The Winter of Our Discontent…

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And it’s only January! During the first couple weeks of 2018 we experienced record breaking cold temperatures that led into one of the most significant snow and ice storms that any of us can remember. Luckily, horses and humans weathered the conditions just fine in the grand scheme of things, but the brutal cold has really done a number on our resources. To add to the strain, we are in the process of moving our retail location so our store and Trip of a Lifetime are shut down for the month of January. 

When temperatures drop below freezing (well below freezing in our case – into the single digits!) horses must consume more forage in order to keep warm. Horses are able to warm themselves from the inside out by constantly digesting food. For the horses at the farm, this means they need access to hay 24/7. Over the past few weeks our horses have been burning through a lot more hay than usual and we expect this to be the case for the majority of the winter. Consider our “Hay for a Day” program if you’d like to help us keep the horses fed and warm. A donation of just $24 will feed all 12 horses for one day. 

During this latest cold snap we unfortunately lost two of our water pumps. Despite our best efforts to keep them insulated and warm, the sub-freezing overnight temperatures cracked the pumps. Luckily we still have one that’s operating and we have hoses that can be linked together to reach all of the pastures, but replacing the two broken pumps will be costly. We would also like to have the pump houses, spigots, and pipes winterized a little better, and we are going to run electricity out to all of the pastures so that we can add additional heat sources (and fans in the summer!) if needed. If you’d like to help us out with the plumping and electrical work that needs to be done around the farm, you can make a one time donation via our website. Every little bit helps – give what you can and it will be most appreciated! 

Another thing that would really help us out right now are gift cards to Tractor Supply, Ace Hardware, or Lowes. Now that we know where our “weak” areas are on the farm we have some work to do, including adding additional insulation, purchasing extension cords, heaters, and lamps, and also additional tank heaters for the water, hay nets, and we really need a drag harrow for the pastures to help with manure maintenance when it’s cold like this. Gift cards to Valley Vet Supply would also be greatly appreciated! 

Donations and gift cards can be sent to us at: 

Corolla Wild Horse Fund

PO Box 361

Corolla, NC 27927

 

 

Giving Tuesday – Meet the Dews Island Mares

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For the past twenty years there’s been a small but mighty group of Banker horses living on Dews Island, a strip of land situation just off the mainland and adjacent to the Wright family’s Cotton Gin and Sanctuary Vineyards in Jarvisburg. Early on in the Fund’s history there was no rehab farm, so horses that had to be removed from the wild were placed on the island and allowed to continue living a wild, but solitary and relatively confined life. The island is also home to a historic hunting lodge, and is a destination for waterfowl hunters visiting northeastern North Carolina.

Last spring CWHF was approached by the landowners and asked to consider removing the eight remaining horses due to a variety of reasons. We knew we had our work cut out for us, but we were excited to welcome the mares to the farm and embark on a new – and challenging! – adventure. Our herd manager and trainer spent some time with the horses on the island, getting to know them and talking with the caretakers about their personalities, lineage, and history. They learned which ones were more personable, which ones were most likely to be a little cranky or flighty, who was related to whom, and who might give us a run for our money. 

One of the challenges we faced is that there is only one way on and off the island – a foot bridge. Our truck and trailer would not fit across the bridge so we had to figure out a way to move the horses over the water while still keeping them contained. A week before the big move we set up a corral at the bottom of the bridge on the mainland side and their long-time caretaker Billy walked them over every day and fed them hay inside the corral. The last thing we wanted to do was stress the horses out, and this helped acclimate them to going into the corral so that the day of the move it wouldn’t be a shock to their routine. 

With the help of some WONDERFUL volunteers (including the same super cowboys who helped round up Roamer) the move went pretty flawlessly. Six of the eight horses quietly followed Billy over the bridge that Saturday morning and Mike, Steve, and Wayne easily herded them onto the trailer. The trip over to the farm was quick, and the horses unloaded just as easily as they loaded. We were so relieved. There were two stragglers that we had to go back for, and who gave us a bit of a chase but in the end they were pretty cooperative and quickly reunited with their friends. 

