older arabian mare in awful shape was transported from Concord to Pleasanton. The mare sees a vet later today, and hopefully she will recover. A giant Thank You to the family in Pleasanton for helping this poor mare.
A young throughbred gelding who is stunning. He is also not broke to ride. The gelding was transported from his pasture in West Sacramento to his new home with an event trainer in Novato. You have to see him to believe him. Like one of those male models from a Macys ad.
While Holly Meeks was listening to Carrie Underwood, Jennifer Wright was singing along with The Doobie Brothers. A 14 year old ex race horse gelding was transported from his not so nice owner in Elk Grove, to his very nice new owner in Woodland.
A hungry quarter horse gelding headed to a January auction is instead living like a king with Julia in Lincoln. In 2007 I have asked (or begged) Julia 11 different times to take needy horses. And 11 different times Julia has said yes. And then in the mail comes a $20.00 Starbucks card from Julia. The note says Merry Christmas from all of her horses. Well golly gee. What in the world would we do without Julia?
A thoroughbred gelding we call Spencer was taken from our ranch to his new foster home in Castro Valley. Spencer will dine on green grass, and the new love of his life is an older arabian mare.
The other day I wrote to you about seeing a starving horse from the freeway, so I went back and bought him. As part of the deal I also had to haul away an old couch. Susanna lives in Clayton, and from the freeway she saw a starving gelding. He is probably a quarter horse mix. Susanna turned around (not on the freeway, but from the next exit) and went back and bought the starving gelding. His picture is below on the bottom left. Susanna of Clayton, our hero for this week.
While Holly Meeks was listening to Carrie Underwood, and while Jennifer Wright was bouncing up and down to The Doobie Brothers, Rachel Jeffers had Rascal Flatts full blast on her cd player. From a not so good situation in Gilroy, a thoroughbred gelding was transported to his new home in Orinda.
And an older thoroughbred mare who recently lost the foal she was carrying, went to live with her excited new owners in Martinez. The mare will become best friends to an older pony who recently lost his long time companion.
9 horses found new beginnings yesterday. From the bottom of my heart I Thank readers of this website.
And I also want to Thank Maddie Kiefer, she is 14, and at our front gate Maddie brought to us 5 bags of Equine Senior. A sack of horse cookies. A sack of carrots. Maddie owns a thoroughbred mare named Gina, and she would like me to tell the world how much she loves her Gina.
In 2007 members of Friends Of Tbfriends have helped save the lives of over 50 horses. They also bought us hay. Pallets of grain. A gravel pad for our mare motel. Mats for our mare motel. The list is endless. And now Friends Of Tbfriends have bought us a giant television. The screen is so big our yellow cat Tabbers is still hiding behind the couch. Tabbers can get a bit nervous...
If I leave out your name I am sorry. I am old and often confused. Here we go. We would like to Thank Mike & Kathy Monoghan. Ann Marini & Robert Lipsky. Judy Bernier. Christine Carey. Amy Achieta. Lisa Robertson. The Hartman Family, hi to Jenny. The Davenport Family, hi to Candi. Deanna Booijink. Anthony Smith. Laura Rackar. Rick & Franca Voegelin, hope you are feeling well Rick. Roxanne Key. Sandy Stapleton. Susan Ossoff. Eric Caswell. Marie Jankowski. Debra Hawk. Joy Fagan. Lorenzo & Stephanie Breaux, tell your mom hi Stephanie. Charlene Bladorn. Cheryl Dean. Donna Quinn. Teri & Dana Paquette. Teri Sherman. Shelly Felton. John & Cora Adelizzi. Mikki Shattilly. Karen Webb. MeShawn Fowler, my best to Peanuts. Jamie McNeely. Kathy Williams. Betsy Sholes. Shelley Hayse. Anne Blount, and of course Basil. Anne Harrington. Kevin & Tina Kampman. Carol from San Diego. Kathryn Buckley. And Pam Osborne.
Cathy and I have been overwhelmed with your kindness. Thank You for all you do for us.
This goofy computer keeps dying. I gotta sign off or I will once again lose all of the above. Later today we could be a whopping 46 degrees. More rain coming. Enjoy your wet Friday, and be sure to hug your horses. I am late for morning feeding. A second pot of Dunkin Doughnuts, and the blueberry muffins were made by Costco. Mike Baker is back from vacation, and he says everybody was so nice. Even on a New York subway Mike was tapped on his shoulder and told Merry Christmas by a young man with his girlfriend. And Mike was in line at Starbucks, and the cashier said your mocha has been paid by the person who was in front of you.
I am everyday told stories from readers of this website. The kindness strangers show to others. The kindness strangers show to animals. 2008 will be the best year ever. I just know it...
Joe
Top left is 11 year old Morgan with Leo, who is living at a foster home. Morgan visits Leo everyday, and loves him like crazy.
Top right is the very cute Della with her very cute rescued gelding Sunny. Della found Sunny in a horrible situation, and this was their first Christmas together.
Bottom left is the starving gelding Susanna of Clayton spotted from a freeway. As you can see, the plumbing on the gelding is working properly.
Bottom right is an adoption from this year. High school english teacher Kelly is with her new mare Inspired Floozy. Located in Northern California, TB Friends is dedicated to the rescue and placement of horses that have been abandoned or neglected. Usually these horses arrive from the race track. The horses obtained by TB Friends are often saved from the brutal trip to rendering facilities in Texas.
When possible TB Friends takes care to select horses well suited to make the transformation to riding mount or show horse. Our proximity to the bay area race tracks, along with the throwaway nature of the racing industry, unfortunately results in a situation where there are many horses in need of rescue, and therefore many horses from which to choose.
At TB Friends we manage to rescue about two hundred horses every year. When we place a horse there is no charge for the care that we provide them here at Shelton Farms. We only ask for the cost of a horse's rescue and transportation to the farm. For most horses this amounts to less than $1000 dollars.
Sadly, we can not save them all. We are limited by the number of horses that we can care for at any one time. However, as we find homes for the horses we have rescued, we replace them by rescuing others. For this reason we ask you to consider purchasing a horse from our farm. Not only are you likely to obtain a beautiful animal, but you will also help us to save more horses. You can call me on my cell at 530-383-2120. If I do not answer it means I am probably busy with a horse. Or on the couch with a rerun of Malcolm In The Middle. Just leave a message and I will call you back soon.
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Post by jdw2w1 on Dec 29, 2007 11:43:00 GMT -5
Saturday, December 29th... Hey Joe, you have more horses here than we do at the race track.
The above was said yesterday by a trainer from Golden Gate Fields. He brought me a broken down gelding, a bottle of pain pills, and a turkey sandwich from Subway.
Recent arrivals from the race track include 3 broken knees. A broken ankle. 3 bowed tendons. A major hock problem. A major cannon bone problem. We can go through a bottle of pain pills in less than a week. The trainer from Golden Gate Fields says San Francisco is beautiful. All the holiday sights and smells. Later last night the trainer was going to dine at a fancy joint in North Beach. Later last night I had to give his broken down gelding another pain pill. So cold you can see your breath. A basketball game on the giant TV. Horse killer Wade Giles phones to say he is back from his Christmas holiday. 6 nights in Hawaii, and he ate scallops for almost every meal. Yesterday horse killer Wade Giles picked up a thoroughbred gelding for free, just by answering an ad from a newspaper. The gelding has a racing tattoo, and for $400.00 he can be mine. I say okay, and transportation is being arranged.
And then before bed I had a hunk of banana cream pie from Claimjumpers. Pony Boy ate the crust. The rain came, which means the owls stay away. I always wonder, where do owls go when it is raining? From far away you can hear baby foxes. Porky Pig grunts in her sleep. 109 horses on this poopy muddy ranch.
And now at 5:40 on a Saturday morning, and the rain has stopped. Later today we could be a sizzling 48 degrees. The coffee is from Folgers, and microwave waffles were made by Eggo. My wife Cathy has already left for the barn, feeding the morning grains. At sunrise we load the old ranch truck with alfalfa, and hopefully our neighbor Dennis does not have to pull us out of the mud. If I had a dollar for every time we have been stuck, I would own beautiful San Francisco. A special Happy Birthday to Aubrey Green, who today turns Sweet 16, and hey that rhymes. Tonight Aubrey will feast with friends and family at Joes Crab Shack, the birthday place to go.
And a special hello to Bonnie Buron in Florida, and Thank You for your very kind phone message.
Also a special hello to Andrea Guillot who lives in Idaho. The day after Christmas Andrea rescued a thoroughbred gelding with a racing tattoo. The gelding was living in deplorable conditions at a hog farm. Andrea is just 15 years old, and with her Christmas money she is paying a boarding stable to bring this gelding back to decent shape. Happy New Year to Andrea Guillot. Your letter made my day...
Enjoy your cold and muddy Saturday, and be sure to hug your horses. 360 shopping days left until Christmas...
Joe
Yesterday was cold and gray.
Bottom right shows an adoption from 2005. Parry is with the beautiful filly Not A Clue. Located in Northern California, TB Friends is dedicated to the rescue and placement of horses that have been abandoned or neglected. Usually these horses arrive from the race track. The horses obtained by TB Friends are often saved from the brutal trip to rendering facilities in Texas.
When possible TB Friends takes care to select horses well suited to make the transformation to riding mount or show horse. Our proximity to the bay area race tracks, along with the throwaway nature of the racing industry, unfortunately results in a situation where there are many horses in need of rescue, and therefore many horses from which to choose.
At TB Friends we manage to rescue about two hundred horses every year. When we place a horse there is no charge for the care that we provide them here at Shelton Farms. We only ask for the cost of a horse's rescue and transportation to the farm. For most horses this amounts to less than $1000 dollars.
Sadly, we can not save them all. We are limited by the number of horses that we can care for at any one time. However, as we find homes for the horses we have rescued, we replace them by rescuing others. For this reason we ask you to consider purchasing a horse from our farm. Not only are you likely to obtain a beautiful animal, but you will also help us to save more horses. You can call me on my cell at 530-383-2120. If I do not answer it means I am probably busy with a horse. Or on the couch with a rerun of Malcolm In The Middle. Just leave a message and I will call you back soon.
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Post by jdw2w1 on Dec 30, 2007 12:29:55 GMT -5
Sunday, December 30th... It seems everyone is sick. A horrible flu combined with a chest cold. Holly Meeks, Mikka Thorson, Tim Gee, Angela Youngblood, Stephanie Diaz, Gary Duncan, Becky Coombs, Allison Martino, along with a whole bunch of others. It begins with a sore throat, and by the next day you are stuck in bed. Tis the season. So far Cathy and I remain healthy. Unless you want to talk about my broken big toe. My broken rib. My never ending back pain. My poor vision. My poor handwriting. My lousy choice of clothing. Cathy and her swollen hand. Her poor vision. We both limp through life. A hitch to our giddy up. Jenny Hartman and myself compare notes. Every single day both of us are injured. We have one cabinet which is for medicine only. Broken down race horses. Broken down old folks. Several dogs and cats who are a combined million years old. A pig who is 14 and I wonder, how long do pigs live? We are more than a Mom and Pop ranch. We are a Grandma and Grandpa ranch. I voted for Nixon, and I still love my 8 track tape player.
And when the emergency room nurse calls you by your first name, and asks how is Pony Boy, it is time to once again examine the direction of your life.
Poor Mikka Thorson is so sick she cannot even read her new Cosmo. On the phone Mikka says everything is blurry. I tell her everything for me has been blurry for the last 30 years.
We have a gelding who just came to us from the race track, and he is badly broken down. A cutie pie, and for the most part he walks on 3 legs. The gelding should recover, and 4 or 6 months from now he will be living in our fields because seldom are forever lame horses adopted. And this gelding will be forever lame.
In the year 2007 there have been 155 horses come to us from race tracks. More than 130 of these horses arrived with injuries.
Fresh off the track horses who we purchased from feed lots total 27. Of those 27, 22 were injured.
Older thoroughbreds with racing tattoos who we purchased from feed lots total 65. Of those 65, 58 were suffering from either injuries, neglect, or both.
Older thoroughbreds without racing tattoos who we purchased from feed lots total 31. Of those 31, 18 came to us either injured, neglected, or both.
Only 2 more days to go. The above numbers will no doubt be the final numbers for 2007.
The total comes to 278 thoroughbreds rescued in 2007. For other breeds, the total comes to 141 horses. I think. We keep journals, and even with my poor vision I think I have counted correctly.
