Tag Archives: dogger

Jan 28 2012

Shona and Joleena Find a Forever Home

Shona, day 1, two-month-old Ruben at foot

Well, this is big news.

Shona and Joleena are our longest-term residents, having been with us for two years, as our first rescues after the initial dogger yard rescue of four horses that began this charity. We rescued them from a slaughterhouse holding yard, along with their two-month-old colts at their side. They had come from an intensive breeding program and came with evidence of serious and prolonged trauma and an exceptional fear for humans.

Joleena, training with Kerryn Armstrong (pic by Jacinta Armstrong)

While their colts grew up beautifully, and we weaned them, gelded them and found them wonderful homes at six months of age, Shona and Joleena went on to become our most challenging behavioural cases. Physically, they healed well and proved to be robust horses. Emotionally and psychologically, these girls carried some very big scars.

Along the way they spent time with Kerryn Armstrong and Lillan Roquet, qualified Parelli instructors from Intuitive Connection, and while they did progress, their futures seemed to fall into one of two directions: find an exceptional, advanced Parelli home to go to in order to continue their development, or find a permanent retirement home where they could live their days as naturally roaming horses but still with the routine management and care (feet, teeth, worming etc.) that all horses need.

Shona and Joleena, best friends

We’d been offered several homes over their time, where they could run free as wild horses on huge properties, but we wanted more for them than that. At times it was very difficult to turn down these offers, as we tried to balance their needs and preferences (and their preferences were clearly that they’d prefer not to engage with people), with their potential, their lifespan, our ability as a charity to provide what they needed, and what we as humans considered ‘best’ for them.

This week, we received a remarkable offer. Gaye Harvey, from Horse Heaven, has been a supporter of Charlie’s Angels since we began. Her exceptional, professional agistment and training property near Stanthorpe includes a 500 acre retirement paddock. But she also continues to manage the welfare of those retired horses, ensuring their feet are regularly done, their teeth are done and they are wormed and vaccinated. The horses are carefully monitored daily and any injuries or weight loss corrected immediately.

In short, this is exactly what these girls need. It was also of top concern for us that Shona and Joleena were able to go to a forever home together. As they are such good friends and have obviously been through so much, we didn’t want to separate them if it was at all possible.

For these girls to find this forever home, of this quality, is one of those miraculous events that happen for us every now and then that affirm that we’re doing the right thing. Our emphasis is always on quality not quantity. We are not interested in ‘turning over’ horses just to make ourselves look good. We are prepared to hold onto each and every horse that comes our way for their entire life if necessary, rather than risk them going to the wrong home. We are not afraid to turn down an offer of a home if it just doesn’t feel right, and we’re proud to say this has given us a tremendously successful horse-placement record over the past two years.

Joleena

We are so very, very grateful to Gaye and her husband, John, for offering these girls a place to finally call home, knowing they will be safe and cared for for the rest of their days. What amazing Angels you are! We’re so proud to have you in our Angel team.

Dec 11 2011

New Rescue Horses: New Angels in the Stable

Our new Angels, in the pens at the Gympie sales

We have two beautiful new Angels in our care. We went to the Gympie sales on the weekend with a specific purpose, to look for a mare and foal and were exceptionally lucky to find this pair, who are yet to be officially named.

Our orphan foal, Bojangles, has been struggling to make connections with people (other than his foster mum, Jo M) or other horses. His vet recommended we try to find him another foal. (Not uncommon for orphan, bottle-fed foals.) We wanted one that was old enough to eat by itself (our bank balance really couldn’t handle formula feeding another foal!), a bit older than Bojangles (so it had more life experience and was a little bigger than him), and was preferably a colt, so that its behaviours were similar to Bo’s.

When we got to the sales, we discovered there were no mare and foal pairings in the dogger pens. There were two young horses on their own, but they were too much older than Bo. Our scout, Adam, was there early enough to see the ridden horses go through the auction and in came this mare (being ridden) with her foal following behind. However, they didn’t make the owner’s reserve and were passed in. So Adam went to meet the owner to see what could be done.

