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A few weeks ago, we were interviewed by the good folks at the Richmond Times-Dispatch, who kindly provided us the opportunity to talk about rescued horses. The results of this interview and several subsequent discussions appeared in this morning’s paper. Aside from the fact that Tom thinks he looks awful in the video and that we think it was actually Fancy, rather than Allison, who was getting “peeved” during the training session (nope, Fancy wasn’t getting her way that day), we think this article is a sensitive and accurate portrayal of our Rescue and we thank the reporter, Holly Prestidge, for her focus on these horses and the issues surrounding equine rescue.
Full Article
This statement is the last line of our Mission Statement and it underpins our whole philosophy toward equine rescue. When we founded White Bird nearly ten years ago, we decided that we would be a rescue of last resort, taking in horses in urgent need and only after all other avenues had been exhausted. So when we are presented with a situation in which a horse is determined to be at risk, our approach is to first assess the needs of the horse and then assess our ability to help. The horse’s ultimate adoptability is not a consideration. This practice, which is fairly common among rescues, has sometimes been derisively referred to as the “warehousing” of unusable, unsound, unwanted and unadoptable horses at the expense of (presumably) useable, sound, wanted, and adoptable horses. The assumption is that taking in only sound, “adoptable” horses will result in more and faster adoptions and a higher number of horses saved. But let’s examine that thinking more closely.
A “useable horse” is generally assumed to be rideable, at the very least for trail riding, but may have some other ability. However, we feel that usability has a wider definition. Here, useable horses also act as ambassadors for the Rescue in welcoming visitors, providing hands-on experience in teaching horse care to youngsters (and adults) who have little or no experience with horses and serving as gentle companions to timid or disabled horses. On a lead line, they can help teach the smallest of beginners to ride and they also teach compassion for equines to people who may never have had the experience of meeting one “up close and personal.” In that sense, being able to be ridden may have little bearing on the horse’s ability to be “useable.”
“Soundness” is a term that is both relative and temporal. A horse that is sound to trail ride is not necessarily sound to jump. And a horse that is sound to jump today may be unsound tomorrow. At the time we make a decision to accept an animal into the rescue, we rarely have sufficient information to evaluate soundness. And if we did? See above paragraph.
“Unwanted” is another term that is casually and frequently used to define some horses. There are very few, if any, genuinely unwanted horses. Typically, the term is applied to horses that are unwanted at some point in time by whoever owns them. And if no one else wants them at that time, they are sometimes surrendered to us. But we know that given time and assistance, even the fugliest, goofiest, most ancient equines can generally find someone who wants them. Take Mr. Bowersox, one of our most senior residents. It appeared that no one wanted him when he was abandoned at an auction, blind and emaciated. Yet, his gentle, affectionate personality has made him a hit at the Rescue, especially among children. Will he be wanted by someone else? We think he might be. Right now, his best friend Allison wants him more than anyone.
All of these descriptors are generally and sometimes legitimately considered to affect adoptability. But the adoptability of any individual is still a matter of opinion. Our healthiest, most talented horses have not been the fastest to adopt. Our best riding horses are often slow to adopt if they have any medical issue at all, however trivial. In our thinking, finding homes often has more to do with matching an adopter to a horse and vice versa than whether a horse is considered adoptable by those criteria. We understand that relatively few people have the wherewithal to maintain a pasture pet, especially one requiring regular medication, but that in itself does not make any of our horses unadoptable, or undeserving of a good home. And pasture pets are not necessarily more expensive to maintain than riding horses.
In fact, we question the idea that perceived adoptability should outweigh any consideration of the horse’s prior service to mankind. This is perhaps our strongest reason for not simply euthanizing senior and unsound horses to make room for new ones. We often receive little information on the horses who come to the Rescue. However, we can pretty quickly assess their level of training and socialization and it’s been clear to us that most of the horses that we have ever taken in have been trained as riding horses – even our 40+ -year old pony, Allison. Abandoned, blind and emaciated, she came to us after a vet’s assessment that she still had some good years left, despite her medical problems. Although she was not fond of people, her ground manners were good. And the clinching argument that she had been more than just a pasture ornament came one day while she was in her paddock next to the round pen, where another horse was in training. We suddenly noticed that Allison, in response to the commands given in the nearby round pen, was lunging herself around her blind friend on an imaginary lunge line. Sightless, neurologic and ancient, she still remembered that she had once had a job and was ready to do it again.