Now will come letters saying quit bragging. But I am not bragging. Only sharing. And I always tell anyone who listens, it is not about the horses we rescue. It is about the horses we were unable to rescue. There were literally thousands. And it is because of those thousands of horses we keep going on. 2008 will be another record year. New numbers to top old numbers. By the end of every June we start using a calculator.
To our friends who are sick we wish you a quick recovery. Outside it is cold and gray. We have not seen the sun for 5 days. 109 horses on this frozen muddy ranch. We wave bye bye to 2007. The hot coffee is from Peets, and we are late for feeding breakfast. Misty lives in our yard, and she gives me a hurry up look through the window. Well okay then...
Joe
An adoption from 2004. Top left is Ciara with her gelding Go Holland.
An adoption from 2005. Top right is Stacey with her filly Robin.
An adoption from 2006. Bottom left is Nicole with her filly One Fourteen.
An adoption from 2007. Bottom right is Sandy with her gelding Mr. Thatcher. Located in Northern California, TB Friends is dedicated to the rescue and placement of horses that have been abandoned or neglected. Usually these horses arrive from the race track. The horses obtained by TB Friends are often saved from the brutal trip to rendering facilities in Texas.
When possible TB Friends takes care to select horses well suited to make the transformation to riding mount or show horse. Our proximity to the bay area race tracks, along with the throwaway nature of the racing industry, unfortunately results in a situation where there are many horses in need of rescue, and therefore many horses from which to choose.
At TB Friends we manage to rescue about two hundred horses every year. When we place a horse there is no charge for the care that we provide them here at Shelton Farms. We only ask for the cost of a horse's rescue and transportation to the farm. For most horses this amounts to less than $1000 dollars.
Sadly, we can not save them all. We are limited by the number of horses that we can care for at any one time. However, as we find homes for the horses we have rescued, we replace them by rescuing others. For this reason we ask you to consider purchasing a horse from our farm. Not only are you likely to obtain a beautiful animal, but you will also help us to save more horses. You can call me on my cell at 530-383-2120. If I do not answer it means I am probably busy with a horse. Or on the couch with a rerun of Malcolm In The Middle. Just leave a message and I will call you back soon.
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Post by jdw2w1 on Dec 31, 2007 11:24:27 GMT -5
Monday, December 31st... Ever since Friends Of Tbfriends bought us a beautiful new generator, not once has the electricity gone out. All night strong winds have been rocking our ranch, and I keep thinking we will lose power. Time to maybe polish the generator and give it a try. But still we have lights. We do not have a white plastic chair in our back yard anymore. The chair blew away, and when daylight comes I will go searching. Later we might be 51 degrees. The man on the radio is saying a huge storm is coming for Thursday, and there could be 4 inches of rain. Well golly gee. December, January and February are the months where mud is deepest. We are one third done. The washing machine runs all day long. Muddy shirts and muddy jeans. Almost 11 years we have lived on this ranch, and this is our third washing machine. Home is where the Bounce sheets are. Hang a Bounce sheet on your back door and flies stay away. Of course visitors ask why is there a Bounce sheet hanging from your door? And why is there a horse pooping on your barbecue? Not long ago a young girl asked how old are you Joe, a hundred? Just for that I am not sharing my Hershey Bar. The first day of 2008 is tomorrow, and we begin a New Year with a broken down horse from the race track. A big Thank You to Hoofbeats Horse Transportation for providing the shipping. The broken down gelding has a shattered sesamoid, and he will arrive just before the big storm. Welcome to our world. Another syringe of pain medication to line our kitchen sink. Leg wraps off, leg wraps on.
But before the broken down race horse comes to us on the first day of a New Year, a starving thoroughbred from a feed lot comes to us on the last day of this year. He has a racing tattoo, and on the phone horse killer Manny Phelps says I better take him. He is in awful shape.
Our year end numbers now total 279 thoroughbreds rescued for 2007. 141 horses of other breeds rescued for 2007. And later tonight we will raise our hot chocolate to another year ended. It is been years since Cathy and I have seen midnight on a New Years Eve. Our celebration usually comes around 9:30.
Cathy and I wish all of you a very safe evening. Happy 2008. Always remember to hug your horses.
Joe
Horses who came from our ranch:
Top left is Freeway, and he was a pony horse at the race track. Now he carries The Smith family around.
Top right is our good friend Kelli with her gelding At Dawn.
Bottom left is Maria and Maxibob.
Bottom right is Michelle and Diego.
Located in Northern California, TB Friends is dedicated to the rescue and placement of horses that have been abandoned or neglected. Usually these horses arrive from the race track. The horses obtained by TB Friends are often saved from the brutal trip to rendering facilities in Texas.
When possible TB Friends takes care to select horses well suited to make the transformation to riding mount or show horse. Our proximity to the bay area race tracks, along with the throwaway nature of the racing industry, unfortunately results in a situation where there are many horses in need of rescue, and therefore many horses from which to choose.
At TB Friends we manage to rescue about two hundred horses every year. When we place a horse there is no charge for the care that we provide them here at Shelton Farms. We only ask for the cost of a horse's rescue and transportation to the farm. For most horses this amounts to less than $1000 dollars.
Sadly, we can not save them all. We are limited by the number of horses that we can care for at any one time. However, as we find homes for the horses we have rescued, we replace them by rescuing others. For this reason we ask you to consider purchasing a horse from our farm. Not only are you likely to obtain a beautiful animal, but you will also help us to save more horses. You can call me on my cell at 530-383-2120. If I do not answer it means I am probably busy with a horse. Or on the couch with a rerun of Malcolm In The Middle. Just leave a message and I will call you back soon.
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Post by jdw2w1 on Jan 1, 2008 11:48:42 GMT -5
Tuesday, January 1st, 2008... I wrote yesterday how horse killer Manny Phelps said he had a thoroughbred gelding in awful shape. And that I should buy this gelding at 40 cents a pound. I say okay, and the deal was done over the phone. But the starving horse coming up our driveway was not a gelding. She is a she. I phone horse killer Manny Phelps and tell him he must have flunked 3rd grade. This is a girl, not a boy. Manny Phelps says shoot, only he used another word instead of shoot. He sent me the wrong horse. The starving gelding is still at his feed lot. Transportation has been mostly arranged, and hopefully the gelding comes to us today or tomorrow. So now we also have a starving mare. I named her Eve, and her picture is below on the top right.
All of these starving horses. Where are they coming from?
Heather Boyce lives in Natomas, and on the Saturday after Christmas Heather was visiting friends in Lodi. Across the street was a hungry arabian mare. Nothing to eat, and you could count her ribs. Heather knocked on the front door and bought the poor mare for $50.00. On the phone Heather introduces herself, and asks if I can help with transportation. I call Jennifer Wright who lives in Elk Grove. Jennifer was playing tackle football with the neighbor boys, and she cut her nose. The football game is a whole other story, and probably I should skip over that part. Jennifer gladly hooks up her trailer, and now the hungry arabian mare is living in Orangevale. Her name is Chrissy, for Christmas, and she has an infected tooth. Chrissy has an appointment with a vet for Friday. Heather Boyce is a senior in college, and we wish her a very Happy New Year. Our hero for this week.
We begin the New Year with a broken down race horse. He arrives later today. There is mud on our couch. The chores go on and on and on, almost like many morning journals. Jessica Spriggs phones to say she too has the flu. For 3 straight days Jessica has been in bed, and she wants to know how many college football bowl games are there? Ryan Andrews is back from Maui, and instead of sharing stories of beaches and sunshine, all Ryan could talk about was how much he missed his mare Molly. Allison Martino was off to watch the New Years Eve fireworks in Old Town, Sacramento. Jessica Talbot had New Years Eve reservations at a fancy restaurant in San Francisco. Patti Lu was going dancing at a club in Walnut Creek. Mike Baker had to work. Rachel Jeffers had to work. Joe and Cathy Shelton could not even stay awake for the news at 11:00. And now it is 2008, and the starving mare Eve is doing okay this morning. Eve gave a little nicker. She dove into her tub of grains and supplements like I dive into a carton of Rocky Road. Enjoy your New Years Day, and be sure to hug your horses. Anything is possible. 2008 will be incredible. Horses needing help like never before, and a new hero appears every day.
Joe
Top left is All The Pretty Horses on New Years Eve.
Top right is Eve.
Bottom left is an adoption from last year. Lisa and Leanne live in Reno, and they are with their new gelding Unus Martin.
Bottom right is an adoption from last year. Cali and Katie are with the very handsome Easy Bull. Located in Northern California, TB Friends is dedicated to the rescue and placement of horses that have been abandoned or neglected. Usually these horses arrive from the race track. The horses obtained by TB Friends are often saved from the brutal trip to rendering facilities in Texas.
When possible TB Friends takes care to select horses well suited to make the transformation to riding mount or show horse. Our proximity to the bay area race tracks, along with the throwaway nature of the racing industry, unfortunately results in a situation where there are many horses in need of rescue, and therefore many horses from which to choose.
At TB Friends we manage to rescue about two hundred horses every year. When we place a horse there is no charge for the care that we provide them here at Shelton Farms. We only ask for the cost of a horse's rescue and transportation to the farm. For most horses this amounts to less than $1000 dollars.
Sadly, we can not save them all. We are limited by the number of horses that we can care for at any one time. However, as we find homes for the horses we have rescued, we replace them by rescuing others. For this reason we ask you to consider purchasing a horse from our farm. Not only are you likely to obtain a beautiful animal, but you will also help us to save more horses. You can call me on my cell at 530-383-2120. If I do not answer it means I am probably busy with a horse. Or on the couch with a rerun of Malcolm In The Middle. Just leave a message and I will call you back soon.
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Post by jdw2w1 on Jan 2, 2008 11:35:46 GMT -5
Wednesday, January 2nd... Three Times A Lady, we called her Lady, has found a new home with a wonderful family in Dixon. Also the stallion Totally Platinum has been adopted, and he should be leaving us soon.
But now I need to tell you about horses in desperate need. If you can help, give me a call at 530-383-2120. These horses are located in California, from Fresno to Mt. Shasta. I can help with shipping arrangements. Many of the following horses are neglected, and they need immediate vet and foot care. Not to mention a truck load of groceries.
17 thoroughbreds at 11 different locations. Ages range from 2 to 25. Broke and unbroke. Injured and healthy. Most of these thoroughbreds would make good companion animals.
8 quarter horses at 6 different locations. Ages range from 4 to 20. 5 of these quarter horses are very hungry. You can count their ribs. All seem to be sane, but I have no idea as to their riding abilities.
An older gelding and I swear he is a Norman Cob, but his current owner does not know for sure. His tail is docked. He is probably 20 years old and very gentle. He is headed for a livestock auction if no one takes him.
14 mares and geldings of mixed breeds. There is a gray mare who has had foals, and a big bay mare who has had foals. The majority of these 14 horses are hungry. All 14 are headed to January auctions. Not a healthy one in the bunch.
All of the above horses are free, but we do need to meet you. The owner of a quarter horse with colored markings is asking $300.00. If you can provide a good home for this quarter horse, Tbfriends will pay the $300.00. I have a feeling he would be in deep trouble at a public auction.
On our ranch we have 110 horses. A giant storm coming.
(more to come) Located in Northern California, TB Friends is dedicated to the rescue and placement of horses that have been abandoned or neglected. Usually these horses arrive from the race track. The horses obtained by TB Friends are often saved from the brutal trip to rendering facilities in Texas.
When possible TB Friends takes care to select horses well suited to make the transformation to riding mount or show horse. Our proximity to the bay area race tracks, along with the throwaway nature of the racing industry, unfortunately results in a situation where there are many horses in need of rescue, and therefore many horses from which to choose.
At TB Friends we manage to rescue about two hundred horses every year. When we place a horse there is no charge for the care that we provide them here at Shelton Farms. We only ask for the cost of a horse's rescue and transportation to the farm. For most horses this amounts to less than $1000 dollars.
Sadly, we can not save them all. We are limited by the number of horses that we can care for at any one time. However, as we find homes for the horses we have rescued, we replace them by rescuing others. For this reason we ask you to consider purchasing a horse from our farm. Not only are you likely to obtain a beautiful animal, but you will also help us to save more horses. You can call me on my cell at 530-383-2120. If I do not answer it means I am probably busy with a horse. Or on the couch with a rerun of Malcolm In The Middle. Just leave a message and I will call you back soon.