Arriving into foster care

The mare and foal’s owners were moving house and were on a deadline, something we hear frequently when people try to re-home horses, at situation that often puts horses ‘at risk’ of ending up in the wrong hands. Adam offered to take the mare and foal and all went smoothly for us from there.

The mare is 12 years old and the foal is a seven-month-old colt, the perfect combination for what we were hoping to find. Luck was most definitely on our side.

The mare and foal have been moved to Jo M’s place in Samford, where they will stay together until they are integrated in with Bojangles and the foal feels confident. Once his weaning is complete (which had already been started by the owners), the mare will move to another foster care location on the Sunshine Coast to follow her own rehabilitation process.

Although both horses were in the ridden section of the sales, they both clearly need some help, being underweight, with hooves unattended and likely teeth and worming in need of attention too. We will attend to all of this as soon as possible.

How You Can Help

If you would like to help support our new additions, please consider making a regular donation to help sponsor their needs. You can set up a direct, regular transfer easily by following the instructions on our donations page. You might also like to take the $2.50 pledge, donating just $2.50 a WEEK (less than a cup of coffee, chocolate block or bus fare). It’s small change to you but it means the world to us and to our horses. Thank you :)

Dec 5 2011

The Horse Rescue Turnover Tension

Here’s the tension we face: the ‘turnover tension’.

Shona and Joleena, our longest residents to date, still waiting for their perfect forever home.

Donation history tells us that people are most likely to donate money when they see pictures of starving horses in dogger yards, horses with horrific injuries, horses at stud lined up for slaughter, and especially when there’s a ticking clock to save the animal’s life. Once that horse is in care and considered ‘safe’, people are far less likely to donate. People are also more likely to donate when they see ‘new blood’ coming in the door, rather than towards the ongoing care and rehabilitation of the current horses in care.

It’s natural for people to have an emotional reaction to a horse in need and want to do anything they can to help that horse. But here’s the tension for us:

  1. We have a policy of NOT shocking you in order to get support and donations happening. We are respectful of the fact that children trawl internet and Facebook sites and we find these things hard enough to deal with ourselves.
  2. We have a ‘quality not quantity’ ethos to our organisation. That is, with breeding rates continuing as they are, we know we can never beat the number of horses slaughtered each year, so we want to make sure that each horse that is lucky enough to come to us gets the best quality care and rehabilitation we can manage. We will also bide our time to wait for the perfect home for a horse, rather than handing her over to the first person who asks for her. We are prepared to hold onto a horse for as long as it takes to find her the right home.

So this means that it can be a little more difficult for us to motivate supporters when we avoid shock tactics in general and when we may have a slower turnover of horses than people expect. There is always a subtle (and sometimes not-so-subtle) pressure on us to turnover horses. It can take a good deal of strength to maintain our standards at times but that is what we’re here to do: protect the horses and be their strongest advocates.

If you like what we do and would like to help us to continue our great work, please consider the $2.50 pledge. For just $2.50 a week ($10 a month), you can help us maintain the consistent cashflow we need to care for our horses and make sure they have the best chance of finding a loving forever home. $2.50 is less than a cup of coffee, block of chocolate or bus fare a week. It’s small change to you, but it means the world for us. Please visit our donations page to set up a regular transfer or debit. Thank you :) :)

Oct 14 2011

The Matilda Grant (Euthanasia Grants)

Last week, we offered our first euthanasia grant to a dying horse.

Matilda

This is Matilda (our name for her, which means “powerful battler”, changed to protect the owners’ identities). The RSPCA was called to her and the owners given a number of days to sort it out. They said they couldn’t afford to euthanase so the RSPCA suggested sending her to slaughter. The owners called a dogger and then called Charlie’s Angels Horse Rescue to see if they could surrender her to us.

