Recently, working with Caroline Betts of SCTR (Southern California Thoroughbred Rescue) which needed quarantine space for the horses she rescues from auction/feedlots, and with the financial support of one very dedicated donor as well as a generous grant from the ASPCA, TGC has set up a four stall quarantine area, separate from the main herd of horses here.  These horses may not be here long, but a quarantine period is necessary as they are exposed to all kinds of disease at the feedlots, and the stress of the injuries which cause them to be discarded; the multiple trailer rides; the new surroundings both at the feedlot and here, can cause horses to simply come down sick.  Read the story of Surely, at www.thegoldencarrot.org, to see how bad it can get!
 
 
 
Tractor Work Begins!

Neighbor Bruce Yoho, a local retired guy who knows tractors, and has many, was willing to clear an area for the four stalls and turnout for our Quarantine Quarters.
 

Here, Bruce starts with his huge Caterpillar, clearing redshank.
 

Here, he starts to move the dirt, to make a level area.
 

This is the turnout, with the stall line built just behind the right shoulder of the cameraperson.
 
Construction Begins
 


An important part of the construction of the stalls is the many pipe corral panels donated to TGC by the Ardis Family (sponsors of Anna).

 

  At this point, three stalls are mostly completed, in time to shelter the first three SCTR rescues before a freezing first day of spring storm! Below you can see the beginning of the three rail vinyl fence which will encircle the turnout. This fencing was donated by Tito Mercado, who already helps TGC by handling most of our farrier work! 

 

  And although it's a distant shot and hard to see, these three stalls are full of horses - Slew's Lew (aka Pepper), age 18; Belleau Wood (aka Belle), age 13; and Cascade Mountain (aka Red), age 6.

 


Here's the four stalls, with the turn out behind - that's Cascade Mtn enjoying the space.   

MANY MANY thanks to the ASPCA, Lynn Wells, The Ardis Family, and Tito Mercado, for helping to make this vital Quarantine area available to the vulnerable horses rescued from auction....

The mission of The Golden Carrot to help save horses continues.....

Here's the newsletter SCTR sent out via FaceBook regarding those horses saved and house at this Quarantine area:

 
March 18 at 9:19am
 
Dear friends,

Last week, our friend Casey O' Connor, founder of The Golden Carrot Rescue, connected SCTR with a wonderful donor who wanted to provide us with funds to expand by rescuing some TBs at auction last weekend. The donation was sufficient for us to purchase, and care for, several at risk TBs.

The donor - like ourselves - is vehemently opposed to the slaughter of horses. We understand that until the federal government puts an end to the slaughter of American horses by closing our borders, and preventing the opening of new slaughterhouses in the United States, rescue of horses from slaughter is always and everywhere "Starfish Rescue". I'm reproducing the Starfish Parable here:

STARFISH PARABLE

"Once a man was walking along a beach. The sun was shining and it was a beautiful day. Off in the distance he could see a person going back and forth between the surf's edge and and the beach. Back and forth this person went. As the man approached he could see that there were hundreds of starfish stranded on the sand as the result of the natural action of the tide. The man was stuck by the the apparent futility of the task. There were far too many starfish. Many of them were sure to perish. As he approached the person continued the task of picking up starfish one by one and throwing them into the surf.

As he came up to the person he said, "You must be crazy. There are thousands of miles of beach covered with starfish. You can't possibly make a difference." The person looked at the man. He then stooped down and pick up one more starfish and threw it back into the ocean. He turned back to the man and said, "It sure made a difference to that one!""

Volunteer Laure and myself attended Mikes Horse and Tack auction in Mira Loma on Saturday. I arrived at 2pm, and we left following the sale of the last horse at 2am. They began to sell the 67 horses on site at approximately 11pm. This auction is not designed to attract nice families looking for a new horse ;)

Tattoed TBs Go Girl Go, Serene Justice, Road to Kisses, and Cascade Mtn were all identified with the help of our friend Alex prior to the start of the sale. It took another two days for us to unambiguously identify Belleau Wood and Swing's Lew with the help of rescue colleague on the east coast, Lisa. Amazingly,despite the presence of at least three kill buyers, and in part because there were two groups of private buyers present who attended specifically to "rescue" some horses, none of these TBs sold for slaughter.

SCTR is happy to say that the lovely Belleau Wood, Cascade Mtn, and Swing's Lew are all safe with SCTR, and being quarantined by Casey at the Golden Carrot. Belleau Wood, a 13 year old former racehorse and broodmare by Alleged and out of a Forli mare, once cost $95,000 as a Keeneland yearling and has been bred to the top California sires. She has babies at the track. Laure won the bidding for Belle at $150. Cascade Mtn, a sweet but thin and rather sad six year old chestnut gelding once ran four times in sixteen days on the fair circuit in California as a three year old for his racing owners: we bid $110 to save him from kill. And Swing's Lew, a royally bred 18 year old grey gelding by Swing Till Dawn and out of a stakes producing Seattle Slew mare, won $99,000 running on the turf in California before serving as a hunter jumper lesson horse in San Diego. His fresh suspensory injury ended his jumping career, which was apparently sufficient for his owners to dump him at auction. Laure won him for $120 bidding against the local kill buyer. Photos of the three new horses have been posted to the group page. They are all doing wonderfully. We are incredibly grateful to Casey for stepping up to help them in these initial difficult days of their rehabilitation; to Jason and Megan for providing transportation; and to Laure for bidding on our behalf.

Now let's make sure that the slaughter of these amazing animals is NEVER re-established on US soil. Yesterday, an ag. committee in Montana voted in favour of a bill to open a new horse slaughter plant in that state. The horses need your phonecalls and letters when this bill makes its way to the house floor for a general vote. The people receiving phonecalls are pleasant and carefully record your opinion. It takes just a minute or two, and it can make a difference for ALL horses.

Have a great week,
Caroline