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Post by jdw2w1 on Jan 2, 2008 12:58:36 GMT -5
Joe's Journal continued... Wednesday, January 2nd... Three Times A Lady, we call her Lady, has found a new home with a wonderful family in Dixon. Also the stallion Totally Platinum has been adopted, and he should be leaving us soon.
But now I need to tell you about horses in desperate need. If you can help, give me a call at 530-383-2120. These horses are located in California, from Fresno to Mt. Shasta. I can help with shipping arrangements. Many of the following horses are neglected, and they need immediate vet and foot care. Not to mention a truck load of groceries.
17 thoroughbreds at 11 different locations. Ages range from 2 to 25. Broke and unbroke. Injured and healthy. Most of these thoroughbreds would make good companion animals.
8 quarter horses at 6 different locations. Ages range from 4 to 20. 5 of these quarter horses are very hungry. You can count their ribs. All seem to be sane, but I have no idea as to their riding abilities.
An older gelding and I swear he is a Norman Cob, but his current owner does not know for sure. His tail is docked. He is probably 20 years old and very gentle. He is headed for a livestock auction if no one takes him.
14 mares and geldings of mixed breeds. There is a gray mare who has had foals, and a big bay mare who has had foals. The majority of these 14 horses are hungry. All 14 are headed to January auctions. Not a healthy one in the bunch.
All of the above horses are free, but we do need to meet you. The owner of a quarter horse with colored markings is asking $300.00. If you can provide a good home for this quarter horse, Tbfriends will pay the $300.00. I have a feeling he would be in deep trouble at public auction.
On our ranch we have 110 horses. A giant storm coming.
Hardly a break in the action. Yesterday I showed you a photo of the starving mare Eve, and there were at least a dozen phone calls. Thank you so much for your concern, and yes I will continue to give updates. Eve is doing okay, and she eats most of her meals. Eve is in our yard, next to the house, so we can see if she needs help. With starving horses there are many issues, incuding colic and diarrhea. But so far Eve is adjusting well.
The depressed and skinny gelding Willy is doing great. He has already gained at least 50 pounds. Willy sleeps more than the normal horse. And he is taking an interest in other horses.
Gidget lost her foot, but the foot reattached, and she is feeling much better. Gidget is sore, but eating and gaining weight. The more weight Gidget gains the grouchier she becomes. Well golly gee.
Branigans has put on over 100 pounds, and he is no longer lame. Soon Branigans will go live in our fields.
We have 16 recently arrived race horses with major injuries. They are doing okay. A few will be lifetime crippled. But all 16 seem to be happy.
Oh, and did I mention a giant storm coming?
Each radio and television station is warning about high winds and 5 inches of rain. The storm should be here tonight or tomorrow morning. Oh goodie. Our new generator is ready to go. All gas cans are filled. We have stored water. Lots of batteries and bottled peaches. And by the way, a big Thank You to Lindsey for the bottled peaches.
110 horses. Having the time of our senior citizen lives. A recent horse from the race track is Dat Thing. We call him Moe. 4 times now Moe has undid the snap to his stall gate and escaped. He goes right to the haystack and munches. Moe is a good guy. He is broken down in both front legs. But already Moe is on the road to recovery. 110 horses means 110 different personalities.
Little Cora Mason came to kiss Gone Cattin, and she gave us a cheesecake from a fancy bakery in San Jose. Cora Mason asks what is it about thoroughbreds? Why are they so addicting?
Their strength and their beauty. The way they hold their heads high, even after breaking down in a race. Thoroughbreds are proud. And they are not the least bit shy about sharing their feelings. Cora Mason was right. Thoroughbreds are addicting. I have been hooked for 40 years.
Joe
Pictures from New Years Day.
The top pictures show a new gelding who came yesterday from the race track. His name is Proud Phil, and he is injured. Top left shows Proud Phil as he came off the trailer. Top rights shows Proud Phil as he gets ready for bed.
Bottom left is Pony Boy. His New Years supper included a banana.
Bottom right is horses eating as the sun goes down.
Located in Northern California, TB Friends is dedicated to the rescue and placement of horses that have been abandoned or neglected. Usually these horses arrive from the race track. The horses obtained by TB Friends are often saved from the brutal trip to rendering facilities in Texas.
When possible TB Friends takes care to select horses well suited to make the transformation to riding mount or show horse. Our proximity to the bay area race tracks, along with the throwaway nature of the racing industry, unfortunately results in a situation where there are many horses in need of rescue, and therefore many horses from which to choose.
At TB Friends we manage to rescue about two hundred horses every year. When we place a horse there is no charge for the care that we provide them here at Shelton Farms. We only ask for the cost of a horse's rescue and transportation to the farm. For most horses this amounts to less than $1000 dollars.
Sadly, we can not save them all. We are limited by the number of horses that we can care for at any one time. However, as we find homes for the horses we have rescued, we replace them by rescuing others. For this reason we ask you to consider purchasing a horse from our farm. Not only are you likely to obtain a beautiful animal, but you will also help us to save more horses. You can call me on my cell at 530-383-2120. If I do not answer it means I am probably busy with a horse. Or on the couch with a rerun of Malcolm In The Middle. Just leave a message and I will call you back soon.
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Post by jdw2w1 on Jan 3, 2008 14:09:19 GMT -5
Thursday, January 3rd... There is a website called Baen, and it is run by a very nice lady named Debbie. Recently Debbie put up a Tbfriends logo on Baen. Nora lives in Sacramento, and she saw the logo. Nora gave me a call, and now she is the excited new owner of an older thoroughbred mare who was in serious trouble. The mare came from a horrible situation in Stockton. A big Thank You to Jennifer Wright for providing the transportation. And a big Thank You to both Debbie of Baen, and Nora of Sacramento. A combined effort. Saving the life of a loving thoroughbred mare.
Glory (yes her name is Glory) lives in the town of Martinez. After reading yesterday about horses in need, Glory calls to say well okay then. She will gladly help. A young quarter horse colt who is not broke to ride was living in Lodi. He was scheduled for a January auction. Once again a big Thank You to Jennifer Wright for providing the transportation. The colt is now with Glory, who later phones to say he has settled right in. An appointment has been made for castration.
An older gelding with a cropped tail was taken from his not so nice home in Grass Valley to his beautiful new pasture in Placerville. A big Thank You to Angela Youngblood for providing the transportation.
An older thoroughbred gelding with bad feet and a huge knee was taken from his not so nice home in West Sacramento and delivered to his very nice new home in Capay Valley. A big Thank You to Stephanie Diaz for providing the transportation.
You gotta love the internet. And you gotta love those who read Tbfriends. I ask for help with horses in trouble, and the little cell phone rings all day long. Twice I had to recharge. There are 11 more homes waiting for hopeful horses. I am incredibly grateful.
To our team of horse haulers, who when I phone they hardly hesitate. Welcome Stephanie Diaz. Welcome Ryan Andrews. Also Jennifer Wright. Holly Meeks. Hoofbeats Horse Transportation. Angela Youngblood. Gary Duncan. Georgia Hartman. Without your help there would be no Tbfriends.
We are constantly warned about this upcoming storm. A doozy. We could have 60 mile an hour winds. 5 inches of rain. Right now, at 6:20 on a Thursday morning, it is very still outside. Horses begin to shuffle, waiting for breakfast. The chores are endless, and I must get started. Have the best Thursday ever, and be sure to hug your horses. The Kings won in New York last night. Once again, anything is possible...
Joe
Meet Adam. He comes to us very hungry from a feed lot in Elk Grove. Adam has a racing tattoo which says he is just 6 years old.
Top right is the yellow cat Squirrel, who has lived with us since 1997.
We have been begging Yolo County to fill the holes on our street, and yesterday they finally came. I have watched as joggers fall into these holes and disappear forever. But now we can drive down the street without blowing a tire.
Bottom right: 111 horses on our ranch, and they all need a bath.
Located in Northern California, TB Friends is dedicated to the rescue and placement of horses that have been abandoned or neglected. Usually these horses arrive from the race track. The horses obtained by TB Friends are often saved from the brutal trip to rendering facilities in Texas.
When possible TB Friends takes care to select horses well suited to make the transformation to riding mount or show horse. Our proximity to the bay area race tracks, along with the throwaway nature of the racing industry, unfortunately results in a situation where there are many horses in need of rescue, and therefore many horses from which to choose.
At TB Friends we manage to rescue about two hundred horses every year. When we place a horse there is no charge for the care that we provide them here at Shelton Farms. We only ask for the cost of a horse's rescue and transportation to the farm. For most horses this amounts to less than $1000 dollars.
Sadly, we can not save them all. We are limited by the number of horses that we can care for at any one time. However, as we find homes for the horses we have rescued, we replace them by rescuing others. For this reason we ask you to consider purchasing a horse from our farm. Not only are you likely to obtain a beautiful animal, but you will also help us to save more horses. You can call me on my cell at 530-383-2120. If I do not answer it means I am probably busy with a horse. Or on the couch with a rerun of Malcolm In The Middle. Just leave a message and I will call you back soon.
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Post by jdw2w1 on Jan 4, 2008 10:38:44 GMT -5
Friday, January 4th... STORM UPDATE - 1:45 a.m. This is crazy. Monster winds and the rain is sideways. 111 horses on our ranch. On a quick trip to the barn there were many frightened horses.
I will continue to give updates as long as we have electricity. The television is saying winds could get up to 70 miles an hour. 4 or 5 inches of rain. The rain is suppose to be off and on all weekend.
I only wish this was happening during daylight so we could see the horses. I will be back.
UPDATE - 5:00 a.m. Probably the morning paper will not be delivered.
Just talked with Jodi in Dixon, and she says the worst is yet to come. Her winds are over 50 miles an hour. The heaviest rain will come later this morning. I wonder, how much heavier can it get? This is insane. This is California, home of softball and sunshine.
Just talked with Megan in Fairfield, and she has lost 2 trees. Megan has 23 horses on her ranch, and they are okay.
Just talked with Julia in Lincoln, and her barn is flooded. Almost a foot of water in her paddocks.
To everyone out there, be safe. Stay home. We will get through this. In a few months it will be 90 degrees with a new crop of flies.
Joe
Meet Adam. He comes to us very hungry from a feed lot in Elk Grove. Adam has a racing tattoo which says he is just 6 years old.
Top right is the yellow cat Squirrel, who has lived with us since 1997.
We have been begging Yolo County to fill the holes on our street, and yesterday they finally came. I have watched as joggers fall into these holes and disappear forever. But now we can drive down the street without blowing a tire.
Bottom right: 111 horses on our ranch, and they all need a bath.
Located in Northern California, TB Friends is dedicated to the rescue and placement of horses that have been abandoned or neglected. Usually these horses arrive from the race track. The horses obtained by TB Friends are often saved from the brutal trip to rendering facilities in Texas.
When possible TB Friends takes care to select horses well suited to make the transformation to riding mount or show horse. Our proximity to the bay area race tracks, along with the throwaway nature of the racing industry, unfortunately results in a situation where there are many horses in need of rescue, and therefore many horses from which to choose.
At TB Friends we manage to rescue about two hundred horses every year. When we place a horse there is no charge for the care that we provide them here at Shelton Farms. We only ask for the cost of a horse's rescue and transportation to the farm. For most horses this amounts to less than $1000 dollars.
Sadly, we can not save them all. We are limited by the number of horses that we can care for at any one time. However, as we find homes for the horses we have rescued, we replace them by rescuing others. For this reason we ask you to consider purchasing a horse from our farm. Not only are you likely to obtain a beautiful animal, but you will also help us to save more horses. You can call me on my cell at 530-383-2120. If I do not answer it means I am probably busy with a horse. Or on the couch with a rerun of Malcolm In The Middle. Just leave a message and I will call you back soon.
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Post by jdw2w1 on Jan 6, 2008 10:27:09 GMT -5
Sunday, January 6th... Hello, this is Max. The storm of the last couple of days has resulted in down telephone lines. Joe is unable to get online to update this journal. I have been asked to let you know that Joe and the horses are surviving. As soon as he is able to he will bring you update himself.
Max
Meet Adam. He comes to us very hungry from a feed lot in Elk Grove. Adam has a racing tattoo which says he is just 6 years old.
Top right is the yellow cat Squirrel, who has lived with us since 1997.
We have been begging Yolo County to fill the holes on our street, and yesterday they finally came. I have watched as joggers fall into these holes and disappear forever. But now we can drive down the street without blowing a tire.