We sent out a field officer to assess her and when faced with her extreme emaciation (body score/condition score of zero / “0″) we were pretty sure that she wasn’t going to make it. We offered them a euthanasia grant, rather then have them send her to slaughter. We sent out a vet to assess her as soon as we could. It was a Sunday but we didn’t want her to wait another day, fearing her time was very close. When the vet got there, Matilda was on the ground and couldn’t get up. He phoned us to say she needed euthanising straight away.

We only wish we could have helped her much sooner than we did.

Rest in peace Matilda. We have now decided to name future euthanasia grants as “The Matilda Grant” in your honour.

If you, too, would like to honour Matilda and would like to help us to help more horses like her in the future, please consider a donation or fundraising efforts to help keep our vital welfare work going. Thank you.

Oct 1 2011

Update on Bella

A vet visit 26/9/11 led to the following big changes in our knowledge of Bella’s condition:

Part 2: When Bella arrived, she had NO top teeth (just what looked like the remnants of teeth under the gums). (See previous photos for this.) There was a concern that they were baby teeth, or adult teeth not yet descended, which would make her very young and therefore too young to be pregnant. But when the vets did her teeth the first time, they tried to age her by her back molars and thought she was more like 7 to 10. This was a relief that she was at least old enough to have a baby, but not good news for her teeth. Recently, I’d started to catch glimpses of teeth on the top. The vet looked at them today and she has GROWN adult teeth! Baby teeth are still there (he had to pull out two that were stopping the two front ones descending properly, and there are a couple of other baby teeth that will probably have to be pulled in six months time). This makes Bella approximately just 2.5 years old! She’s still a baby herself! She’s lucky she’s NOT pregnant!

This was all very shocking. For seven months now, we’ve had a pony that we thought was 7 to 10 years of age and pregnant, when in actual fact, she was less than two years old when she arrived and someone had thought it a good idea to try and get her pregnant. The reason she has grown since she’s been here is because SHE IS GROWING up!

We are of course glad that she is not pregnant, especially at her age, but it is still shocking and the part of us that has looked forward to welcoming that foal into the world is a little sad. But this is terrific news overall. Bella has her whole, healthy life ahead of her :)

Sep 18 2011

Two Years Ago Today…

Charlie, morning after rescue

Two years ago today, founders of Charlie’s Angels Horse Rescue, Alwyn and Jo, made an impromptu trip to the Gympie horse sales with the goal of saving a horse from death. What they found there on that day overwhelmed them and affected them so deeply that their lives would never be the same again. They left the sale with not one, but four horses: Lincoln (a walking skeleton), Rosie (a perfectly fine TB mare), Lily (a riding school mare who had been thrown away) and of course… Charlie (the wonder pony!).

It was a long day, and Jo and Alwyn and the horses didn’t arrive home in safety until eight o’clock that night. The next morning, Sunday, Jo found Charlie with a small cut to his off hind fetlock and limping a little. Jo had recently met another Jo (Jo M), who had offered to foster a pony if it could be rescued from the sale. Jo and Alwyn were set to head overseas to Tonga to swim with the whales, and Jo M was set to pick up Charlie the day before they left.

Unfortunately, what initially looked like a small cut (such as a kick to the fetlock), turned out to be a ‘freak accident’ puncture wound that had broken a piece of bone off Charlie’s fetlock. With Charlie now safely bedded down at Jo M’s place in Samford, the vets handed over the news that Charlie would need over $3,000 worth of life saving surgery… or euthanasia.

Charlie, one year on

Both Jo and Jo M were devastated, and quickly formed a great friendship through many tears over the phone as they discussed what to do. Jo and Alwyn were counting down the hours until leaving for Tonga. And, because they technically still owned Charlie, they would be responsible for coming up with the money to save him. It was an overwhelming prospect. Still, Jo was convinced that she hadn’t plucked Charlie out of the mouth of hell just to give up on him now. While they tried to buy more time,  Jo phoned Eileen (now Charlie’s Angels Secretary) to share the bad news. But Eileen was filled with faith that we could make it all work. The plan was made to share Charlie’s story and appeal to the public to fundraise the money to save Charlie’s life.

