Bunny, who came back to the shelter, has some pretty severe behavioral problems when it comes to riding.  We knew we couldn’t place her in a riding home, she just wanted to hang out and be a pony.  We called Home at Last Sanctuary and they said they would be happy to take her.  Jason hooked up the trailer and got ready to deliver Bunny, who was waiting impatiently in her stall.

Stormy was also going to Home at Last as she was Bunny’s best friend and seemed to have some neurological issues, maybe lack of oxygen at birth or something like that.  She is a very sweet and pretty horse, just didn’t seem to be all with it.

Cheyenne was going to the vet to be checked out.  She has some weird back / hind end issues and we wanted her to get evaluated.  Due to her old age we were very concerned about her.

Macho Man was getting ready for his makeover.  He was very excited about this.

Plus he got to tour the office, which he hadn’t gotten to tour yet.  He was very excited.  He has the cutest personality, he loves adventure, meeting new people and he loves being inside of buildings.

In the arena Chance was being shown to his potential mom who had him in adoption pending.

She really fell in love with him and the feeling was mutual.  In the end she just had to adopt him!  Transportation arrangements are being made.

The shaver’s battery died, but Macho Man got at least one side clipped.  He looks funny now and Dottie and Shadow, the other 2 minis, are no doubt teasing him.  They are probably telling him he had better find a new barber.

Sedona had a potential adopter come out and look at her.  They fell in love and they put the adoption hold on her.  She is anxiously waiting for her adoption application to be processed.  They are the perfect fit and we are hoping that soon Sedona will be in a new home.

Meanwhile, Jason had also taken Ice Man to the vet.  He has been adopted and will be transported from the vet office to his new home.

From the vet Jason headed up to Home at Last.  Stormy was delighted to get out and run with her new pasture friends.

Bunny was a little more laid back and just walked calmly around taking it all it.  They will both enjoy the rest of their life frolicking in the sun, resting in the shade, and eating lots and lots of yummy food.

Streeker was surrendered at the SAFE Surrender Site at the vet office, so Jason picked him up on the way back through.

Streeker is a 17 year old Arab gelding who is trained to ride.  He is such a nice boy!

In no time at all he was at the shelter being led to his waiting pen.  What a long and busy day!

Thank you all so much for your support!

These horses range from 3 to 7 years old. Help us keep these youngsters from going to slaughter!

For more information and to donate: click here

We would like to thank everyone for helping to finish the Auction Rescue fundraiser.  We can’t wait to save lives at the auction this weekend!  Watch our Facebook Saturday night to see them rescued in close to real-time.

Tuesday Animal Control was headed our way.

Soon they were pulling into the shelter with their precious cargo.

They opened their trailer up and were getting ready to unload the horses.  Notice the little dog watching on intently.  She has been hanging around the shelter, even when we were first looking at it, but we thought she belonged to a neighbor.  Come to find out she just roams from home to home from what everyone says in the community.  She seems to have decided that for now the shelter is her home.    Her name is Pippi.

The two horses unloaded safely from the trailer.

We would like you to meet Brandy.  She is a two year old Arabian Mustang cross.  She is halter trained and just needs lots of tender loving care.

This is Cheyenne, named by our Facebook fans as she didn’t have a name.  She was a stray that Animal Control picked up.  She is an older mare who is missing one eye and seems to have some back/hind end issues which we will have evaluated.

Bunny came back to the shelter.  She could no longer stay in her adoptive home.

We are happy to have her back as we always want what is best for our adopted horses.

Dot will be leaving for the summer, but she made a beautiful Bit Art picture holder for us to sell as a fundraiser.  It is only $45!

Dot and Steve worked on evaluating horses all afternoon.

We can’t say how extremely pleased we are to have this indoor riding arena.

It sure makes evaluating the horses so much safer and easier.  Next winter it will make it so much drier too.

As the sun was beginning to set it cast a golden light over the pasture while the horses were grazing contentedly.  We would like to thank each of you who donate to make this possible.  We do still need 12, $10 a month sponsors.  Surely you can help us reach our goal to cover the monthly costs of the shelter!  Click here, and scroll down.

We just published a blog with all the events from last week in it, you can read it by clicking here.