Bottom right: 111 horses on our ranch, and they all need a bath.
Located in Northern California, TB Friends is dedicated to the rescue and placement of horses that have been abandoned or neglected. Usually these horses arrive from the race track. The horses obtained by TB Friends are often saved from the brutal trip to rendering facilities in Texas.
When possible TB Friends takes care to select horses well suited to make the transformation to riding mount or show horse. Our proximity to the bay area race tracks, along with the throwaway nature of the racing industry, unfortunately results in a situation where there are many horses in need of rescue, and therefore many horses from which to choose.
At TB Friends we manage to rescue about two hundred horses every year. When we place a horse there is no charge for the care that we provide them here at Shelton Farms. We only ask for the cost of a horse's rescue and transportation to the farm. For most horses this amounts to less than $1000 dollars.
Sadly, we can not save them all. We are limited by the number of horses that we can care for at any one time. However, as we find homes for the horses we have rescued, we replace them by rescuing others. For this reason we ask you to consider purchasing a horse from our farm. Not only are you likely to obtain a beautiful animal, but you will also help us to save more horses. You can call me on my cell at 530-383-2120. If I do not answer it means I am probably busy with a horse. Or on the couch with a rerun of Malcolm In The Middle. Just leave a message and I will call you back soon.
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Post by jdw2w1 on Jan 9, 2008 10:31:02 GMT -5
Hi, I'm back with Joe's Journal. Sorry, I couldn't access his page for a couple of days. He really needs our help. Wednesday, January 9th... This world brings us no guarantees, but one thing you can count on. If you phone to say your horses are starving I will do my best to help. Your hungry horses must be within driving distance for me. I wrote about this yesterday, and there were 3 phone messages. One small ranch not far from Woodland is having big time troubles. No food for their 2 older mares. But now there is grain and alfalfa, and I will continue to monitor their conditions. We rely on others to do the right thing. If I bring food for your horses, you gotta feed em.
Since the big storm my cell phone is mostly junk. But if there is no food for your horses please call me. My number is 530-383-2120. Do not call a horse killer. He will only profit from your lousy situation.
2008 brings a new path. On the morning journal I will begin sharing names of horse killers. Past years I have been afraid horse killers would not sell me horses if I revealed who they are. But California is suffering from bad decisions. Foaling season is here, and later this summer a new crop of doomed weanlings will be waiting for the slaughter bus to end their short lives. Horse killers get rich. Rescue ranches go out of business. We must find a way to stop this madness. Year after year the same crap. Starving babies and starving broodmares and one thing you should never let happen is to see them in person. Watch as an indifferent horse killer like Wade Giles loads them into a cattle trailer for the long disgusting ride to a butcher shop in Canada. And if you think these horses are not aware of their fate, you are reading the wrong page. Of course they know. You can see it on their faces.
Horse killer Manny Phelps has several thoroughbreds right now, and the majority have racing tattoos.
There is a horse killer working the Los Angeles area, and is name is David Misner. He attends all the auctions. David Misner has a daughter who is 12 years old, and she is described as gorgeous. David Misner and his gorgeous daughter will con you out of your horse, and then sell your horse to a slaughter house. Our friend Caroline just rescued an off the track gelding from David Misner and his 12 year old daughter. The gelding is Piratesdragon, and he is 4 years old.
There is a horse killer working the Stockton - Turlock area, and his name is Ray Barrett. Mostly he is called Barry. He drives a brand new silver Dodge, and there is always a white poodle on the front seat. Horse killer Ray Barrett will show up at your house with his white poodle and tell you he is recently retired from the post office. And your sign out front saying horses for sale grabbed his attention. He tells you he would like to spend his retirement with a nice horse. You give him your mare, the mare you have had owned since 1996, and he lets you pet his poodle. Before the day is over horse killer Ray Barrett has sold your mare to a slaughter plant in Mexico. A fast $400.00 or so.
Instead of phoning a horse killer, or instead of taking your skinny horses to a livestock auction, phone me instead. You never know what the future holds. Maybe I can help. This website is reaching tons of people. Maybe we can all help.
2008 is an election year. Maybe 2008 can also be known as the year horse killers were brought out of the closet.
We all love horses. Why else would you be reading Tbfriends? We love horses and we love how horses make us feel. And when bad things happen to horses we take it personally. Very personally. Time to grab hold of this nonsense. Time to recognize what is most important in our lives.
Daylight is almost here. We had another storm yesterday. 110 horses on this muddy messy ranch. No place on earth I would rather be...
Joe
Top left: Kelli Chrisman adopted Krismenow in 2004. And look at them now.
Top right: Jenna, Melanie and Jessica adopted Viva Le Spires in 2005.
Bottom left: An oldie but goodie. Mrs. Ed came to us from Animal Control in 1997.
Bottom right: Rachel adopted Sir Knight in 2005.
Located in Northern California, TB Friends is dedicated to the rescue and placement of horses that have been abandoned or neglected. Usually these horses arrive from the race track. The horses obtained by TB Friends are often saved from the brutal trip to rendering facilities in Texas.
When possible TB Friends takes care to select horses well suited to make the transformation to riding mount or show horse. Our proximity to the bay area race tracks, along with the throwaway nature of the racing industry, unfortunately results in a situation where there are many horses in need of rescue, and therefore many horses from which to choose.
At TB Friends we manage to rescue about two hundred horses every year. When we place a horse there is no charge for the care that we provide them here at Shelton Farms. We only ask for the cost of a horse's rescue and transportation to the farm. For most horses this amounts to less than $1000 dollars.
Sadly, we can not save them all. We are limited by the number of horses that we can care for at any one time. However, as we find homes for the horses we have rescued, we replace them by rescuing others. For this reason we ask you to consider purchasing a horse from our farm. Not only are you likely to obtain a beautiful animal, but you will also help us to save more horses. You can call me on my cell at 530-383-2120. If I do not answer it means I am probably busy with a horse. Or on the couch with a rerun of Malcolm In The Middle. Just leave a message and I will call you back soon.
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Post by ebony07 on Jan 9, 2008 13:57:27 GMT -5
HEY STEPH!! Didn't know you were on this board too!! glad to see you!! Your dedication rocks!!
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Post by jdw2w1 on Jan 10, 2008 10:53:27 GMT -5
Hi Kirsten! I just made the connection with your name yesterday It's so much easier to connect with people when you use the same name. Thursday, January 10th... Been a long time since we have had a horse die on our ranch. Starving horses have been coming to us in bunches. On New Years Eve we bought a hungry mare from horse killer Manny Phelps. We named her Eve. She was living next to our house, and doing okay. But Tuesday night Eve would only push her food around, and I knew she was calling it quits. We lost her yesterday, and today the morning journal is dedicated to Eve. A thoroughbred with a racing tattoo, Eve was 15 years old. The top 2 pictures show Eve on the day she arrived. A sweetheart to hang out with. A letter from a commercial breeder in California, and she owns 17 broodmares. She wants me to know her mares will not be bred again. The final insult came when she discovered a foal she bred from 2004 was slaughtered in Canada. Never did she think this would happen to one of her horses. A letter from a commercial breeder in California, and she owns 10 colorful broodmares. At an auction in Turlock she watched as more than a dozen beautiful yearlings were sold to horse killers Ray Barrett, Wade Giles, and a large man named Dougie. It broke her heart. So now her 10 colorful broodmares are officially retired. The lady says her future babies will all come from auctions. Yesterday I bought a young hairy thoroughbred filly from horse killer Monty in Vallejo. She is cute as can be. A big Thank You to Ryan Andrews for providing the transportation. The filly is now named Alice, and she knows how to lead and pick up her feet. Alice also knows how to suck up. She stood with Ryan Andrews and laid her head on his shoulder. Last night Ryan phoned to say he would really like to own Alice. The last thing Ryan needs is another horse. But Alice will not leave his brain. I know the feeling... Yesterday I bought a hungry thoroughbred gelding from horse killer Manny Phelps in Elk Grove. There is a racing tattoo which says he is 8 years old. All the time I am asked how to read tattoos. The first letter on the lip tattoo is the year a horse was born. A is 1997. B is 1998, and so on. If there is an R or an X you have to count backwards. Takes me forever. And how come no one told me to leave my computer on? I found out from Allison Martino it is much easier for a dial up computer to stay on line all day. I was shutting down when finished. But then it would take 20 minutes or so to reconnect with the internet. Now the computer is left on. Come inside for a sandwich and answer a few letters. Come inside for coffee and answer a few letters. I seem to be coming inside much more often now. A special hello to Lisa Hearn, and the horse cookies are delicious. Thank You. And could the girl who calls herself Horsequeen 08 please phone me. I would really appreciate it. The coffee is from Folgers, and the microwave pancakes were made by Krusteaz. It is raining outside. You would not believe what a muddy ranch we are. The man on the radio is saying rain will last most of today. But then the sun comes out for this weekend. Enjoy your wet Thursday, and be sure to hug your horses. We are 5 days away from American Idol. Joe God Bless Eve. Bottom left is an adoption from this year. Rebecca of Lake Tahoe is with her new gelding Strauss. Bottom right is Piratesdragon. Caroline in Los Angeles rescued Piratesdragon from horse killer David Misner. Pirate is from the race track, and look at cute he is. Located in Northern California, TB Friends is dedicated to the rescue and placement of horses that have been abandoned or neglected. Usually these horses arrive from the race track. The horses obtained by TB Friends are often saved from the brutal trip to rendering facilities in Texas. When possible TB Friends takes care to select horses well suited to make the transformation to riding mount or show horse. Our proximity to the bay area race tracks, along with the throwaway nature of the racing industry, unfortunately results in a situation where there are many horses in need of rescue, and therefore many horses from which to choose. At TB Friends we manage to rescue about two hundred horses every year. When we place a horse there is no charge for the care that we provide them here at Shelton Farms. We only ask for the cost of a horse's rescue and transportation to the farm. For most horses this amounts to less than $1000 dollars. Sadly, we can not save them all. We are limited by the number of horses that we can care for at any one time. However, as we find homes for the horses we have rescued, we replace them by rescuing others. For this reason we ask you to consider purchasing a horse from our farm. Not only are you likely to obtain a beautiful animal, but you will also help us to save more horses. You can call me on my cell at 530-383-2120. If I do not answer it means I am probably busy with a horse. Or on the couch with a rerun of Malcolm In The Middle. Just leave a message and I will call you back soon.
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Post by jdw2w1 on Jan 11, 2008 16:20:49 GMT -5
Friday, January 11th... There are chat rooms on Yahoo where folks go to talk about horses. Monday night Holly Meeks, Carrie Watkins, Patti Lu and several others were in the same room. Someone with the screen name RidingRaceHorses came on to write about a skinny gelding standing in a foot of mud. The gelding was located in a place called Nevada City, which is east of Sacramento. On Tuesday Holly Meeks, Carrie Watkins and Patti Lu found the hungry gelding. They approached the home with $300.00 and said here, we would like to buy your horse. The owner said sure, she was going to send him to an auction in Roseville anyway. The gelding is probably a quarter horse mix, and in terrible shape. He is now at a fancy barn, and it took 2 baths to remove the mud. You gotta love the internet. People coming together to make things right.
It was more than a year ago, the summer of 2006, when Holly Meeks saw a starving mare in the town of Marysville. The mare was living with abandoned cars and broken glass. Nothing to eat. Holly waited for the owner to come home and offered $50.00. The mare was moved to a barn in Davis, and her name became June Bug. She is 7 years old. June Bug has grown into a beautiful mare, and Holly gave her to a family not far from us.
5 times Holly Meeks has approached homes and asked if she could buy their starving horse. 4 times the answer was yes. Holly Meeks saves horses one at a time. Fixes them up and then off they go to a new beginning...
Butterfly Shock, we called her Butter, has been adopted by a wonderful family in Lincoln. Butter is an older thoroughbred mare, and she has lived with us for the last 2 years. She is now a companion to an older pony who recently lost his long time friend. Butter has green grass and apple trees. Butter hit the jackpot.
The young filly Alice has been adopted by our friend Ryan Andrews. Alice has a stall in Davis, and there is 24 hour rock and roll on the radio. Ryan bought Alice a pretty purple blanket. A purple halter. A purple lead rope. And her name might be changed to Madonna.