While waiting in airports, Jo wrote articles for community newspapers, Eileen coordinated fundraising efforts, and Jo M organised to get Charlie into surgery. Jo began tagging articles with the phrase, “Can you be Charlie’s angel?” Jo and Alwyn were convinced that this ‘freak accident’ had happened for a bigger reason, that there was a divine purpose in what was happening. They had received “the call”. Alwyn and Jo talked at length on the plane on the way to Tonga and decided that if they could save this horse’s life, then they could save many horses’ lives. Alwyn suggested the name Charlie’s Angels and the future was set in motion.

Charlie, two years on

We are unbelievably grateful to the people who contributed approximately $2,000 towards saving Charlie’s life. Without you, Charlie’s Angels Horse Rescue wouldn’t have come to fruition and as an organisation we wouldn’t have been able to save the additional 25 horses that we have saved in the past two years. It is amazing to see what you can achieve when life hands you an opportunity and you embrace it, despite the fear, and TRUST that everything will come to you when you need it most.

Aug 11 2011

August Horse of the Month: Tansy

 

Tansy, falling asleep having a massage :)

Tansy is Miss August, and is looking for a great new home.

Tansy was rescued from the Gympie dogger sales in February 2011 and narrowly escaped leaving with the dogger man. Her name means “eternal life”. Tansy is an 11-year-old Thoroughbred, ex racehorse, approximately 15.3 hh. She arrived with terribly seedy toe that had been left untreated, as well as a misshapen hoof due to incorrect trimming. We’ve done a lot of work with her feet, the most-affected hoof was x-rayed, and they have really turned around. They’re looking really good now and she gallops around her paddock with no sign of lameness. Throughout all of the work on her feet, she has been really compliant and easy to manage.

Tansy has also had neglected parrot mouth, but she eats just fine and is currently almost solely pasture fed with one hard feed a day and her body condition is good. (Though it should be noted that it is good quality pasture and there’s lots of it, which hasn’t fallen in winter the way a lot of pastures do.)

Tansy

We would like to start working with Tansy under saddle soon, now that her feet are better. Tansy would do really well in a home where she could form a strong one-on-one relationship with her person. She is looking for that special bond that she’s never had the chance to have as a racehorse. She does better in a paddock on her own (but can talk to others over the fence) or with just one other horse as she can be a very dominant in large groups of horses. We’d really like to see Tansy settled in a wonderful home where she can receive the love and support she’s missed out on in her life. This mare has some wonderful qualities and has a lot to offer the right person. She is currently fostering in Blackbutt, SE Qld.

If you’re interested in Tansy, please read our Adopt a Horse page of this website and email us at charlies-angels@live.com.au.

Apr 28 2011

Some Horse Rescue Statistics

Sparky, surrendered, now adopted

Understandably, since the Queensland floods, our rate of donations has slowed as people’s priorities are elsewhere. If you are considering donating to horses through a fully registered horse rescue charity, we thought we’d share some info to help you learn more about what we do. Here are some of our statistics from the horses we’ve rescued so far:

Since September 2009,

  • we’ve rescued 22 horses.
  • 10 have been re-homed into fantastic homes (1, Merlin, was returned to us for financial reasons and adopted again, so 11 adoptions in total).
  • 4 have been rescued from horse sales (dogger sales).
  • 4 were rescued from a slaughterhouse holding yard.
  • 14 have been surrendered by members of the public.
  • 4 surrendered horses were in immediate risk of being slaughtered.
  • 2 have died (Jackson was euthanased 7 weeks after coming into care due to incurable laminitis, abscesses and infections; Raphael was euthanased shortly after adoption due to severe seizures).
  • 10 have been products of the horse racing industry.
  • 3 have required surgery (Gypsy, to take out an eye; Max to take out an eye; plus Charlie who required surgery on a fractured fetlock).
  • 2 more of our horses look like they’ll need surgery (Murray on his locked stifle and Bentley on a knee that was fractured 12 years ago) = 5 in total.
  • 4 have been senior citizens (Gypsy, currently 28 and retired with us for life; Sparky, 25+ years; Jimmy, 22 years; Bentley, 25 years).
  • 4 have been ponies (3 x shetlands and 1 x miniature cross).
  • 3 have been sent for specialist re-training/horsemanship (Merlin to Ken Faulkner; Shona and Joleena to Kerryn Armstrong and Lillan Roquet).
  • 2 had additional training/horsemanship assistance after adoption (Lincoln and Charlie).
  • 2 have had moderate to severe hoof problems (Tansy (moderate), currently rehabilitating from incorrect trimming and management; and Jackson (severe), whose issues could not be corrected).
  • 9 have been critically to seriously underweight and required a lot of investment into feed to build them up (Lincoln, Shona, Joleena, Zazen, Dimira, Jimmy, Raphael, Jackson, Grace).
  • 1 has been a serious windsucker (Grace).
  • 2 have been foals (Ruben and Solomon, two months old at time of rescue, bought from a slaughterhouse holding yard).
  • 1 has been pregnant (Bella, rescued from Gympie horse sales).

Charlie’s Angels Horse Rescue is a fully registered and sanctioned horse welfare charity in south-east Queensland. All donations are fully tax deductible and our books are independently audited each year and a submission is made to the Office of Fair Trading. We are only too happyto answer any questions you might have.

If you can help donate to our horses and our ongoing good work, please DONATE NOW.

Mar 30 2011

Merlin Adopted

Merlin on the tyres with Ken Faulkner

The very beautiful, Merlin, has found a home.

Merlin came to us as a rescue horse in winter 2010 when his breeders decided to send him to slaughter for being ‘dangerous’ and ‘useless’. An Angel stepped in and bought him for the dogger price and then surrendered him to us. He was quickly adopted by a Parelli student, who spent quality time working on his ground skills before having to surrender him back to us due to financial reasons. We then sent him to Ken Faulkner in Toogoolawah for retraining, where he did wonderfully well and became a big favourite with both the people and the other horses.

Merlin was neither dangerous nor useless. In fact, he’d simply never been started property under saddle. This was an all-too-familiar tale of a horse who hadn’t been given the right instruction or the time to develop and so became confused and frightened.

Merlin has now moved to Hervey Bay to live with Mandy and we wish them both a lifetime of happiness together.

Another Angel takes his wings…

Feb 12 2011

Update on New Rescue Horse Tansy

Our sweetheart, Tansy

Tansy has had an initial vet visit. Her hoof troubles seem to be the result of someone’s botched job cutting away too much hoof. That’s left her feet too short and her walking on her soles, making it quite tender. Luckily, she hasn’t foundered or had any other major problems, which was a big relief.

She must be starting to feel better though because yesterday she galloped across the field for her dinner bucket, swung around me in a circle and stopped with a bit of a ‘black stallion’ rear!  It was quite a surprise, but a lovely one :)

The vet also had a quick peek inside her mouth. Tansy has a pretty severe parrot mouth and other issues going on that have been neglected for far too long. She will be getting a full dental job done in a week’s time.

Tansy is truly a sweet and beautiful horse who has fast made a place in our hearts. She is really patience with Bella, who annoys her, and the most she does is put her mouth gently on Bella’s neck to say, ‘hey, that’s annoying kiddo’. Then she walks away. She is a true lady :)

Tansy was rescued from the Gympie horse meatworks sale last weekend in a hard-won bidding contest with the dogger. We’re very pleased she made it home with us.