New England Equine Rescues

The 'Trick Horse' Noir was found by Christy of www.ac4h.com in a broker's pen at New Holland, the biggest meat buying auction on the eastern seaboard (see the Slaughter page)... ):

It was quickly discovered that he had talent, and that he was very sweet.  Anne Dillenbeck saw him on the broker page, and posted bail to save him.  Unfortunately she was not able to take him, so Dora took him to Windkist Farm in MA, where he has suffered profoundly at the hands of a bunch of horse crazed teen age girls!! 

Unfortunately Noir was diagnosed with Sarcoids, which is, we assume, why he was sent to auction.  ):  There are two or three different kinds, on several parts of his body, and can be VERY expensive to treat.  After much talk with the vets, Tufts, and UMinn, we have decided to proceed with laser treatment  at the Myhre Equine Clinic in Rochester NH....all of this information is available in detail on Noir's web site...  www.freewebs.com/trickhorse

We are doing several fundraisers for Noir's treatment, and will continue to...please see the 'Auction' page for our ongoing auctions, and check out his web site for updated info.  The horse hair bracelets available for sale have been a great fundraiser. 

And... The Trick Horse Noir was at the Essex County Trail Association Equine EXPO on April 19th, at the Topsfield Fairgrounds, Topsfield MA...to show his fancy self off! 

 
Emily, getting ready to demonstrate Noir at the EXPO.

Thank you Tish for fostering Noir!...

Windkist Equestrian Centre, Inc. is a full service horse boarding facility
and riding academy located in North Andover, Massachusetts.  Patricia
Lambert owns the facility. An attorney by trade, Tish got interested in
horses many years ago and decided she would rather run a barn than
a law office. Tish can be found around the barn most of the day.

Windkist farm
125 Windkist Farm Road
North Andover, Massachusetts 01845 USA
(978) 688-7662 

http://www.windkistfarm.com

And thank you Dora for all the time spent working with Noir!

Thank you EVERYBODY for help at the EXPO!!

Some of our 'stuff'...thank you Renee and Trish for running the tables!

The Dagh banner, made by Susan Monty!

People perusing our adoption and slaughter info.  Thank you Mary and Renee
for putting together info on horses available through other rescues.

The Lemonade Girls and their booth... Julie, Carissa, and  Emily.

The pillow cases by Carissa.

Help with the raffle tickets.

The Queen of NEER Gabble...Kim, Jeff and Mike.

Noir's ear sarcoid, and the one on his sheath, have been removed.  He was put under general anesthesia, which can be very dangerous for a horse, but Noir did GREAT!  He is a little lonely, and looks forward to being back with all the girls at Windkist on Friday the 15th.

(:

THANK YOU MYHRE VET CLININC!