It is Friday, and time to battle the mud. Later today we could be 52 degrees. The coffee is from Peets, and apple turnovers were made by Raleys. A special Happy Birthday to Melanie Hayes, who today turns cough cough years old. Tonight Melanie celebrates with friends at a sushi joint in Sacramento. And we send our best wishes to Rene Jennett who lives in Oroville. Get well soon Rene.
Have the best Friday ever, and be sure to hug your horses.
Joe
Top row shows stakes winners who are retired to our ranch. On the left is Nixon, and he came to us with a broken ankle. On the right is Foxy, and he came to us with 2 bowed tendons.
Bottom left is one of my favorite pictures. Just thought I would throw it in there.
Bottom right is an Oldie But Goodie. Sweet Sugar came to us from a feed lot, and she would not exit the trailer. Sweet Sugar was just a yearling, and scared to death. We waited and waited. Finally she jumped out and ran right over me. More than 2 years later, and Sweet Sugar is the first to greet you in the south fields. Located in Northern California, TB Friends is dedicated to the rescue and placement of horses that have been abandoned or neglected. Usually these horses arrive from the race track. The horses obtained by TB Friends are often saved from the brutal trip to rendering facilities in Texas.
When possible TB Friends takes care to select horses well suited to make the transformation to riding mount or show horse. Our proximity to the bay area race tracks, along with the throwaway nature of the racing industry, unfortunately results in a situation where there are many horses in need of rescue, and therefore many horses from which to choose.
At TB Friends we manage to rescue about two hundred horses every year. When we place a horse there is no charge for the care that we provide them here at Shelton Farms. We only ask for the cost of a horse's rescue and transportation to the farm. For most horses this amounts to less than $1000 dollars.
Sadly, we can not save them all. We are limited by the number of horses that we can care for at any one time. However, as we find homes for the horses we have rescued, we replace them by rescuing others. For this reason we ask you to consider purchasing a horse from our farm. Not only are you likely to obtain a beautiful animal, but you will also help us to save more horses. You can call me on my cell at 530-383-2120. If I do not answer it means I am probably busy with a horse. Or on the couch with a rerun of Malcolm In The Middle. Just leave a message and I will call you back soon.
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Post by jdw2w1 on Jan 20, 2008 13:11:44 GMT -5
Hi all! I've had problems with my ISP Sunday, January 20th... More happy endings. Yesterday I told you about Cinda Stillings in Las Vegas, and on the internet Cinda saw a picture of a horse she once sold. The horse was at a feed lot in Washington, and Cinda is bringing him home. At a recent auction Kelly Brown was shocked to see her old mare who she loves with all her heart. The mare could no longer be ridden, so Kelly gave her to a family who seemed so nice. The family needed a companion for their single horse, and they promised to keep in touch and send pictures. But the family disappeared, and the mare found herself at a killer auction in Turlock. For $300.00 the mare once again belongs to Kelly, and she will spend the rest of her life at a boarding stable in Pleasanton. Kelly visits her everyday, and on the phone she tells me about lessons learned. Animals you can always trust. For Kelly, the human race has taken a step backwards. There were many letters and phone messages yesterday. All with the same theme. Owners who found their old horses in desperate situations. Molly lives in Stockton, and on a wet Sunday afternoon there was nothing to do, so she drove to an auction in Roseville. Molly was horrified to see her old quarter horse gelding Gus Dude go through the sales ring. Molly thought Gus Dude was living the good life with a lesson barn in Modesto. Gus Dude is multi talented, and he loves to teach kids about riding. At the auction Molly was able to buy Gus Dude for a whopping $225.00. On that rainy Sunday Molly became a big believer in fate. The drive from Stockton to Roseville is long. She had never been to an auction before. Why that Sunday? Why did Molly jump in her truck and drive to Roseville? I will let her explain. This is the last part of the e-mail from Molly: My one day off from work and it was raining. Normally I would spend the day doing homework. There is no logical explanation for driving to Roseville. I only knew I had to go. And when I saw Gus Dude I broke down and cried. Gus Dude saw me and screamed. In the sales ring he saw me again and screamed again. I was bawling the whole time and after he was mine we were out back together and I held on to his neck and told him how sorry I was. I should never have given him to that lesson trainer. Gus Dude is back with me and he will stay with me. That Sunday afternoon was a turning point in my life. God sent me to Gus Dude. He needed me. And since then I have realized how much I needed him too. Just so you know, Molly is 21. Full time college and a part time job. She is going to ask her boss for extra hours to help with expenses for Gus Dude. I told Molly Gus Dude could come live with us. No charge. Just until she is more financially set. Cold and cloudy outside. Later we could be a scorching 49 degrees. 29 degrees for tonight. Water pipes must be wrapped to keep from exploding. Welcome to the gray days of January. The Kings have won 2 road games in a row. Looking much better on a 47 incher. Enjoy your playoff football Sunday, and be sure to hug your horses. How about those Green Bay Packers? Joe Adoptions from 2007. Top left is Martha with the pretty filly Place To Place Top right is Miya with Adams Twin Bottom left is Tiffany with Accountable Event Bottom right is Cassandra with the very talented Mr. Holdem Located in Northern California, TB Friends is dedicated to the rescue and placement of horses that have been abandoned or neglected. Usually these horses arrive from the race track. The horses obtained by TB Friends are often saved from the brutal trip to rendering facilities in Texas. When possible TB Friends takes care to select horses well suited to make the transformation to riding mount or show horse. Our proximity to the bay area race tracks, along with the throwaway nature of the racing industry, unfortunately results in a situation where there are many horses in need of rescue, and therefore many horses from which to choose. At TB Friends we manage to rescue about two hundred horses every year. When we place a horse there is no charge for the care that we provide them here at Shelton Farms. We only ask for the cost of a horse's rescue and transportation to the farm. For most horses this amounts to less than $1000 dollars. Sadly, we can not save them all. We are limited by the number of horses that we can care for at any one time. However, as we find homes for the horses we have rescued, we replace them by rescuing others. For this reason we ask you to consider purchasing a horse from our farm. Not only are you likely to obtain a beautiful animal, but you will also help us to save more horses. You can call me on my cell at 530-383-2120. If I do not answer it means I am probably busy with a horse. Or on the couch with a rerun of Malcolm In The Middle. Just leave a message and I will call you back soon.
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Post by jdw2w1 on Jan 21, 2008 12:18:54 GMT -5
Monday, January 21st... Georgia Hartman called with the news. Windmill Feed Store burned down. Shoot. I go there at least once a week. The only feed store in Woodland to sell the Purina brand of equine senior. Also I like to buy my salt blocks from Windmill Feed. They help load your truck. At the other feed stores, when you buy 20 salt blocks and they each weigh a ton, employees suddenly remember it is break time. Hopefully Windmill Feed rebuilds. I can buy Purina feed at Higbys in Dixon, but the drive is long. There is an A&W Root Beer stand in Dixon, a reward of sorts.
Costco in Woodland opens next month. The biggest Costco in the history of Costco. You should taste their caramel apple pie. Topped with vanilla ice cream. A cup of hot chocolate. A 47 inch wide screen. Fire in the fireplace, sorry Windmill Feed. Maybe a rerun of The Munsters.
Jessica Talbot called with the news. Jessica found a job with a large horse ranch outside of San Diego, and she moves later this month. Congratulations to Jessica Talbot. It was in 2003 when Jessica came to us and adopted Minute Maid, a beautiful filly she calls M&M. Jessica keeps M&M at a training barn in Davis. Jessica also owns an older mustang gelding she bought at an auction in Petaluma. His name is Jones, and at the barn in Davis he has become the perfect lesson horse. Holly Meeks will transport both M&M and Jones to their new ranch in San Diego.
Yesterday I wrote to you about Molly in Stockton, who found her old gelding Gus Dude at an auction in Roseville. Gus Dude comes to our ranch this week to live until summer. Molly has a summer job lined up, and then she can move Gus Dude closer to her apartment.
Also coming to us this week is a thoroughbred mare from a feed lot in Elk Grove. 45 cents a pound, and there is a racing tattoo which says she is 11 years old.
And from a chicken fighting feed lot in Vallejo we bought a thoroughbred gelding, and he too will arrive this week. There is no racing tattoo, but the gelding is probably 5 or 6 years old.
Yesterday 3 more race horses came to live with us, and their pictures are below. We are oh so crowded. The man on the radio is talking about rain, but skies are clear. 34 degrees right now. The coffee is from Peets, and microwave waffles were made by Eggo. Enjoy your holiday off Monday, and be sure to hug your horses. Get well soon Jennifer Wright, who has a horrible chest cold. Her boyfriend is Rob, and he brings Jennifer her favorite egg flower soup from a close by restaurant. Rob does the laundry. Cleans the kitchen. Takes the 2 dogs for a walk. Gives Jennifer cough syrup with a spoon to her lips. Rob is a keeper...
Joe
We said hello to 3 horses from the race track yesterday.
Top left is a filly, and her name is Hasti Serve. She just turned 3 years old.
Top right is a beautiful black gelding, and his name is Turbulent City. I suppose we will call him Turbo. He too is 3, and he comes to us with a puffy left ankle.
Bottom left is the very cute Hampton Way, and I suppose we will call him Hampton. He is 6.
And bottom right shows you a picture of our old gelding Limo. He came to us last summer, and we are almost certain Limo is 103 years old. Limo loves to carry young kids around. Located in Northern California, TB Friends is dedicated to the rescue and placement of horses that have been abandoned or neglected. Usually these horses arrive from the race track. The horses obtained by TB Friends are often saved from the brutal trip to rendering facilities in Texas.
When possible TB Friends takes care to select horses well suited to make the transformation to riding mount or show horse. Our proximity to the bay area race tracks, along with the throwaway nature of the racing industry, unfortunately results in a situation where there are many horses in need of rescue, and therefore many horses from which to choose.
At TB Friends we manage to rescue about two hundred horses every year. When we place a horse there is no charge for the care that we provide them here at Shelton Farms. We only ask for the cost of a horse's rescue and transportation to the farm. For most horses this amounts to less than $1000 dollars.
Sadly, we can not save them all. We are limited by the number of horses that we can care for at any one time. However, as we find homes for the horses we have rescued, we replace them by rescuing others. For this reason we ask you to consider purchasing a horse from our farm. Not only are you likely to obtain a beautiful animal, but you will also help us to save more horses. You can call me on my cell at 530-383-2120. If I do not answer it means I am probably busy with a horse. Or on the couch with a rerun of Malcolm In The Middle. Just leave a message and I will call you back soon.
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Post by jdw2w1 on Jan 22, 2008 16:22:51 GMT -5
Tuesday, January 22nd... Hi, this is a message from Max. Joe has experienced another storm and has lost his internet connection with the wet weather. He will update you on current events as soon as he is able to get back online.
Max
3 horses from the race track Sunday.
Top left is a filly, and her name is Hasti Serve. She just turned 3 years old.
Top right is a beautiful black gelding, and his name is Turbulent City. I suppose we will call him Turbo. He too is 3, and he comes to us with a puffy left ankle.
Bottom left is the very cute Hampton Way, and I suppose we will call him Hampton. He is 6.
And bottom right shows you a picture of our old gelding Limo. He came to us last summer, and we are almost certain Limo is 103 years old. Limo loves to carry young kids around. Located in Northern California, TB Friends is dedicated to the rescue and placement of horses that have been abandoned or neglected. Usually these horses arrive from the race track. The horses obtained by TB Friends are often saved from the brutal trip to rendering facilities in Texas.
When possible TB Friends takes care to select horses well suited to make the transformation to riding mount or show horse. Our proximity to the bay area race tracks, along with the throwaway nature of the racing industry, unfortunately results in a situation where there are many horses in need of rescue, and therefore many horses from which to choose.
At TB Friends we manage to rescue about two hundred horses every year. When we place a horse there is no charge for the care that we provide them here at Shelton Farms. We only ask for the cost of a horse's rescue and transportation to the farm. For most horses this amounts to less than $1000 dollars.
Sadly, we can not save them all. We are limited by the number of horses that we can care for at any one time. However, as we find homes for the horses we have rescued, we replace them by rescuing others. For this reason we ask you to consider purchasing a horse from our farm. Not only are you likely to obtain a beautiful animal, but you will also help us to save more horses. You can call me on my cell at 530-383-2120. If I do not answer it means I am probably busy with a horse. Or on the couch with a rerun of Malcolm In The Middle. Just leave a message and I will call you back soon.