We don’t subscribe to the argument that passing more horses through the Rescue faster is necessarily better. Often, more is simply more. And sometimes, more is actually less if you are not continuing to monitor the health and whereabouts of your adopted horses. But the argument that horses with issues are taking up more space than sound horses is not entirely valid, anyway. With the great age and medical conditions of many of these horses, we have a natural attrition rate, as we must often say goodbye to them via humane euthanasia at a rate that may not be all that different from the turnover of sound horses with behavioral issues that are being retrained and placed.
Humans retire when their work is done. They’ve earned that. We think that horses deserve that, too. The problem is not in keeping senior or impaired horses alive in preference to young, fit rideable ones, but in ensuring that there are places for all. That is our goal, and the goal of the compassionate individuals who understand and support our mission. They support it because they are selfless and kind, not because they expect some sort of payment from the horses in return for their rescue. But only when we finally we achieve that can we can truly promise “…that they may live the remainder of their lives in safety and dignity.”
Janet Sonpal is looking for Mia, have you seen her? We think she was sent to auctionin Ohio Nov 2011 at Bloomfield by Ron Andio. He assures us she did not go to slaughter but was picked up by a rescue group from out of state. Her vet is Ken Keckler of Buckeye Vet in Burton OH. Can anyone help? Thank you.
A couple of weeks ago, our site was the subject of an internet hack and a piece of malicious code was inserted into our site software. A number of fortunate things happened to minimize the damage. First, some alert individuals notified us immediately that our site had been compromised (thanks, Daryl and Jackie!). Also, our web hosting service quickly advised us of the presence of of the malicious code. Third, our fantastic web manager has been on the job to help us repair the damage (thanks so much, Jones!).
But we have some work to do. Most of our photographs have been lost and replacing these will take a little time. We also know that some of our on-line forms are no longer present or working. We are working on these, too. In the meantime, if you need to contact us, please continue to do so through our email address at: whitebirdapps@gmail.com and our telephone number: 434-767-2839. As always, we are happy to answer any questions about our horses, our organization and especially appreciate hearing from potential adopters and volunteers.
Footnote: Jones has now restored our photos and forms, and the site is up and running in all its glory again. Google may continue to show it is compromised for up to another week, but you should not be in danger by surfing the site.
Back in February, through the efforts of several people, not the least of which was the awesome Sam, we received a malnourished pony that we named Berry. Berry went to live with new foster mom Hope because she needed quite a bit of TLC. Berry was determined to be about 22 years old and slightly arthritic, but mostly just in need of some groceries.
 Berry on Arrival
The picture below was taken today. What a difference three months makes! Hope has done a fantastic job in putting weight back on this little pony, and has done it carefully. As a result, she has good tone and her feet remain in great condition. Well done, Hope! What an awesome foster mom you are!
Berry will still need to learn to like people again, as presently she is still not very trusting. This will take time. But she certainly does feel better.
In other news: We finally cut the hay on the rescue farm! We dodged the showers and are holding our collective breath that it will remain dry long enough to cure and bale it. So far, so good. We hope to have it all in the barn by Sunday. Then, we will move along to Amelia, where we have approximately ten acres of donated standing orchard grass waiting for us, due to the kindness of Jay R. This is awesome Jay and we deeply appreciate your support.
Today’s Clearinghouse horse is Ginger, a 15 hand, 1100 pound, 12-15 year old red varnish appaloosa mare. Ginger is blind, but very sweet, and well broke to ride. This is not entirely surprising in that well-trained sighted horses often become well-trained blind horses who remember their training.
As our regular followers know by now, we hear a lot of sad stories from people trying to help horses in need. Ginger’s story is perhaps one of the saddest we have heard to date and we are hoping that someone will step forward to give this deserving girl a home. We also wish to thank Therese for her selflessness and bravery in rescuing this sweet mare. We have included her story as Theresa has submitted it. If there is anyone out there who could use a nice lead-line pony, she sounds just perfect. She is located in Durant, Iowa.