Our April statistics are available now too.  In all 59 animals came into the shelter in April. There were 28 horses,  26 goats, 2 ponies, 2 donkeys and 1 mule.  40 came from the slaughter pipeline / auction, 16 from owner surrenders and 3 were from Animal Control.

20 animals passed away in April.  We rescued a huge number of baby goats, they were extremely weak, and some didn’t make it.  10 animals died, 6 were humanely euthanized due to pain, injury or medical issues, 2 for behavioral problems, unsafe or dangerous and 2 where euthanized due to old age or poor quality of life.  NO animals were euthanized due to lack of space.  In our previous reports we had owner requested euthanasia as one of the categories, some people commented that we weren’t saying why they were euthanized, so we have just included the owner requested euthanasia in the appropriate category.  If you would like to see the graphs bigger you can click on them!

Monday we had visitors out looking at the horses.  The horses always enjoy getting visitors.

One thing that was very exciting was the first ever Horse Plus Beginner Horsemanship class.  We had 4 very eager students come for the 1 hour lesson.  First they were educated on why horses need to be rescued, what they are rescued from, basic tack, how to saddle, and basic horse handling skills.

Then they had their riding lesson on the rescued horses!  Spot, in the back, is going to join our Beginner Horsemanship class, and Raven Beauty, formerly known as June Bug, who we rescued from an auction in November of last year.  She has been adopted and her family loves her so much, but they are letting us use her for our riding program until we get more horses.

We are so thrilled to have this arena where we can do these riding and education programs.  It is something we have wanted to do for a long time, we just never had the facility.

We do need more children’s helmets to keep the kids safe!  If you would like to donate a helmet or two, we would really appreciate it!  Our shipping address is: Horse Plus Humane Society, P O Box 6108, Oroville CA 95966, or 1944 Robinson Mill Rd, Bangor Ca 95914.  We need kids small through adult large.  To buy a helmet, click here.

One of the visitors that came on Monday wanted to adopt a horse for a pasture pal / riding horse so her other horse won’t be lonely after losing his aged friend.

She fell in love with Ice Man and the feeling was definitely mutual.  We are so happy for both of them.

We are currently accepting new applications for our Horse Plus Basic Horsemanship class.  The classes will educate you or your youngster on basic horse care, grooming, saddling, bridling and learning how to ride. The class is for kids aged 5 through adults that weigh up to 180 pounds.  The funds from the classes will go to help support the shelter and rescuing animals in need.  Currently we have openings on Tuesday afternoons. 1 hour group lessons are $25, and the group is from 2 to 4 people.  Private 1 hour lessons are $50, remember the funds are going to help save animals in need, it’s win-win!  Please contact us if you are interested, click here.

Thank you all so much for your support!

The first load looked like it had half of the cubes in it, that is a 10,000 pound dump trailer.  Jason was sure he could get the rest in the next load.

The second load was even bigger, but it still didn’t get all of the cubes.  The dump trailer sure made it nice though, thanks to the generosity of a board member for letting us use it.

Finally the third load was being dumped.  What a lot of work shoveling all of those cubes by hand!  Jason reports he doesn’t need to go to the gym this week.

Sally and Maybell really enjoy the covered arena.  First Maybell laid down and started rolling.

Then Maybell got up and Sally started looking for a place to lay down.

Sally rolled and rolled.

Then she got up.

They both really love the nice fluffy material.

Sally had to go to the vet as she has some type of urinary tract infection.  She had to be checked out to make sure she is OK.

On the way to the vet there was a pickup of a horse that needed to be surrendered into our Last Act of Kindness program.

This poor old horse was extremely skinny and had a lot of arthritis.

She was a good girl and got right into the trailer.  We are thankful that we have this program where people can give their aged companion a peaceful ending to their majestic life.  Many times we hear from desperate owners that if our program was not available they would have to shoot their horse as they cannot afford the $750 euthanasia and disposal fee that many places charge.  If you are not trained in shooting a horse, and even if you are, it is a very traumatic end to a horses life and can go so wrong so quickly.

At the vet we left Sally so she could be ultrasounded and we could get to the bottom of the problem.

Meanwhile back at the shelter the trim was being painted.

It is so pretty and it looks so clean and sharp.

It was exciting when the sign was hung up.  It seems that our color scheme has come together.

Even the picnic tables are getting an upgrade and matching the color scheme.

Daisy was adopted!  We are so happy for her and her new family.

