Hanaeleh Horse Rescue and Advocacy

a non-profit horse rescue working with abandoned, neglected and abused horses. Stop horse slaughter NOW!

Lexie

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Lexie-horse-rescue-orange-countyIt is with great sadness to report that we had to say goodbye to our Lexie this morning. Lexie’s knee had been getting progressively worse over the past few months and it was becoming more and more difficult to manage her pain.

We’ve been discussing Lexie’s prognosis with our vet for several months and we eventually came to the conclusion that we were soon not going to be able to effectively manage her pain.  We increased her pain medication a few weeks ago to alleviate her suffering. The medication levels to keep her pain-free were so high that long-term use would have caused kidney failure, so we could only use that as a short-term solution. However, we were able to ensure that her last weeks of her life were happy and pain-free.

Lexie has been at Hanaeleh since November 2014, when we picked her up from a situation where she was not being cared for.  She recovered quite nicely, and enjoyed being groomed and taking naps in the sun. She was very much loved by all of our volunteers, as well as all of the geldings at the ranch. Although we only knew Lexie at the end of her life, she was a very sweet horse, and we appreciated her spunk as well as her patience with everyone who worked with her.

Lexie will be sorely missed by all of us at Hanaeleh. Our hearts are with all of you who also feel the loss of such a good little pony. Rest in Peace, sweet girl.

Lexie

Lexie

D’Artagnan

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We unfortunately must share the sad news that we had to make the difficult decision to put D’Artagnan down this morning.  He was down in his stall this morning and we were unable to get him up. We called out the vet, who gave him steroids, fluids and electrolytes, but soon D’Artagnan became painful and we had no choice but to end his suffering.
We thank all of those people who helped D’Artagnan over this last week, and while we had hoped he had turned a corner, we at least gave him a week where everyone was able to see him and tell him how much they loved him.

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RIP Samantha the Chicken

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It is with sadness I must state that Samantha (one of our chickens) passed away last night. She was a little “off” on Sunday, and yesterday she was very lethargic, so we separated her, expecting to take her to the vet today. Unfortunately, she passed away sometime last night. We will bury her alongside of her sister, Tabitha.

Samantha was a very good chicken, laying up through this spring, and would come when you called her. She also liked to peck at Megan’s legs, and would “help” us when we made grain by testing for quality from the different grain bowls. It may seem silly to some to be upset over a chicken, but she had a lovely personality, and I would often find pleasure just in watching her investigate something shiny for an untold period of time.

When we first moved to a private facility, somehow I got it into my mind that I wanted a chicken, and I wanted to name her Samantha. That was about the extent of things for about a year, as I talked with several people about different breeds of chickens and how best to keep them. I was told that chickens should be kept in pairs, so I brought home both Samantha and her sister Tabitha, at five days old. Tabitha was the more adventurous of the two, and more independent. Both would run at dinnertime, however, or if I found them some nice bugs under a mat to eat. Sadly, Tabitha passed away about a year ago.

They were fun to watch and I will miss both of their personalities around the ranch.

Photo Mar 17, 9 14 01 AM

Montana

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Born February 5, 1987

Rescued March 10, 2011

Adopted April 1, 2012

Passed November 2013

Montana was owned by a couple who was no longer able to afford her.  She is a registered Quarter Horse who was very well-trained, but she was 24 when they gave to Hanaeleh, and they were concerned that her age would prohibit her from finding a good home.  We did find a wonderful couple who adopted her, but they brought her back after a few weeks because they felt that she was unhappy at her new stable.  Eventually Montana found another home with a very kind family who love to ride her around the neighborhood and in the arena.  She has two girls to braid ribbons in her hair and feed her extra carrots, which is perfect for her semi-retirement!

Zorro

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Rescued December 29, 2009

Passed April 7, 2013

Zorro was a Quarter Horse whose owner passed away. The owner’s brother contacted Red Bucket Equine Rescue, telling them that if they did not come and pick up the horse immediately, then he was going to sell him to slaughter.  Red Bucket could not take him, so they contacted Hanaeleh.  We, in turn, contacted Blue Apple Ranch in Ramona, who agreed to take this poor guy.  Zorro stayed at our facility for a short time until we took him down to his new home. He now lives in safety at Blue Apple Ranch.

Lynn, the founder of Blue Apple Ranch, was with Zorro when he displayed signs of colic. After several hours it was determined that he was not going to get any better, and made the difficult decision to let Zorro pass in peace.  A necropsy was performed and showed a torsion colic.

We thank Blue Apple Ranch for all of their love and care for Zorro in his final years.

Cleopatra *Scarlett* Zarkos

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Rescued May 29, 1999

Passed January 12, 2006

Cleopatra (Cleo) was purchased by Elizabeth from a feedlot, two days before the rest of the herd were sent to the slaughterhouse.  Cleo had suffered from neglect and lack of training, but with daily care and weekly lessons, she was transformed into a horse who competed in dressage and western shows, and even endurance competitions!  She was the main driving force behind creating Hanaeleh– she is our inspiration and our daily courage; her will to live and her desire to just “go” helped spur us on. Unfortunately, Cleo colicced on January 12th in 2006, after complications from a riding accident the previous year, and her passing has left a void that cannot be filled, and has made us that much emptier.  Cleo is the face behind our logo, and our hope is that her memory will help us help other horses, and, in that way, keep her alive.