Rochester Times:   Equine vet is N.H. Horse Person of Year By JOHN NOLAN jnolan@fosters.com Article Date: Thursday, March 27, 2008 John Nolan/Times photo Dr. Grant Myhre, right, the newly named NH Horse Person of the Year, treats a mare called Molly, with assistance from certified vet technician Kathryn Wakeman, at his Ten Rod Road clinic. Molly was on her feet and on the road to recovery not long afterward. ROCHESTER — Grant Myhre, of Myhre Equine Clinic on Ten Rod Road, has been named New Hampshire Horse Person of the Year for 2007 by the New Hampshire Horse Council at a recent farm & forest exposition in Manchester — and everyone in the area who has had cause to use his services in the past 30 years seems to think the honor is thoroughly deserved. Writer and horsewoman Cheryl Kimball, of Middleton, for example, says "In the process of getting my vet tech degree from NHCTC, I did a summer internship at Myhre Equine. I was so impressed with how Dr. Myhre treated all his clients with the same respect, whether they brought in a $50,000 hunter-jumper, a backyard pleasure horse, or a Standardbred racehorse. That horse at that moment is his most important priority. "I saw Dr. Myhre willing to work with people to decide on the best treatment with the best outcome at the best cost they can afford. He has a lot of experience, clearly loves what he does, and enjoys educating others; he is generous with his time with clients and the many students who come through the clinic." Horse owner Martha Ortmann, of Rochester, is equally complimentary. "He has put Rochester on the map in terms of the quality and sophistication of equine care and surgery, particularly with colic. Before, people had to go to Tufts or Cornell. Now he offers very specialized services, including farriers and training. He is very good with horses and with people and a great choice for Horse Person of the Year," said Ortmann. Myhre arrived in Rochester 30 years ago, having obtained his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from the University of Minnesota, followed by an internship in Colorado State and a residency in Cornell. He took over an existing veterinary practice and over the decades has enhanced the basic barns by adding a farrier facility, High Knoll Equestrian Center, conference capabilities, and a charter school for 24 students interested in the horse industry. The complex and grounds now extends to 110 acres, as some years back, he was able to purchase acreage that had, at one time, been approved for a huge residential development. Now, at Myhre Equine Clinic, there are 20 employees, including blacksmiths and riding instructors, as well as medical staff. A sheaf of colored brochures explain the various services that Myhre offers, which these days, includes nuclear medicine and CAT scans, not just for horses, but also small pets. The next closest such CAT scan is at Tufts, just north of Boston, Mass. His New England Imaging Center is the only such facility in northern New England, and is particularly useful in locating and mapping fractures. It is a boon to around 125 horses each year, and in 2007 over 70 cats and 50 dogs were also treated thanks to this the technology, having been referred by other vets. "Dr. Myhre is an excellent vet. He is pretty renowned and respected," said Cynthia Wyatt of Milton Mills who owns several horses. She related that one of her steeds, called Prince, developed a form of arthritis which caused all four legs to buckle. "He recommended acupuncture, and today the horse is still alive, but is retired," said Wyatt. Jean Nadeau, of Rochester, who is a member of the Wentworth Hunt, which sometimes meets on Wyatt's property, said she had known Myhre for over 25 years. Living within riding distance of his clinic, Nadeau said he had treated six of her horses over the years including Sonny, who had managed to get gored by a moose, and badly stressed. Myhre stitched him up and, over a five day period, pulled him through. Nadeau also praised Myhre for his support of the Wentworth Hunt, which meets a couple of times a week throughout Strafford County between August and November. This hunt does not fit Oscar Wilde's definition of "the unspeakable in full pursuit of the uneatable," as the Wentworth hounds do not pursue and rip apart foxes, but stream across fields following a previous laid scent trail comprising fox urine. Their eventual reward is the discovery of a mound of dog biscuits. "We even have a Grant Myhre Day," says huntswoman Nadeau, referring to a hunt meet sponsored by the clinic at Prodigue Farm in Rochester in September Myhre was, until recently, when its discontinuation was announced, very involved with the horse racing at Rochester Fair and, as such, he served as the track veterinarian. While saying that the termination of pari-mutuel racing won't impact his own business, Myhre's prediction is that the Fair attendance will be affected more than some folks may anticipate. "Horse people won't go to the fair now," said Myhre, suggesting that chickens, cows and tomatoes won't cut it for them. As part of his continuing upgrade and expansion of clinic facilities, Myhre will have a radiologist on board is staff and, in April, an internal medicine clinician. He is also currently adding an exercise facility to the Equestrian Center — and that is not all, by any means. "Dr. Myhre, his staff and I, as a writer by profession, are putting together a book of fascinating cases that have come through the clinic; as with everything he does, Dr. Myhre has been totally enthusiastic about that project," said Kimball, adding, "As a horse owner, I feel fortunate Myhre Equine is nearby. I am looking forward to their expansion and hope to take riding lessons at High Knoll on the Myhre Complex this spring." Horse owners come to Rochester from much further afield than Middleton, though, and while most are drawn from the New England states, others are drawn from as far away as Canada, Florida and, to the west, Ohio — such is the reputation of New Hampshire's Horse Person of the Year. For more information, visit www.MyhreEquine.com or www.NEveterinaryimaging.com.

Mary Martin's Cards... 

http://www.freewebs.com/marydmartin/photocards.htm

100% of proceeds goes to NEER.

 

Drawing winners:

Congratulations...

Dora!!  ...for winning the beautiful Noir basket that KGB Lisa put together. (:

Tom Sheridan won a $50 Dover drawing.

Bonnie Mantini won the Coffee Shop basket.

Mary Hubbard won the Shapley's basket.

Anne O'brien won a $50 Dover certificate.

Terry Burns won the $50 Smart Pak certificate.

Jaimme Scheer won the blue horse stuff basket.

Thank you!

(:

The Lemonade Girls are making custom pillow cases to raise moneyfor Noir's surgery...

January '08

It is easy to get a tad jaded in animal rescue. I hate to admit it but I fall into that category. When I first stepped into the ocean of animal rescue I figured I was strong enough to swim. After all I had spent my youth patching up whatever crossed my path.

A majority of my rescue work was with dogs….the never ending sea of puppies and young healthy animals all with a 72 hour window to save them. At first I wanted every old or emaciated soul that had been cast aside, even if all I could do was offer a warm hand to lie beneath for that final sleep. Those are the lost ones, the ones that won’t find a place to call home, the sanctuary cases.

As time went by I realized that sometimes the best decision is to look into their eyes and cry and look to the more adoptable animals…to put those precious dollars into that adoptable life because if that life was adopted I had room to save another. Was one more deserving that the other….hell no, but sometimes I could save 4 or 5 for the same amount of time and money the other one would cost.

You see, it is an interesting thing death. It comes all the same whether that creature has served mankind long and hard or yet to have a chance. It looks the same…eyes that do not shine, legs that do not run, hearts that do not beat. A carcass to be disposed of.