Two horses were surrendered.  Their owner could no longer keep them.

Meet Rose, an older Thoroughbred in her 20′s.  She has a lot of arthritis in her knees.

This is Spot, a leopard Pony of America, about 14 hands.

Rose and Spot enjoyed settling into their new pen.

We got a report back from the vet that Sally has a urinary tract infection and a tipped uterus and should be fine after a course of antibiotics.

Many thanks to everyone who supports us both financially and emotionally.

The May horse auction rescue is this weekend and we need your help.  So far we have raised $716 out of our goal of $5,000 towards saving horses from the brutality of slaughter.

Thanks to Jennifer G., every donation is doubled for the first $1,000 donated.  This is a very generous offer from Jennifer and we are extremely thankful for her generosity.  This is  a wonderful opportunity to really help out, take advantage of it right now by clicking here.

At every auction the killer buyers are there, waiting to bid on every horse when its price gets low enough.  Currently the meat prices are reaching up to 43 cents a pound, meaning a 1,000 pound horse goes for up to $430!  To see the current closest auction report where buying and selling horses for slaughter is legal, click here.  The horses at the auction we are attending this weekend are in extreme danger of being shipped to Nevada and then resold at the auction, heading on down the slaughter pipeline.

At every sale there are fat horses, skinny horses, well trained horses and wild horses.  Unlike horse traders or killer buyers, the “profit” we can make off of the horses never enters our minds, we are there only to save them from shipping to slaughter.  Outbidding the killer buyers and saving each and every horse from slaughter is our goal, and we hope that you will support that goal.

Don’t let the horses head off on the long trip to Mexico or Canada in a killer buyers trailer!  Donate today, click here. 

Your donation to the auction rescue fund is the gift of life, the gift of freedom from slaughter.  Please help us meet our goal of $5,000 for the rescue and care of slaughter bound horses, click here.  If you would like to donate directly using your Paypal account, our donation address is: donate@horsehumane.org.

We are so close to meeting our goal for the shelter monthly expense.  So far we have raised $2,747 out of our goal of $3,000 per month.  Remember that every donation is matched by a very generous donor, so we only need 13 more $10 a month sponsors.  Help us out, click here.

As many of you know, Granny, the sweetest mule in the world, had some seizures.  The vet came out to evaluate her, and the vet believes she had a brain tumor which was causing the seizures and that they would continue happening.  Granny was given a yummy bucket filled with some of her favorite treats and was given one last massage before we said “Goodbye” to her.  She will always hold a special place in our hearts.

While the vet was out she also examined DC (Devils Choir) who has a hoof abscess.  She says that DC should be fine in no time at all.

Cathy is enjoying getting her new office together and is settling right in.

Dot was out evaluating horses.  This is Ra Makoa, who was surrendered at our SAFE Surrender Site.  He is a 17 year old Arabian.

He came with a DVD which is a very beautiful video.  If you would like to watch it, click here.   A potential adopter was at the shelter visiting the horses and placed him in adoption pending.

Dot also evaluated Chance.  Chance does know some dressage and is well trained to ride and is a beautiful boy.  We will be evaluating him for his trail riding abilities soon.

He is a very big horse, around 16.2 hands, and will make some lucky person a very wonderful buddy.

If you are interested in adopting him we recommend placing the $50 hold on him as he is  very gorgeous and no doubt will not last long.  To place the adoption hold, click here and select “Adoption Hold” as the purpose.

Another horse that we had surrendered that hasn’t made it onto the blog yet is Bravo.

Bravo is a 16 year old Paso Fino gelding who was surrendered right before the move.

He is an absolutely gorgeous boy and is about 14.2 hands tall.

He is trained to ride and has done a lot of different things.

He has even worked cattle.

And, believe it or not, he has done English riding and jumping.  He is very smooth to ride and has a lot of go to him.

Stormy was also ridden again.  She is very green and needs a lot of work, but is a very gorgeous girl.

Rusty got a good grooming.  With all the warm days the winter coats are really shedding off.

He definitely enjoyed all of the attention.

Sedona was surrendered at the SAFE Surrender Site.  She is 6-8 years old.