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Post by jdw2w1 on Jan 25, 2008 18:56:35 GMT -5
Thursday In The Afternoon... The radio is saying another big storm for tonight and tomorrow. There is a really good chance our internet will refuse to function. It there is not a new morning journal on Friday, blame the soaked phone lines. Be safe.
Thursday, January 24th... It took 17 months to load the 4 pictures below. Raining outside, and there is a big rush to finish morning chores. So if I am not my normal entertaining, witty, self serving, eloquent, loaded full of Anything Is Possible ideals, just wait until tomorrow. Or until our dial up computer is out of first gear.
We have a friend in Vacaville, and her name is Nikki. Nikki saves horses, gets them healthy, and then finds them good homes. In 2007 Nikki rescued 15 horses. 8 of those horses were from race tracks. The remaining 7 came to her in horrible condition. Sad as can be.
This is what Nikki has to say: I love race horses because of their beauty. But the starving horses who come to me are the ones who grab my soul. The starving horses have taught me more than any one person. All of us under the same sky, and my friends brag about their hunter jumpers and their warmbloods who do no wrong. One friend phoned crying because her mare lost the purple perm in her in mane, and it was show time. I tell my friend come hang out with me. I am with a gelding who may die from being so hungry. Soon you will discover that a lost purple perm is not the end of the world. Honesty comes from misery. There is nothing more honest than a neglected horse.
Every January and February is the same. Starving horses come to us in bunches. 109 horses on our ranch right now, and 88 of them are from race tracks. The remaining 21 arrived hungry from feed lots. I am not as creative as Nikki. Explaining what it is like to see a horse so hungry he nibbles at your coat. Watch a starving horse dig through mud, hoping for anything edible. It changes the way you approach your own life.
And in 2008 we watched as the hungry mare Eve died. The sweetheart of a gelding Treat died. And Pamela Sue Anderson, so kind, so loveable, her body so thin she was shocking to look at.
Play Misty For Me lives in our yard, and she is owned by a young girl who visits her often. Misty greets each starving horse at our front gate, and seldom leaves their side. You should hear the starving horses cry out for her. Their one true friend. A friend, who even after they have passed away, stands guard over their body.
We have a 90 percent survival rate with starving horses. But it is the other 10 percent who dictate our future.
At one time it was an ego thing. We would rescue a race horse and then brag as he found a new journey. We have watched as our former horses have gone on to Olympic jumping. Champion dresssage horses. Money won, trophies won, and Cathy and I view the videos like proud parents watching the first birthday party.
But it is the neglected horses who have stolen our hearts. Nikki is so right. The starving horses have taught us how the smallest of moments are often the biggest. Listen to Adam cry out for his pal Misty. She comes running. For Adam, it is his moment. In less than 3 weeks a sparkle has come to his eyes. Adam will never win trophies at a fancy jumping show. But in our yard he is beginning to shine. And day by day we watch him get better.
Our future is dictated by neglected horses. And we are sick of it. No end in sight. Every year we think things will be better. And every year it is worse than before.
Another race horse came to us yesterday, and he is gorgeous. His name is Free Strikes Your Out. Or something like that. There was a time when I would have stayed with him half the night. Just to marvel in his beauty.
Also coming to us yesterday was a neglected gelding from a feed lot in Elk Grove. I stayed with him half the night. Just to soak up the moment. Just to feel what Nikki feels. All of us under one sky...
Joe
Top pictures show Treat, who came to us in the rain on Monday. Treat died yesterday morning, and Play Misty For Me never left him alone. Treat knew he had a girlfriend. He talked to her constantly.
Bottom pictures are before and after. On the left is Adam when he arrived. On the right is Adam less than 3 weeks later. We are through the tough part. Located in Northern California, TB Friends is dedicated to the rescue and placement of horses that have been abandoned or neglected. Usually these horses arrive from the race track. The horses obtained by TB Friends are often saved from the brutal trip to rendering facilities in Texas.
When possible TB Friends takes care to select horses well suited to make the transformation to riding mount or show horse. Our proximity to the bay area race tracks, along with the throwaway nature of the racing industry, unfortunately results in a situation where there are many horses in need of rescue, and therefore many horses from which to choose.
At TB Friends we manage to rescue about two hundred horses every year. When we place a horse there is no charge for the care that we provide them here at Shelton Farms. We only ask for the cost of a horse's rescue and transportation to the farm. For most horses this amounts to less than $1000 dollars.
Sadly, we can not save them all. We are limited by the number of horses that we can care for at any one time. However, as we find homes for the horses we have rescued, we replace them by rescuing others. For this reason we ask you to consider purchasing a horse from our farm. Not only are you likely to obtain a beautiful animal, but you will also help us to save more horses. You can call me on my cell at 530-383-2120. If I do not answer it means I am probably busy with a horse. Or on the couch with a rerun of Malcolm In The Middle. Just leave a message and I will call you back soon.
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Post by jdw2w1 on Jan 27, 2008 19:37:26 GMT -5
Sunday... Message from Max: It has rained all week and Joe does not have a dial tone to connect to the internet. He will update this journal as soon as he can get online.
Top pictures show Treat, who came to us in the rain on Monday. Treat died yesterday morning, and Play Misty For Me never left him alone. Treat knew he had a girlfriend. He talked to her constantly.
Bottom pictures are before and after. On the left is Adam when he arrived. On the right is Adam less than 3 weeks later. We are through the tough part. Located in Northern California, TB Friends is dedicated to the rescue and placement of horses that have been abandoned or neglected. Usually these horses arrive from the race track. The horses obtained by TB Friends are often saved from the brutal trip to rendering facilities in Texas.
When possible TB Friends takes care to select horses well suited to make the transformation to riding mount or show horse. Our proximity to the bay area race tracks, along with the throwaway nature of the racing industry, unfortunately results in a situation where there are many horses in need of rescue, and therefore many horses from which to choose.
At TB Friends we manage to rescue about two hundred horses every year. When we place a horse there is no charge for the care that we provide them here at Shelton Farms. We only ask for the cost of a horse's rescue and transportation to the farm. For most horses this amounts to less than $1000 dollars.
Sadly, we can not save them all. We are limited by the number of horses that we can care for at any one time. However, as we find homes for the horses we have rescued, we replace them by rescuing others. For this reason we ask you to consider purchasing a horse from our farm. Not only are you likely to obtain a beautiful animal, but you will also help us to save more horses. You can call me on my cell at 530-383-2120. If I do not answer it means I am probably busy with a horse. Or on the couch with a rerun of Malcolm In The Middle. Just leave a message and I will call you back soon.
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Post by jdw2w1 on Jan 31, 2008 11:30:37 GMT -5
Wednesday... Message from Max: Joe has let me know that due to the rain nobody within 4 blocks has telephone service. However, 3 ATT trucks were seen working on the side of the road for a good part of the day so possibly the internet will be available for Joe to bring everybody up to date soon.
My girlfriend Jessica and I are 3rd year vet students in Oklahoma. When we started vet school Joe cared for one of my horses for a year. Fuzio's picture is on the top left (along with Jessica's new filly).
On the top right the buckskin is a 2 yr old of Jessica's. Dr. Lisa Wallace, who provides veterinary care for many of Joe's horses, managed the reproduction that led to her birth.
One thing you can say about Oklahoma is there is plenty of space for horses.
Located in Northern California, TB Friends is dedicated to the rescue and placement of horses that have been abandoned or neglected. Usually these horses arrive from the race track. The horses obtained by TB Friends are often saved from the brutal trip to rendering facilities in Texas.
When possible TB Friends takes care to select horses well suited to make the transformation to riding mount or show horse. Our proximity to the bay area race tracks, along with the throwaway nature of the racing industry, unfortunately results in a situation where there are many horses in need of rescue, and therefore many horses from which to choose.
At TB Friends we manage to rescue about two hundred horses every year. When we place a horse there is no charge for the care that we provide them here at Shelton Farms. We only ask for the cost of a horse's rescue and transportation to the farm. For most horses this amounts to less than $1000 dollars.
Sadly, we can not save them all. We are limited by the number of horses that we can care for at any one time. However, as we find homes for the horses we have rescued, we replace them by rescuing others. For this reason we ask you to consider purchasing a horse from our farm. Not only are you likely to obtain a beautiful animal, but you will also help us to save more horses. You can call me on my cell at 530-383-2120. If I do not answer it means I am probably busy with a horse. Or on the couch with a rerun of Malcolm In The Middle. Just leave a message and I will call you back soon.
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Post by jdw2w1 on Feb 1, 2008 11:19:18 GMT -5
Friday, February 1st... Silenced for a week (the crowd roars) by rain and wind, with another big storm coming tomorrow. There were gobs of concerned phone messages, including this from Lindsey in Ohio: Hey Joe, you keep writing about how old you are, but there is still time to join the 21st century. You can get high speed satelite internet. That way those of us who cannot have a thoroughbred can still read about thoroughbreds. You would never have to miss a day of writing to us.
And this message from Emma in Minnesota: Are your telephone lines really down, or are you in Las Vegas with Brian Gill eating scallops in a rich cream sauce with aspargus tips soaked in truffle oil?
Um, our telephone lines are really down. But thanks for the option. Just as soon as I get this mud off...
111 horses on our ranch, and each one needs a bath. Hallmark will not be making a calendar with pictures of our horses. The rain came sideways last night, and feeding supper was soon impossible. Mud up to my giant nose. There are horses waiting to come live with us. The No Vacancy sign is lit, so feeding at other places is a must. I have fallen in love with Sissy, a little thoroughbred mare who I feed everyday in a place called Knights Landing. Sissy is personality plus, and she needs a dry stall because of foot abscesses. Also there is Miners Mark, a beautiful thoroughbred gelding and you can count his ribs. Just as soon as the mud goes away Miners Mark will join our fun.
Bringing you up to date... There is a horse auction this Sunday in the town of Turlock. Another horse auction a week from Sunday in the town of Roseville. Horse killer Manny Phelps has moved his feed lot from Elk Grove to Wilton. Horse killer Paddy Smith (Smith is a fake name) has opened a feed lot not far from Thunder Valley Casino. Horse killer Wade Giles is operating out of Stockton, and he keeps his doomed horses on a ranch near Lodi. And horse killer Brent Sanchez and his girl friend Maggie are housing their doomed horses on a ranch in West Sacramento. Brent and Maggie sell their horses for 60 cents a pound. The going rate is 40 cents a pound. Maggie once worked at the race track in Pleasanton, and she has access to disposable thoroughbreds.
Since horse slaughter was stopped in America, the number of neglected and starving horses have continued to rise. The sadness becomes taxing. Day after day of horror stories.
And already (in January) horse killers are selling mares and brand new foals. Horse killer Manny Phelps had a beautiful thoroughbred mare with her tiny filly baby, and on the phone he tells me the mare came from a ranch in Vacaville. The foal was delivered in mud. There are 4 different phone numbers I call when begging for help. Jodi in Dixon, Megan in Fairfield, Allison in Auburn, and Julia in Lincoln. I know for sure none of those 4 will ever tell me no. The mare with her tiny filly baby is now living with Julia in Lincoln, and a big Thank You to Stephanie Diaz for providing the transportation.
A beautiful gray stallion from the race track desperately needed a place to go, so I phoned Jodi in Dixon. A big Thank You to Hoofbeats Horse Transportation for providing the transportation.
And a very hungry old gelding in Rio Linda is now happy and safe with Megan in Fairfield. The poor gelding was actually stuck in mud. A big Thank You to Holly Meeks for providing the transportation.
Yesterday I wrote I would share with you the story of 13 year old Selina who lives in Elverta. Last night Selina phones to say please do not write about her. Selina saved the life of a starving paint mare who was living in horrible conditions. Selina only asks I wish Happy Birthday to her little brother Tim, who last week turned 9. Well okay then. Happy Birthday Tim. And just so you know, the paint mare is happy and beginning to gain weight. She looks like Pony Boy. Selina is a sweetheart. Her favorite show is American Idol, and her favorite food is spaghetti. Selina loves horses with all her heart, and that is all I am allowed to tell you.
Get well soon Stephanie Diaz. Get well soon Stephanie Breaux. Get well soon Mikka Thorson. And get well soon Paula Coombs. All with terrible chest colds.
We missed some birthdays. Happy Birthday Randi Sorenson. Happy Birthday Megan Davis who lives in Davis. An entire city named after Megan. Happy Birthday Tasha Vadnais. Happy Birthday Mike Baker. Happy Birthday Noelle Carter, the big 18, and now Noelle can vote.