Over the last couple of weeks the girls have settled into life on the farm. They are all in great shape and they’re getting used to having us humans around (they are very food driven, which helps!). We’ve gotten halters on everyone except Bella and Betty, which didn’t surprise us given their antics on the day of the roundup. But that’s ok! We’ve got all the time in the world to work on gaining their trust and cooperation. 

Right now we’re focused on feeding all these new faces. They are out on pasture but since we’re going into the winter there’s not much grass which means our hay costs have increased exponentially. This Giving Tuesday, we’re asking for your help to make caring for the mares a little easier not just on our pocketbook, but our farm caretakers as well. We have an amazing hay dealer who provides us with high quality forage in the form of round bales, but at this time we’re not really set up to leave the big bales out in the pasture for the horses. We want them to have access to hay at all times, and to assure that happens we need to invest in some new equipment. That’s where you come in!

This #GivingTuesday, consider a donation to CWHF that will help us support the eight Dews Island mares. You contribution will make it possible for us to purchase large hay nets that fit over the round bales, as well as some new, smaller hay nets that will make it easier for us to feed all the horses every day. You can make a donation directly to the Fund by going here, or if you’re so inclined you can purchase an item and have it sent directly to us. Just click on the image to go to the corresponding Amazon page. 

 

We’ll be bringing you much more about Brownie, Cupcake, Little Star, Luna, Moxie, Jasmine, Betty, and Bella! 

Thank you, thank you, thank you to our wonderful staff and volunteers who made this move safe and stress-free for the horses. Huge thanks to Beth Fleishaker for photographing the move, and to Wayne and Steve Mizelle and Mike Cowan for letting us use their trailer and driving up from Windsor to help get the horses moved. We couldn’t have done it without them! And of course our gratitude goes out to Billy and the Wright family for loving and taking care of the Dews Island horses for two decades, and for their help and support over the last few months. 

 

Help Victims of Hurricane Harvey

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Our hearts go out to everyone who has been impacted by the devastating flooding caused by Hurricane Harvey. Hurricanes are a part of life for us here on the Outer Banks and we know how exhausting and scary even a little bit of flooding can be, but the damage caused in Texas and Louisiana is on a scale that is barely comprehensible to those of us not living through it. We’ve put together a list of reputable organizations that are working to save horses on the ground in the affected areas, and we encourage you to donate what you can and share this list with others too. If you’d like to add to this list, please shoot us an email and we’ll update with links as we receive them. 

You can download a PDF containing all of this information HERE. 

ASSISTING HURRICANE HARVEY VICTIMS

FACEBOOK ANNOUNCEMENT from COROLLA WILD HORSE FUND:   

https://www.facebook.com/corollawildhorses.org/

ABOVE LINK LEADS TO BELOW LIST (WHICH WE WILL BE ADDING MORE INFORMATION TO):

http://gcpdesignmarketing.com/horses/help-victims-hurricane-harvey/

UNDERSTANDING THE SCOPE OF THIS CATASTROPHE: 

SEE A MAP, PLACED UPON WHERE YOU LIVE:

http://m.mysanantonio.com/news/local/article/Maps-show-what-Harvey-s-weekend-impact-would-look-12161601.php?cmpid=textalert

LOST & FOUND HORSES

Stolen Horse International (Net Posse)

PO Box 1341, Shelby, NC 28151

704-484-2165

debi@netposse.com

A) OFFERING FREE ASSISTANCE TO HORSES AND PETS AFFECTED BY HURRICANE HARVEY:                       https://netposse.com/newsviewer.asp?id=3799&P=1&cat=General

 

B) EXAMPLE OF A DISASTER REPORT:

                https://netposse.com/view_report.asp?reportid=1424

 

 C) HOW TO:

                1)   LOG IN TO REGISTER, THEN FILE A MISSING HORSE REPORT:   https://netposse.com/login.asp

                2)   SEARCH FOR A MISSING HORSE:  https://netposse.com/reports.asp

                3)   DONATE:  https://netposse.com/donate.asp?type=1

Flyers are posted as Lost/Found.  They are then distributed across the internet to a large following of equestrians. 

These equestrians will then be on the lookout, as well as watch auction pipelines for stolen equines.

VOLUNTEER EQUESTRIANS WHO ARE ASSISTING EQUINES

FLEET OF ANGELS:

Equestrians networking to assist horses in need, across North America.