She is a Mustang who was born in captivity.  She is trained to ride but needs some finishing touches.  A note that came with her said: “Sedona was born in captivity out of an adopted BLM mare in Nevada.  She has about 80 days of professional training, has excellent ground manners, easy to catch, stands for farrier, doesn’t bite, kick, buck or rear up.  She has been saddled and ridden at the walk, trot and canter she did great at the trainers.  However when we brought her home we found when she gets worried she tries to go with the herd and will run through a snaffle bit and she is still learning to stop.

“We gave her to someone who rode her in a mechanical hackamore and she did just fine as long as her horse companions were not where she could see them, he had planned on keeping her but ended up in a disagreement with the property owner and was forced to give her back.

“I think she needs a permanent home with someone who is willing to take the time to gain her trust with patience and kindness as she is a beautiful horse inside and out.  She responds very well to natural horsemanship, tends to shut down if trainer is too rough.

“Vices:

“Vaccines – she has a phobia with needles I have had to scratch and pinch her rear for about a week spending about 10 minutes each time and then I give her the shot when she has relaxed.  I always did this without a halter or lead rope, she was in the pasture and there were fence panels between us in case she kicked (which never happened.)

“Fly Spray – I have never been able to directly spray it on her although I could spray it in my hand next to her and rub it on her without issues.”

Many thanks to each of you who support our rescue efforts, both financially and emotionally.  Please remember the slaughter bound horses at the auction and make a donation to help save them if you can at all – click here.

In preparation for our open house, one of our Board of Directors spent a lot of time going through old pictures, getting a theme photo for each year since we started rescuing in 2003, framed it and put it on the wall of the office.  They look really beautiful and we are so greatful for her hard work and dedication in getting these pictures up for all to enjoy.

Many of you are too far away to walk into the office and see them for yourself.  You can see them by clicking this link.

Spirits were high as the ribbon cutting ceremony began.  Larry did the honors of giving a short speech.

Then the ribbon was cut!  It was so exciting, but not half as exciting as when…

…the horses were let out into the big pasture for the first time.

They galloped across the field with excitement and delight.  It was a beautiful sight to see.

We made a video about the open house which includes the horses running into the field and a whole lot more.  It’s a must see!  Click here.

 After awhile all the volunteers were hard at work and all the critters were sitting back enjoying their new place as if they are on vacation.

There was a very sad part of the day when Granny had a seizure or a stroke and lost her eyesight.  She was carefully moved into a stall. It was really sad, but we are so glad we were there for her in her time of need and were able to make her comfortable in a stall.  A vet will be coming out to examine her.

Volunteers were everywhere, weed eating, cleaning, painting, doing everything that needed to be done.  We would like to thank each and every one of you who came out and worked extremely hard.  We wouldn’t have had a successful day without you!

We had two roosters surrendered at the shelter to join the flock.  Meet Click, a juvenile rooster.

And this is Clack, also a young rooster.

We also had a horse surrendered named Chance.  He is a 15 year old off the track Thoroughbred.  A note came with him that said “Chance goes well in just a snaffle, ties well, wonderful gaits, has been raced 2-3 day events in the past and has anxiety under pressure.    Has never bucked, reared or bolted.  Great on the trail with one or two horses, Deer, Turkeys, mountain bikes not a problem, but he is scared of pigs.  Needs a soft quiet confident rider.  Great with other horses.”

We also had a bunch of adoptions and people interested in adopting horses.  Stumpy was one of the lucky ones who was adopted.

Snow White, who has been with us since January, finally found her perfect home and was adopted.

Snow White’s family also adopted Bunny.  We are so happy for both of these ponies who will get to start off their new lives together.

Cash had some visitors out.  It was a little girl and her family who were looking for the perfect horse for her.  Cash really seemed to love them, and when the little girl realized that Cash was going to be her very own horse, she started crying with joy.

Less than a month ago we were rescuing Cash from an auction.  He was skinny, sad and bedraggled looking.

Now he is filling out and has a bright wonderful future.  He is going to be very well loved and cared for.  No doubt his mane will be braided time and time again with ribbons and bows by his new little mom.

All day long the volunteers worked steadily on. We had 3 tractors working away, countless weed eaters and mowers, chainsaws, and lots and lots of painters.

We have uploaded almost 100 photos of the day that you can see by clicking here.

By the end of the day the place was shining.  There is still lots to do, but so much was done thanks to the volunteers.

We would also like to thank each and every one of you who are making this financially possible.  The horses thank you too!