Enjoy your 51 degree Friday, and be sure to hug your horses. The days are a little longer. We cannot wait for the first fly of 2008. This mud is no fun...
Joe
Top row shows scenes from a finally over January.
Bottom left is the gray stallion Devon Intervention, who went from the race track to live with our friend Jodi in Dixon. As always we Thank Jodi for never saying no.
Bottom right is a recent arrival from the race track, and his name is Freestrikesyourout. Located in Northern California, TB Friends is dedicated to the rescue and placement of horses that have been abandoned or neglected. Usually these horses arrive from the race track. The horses obtained by TB Friends are often saved from the brutal trip to rendering facilities in Texas.
When possible TB Friends takes care to select horses well suited to make the transformation to riding mount or show horse. Our proximity to the bay area race tracks, along with the throwaway nature of the racing industry, unfortunately results in a situation where there are many horses in need of rescue, and therefore many horses from which to choose.
At TB Friends we manage to rescue about two hundred horses every year. When we place a horse there is no charge for the care that we provide them here at Shelton Farms. We only ask for the cost of a horse's rescue and transportation to the farm. For most horses this amounts to less than $1000 dollars.
Sadly, we can not save them all. We are limited by the number of horses that we can care for at any one time. However, as we find homes for the horses we have rescued, we replace them by rescuing others. For this reason we ask you to consider purchasing a horse from our farm. Not only are you likely to obtain a beautiful animal, but you will also help us to save more horses. You can call me on my cell at 530-383-2120. If I do not answer it means I am probably busy with a horse. Or on the couch with a rerun of Malcolm In The Middle. Just leave a message and I will call you back soon.
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Post by jdw2w1 on Feb 2, 2008 23:33:43 GMT -5
Saturday, February 2nd... The girl who called about a 25 year old gelding who is soon to be destroyed, will you please phone me again. I lost your number, sorry. We can help you.
The girl who left a message about 2 thoroughbreds in Orangevale who are stuck in mud, you need to phone me again. Orangevale is a big town. You did not leave an address or number.
And this is to young Michelle, who left a message about her starving quarter horse gelding. We need more information Michelle. Where is the gelding exactly, and can a trailer get to him?
We know all about crazy hay prices. If you have a horse who is hungry we might be able to help. The horse has to be within driving distance for us. 2008 will be remembered as the winter which refused to go away. Another big storm for later today, and winds will be wild. Hungry horses become fragile in knee deep mud.
And you know times are hard when horse killers are turning down horses because they are too thin.
The horror stories of unwanted and neglected horses are overwhelming. But then come stories of others who do their best to make things better. Patty Lu found a hungry gelding in the town of Martinez, and now everyday she brings him food. Monica lives in a place called Penn Valley, and she is now feeding 2 very thin mares who had not eaten for several weeks. Little Maddie is everyday bringing hay and grain to an older skinny gelding not far from her house. At a livestock auction Randi Sorensen bought a very skinny arab gelding for $75.00, and when she brought him home her mom cried. Twice a day Ryan Andrews drives from Vacaville to West Sacramento to make sure hungry horses at a not so nice place are being fed. Allison Andrews is feeding 2 thoroughbreds who were stuck in the mud in Auburn. Aljean lives in the town of Rescue, which is fitting, because Aljean rescues horses. Selina is 13, and all be herself she saved the life of a starving paint mare. Peyton is 16, and all by herself she saved the life of a starving quarter horse mare. Jenna is 17, and all by herself she saved the life of a starving thoroughbred mare.
Always know there are options. If we are unable to help your hungry horse, chances are we know someone who can. My cell is 530-383-2120.
The coffee is from Nob Hill, and chocolate doughnuts were made by Sunnyside. 111 horses are wondering where the old man is with their food. Chores must be done before the storm hits. Enjoy your Saturday, and be sure to hug your horses. 331 shopping days left until Christmas...
Joe
Top row shows scenes from January.
Ah, the joys of owning a ranch. Our orange tractor somehow found a soft spot, and we sank like a rock. Here comes our neighbor Dennis with his blue tractor to pull us out. But poor Dennis sank before he could even get close.
Bottom right shows how our neighborhood came to help. 3 big tractors, 7 workers, and both stuck tractors were soon free. Located in Northern California, TB Friends is dedicated to the rescue and placement of horses that have been abandoned or neglected. Usually these horses arrive from the race track. The horses obtained by TB Friends are often saved from the brutal trip to rendering facilities in Texas.
When possible TB Friends takes care to select horses well suited to make the transformation to riding mount or show horse. Our proximity to the bay area race tracks, along with the throwaway nature of the racing industry, unfortunately results in a situation where there are many horses in need of rescue, and therefore many horses from which to choose.
At TB Friends we manage to rescue about two hundred horses every year. When we place a horse there is no charge for the care that we provide them here at Shelton Farms. We only ask for the cost of a horse's rescue and transportation to the farm. For most horses this amounts to less than $1000 dollars.
Sadly, we can not save them all. We are limited by the number of horses that we can care for at any one time. However, as we find homes for the horses we have rescued, we replace them by rescuing others. For this reason we ask you to consider purchasing a horse from our farm. Not only are you likely to obtain a beautiful animal, but you will also help us to save more horses. You can call me on my cell at 530-383-2120. If I do not answer it means I am probably busy with a horse. Or on the couch with a rerun of Malcolm In The Middle. Just leave a message and I will call you back soon.
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Post by jdw2w1 on Feb 4, 2008 19:23:08 GMT -5
It is Monday. Saturday night we had another wicked storm, and once again our phone line was lost. AT&T has been here all morning, and now we have a dial tone. Winds are strong, so there is no guarantee our computer will stay on for long. What a winter.
Please do not call 911 and beg for your heart to be restarted, but there are new photos under the age links. Under the Retirement link I will all the time post pictures of everyday events on our ranch. And trust me, we are full of events. Floods and fires and toads bigger than a pony. Mud up to your neck. More horses are awaiting transportation to our ranch. In the meantime we are granted senior citizen discounts at Dennys. It is a little dishearting when they never ask for I.D.
Living with 111 horses, and no 2 are the same. We have a gelding here who earned almost two million dollars at the race track. We have a gelding with a shattered leg. 3 freshly broken knees. Broken ankles and fractured cannon bones.
I am addicted to thoroughbreds. No interventions please. It is the way they fight through their troubles. I moan and groan to anyone who will listen. My broken toes, my broken back, my poor eyesight. You think I would learn from thoroughbreds. They never complain. Heads held high, proud as can be.
I will be back tomorrow morning to share with you more adventures of a winter gone crazy. Gotta go back outside and do chores. Enjoy the rest of your day. Always remember to hug your horses.
Joe Located in Northern California, TB Friends is dedicated to the rescue and placement of horses that have been abandoned or neglected. Usually these horses arrive from the race track. The horses obtained by TB Friends are often saved from the brutal trip to rendering facilities in Texas.
When possible TB Friends takes care to select horses well suited to make the transformation to riding mount or show horse. Our proximity to the bay area race tracks, along with the throwaway nature of the racing industry, unfortunately results in a situation where there are many horses in need of rescue, and therefore many horses from which to choose.
At TB Friends we manage to rescue about two hundred horses every year. When we place a horse there is no charge for the care that we provide them here at Shelton Farms. We only ask for the cost of a horse's rescue and transportation to the farm. For most horses this amounts to less than $1000 dollars.
Sadly, we can not save them all. We are limited by the number of horses that we can care for at any one time. However, as we find homes for the horses we have rescued, we replace them by rescuing others. For this reason we ask you to consider purchasing a horse from our farm. Not only are you likely to obtain a beautiful animal, but you will also help us to save more horses. You can call me on my cell at 530-383-2120. If I do not answer it means I am probably busy with a horse. Or on the couch with a rerun of Malcolm In The Middle. Just leave a message and I will call you back soon.
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Post by jdw2w1 on Feb 5, 2008 12:43:28 GMT -5
Tuesday, February 5th... Older than the hills, seen it all, or at least I thought so. But the horror stories of abandoned and starving horses are never ending. Livestock auctions, where the only bidders are horse killers.
I screwed up. Watching terrified horses at feed lots load into a large cattle trailer for the trip to slaughter would keep me up nights. I mailed letter after letter. Lectured others on the evils of slaughter. And finally, when my sun is almost ready to set, horse slaughter in America was stopped. Cathy and I partied. A celebration at our favorite restaurant. Giddy for weeks. Peace on earth.
But here in California horses began to stock pile. Feed lots are bursting. Horses are left tied to gates and abandoned. Yesterday was a typical day at the office, with 16 phone messages asking if I can take yet another horse.
While I was giving the we gotta stop horse slaughter speech to others, while I was writing dozens of letters a week, my friend Sarah McDowell would tell me how dumb I am. Sarah said in California there would soon be thousands of horses with no where to go. No one to feed them. Naturally I waved her away. How could a few homeless horses ever justify the brutality of slaughter?
And besides, if closing down slaughter plants did produce a few homeless horses, I could bring them to our ranch.
I am not here to profess my wisdom. To give you a solution. Just stating the facts, and for horses the facts suck.
In the Los Angeles area 2 girls, along with many internet friends from all over America, pooled their money and attended weekend auctions. The girls are Caroline and Nikki. Horse killer David Misner was buying the majority of horses, but Caroline and Nikki were able to rescue several, including a 31 year old gelding.
Horse killer Wade Giles bought 4 geldings at a recent livestock auction, and waiting for him in the parking lot was Holly Meeks. Horse killer Wade Giles had just paid $525.00 for those 4 geldings. He resold all 4 to Holly Meeks for $900.00, and now they are warm and safe on a ranch here in Woodland.
Horse killer Manny Phelps had 2 ponies, both older and both hungry, and he bought them from a traveling carnival. I phoned Allison Andrews and said please oh please, and Allison replied well okay then. The 2 ponies are now sharing a large dry stall, and a big Thank You to Jennifer Wright for providing the transportation.
And now on this Super Tuesday, we must vote, we must work, we must once again deal with bursting feed lots. A phone message from Kaitlyn Hunt, and she is 12. Kaitlyn says one day she will be rich, and then together we can save all the horses in the world. Ah, another day to look forward to. Before ending her message Kaitlyn Hunt says Anything Is Possible. Well golly gee...
Joe
Caroline and Nikki raised money and attended auctions in Chino and Mira Loma. Top left shows Caroline with a thoroughbred mare she outbid a killer for.
Top right show another gelding saved, he is 31 years old, and Nikki named him Red Spirit.
Before and after. There are letters asking how Willy is doing, and he is doing great. Bottom left shows Willy on the day he came to us from a feed lot. Bottom right shows a recent picture of Willy. He is out in our fields with other horses, and a sparkle has come to his eyes.
Located in Northern California, TB Friends is dedicated to the rescue and placement of horses that have been abandoned or neglected. Usually these horses arrive from the race track. The horses obtained by TB Friends are often saved from the brutal trip to rendering facilities in Texas.
When possible TB Friends takes care to select horses well suited to make the transformation to riding mount or show horse. Our proximity to the bay area race tracks, along with the throwaway nature of the racing industry, unfortunately results in a situation where there are many horses in need of rescue, and therefore many horses from which to choose.
At TB Friends we manage to rescue about two hundred horses every year. When we place a horse there is no charge for the care that we provide them here at Shelton Farms. We only ask for the cost of a horse's rescue and transportation to the farm. For most horses this amounts to less than $1000 dollars.
Sadly, we can not save them all. We are limited by the number of horses that we can care for at any one time. However, as we find homes for the horses we have rescued, we replace them by rescuing others. For this reason we ask you to consider purchasing a horse from our farm. Not only are you likely to obtain a beautiful animal, but you will also help us to save more horses. You can call me on my cell at 530-383-2120. If I do not answer it means I am probably busy with a horse. Or on the couch with a rerun of Malcolm In The Middle. Just leave a message and I will call you back soon.
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Post by jdw2w1 on Feb 6, 2008 11:44:38 GMT -5
Wednesday, February 6th... Several birthdays while our phone lines were down. A big Happy Birthday to Georgia Hartman in Woodland. Georgia helps us out of many jams. A big Happy Birthday to Tara Evans in Vacaville. Tara owns 3 thoroughbreds and a turtle named Hank. A big Happy Birthday to Jessica Malloy in Sacramento. It was in 2005 when Jessica came to us and adopted the pretty filly Cream Puff. And a big Happy Birthday to Kelli Sorenson, little sister of Randi, and tonight Kelli celebrates at a sushi joint in Davis.