 

  1. A) INTERACTIVE MAP OF HORSEMEN IN USA: http://www.fleetofangels.org/map-of-angels

 

  1. B) HOW TO:

                1)  REQUEST ASSISTANCE:    http://www.fleetofangels.org/request-assistance

                2)  OFFER ASSISTANCE:         http://www.fleetofangels.org/offer-to-helpShipping

 

  1. C) DIRECTORY (Quarantine Facilities, Shipping, Emergency Foster, etc.) http://www.fleetofangels.org/directory

 

  1. D) FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/groups/FleetOfAngels/

 

__________________________________________________________________________________________

 

FACEBOOK:  LIVE DATA & COORDINATION BY EQUESTRIANS:

 

Hurricane Harvey Horse Helpers Directory:  

Being set up now.  Register on this form:   https://tinyurl.com/EastTXHorseHelpersFORM

Will provide searchable tabs that include Trailering, Horse Housing and Care, Feed and Supply Banks, Rescuers with Boats, and more.

East Texas Evacuation/ Disaster Relief Network:    

https://www.facebook.com/groups/EastTexasEquineEvacuationNetwork/?fref=mentions

HAY HOT LINES:

Please provide your name, phone number, location and type of hay or feed to be donated and whether you have transportation.

Please note there is no Fire Ant restriction to bring hay into the affected Counties.  However, please read the page!

Texas Department of Agriculture:  Has a “Hay Hot Line”  for equines in need.  Working with Texas A&M.

                HayHotline@TexasAgriculture.gov

                https://www.texasagriculture.gov/Home/ProductionAgriculture/HayHotline

 

                CONTACT:    Jessica Escobar  (512) 803-7847    Jessica.Escobar@TexasAgriculture.gov

                CONTACT:    Patrick Dudley, Coordinator for Agriculture Commodity Boards and Producer Relations
                                       (512) 787-9966   Patrick.Dudley@TexasAgriculture.gov

                E-MAIL:         HayHotline@TexasAgriculture.gov

Texas A&M Horseman’s Association: 

                Fund Raising on “Go Fund Me” to purchase hay for evacuated horses.

                https://www.gofundme.com/hay-fund-for-equine-evacuees

 LIST OF SHELTERS (EQUINES & PETS)

Animal Shelter List:  By County, sent out from the State of Texas:    http://www.tahc.state.tx.us/emergency/TAHC_SheltersHoldingFacilities.pdf

 

A message about the above list of animal shelters:

 

1)   CALL FIRST:   This is not a comprehensive list.  The availability and capacity of shelters and holding facilities can change often.   Call the facility at the contact number listed below, to check availability.

2)   EQUINE:   If you are seeking shelter for horses only, contact Texas Equine Veterinary Association at 254-449-1974.

3)   CALL 2-1-1:  If you are seeking a large or small animal shelter or holding facility, in an area that is not listed.

                             Or contact the emergency management department in the area

LIST OF DAMAGED SHELTERS THAT NEED FUNDING TO RECOVER AND OPERATE:

https://bestfriends.org/stories-blog-videos/latest-news/help-texas-animal-shelters-affected-hurricane-harvey

VETERINARIAN GROUPS ON THE GROUND:

American Veterinary Medical Association:  Veterinarians are stepping up to help.

https://www.avma.org/KB/Resources/Reference/disaster/Pages/hurricane-harvey.aspx

Hot Line (such as seeing animals running loose):  512-719-0799

Trying to create comprehensive contact lists of facilities accepting livestock etc.

Providing disaster reimbursement grants. 

Give at AVMF.org/Donate using the AVMF Code “Disaster Relief” to designate your money for this fund.

Animal disaster plans and resources by State:  

https://www.avma.org/KB/Resources/Reference/disaster/Pages/Animal-disaster-plans-and-resources-by-state.aspx

American Equine Practitioners:  Sending Veterinarians and Assistants to provide support:

https://www.paulickreport.com/horse-care-category/vet-topics/aaep-foundation-disaster-relief-fund-accepting-donations-aiding-hurricane-harvey-victims/

1)  Equine Disaster Relief Fund, AAEP Foundation, 4033 Iron Works Parkway, Lexington, KY 40511; (800) 443-0177 (U.S. only) or (859) 233-0147.