The first thing that had to be done in getting the shelter ready for the animals was to get a dependable supply of water.  The well would turn on, but no water would come out the top.     The guys got to work pulling the well to see what was wrong.  Halfway to the bottom, at 200′, the pipe was broken.

They pulled it the rest of the way to make sure everything else was good, and then the long process of sending it all back down the hole began.  When it was done everyone was extremely sore and tired, but water was coming out by the gallons!

Thursday evening, April 26th, Jason stopped by the new shelter to get some measurements for plumbing.  As he rounded the corner he was shocked to see the fridge sitting on the back porch.  A flurry of movement as the thieves ran away, but unfortunately he couldn’t see them enough to identify them.

They had busted a door to gain access to the house, and had began stripping it.

Both Yuba and Butte Sheriff responded and began the investigation.

The first order of business was clearing the property to make sure the thieves were no longer on the property.  Jason says it is the first time he has assisted officers clearing buildings with guns drawn at the ready.

The thieves had cleared as much as they could out of the house and put it in a shed close to an exterior gate.  They even took the wooden toilet paper tube holder out of the house.  We immediately put a plan into place to have someone watching the place day and night.

Saturday morning between 4:30 and 8:00 am they came back, cut the chain, pried open the door and removed all the stuff that they had stacked in the shed, even with someone on the property.  The sheriff came up and did his investigation.

Saturday morning the lug nuts also came loose on Jason and Tawnee’s personal vehicle and ruined the rim.  Coincidence?  We’re not sure.

Saturday night one of our security guys heard noises coming from the barn and chased someone around in the dark for awhile, but couldn’t catch them. The only thing they did was let the horses that were on the property out of their pen by leaving a gate open.  Once again the sheriff came up.  It seems as if someone doesn’t like having us around.

At the old shelter all the trees were being transplanted.  Parcy was quite curious about what they were doing.

One by one the trees were put into the trailer to be taken to the new shelter.

Pig Pig didn’t know it, but he really did want to go to the new shelter.  It took two strong guys to pick him up and gently put him in the trailer.

He didn’t have to wonder where he was going too long because soon he was in his new pen and quite happy about it.

Sunday Jason hopped on the tractor and loaded it up.  It will be used more than ever at the new facility keeping it in tip top shape.

They got to work right away mowing the parking lot.  We would like to thank everyone who donated to make this tractor a reality last year.

There are numerous odds and ends that have to be fixed, this pipe was stolen because it was copper.   All of the copper, wiring and plumbing, was stolen out of this building.

The trees were put into the shade until we could get someone to volunteer their backhoe to dig their holes.

There were a lot of critters that had to be moved from the old shelter to the new shelter.  Parcy was so curious and wanted to put his nose into everything!

Trip after trip was made to get all the horses and other animals safely to the shelter.

They sure do enjoy it!

All week has been a flurry of activity preparing for the open house this Sunday.  The animals are carefully rotated in and out of the grass so they don’t founder or have other health problems.

It is so nice having real parking places for the trailers!

We didn’t have to wait long for a tractor!  The backhoe made short work of digging the holes for the trees.

Our banner is hung up along the road.

Iceman was getting saddled up.  He was adopted and recently came back.

He is the first horse to be ridden at the new shelter.

The Sheriff came back, but this time it was Animal Control, who were donating some food and transferring a little critter…

…a handsome rooster. All of the roosters that were at the old shelter are going to be permanent residents at the new shelter as they have a very important job: bug control.

He is one happy guy at the new shelter!

Wednesday we had a great volunteer come with his weed eater and get a lot of weed eating done.

We are so happy and thrilled to see the animals settling in so nicely, and that they really enjoy the new shelter.

Tawnee took this photo as these two met.  They are quite the contrast but both beautiful each in their own way.

Thank you everyone so much for your support both emotionally and financially.

   However, they cannot do it all alone.  We need to raise $3,000 in monthly support for the new facility.  A very generous donor has offered to match each monthly sponsor, up to $1,500, so your monthly donation is automatically doubled!  Thanks to Tandi C., Margaret O., Stacie M., Sandy R., Ella E., Sally M., Christy J., Lorene A., Janet S., Norma C., Jamie H., Carla G., Laura S., Barbra W., Kathy S. and Wanda H., we currently have raised $700 per month.  You can help too!  Even $10 a month becomes $20 a month which will make that thermometer shoot right up!  If only 100 people signed up for $10 a month, that would be almost right at our goal!  To sign up for a $10 a month sponsorship for the new shelter, click here.  If only 46 people signed up to be $25 a month sponsors, the entire shelter costs would be covered.  You can get us to that goal!  Click here.  We can do this!  For more information about the new shelter and for other monthly donation amounts, click the photo below.