Congratulations to Kristin Cox, who on the internet found an ad for an unwanted thoroughbred gelding. The owner said here you go, there is no more money for board. The gelding is a looker, he jumps, he dances, and for the past 4 years he has lived in a fancy event barn. On the phone Kristin tells me sorry. She was hours away from adopting a gelding at Tbfriends. Instead Kristin rides into the sunset with her new well trained gelding, and good for her.
Congratulations to Jennifer Green, who on the internet found an ad for a thoroughbred gelding in terrible shape. Jennifer named him Spike, and he is now on the road to recovery at a barn in Winters.
Congratulations to Paula Coombs, who on the internet found an ad for an unwanted thoroughbred mare. Paula drove to a town called French Camp, and pulled the poor mare from knee deep mud. Paula named her Venus, and bought her a bright red blanket and a bright red halter. There is a chance Venus is preggers, so a vet exam is scheduled for next week.
This coming Sunday is a horse auction in the town of Roseville.
Horse killer Brent Sanchez and his girlfriend Maggie have several thoroughbreds at 60 cents a pound. Most are from race tracks, and most are unsound.
On our ranch 112 horses are waiting for breakfast. We are elbow to elbow, hock to hock. There is snow in them there hills. Hot coffee is from Peets, and the Twinkies are made by Hostess. Yesterday skies were blue, but at this moment we are foggy. On Monday night for dinner in Las Vegas, Brian Gill ate garlic roasted salmon with baby red potatoes. On Monday night for dinner in San Francisco, Patti Lu ate pesto pasta and fried cheese sticks. On Monday night for dinner in Oakland, Rachel Jeffers ate spicy shrimp and dumplings at her favorite restaurant. Late Monday night in Woodland, Pony Boy ate a cherry popsicle, two carrots, and one peppermint candy. He is my everything. Pony Boy waits in our driveway for his late night treats. Just knowing he is there. Our security blanket. The best way to end each day...
Joe
Top left shows snow in our hills.
Almost daily AT&T comes to work on our phone lines.
Bottom photos show how we are beginning to dry out.
Located in Northern California, TB Friends is dedicated to the rescue and placement of horses that have been abandoned or neglected. Usually these horses arrive from the race track. The horses obtained by TB Friends are often saved from the brutal trip to rendering facilities in Texas.
When possible TB Friends takes care to select horses well suited to make the transformation to riding mount or show horse. Our proximity to the bay area race tracks, along with the throwaway nature of the racing industry, unfortunately results in a situation where there are many horses in need of rescue, and therefore many horses from which to choose.
At TB Friends we manage to rescue about two hundred horses every year. When we place a horse there is no charge for the care that we provide them here at Shelton Farms. We only ask for the cost of a horse's rescue and transportation to the farm. For most horses this amounts to less than $1000 dollars.
Sadly, we can not save them all. We are limited by the number of horses that we can care for at any one time. However, as we find homes for the horses we have rescued, we replace them by rescuing others. For this reason we ask you to consider purchasing a horse from our farm. Not only are you likely to obtain a beautiful animal, but you will also help us to save more horses. You can call me on my cell at 530-383-2120. If I do not answer it means I am probably busy with a horse. Or on the couch with a rerun of Malcolm In The Middle. Just leave a message and I will call you back soon.
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Post by jdw2w1 on Feb 7, 2008 11:43:26 GMT -5
Thursday, February 7th... This tiny little website, and there are dozens of requests each week. Also dozens of questions, mostly from young girls, and they want to know about thoroughbreds. Many of our readers ask who am I voting for? Do Cathy and I go to church? How do I handle the depression when visiting feed lots? Just how big is my nose?
A question the other day came from Kristy, she is 16, and lives in Sacramento. Kristy wants to know who do I admire most in this world?
A toughie. And I would hate to offend someone by not mentioning their name. Cathy and I are associated with amazing giving people, who never hesitate to put others first. Who never hesitate when a horse needs help. If you are a regular reader of this morning journal, you know who these people are.
But when one person is responsible for saving gobs of horses, when one person takes on a billion dollar company and puts a halt to their expansion, it is time to give credit. We call her Michelle, and she works at the race track.
You should wait and see what Michelle has planned next. If successful, she will rock this world.
During early morning hours, while horses are working out at the race track, Michelle takes pictures with her cell phone. She has photos of horses about to be euthanized. There is a picture of a horse who during a workout completely lost his left front leg. There are pictures of grooms beating a terrified horse. Many pictures of horrific injuries, and they are difficult to look at.
Last year a company called Magna wanted to build a new race track in the town of Dixon, which is not far from us. A date was set for a special vote. Citizens of Dixon would decide if Magna, a billion dollar empire, could build this race track.
4 and 5 nights a week Michelle would walk the streets of Dixon. She knocked on doors. She stood in front of a burger joint in the middle of town. And she showed those pictures taken on her cell phone. Terrified horses in trouble. And Michelle would ask citizens of Dixon, do you really want this in your town?
And all the time Michelle would hear the same reaction. Voters had no idea. They told Michelle her pictures changed their minds. They thanked her. More than once Michelle was invited into a home for supper.
The vote was close, but the billion dollar company lost. No new race track. The empty land is now for sale.
One person can make a huge impact. Anything is possible.
Michelle has written a book about life on the race track. She has a publisher, but the book will not be for sale until Michelle has quit her job.
We often hear from young girls who want a thoroughbred. Who want a job. Who want a car. Who want their lives to be better. If it is in your heart, you can do it.
Enjoy your beautiful blue sky Thursday, and be sure to hug your horses.
Joe
All 4 photos below are by request.
Top left is a power meeting.
Top right is 2 ducks, a tractor, and Pony Boy.
Bottom left is an approaching storm from the north.
Bottom right is our blind little dog Sadie Mae, who loves to ride in the old ranch truck. Located in Northern California, TB Friends is dedicated to the rescue and placement of horses that have been abandoned or neglected. Usually these horses arrive from the race track. The horses obtained by TB Friends are often saved from the brutal trip to rendering facilities in Texas.
When possible TB Friends takes care to select horses well suited to make the transformation to riding mount or show horse. Our proximity to the bay area race tracks, along with the throwaway nature of the racing industry, unfortunately results in a situation where there are many horses in need of rescue, and therefore many horses from which to choose.
At TB Friends we manage to rescue about two hundred horses every year. When we place a horse there is no charge for the care that we provide them here at Shelton Farms. We only ask for the cost of a horse's rescue and transportation to the farm. For most horses this amounts to less than $1000 dollars.
Sadly, we can not save them all. We are limited by the number of horses that we can care for at any one time. However, as we find homes for the horses we have rescued, we replace them by rescuing others. For this reason we ask you to consider purchasing a horse from our farm. Not only are you likely to obtain a beautiful animal, but you will also help us to save more horses. You can call me on my cell at 530-383-2120. If I do not answer it means I am probably busy with a horse. Or on the couch with a rerun of Malcolm In The Middle. Just leave a message and I will call you back soon.
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Post by jdw2w1 on Feb 8, 2008 11:42:10 GMT -5
Friday, February 8th... Keeping you in the loop. We bought a young gelding from horse killer Manny Phelps, and he might be a thoroughbred but there is no tattoo. A beautiful warmblood gelding living near a town called Yountville desperately needed a new home, so we arranged for him to live with a young girl in Napa. A big Thank You to Holly Meeks for providing the transportation. We took in an older thoroughbred mare covered in caked mud, and a big Thank You to Ryan Andrews for providing the transportation. Every day we bring food to 3 horses in Knights Landing, and on Wednesday we were able to place one of those horses at a beautiful ranch in Clear Lake. Another big Thank You to Holly Meeks for providing the transportation.
Post photos of horses available for adoption, and the little cell phone goes crazy for Turn The Corner. We call her Corny. On Wednesday an event trainer from Santa Rosa adopted Corny, and it was difficult to say goodbye. I had become hooked. Corny would gather you into her arms and hold on all day. A sweetheart. The event trainer has adopted from us in the past, and her barn is beautiful. Corny will live like a queen.
We said so long, see ya soon, to How Lou Doin. Lou has returned to foster care and green grass in Auburn.
We said so long, see ya soon, to Charlie Good Guy, a little gelding who is now on green grass at a foster home in Vacaville.
And we said so long, see ya soon, to Tolder, an older mare who has returned to foster care and green grass in Clear Lake.
The mud is beginning to go away, so foster families are allowing us to bring them more horses. A much needed lifestyle change. Horses leave our crowded fields and dine on grass and apples with butterflies fluttering about. You could do one of those Happy California Cow commercials, only insert a horse instead.
We continually Thank our foster homes. There is no possible way we could function with these many horses without our foster families. At last count Cathy and I own over 200 horses. Dr. Phil could do an entire week...
And we need to thank Joanne Quon who lives in San Jose, for the very stylish horse blanket. Elizabeth Touto lives in Lake Tahoe, and Elizabeth baked us a rum cake and after eating you are not allowed to drive. A big Thank you to Julie Gattis who lives in a town called Hesperia, California. Anne Harrington in Palo Alto. Catherine Moses from North Carolina. Tara Reale who lives is Sausalito. William & Peg Jordan live in New Jersey, and they sent us delicious cheesecake from Harry & David. We Thank Jamie Watkins. Also Noelle Carter. Mia Chang lives in San Francisco, and Mia gave us a gift card to Tractor Supply. A very big Thank You to Robin West. Jane Morehouse. Mary Frazier in Moraga. The girl who calls herself Horsecreek 08, and I think I know who you are. Donna Roane lives in Virginia, and Thank You Donna. Lisa lives in Little Rock, Arkansas, and Lisa sent us delicious peppermint bark. We Thank Kerry Lowell in Cotati, California. Carol Gomulka lives in a place called Forked River, New Jersey, and Thank You Carol. A very big Thank You to Susie Ingersoll for all the books, and already we are giving those books away to young visitors. We Thank Gene & Anne Curcio who live in Lowden, Washington. Leslie Bonnette from Queen Creek, Arizona. Stephanie Breaux, and I hope you are feeling better Stephanie. A big Thank You to Jamie & Casey Malone from Sebastopol. Robert & Ann in Maryland. Cora Mason in San Jose. Dakota Blue, and have fun at Disneyworld. Jessica Talbot, and have fun in Reno.
And a giant Thank You to Shannon Weil from Cool, California, and Shannon is cool. She is taking excellent care of Agitated Attitude, a gelding from the race track, and we are forever grateful.
Enjoy your 60 degree Friday, and be sure to hug your horses. The Kings play home against Utah tonight. Jennifer Wright is having an American Idol Taco party. Build your own tacos, and then watch both episodes of American Idol taped earlier this week. 12 girls in her apartment. Jennifer Wright hauls horses for us, and there is usually Carrie Underwood on her cd player...
Joe
All 4 photos below are by request.
Top left is the handsome hunk Timely Weave, and he has lived with us for almost 3 years.
Top right is Logician, and we call him Logan. He made good money at the race track, and came to us with a broken sesamoid bone.
Bottom left is Del Mar Cool under the summer sky.
In 2005 we took in an orphan filly foal, and Pony Boy raised her. For 4 months Pony Boy never left her side. Located in Northern California, TB Friends is dedicated to the rescue and placement of horses that have been abandoned or neglected. Usually these horses arrive from the race track. The horses obtained by TB Friends are often saved from the brutal trip to rendering facilities in Texas.
When possible TB Friends takes care to select horses well suited to make the transformation to riding mount or show horse. Our proximity to the bay area race tracks, along with the throwaway nature of the racing industry, unfortunately results in a situation where there are many horses in need of rescue, and therefore many horses from which to choose.
At TB Friends we manage to rescue about two hundred horses every year. When we place a horse there is no charge for the care that we provide them here at Shelton Farms. We only ask for the cost of a horse's rescue and transportation to the farm. For most horses this amounts to less than $1000 dollars.
Sadly, we can not save them all. We are limited by the number of horses that we can care for at any one time. However, as we find homes for the horses we have rescued, we replace them by rescuing others. For this reason we ask you to consider purchasing a horse from our farm. Not only are you likely to obtain a beautiful animal, but you will also help us to save more horses. You can call me on my cell at 530-383-2120. If I do not answer it means I am probably busy with a horse. Or on the couch with a rerun of Malcolm In The Middle. Just leave a message and I will call you back soon.
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