“I happened to be at a sale when I saw this mare unloaded into the slaughter pen. One of the few rules regarding shipping slaughter bound horses is that no blind or maimed horses can be hauled to kill. The cretin who realized she was blind started bludgeoning this poor mare over the head and shoulders with a stock stick, apparently for no reason other than he was mad at the fact she was blind. This poor animal bounced off the metal gates, then stood in one corner, shaking, while she took this abuse. Me being me, I climbed over the gates to confront the man beating her (he was a foot taller and at least 100 pound heavier than I am) and after some heated words he actually considered raising the stock stick to ME. I told him he really should do just that as then he would end up in prison, and he told me that if I was so concerned about the mare, that I should just take her. Snagging a piece of hay twine off the gate, that’s exactly what I did.
So this mare was not mine, I just happened to be in the wrong (or right) place at the wrong time, and could not walk away. I have too many horses of my own before I took in this mare, and I do not have the proper facilities to house a blind horse. Though she has proven to be an absolutely golden animal, and I wish to help find her an amazing forever home, unfortunately that home cannot be with me.
I have brought her current on vaccinations, farrier care, and worming, and she is at least 100 to 150 pounds heavier now than she is in the picture I sent of her. She rides beautifully in either a halter or o-ring snaffle bit, and I have ridden her both bareback and with a western saddle. I rode her in the round pen, an outdoor arena, and then took her down the road and around a bean field, and she did not take a wrong step at any point.
This mare is not in danger, as she will either find her forever home or be humanely euthanized, and I will hold onto her for as long as I possibly can before taking such a drastic step, but the reality is I truly can’t afford to hay another horse over the winter. I have contacted rescues in three states, posted her far and wide over the internet and on Facebook, as well as got her a spot on the local t.v. news station, but the only person who stepped forward with any serious interest wished to get her to breed to their blind stud. (Really!?) Needless to say, that was not an option.
I am not asking an adoption fee, though I am adopting her out with a reference check and signed first right of refusal.”
Theresa can be contacted about Ginger at: thereseiam@yahoo.com
 Okay, the picture isn’t perfect but you can still see that this mare is a cutie patootie. “Sunrise” (Indian Sunrise) is a 14.2 H Appy mare and she is in need of a new home.
Sunrise is a good trail horse and can be ridden either English or Western. She does need an experienced rider. She has been barefoot for the past 8 or 9 years and is ridden with boots if the trails are rocky. Sunrise has had two episodes of choke, so her new owner will need to feed her pelleted food that is placed in a tub on the floor. She has also had sporadic hoof abscesses and is recovering from them at the moment. But she’s a good girl and the owner will be sad to see her go. She is being rehomed due to financial hardship, but she has been given excellent care and is current on hoof care, vaccs and worming. If you like to give her a new home or have further questions about her, please contact the owner directly, as she is not in the care of the rescue. Her owner can be reached at: Barbara Cook at (410) 795-1276 or by email at: cookhiohsilver@aol.com
The White Bird Style Salon was open for business yesterday! The Cushing’s Club horses (Oreo, Wonder, Allison, Mr. Bowersox and Star) were bathed, shed, dried, clipped, rubbed down, comforted and generally provided the total spa experience with some help from the Cumberland Cayuse Riders 4H and White Bird volunteers Allie, Katie and Whitney. Big thanks to all of you who helped our geezers to feel so much better in this warmer weather!
Side note: In the fourth photo, all three of these horses are over 40 years old. We constantly battle the perception that old horses typically look thin. These three, and the other seniors at White Bird are living proof that horses of any age can look great with the right care. They are also evidence that blind horses can live equally good lives, as Allison and Mr. Bowersox are completely blind.
 Carolynn demonstrates the "Cushing's Comfort Clip"
 Wonder with WB volunteers Katie and Whitney  Oreo, Allison and Mr. Bowersox trade stories while drying off  The Cumberland Cayuse Riders (with Volunteers Allie and Anthony on left)
 Tom narrates for the video, while Fancy listens intently!
Yes, that’s kind of a pun, since the big news this week was the fact that the wonderful folks at the Times-Dispatch came out to visit White Bird. Holly and Mark were given the rescue grand tour and met many of our residents up close and personal. We understand that we will be featured in the “Flair” section of the weekend edition on May 20th. We are pleased to have this opportunity to talk about what we do and would like to give a big shout out to the Times-Dispatch, and to Heather for coordinating this interview.