  We have been very busy moving, and as such have not been able to do daily blogs.  We are able to update pictures on Facebook, so keep a close eye on our wall.  To see our photos, click here.

 Again, thank you all for your extremely generous support!

   Last November we found out about the Chase Community Giving contest, and asked you our supporters to vote for us.  We won a grant of $25,000.  We used $9,500 of it to purchase a very wonderful 14 stall barn, but then we had an amazing opportunity present itself of leasing a new facility.  We are extremely pleased to announce that we have secured the long term lease of a 50 acre shelter facility with over 30,000 square feet of barn and office space!

The facility already has acres and acres of irrigated fenced and cross fenced pastures, 3 ponds, a building that will be suitable for an indoor riding arena, 10 horse stalls with room for many more stalls, room for vet hospital, his and hers handicap accessible bathrooms, an unfinished conference room, on site staff housing and so much more!

   Some of our staff went to look at this place in January.  They prayed and asked God to please make it plain and to open the doors if this facility should be the future home of Horse Plus Humane Society. Coming around a corner, on the ground was a feed bag marked “Mature Horse Plus.”  It was an amazing sign and God continued to open the doors.

We have to raise a total of $3,000 per month for the monthly lease. An anonymous person has offered to match dollar to dollar each person who will commit to donating every dollar for this on a monthly basis.  Every dollar you donate is automatically doubled!  This is an amazing opportunity to help thousands and thousands of horses, and to be part of the finest horse shelter in the world. We have been rescuing and sheltering horses since 2003, and have saved over 2,000 in that time. This facility will be absolutely amazing and will make a tremendous difference in horse welfare.

However, we desperately need your help, please become a monthly Shelter Friend right now, click on the amount you are able to donate.  We are counting on you!   Please remember that your donation will be doubled, but we desperately need every dollar.  If you donate $25, it will become $50 every month!

$10.00   $25.00    $50.00    $100     $250

  To help with a 1 time donation to help with feed, vet, and moving expenses, please click here.

We have stepped out in faith, counting on the funds coming in to make this a reality.  We utilized our savings and had to give a $25,000 check as the option to purchase the property as it is a lease with option to buy.  We desperately need general donations to cover vet and feed bills this month.  God opened the doors for this facility and we are counting on your support to make this place the most amazing horse shelter in the world. Click here.

Open House!

We are having an open house / work bee on May 6th from 10:00 on ’till dusk.  We desperately need volunteers and supplies, anyone can do something.  We need:

• Electrician with wiring.  The office and vet room need to be wired, someone has previously stolen the visible wiring and it needs to be replaced.
• Weed eaters and mowers, bring your weed eater and mowers!
• Post Hole Diggers - we are putting up an outdoor arena and need the posts set.
• General repair, cleanup and construction – bring your cleaning and repair tools.
• Painting – white paint and people willing to paint.  Gallons and gallons of white paint.
• T-Post caps, probably 1,000, preferably white or black.
• Rubber Mats for the stalls, and for covering the concrete where the horses will be during intake and quarantine.

Please let us know if you are able to attend and what you are able to bring.  We would love to have an army show up and get the whole facility shining in 1 day!  We will also be doing a ribbon cutting ceremony when horses are being let out into the pasture, should be at 11:00 am on May 6th.  Bring your drinking water, picnic lunch and a blanket for a picnic by the pond.

Most of all we desperately need steady monthly support to make the lease payment.  Please consider becoming a Shelter Friend, we have stepped out in faith, and we know that you will stand behind us and help us with this new facility, enabling us to provide top quality care for the animals that we rescue.  You can see us on the Google Map by clicking here. It is very easy to find this facility, turn on Lower Honcut Rd off of Highway 70, and go for about 18 miles, we will be on the left side of the road, right before Robinson Mill Road.  Look for our signs!

Please join us in the celebration of a new facility, and the unlimited opportunities this provides!