This is hard enough to accept in other animals…for me I could not work directly with horses. For me the horse is life. To watch them is to comprehend beauty. To smell them is to take in the essence of existence. To hear them is to know what vivacity sounds like.

Over the years my obsession is a well known family joke. Personally I just think some of us are born with heartbeats and some of us with hoofbeats. The rhythm of either is what keeps us alive.

When my time in dog rescue came to a close I promised myself never again. Sometimes a heart can only hold so many lonely eyes that found happy ever after doesn’t exist.

I decided I would not foster again. I would not directly place an animal again.

I would fundraise. I would adopt my own. I would educate people and show them that adoption IS an option, but I could not become personally invested one more time.

NEER was the perfect vehicle for me. The first place I went if I wanted a horse, if someone I knew wanted a horse. NEER is networking. A million different ways to help.

This worked quite well for the past three years. Until November 2007.

Until one little black, scruffy horse walked out of a broker lot, off a trailer and into my life. He was supposed to be a private adoption. He was supposed to come up and start a new life.

He was not supposed to step off that trailer with a condition that may as well have been dollar signs or a death warrant.

It didn’t take long for the biopsy results to confirm our suspicions….Instead of a rub on his chest, he had a sarcoid….and another on his ear and his groin and his neck.

9 years old, beautiful, sound, well handled and with a disease so expensive to treat he didn’t have a prayer’s chance. There wasn’t a home that could afford to treat him.

He spent his days staring at the barn driveway watching each car drive in, looking through each person standing in front of him waiting, watching, for the one who did not come.

Watching his devotion pouring out of sad eyes beneath a tangled forelock…his ear hanging with a sarcoid… he was lost, he wanted someone or someplace and I couldn’t give that to him.

It is humbling for me to know Noir. Had I not looked into his eyes or ran a hand over his neck I would be that person that walked away in favor of saving a number of horses for the same money it would cost to treat just this one black horse. I would have not given him the chance to show off his tricks for the camera…to cuddle with visiting children…to race across the paddock covered in snow.

Anne Dillenbeck gave him a chance to escape auction; Mary Martin and NEER have given him the gift of safety and Windkist has given him sanctuary.

So I give him my promise, to see him as far as I can, to help him find someone or someplace that won’t throw him away again.

It is my hope that every person who can donates just a dollar. That perhaps there are enough people out there that can give him the gift he deserves – a long and healthy life.

~ Dora

SIDE NOTE:

Mary Martin is trying desperately to turn Noir into a total Girlie MON!...

(Taken from the NEER board):

martinmaryd@comcast.net  wrote:

Dora  wrote:

HIS MANE IS NOT LONG ENOUGH TO TAKE.

 

Mary just likes freakishly short manes. Not hunter/dressage pulled BUT polo pony with a bad hair day short!!

 

NOW Chi had a flowing long draft mane half way down her shoulder when she donated hers and THAT only made itty bitty zipper pulls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Now my poor girl might look like a Three Stooges reject due to MARY SISSOR HANDS (as Windkist has dubbed her) but you will not do that to OUR FAIR NOIR. Just kill the black stallion romance...

 

Tail you can have and I even think a special lot of Noir bracelets for auction is a good thing.

 

JUST NOT HIS MANE (MARY!!)

 

See if Mary had her way we'd show up with with a PURPLE saddle with a leopard print saddle blanket with a GLITTER BRIDLE ensemble TOPPED OFF by a polo pony mane.

 

She likes... and I quote " A mane that stands up just a little bit"

 

It is with our professional image in mind that I oversee his fashion sense on behalf of NEER.

 

~Dora~  (who daily  has to ward off the following Mary has at Windkist to take my poor stooge lookalike mare who TRIES for elegant in DRESSAGE BASIC BLACK (but with her big ears and goofy personality...'tries' is the word).....and put her in a PINK POLKA DOT HALTER - Don't think I don't know WHO is behind that one!!!!

 

(LOVE YOU MARY !!!!!)

Horse Hair Bracelets for NOIR's surgery:

We have been having a blast doing these bracelets, and they are for a wonderful cause!  When Noir no longer needs fundraising efforts and is well on the mend, we will continue our efforts to raise additional funds for NEER.

We have bracelets here at the farm in stock, they are spread across several shops in MA (check with Mary for exact locations), and several other rescues have advertised them on their web sites (THANKS, guys!).

All bracelets at this time are $10 each, plus $1 S&H if applicable...60% proceeds go to NEER for Noir.

We can always use horsehair donations... simply snip a lock about 1/2" thick and as long as possible (at least 12") and coil loosely in a baggie. If you are ordering a bracelet from the hair you are sending, be sure to include all information: color of beads, size bracelet preferred SML, and shipping address.

Send to: Horsefly Creations, POB 171, Fishs Eddy, NY 13774

If anyone has questions, contact Mary...