2)  If you wish to offer assistance with supplies or other resources, please email Keith Kleine at kkleine@aaep.org and you will be contacted with further instructions.

3)  To send financial support:   https://foundation.aaep.org/form/foundation-donation

Texas Equine Veterinary Association (TEVA):  Collecting donations to assist.  https://texasequineva.com/hurricane-harvey-relief/

EQUESTRIAN GROUPS ON THE GROUND OR FINANCING RESCUE WORK:

 United States Equestrian Federation:

https://www.usef.org/donate?utm_source=SilverpopMailing&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Hurricane%20Harvey%20Equine%20Disaster%20Relief%20Fund%20(1)&utm_content=

Vicki Lowell:  vlowell@usef.org

List from Eventing Nation:

http://eventingnation.com/hurricane-harvey-and-houston-horses-how-you-can-help/

Habitat For Horses.org

Requesting Hay Donations for feeding horses being rescued from floods.  

Jerry Finch 

P.O. Box 3767, Houston, TX 77253-3767

404-935-0277 

https://www.habitatforhorses.org/

https://www.habitatforhorses.org/responding-hurricane-harvey/

Houston SPCA:  Hurricane Harvey Horse Response Fund

900 Portway Dr., Houston, TX 77024

713-869-7722

http://www.houstonspca.org/

https://www.habitatforhorses.org/

Animal Emergency Response Hotline  713-861-3010

Humane Society of North Texas

(Partnered with Equine Rescue Network).  Setting up mobile shelters.

Has a horse and livestock fund.

https://www.hsnt.org/donate/equine-fund/

Livestock Coordinator: livestock@hsnt.org

(817) 332-4768

Equine Rescue Network:

(Partnered with Humane Society of North Texas).  Setting up mobile shelters.

370 Middleton Road, Boxford, MA, 01921   978-273-8469

Virginian Quarantine Barn, Louisa, VA    540-207-8540

Texas Quarintine Barn, Kauffman, TX     978-273-8469

http://equinerescuenetwork.com/?page_id=1704

Cross Fire Equine Rescue:

Dayton, TX

Needs funds to cover:  Sand, shavings, feed.  Can direct funds to their feed store.

http://crossfirerescue.org/

https://www.facebook.com/donate/1218167651623182/

https://www.facebook.com/CrossfireRescue/?ref=search

Best Friends:

5001 Angel Canyon Road
Kanab, UT 84741

435-644-2001

www.BestFriends.org

 

On the ground in Texas.

https://www.facebook.com/bestfriendsanimalsociety?ref=ts

http://blogs.bestfriends.org/index.php/2017/08/27/hurricane-harvey/

 

Make a gift to the Disaster Relief Fund:

https://support.bestfriends.org/site/Donation2;jsessionid=00000000.app293a?df_id=1820&1820.donation=form1&mfc_pref=T&NONCE_TOKEN=8A59448CAB4A28357452BE5B6637858B&_ga=2.90760409.250927362.1504128779-1758403829.1504128779

Volunteers: 

Please email bfvolcoord@bestfriends.org.   Best Friends volunteers, especially those with animal handling experience, will be notified in the coming days of specific needs and how to support our work or that of our partners as soon as the situation on the ground warrants.

Disaster Response Team:

American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA)
424 E. 92nd St
New York, NY 10128-6804

(212) 876-7700

https://www.aspca.org/news/aspca-prepares-harvey-rescue-efforts

American Humane:
1400 16th Street NW, Suite 360
Washington, DC 20036

1-800-227-4645

Has Animal Rescue Team, working in Texas and Louisiana.  Taking 50’ emergency truck and other equipment.  Delivering 100,000 pounds of emergency food to pets and owners.
info@americanhumane.org

https://www.americanhumane.org/press-release/help-is-on-the-way/

http://www.americanhumane.org/rescue-diary/

http://www.americanhumane.org/initiative/emergency-training/

http://www.americanhumane.org/animals/programs/emergency-services/about-animal-emergency-services.html

Code 3 Associates:
1530 Skyway Drive
Longmont, CO 80504
(303) 772-7724

 

On the ground in Texas; does Swiftwater Rescue etc.
Code 3 Associates is a 501(c)3 non-profit dedicated to providing professional technical animal rescue and recovery to communities affected by man-made or natural disasters. We respond upon an official request for assistance from local Emergency Managers or jurisdictional authorities in charge of the animal rescue operations during a disaster.