In other news, Mr. Bowersox was kindly nominated by Jeff Hudson for his company’s Best Pet award- which also offered a cash prize to the winner. While Mr. B. didn’t win (and we just don’t understand that), he was awarded a ribbon for his participation in the contest. We still think he’s pretty special and really appreciate Jeff thinking about him. And Mr. B needed some cheering up. He had just suffered his first case of “choke” meaning that he is now being placed on the internationally famous White Bird gourmet soup diet. Despite his advanced age, Mr. B’s teeth are actually in better shape than most of our senior residents and this is the first time we have had this problem with him. But since horses that choke are likely to do so again, we will be making this permanent change to his menu.
This weekend we will hold the annual event known as the Cushing’s Clip-a-thon. The festivities include the yearly ritual of helping the Cushing’s Club (who cannot shed out by themselves) stay cool by giving them the stylish Cushing’s Comfort Clip. This clip is unlike the more traditional Hunter Clip in that it is an artful exercise in studied casual. Nah. I just made that up. It’s actually just flat ugly. But this year, the White Bird Style Salon will be manned by members of our local 4H who may actually have some styling prowress. More to come!
 Gratuitous Spring Picture of Ulysses and Norman
 Here is yet another urgent need situation. I am copying the post in its entirety in the hope that someone in the area (Thompson, PA), is in a position to help. This horse clearly meets our criteria for urgent need, but we cannot accommodate another blind horse at the moment. If anyone out there can, you would have our heartfelt thanks for stepping up. Remember, this horse is not at our facility and she is certainly not safe. Please contact the individuals listed below.
“Please help us find a home for this horse. She needs medical help, she is blind. We have done what we can but are not equipped for a blind horse and have no room.I have already spent $200 on her for treatment. . We had an Appy Mare,11yr old show up at our house the other day. We found the owner 4 miles away and the really old man was going to attempt to walk home with this mare.We offered to give her shelter until he could provide transportation for her(her feet are bad). He said he did not want her. We then offered to help him find a home for this girl and promised no meat buyers and they replied “You can eat em, horse is good” My husband then opted to take her to save her from what may happen. We knew at that moment she had eye problems and he said she came down with an eye cold this winter and has been having trouble seeing.I called my vet and she confirmed she is blind in one eye and has partial sight in the other.We are treating her eyes as they are infected. She said moonblindness, and that is common in older Appy’s, not usually so young. She believes she had an eye injury in her blind eye that was left untreated. I do not want her as I have 5 of my own and no room, I however do not want her destroyed because of her blindness, she is very sweet and other than her eyes and feet appears to be very healthy, Vet says feet will be fine after a few visits with the Farrier. Can you take home??She is not UTD on anything.She is timid and afraid but once assured she is ok.Hard for me to catch w/o seeing eye horse she has come attached to or carrots husband has np.Let’s us enter her stall no problem,picks up feet, a little reluctant but will give them,I can treat her eyes myself and am only 5’2″. Vet says sweet mare. She has come along way in a week and trusts us now. Was not broke to ride, does lead well. Infection is clearing with meds but needs further care and treatment. A GOOD HORSE AND NEEDS A GOOD HOME!!!570-727-2769 ask for Lisa or Bobby We have had an issue since first posting, with farrier She raised up and hoofed my Husband. Out of fear I believe.To much to soon,strange person..After hoofing my husband she was put in stall so we could examine him and she came over the wall of her stall and was afraid. Can not be in with the others out!!!..SHE NEEDS TO GO, I HAVE DONE ALL I CAN AND SHE WILL BE EUTHANIZED IF NOT PICKED UP BY 4/25!!!!!! I DO NOT HAVE THE $$$ OR RESOURCES TO GIVE HER WHAT SHE NEEDS. I RAISED ONLY $140 TO CARE FOR HER.I AM AT 2 WEEKS OF HAVING HER.WITH FOOD,VET CARE, MEDS, AND DAMAGES I AM IN DEBT $286+, AND MY HUSBAND INJURED.FIRST TRUCK THAT PULLS IN TAKES HER AWAY”
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