March 2010: The horses pictured below are located on S. Calhan Hwy., Calhan, Colorado. They are a small herd that have been neglected, some to the point of starvation and one has died. Lack of adequate horse knowledge may have contributed to the condition of these horses. When the horses would not eat the extremely poor quality hay on the premises, the owner purchased a sweet feed mix and attempted to feed it free choice. More information about each of these horses will be posted as we get it. In working with the El Paso County Sheriff's Office the owner is willing to relinquish these horses to new owners through Ruby Ranch Horse Rescue.
April 1 - All of the horses listed below are available to good homes immediately.
(Adopted!) This fella is a pony stallion. He is very thin with little energy but was happily eating hay just after this picture was taken. His name is Mystery.
This is LadyBug (Adopted!), 4 years old. She is slightly thin. Her owner in Texas will relinquish her to Ruby Ranch Horse Rescue. Contact us at 719-541-3642 or pr@rrhr.net for more information.
Grey gelding named Cayenne (Adopted!) is friendly and slightly underweight. He must be the more dominant fella. Needs hoof care immediately. Has been ridden. He is thought to be in his late teens.
This is Beau, the stallion who died, with his owner, Jennifer, who also owns Ladybug.
Fancy (now Polly) is a QH filly about 3 years old.
This gelding has a very kind eye. He is sweet and tall and has been saddle trained. He is named Shah (Adopted!) and thought to be in his late teens.
April 6 - We picked up LadyBug and Fancy this morning. Fancy appears to have congenital abnormalities around her head and spine. She is also very thin. LadyBug is underweight, just starting to show her ribs, spine and hips. They are both 3 years old and may be in foal. And they are glad to have their halters off! The geldings and the pony should be arriving on Thursday. LadyBug will go to a foster home to get the individual attention she deserves.
LadyBug and Fancy
April 8 - Cayenne and Shah are now at Ruby Ranch. Shah is very thin, a "1" on the Henneke body condition scale. The scale doesn't go lower! The gray is thought to be an Arabian and his name is Cayenne. Their hooves are over-long and we hope to have that corrected early next week. Meanwhile, they are enjoying green grass hay and all the water they want to drink. Shah is getting a beet pulp pellet mush to aid in weight gain. They both look to be older teenagers. We will have a more accurate age when Dr. Grover comes to do floats end of this month.
April 8 - Mary at Mary's Ark in Black Forest has adopted Mystery, the pony stallion. He was delivered today and appeared to be very happy with his living quarters and having all the hay he needs to help gain weight.
April 20 - Shah, Cayenne and Fancy (who we are calling Polly) had hoof trims today and stood well for the farrier. They are looking so much better especially after grooming, consistent food and hydration. We will find out more about them in the weeks to come, including their ages. Cayenne knows some roundpen work and tolerates a human leaning over him as if mounting under saddle. He's a pretty mover and shows us that he is Arabian. We expect the geldings have been saddle trained. LadyBug with have her hoof trim next week along with a pregnancy check. Her foster mom just loves her, says she is the sweetest, very calm and loves attention.
May 3 - LadyBug is not in foal! She stood well for the farrier and had her spring shots this past week. Cayenne was tacked up with a western saddle and stood well for that procedure. He works nicely in the roundpen and when he gains another 50 lbs we will assess his training under saddle.
Shah is on an antibiotic for a lung infection. He has regained his energy and is seen galloping with Cayenne - they are both just lovely in their movement. Both geldings are about 18 years old.
June 30 - Shah has gained quite a bit of weight but has just a little more to fill out his hind end and around his withers. He is a very friendly horse who likes his scratches and will follow us humans - maybe it has something to do with getting senior feed three times a day! His lung infection has been resolved and he is a much happier fellow.
Shah after gaining 200+ pounds!
July 18 - Shah and Cayenne have been adopted! They are going to live on 160 acres with several other Ruby Ranch horses. They will not be used for riding, but allowed to be pasture horses for the rest of their lives. We thank Pam Berns (aka the angel lady!) for providing this home for Shah and Cayenne.
July 23 - LadyBug, aka Mina, is now being fostered by Sharon and John Aaland of Calhan. Mina fits right in with their herd of four. UPDATE: John and Sharon have adopted Mina.