Code 3′s Riders on the Storm Animal Rescue Team and BART (Big Animal Rescue Truck) are ready to assist and support agencies during those incidents or events that exceed or severely challenge the agencies’ ability to provide basic response services.

 

http://code3associates.org/disaster-response/big-animal-rescue-truck-bart/

http://code3associates.org/disaster-response/riders-on-the-storm/

info@code3associates.org   
http://code3associates.org/disaster-response/

https://www.facebook.com/Code3Associates/

http://www.denverpost.com/2017/08/29/longmont-animal-rescue-hurricane-harvey/

TLAER (Technical Large Animal Emergency Response)

Dr. Rebecca Gimenez, Georgia.

WEBSITE:  http://tlaer.org/

SELF-DEPLOYMENT: 

Authoritative discussion regarding self-deployment, if you are trying to go to Texas and assist. https://www.facebook.com/groups/tlaer/

GROUPS COORDINATING RESCUE WORK:

 

Coast Guard:  

Emergency phone line for assistance in rescuing animals.

800-323-7233

http://www.coastguardfoundation.org/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=hurricane-harvey&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI2vmDw6z_1QIV2BSBCh3hjAAREAAYBCAAEgL85fD_BwE

Texas Animal Health: 

Government organization    512-719-0700. 

Command Center for Hurricane Harvey:  512-719-0799

https://www.facebook.com/TexasAHC/

Quarter Horse News: 

Is listing those in need.

https://www.quarterhorsenews.com/2017/08/hurricane-harvey-horse-relief/

If you or someone you know is in need of help with horses or livestock, please email:

kelsey.pecsek@cowboypublishing.com

817-569-7170.

STREET VIEWS:

VIEW OF TRAFFIC CAMERAS IN THE AREA:

http://traffic.houstontranstar.org/cctv/transtar/by_roadway.aspx?mnu=freeway&rd=IH-45_Gulf

DRIVING CONDITIONS:

https://drivetexas.org/#/7/32.340/-99.500?future=false

OTHER RELATED SITES:

https://www.redcross.org/donate/hurricane-harvey?utm_source=arcfacebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=harvey

 

https://redrover.org/article/resources-gulf-coast-hurricane-harvey-victims

 

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/houston-weather/hurricaneharvey/article/Hurricane-Harvey-How-to-help-victims-of-the-12003372.php

 

http://www.theadvocate.com/new_orleans/news/article_d66688ca-8c13-11e7-830c-0b2685f352cc.html

 

https://www.spca.org/sslpage.aspx?pid=1223&gclid=COKanuen_9UCFdgDgQodmT8NqA

 

http://www.nrn.org/disaster-animal-rescue-team?gclid=CNDEnJis_9UCFUc9gQodp_EK8Q

 

http://abc7.com/how-you-can-help-animals-impacted-by-hurricane-harvey/2355030/

(AP image via)

Hay For A Day

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Hay – it’s what’s for dinner! Also breakfast, lunch, and a few snacks in between. Quality hay is the mainstay of our rescued horses’ diet. Horses are grazers. In the wild, they spend the majority of their time foraging for food and it’s important to recreate this behavior with domestic horses as well. The horses at the Betsy Dowdy Equestrian Center are given hay in what’s called slow feeders; special nets that mimic the horses’ natural grazing and foraging behaviors.

For just $70 you can sponsor Hay For A Day, or $35 to sponsor hay for half of a day, and help support Amadeo, Buster, Roamer, Little Star, and all the rest of the horses under the Fund’s care.

Hay For Half a Day – $35.00




Hay For a Full Day – $70.00




The Corolla Wild horse Fund is a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit. We do not receive any state or federal funding. We raise over 90% of our budget through donations, special events, memberships, sponsorships, grants, and mission-related merchandise sales.  Every dollar donated helps to further our mission to protect and conserve the Colonial Spanish Mustangs living on the Northern Outer Banks. Contributions are tax deductible in accordance with IRS regulations.