Many of you have been keeping up to date on the horses from Gibson County,
for those of you that have not, here is a brief update:

Mares that delivered foals in the first few weeks after coming into our care had little or no milk to nurse newborn foals, and most had no colostrum at all.  All foals were transferred to IHR South where they had a vet within minutes of the farm who regularly check on them and administered lifesaving treatment.  Dr. Beckman also performed a necropsy on a yearling that died in transit so he was familiar with what we were battling.  Becky and Bob (along with volunteers) had the job of bottle feeding several foals every 2 hours for many days.  One foal was transferred to Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, KY - after weeks of care little Mercedes was ready to come home, only to develop pneumonia before leaving.  Mercedes lost the battle she had fought so long and hard to win.  Thanks to all those who donated for her medical care which was over $10,000.00

Two adult horses have been lost to colic.  This is a very low number considering the critical condition of these horses.  IHR has been following very slow and strict feed and deworming schedules to enable the horses to rid their bodies of parasites and begin the long road to recovery in gaining weight.  Vaccines have been administered as horses conditions improve - so far we have only had one severe reaction to vaccinations.  We can not thank these veterinarians enough:  Dr. Dawn Frank of Horizon Veterinary Services in Delphi or Dr Beckman from our South Facility and Dr. Alexis Wallace.

Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital performed every test imaginable on the foal in their care.   Why was she sick?  It came down to care.  The mares had not had proper vaccinations, feed, water or parasite control in a long period of time.  These horses have compromised immune systems.  Which is why we have not started with their adoptions.  To take in this number of horses (81) in one investigation has been devastating!  To continue their feed and care is an enormous task.  We could not send them out to foster care or to adoptive homes without putting other horses at risk.  How would you have felt if your neighbor or friend brought a horse home that could pass something on to your horses?  This is why Indiana Horse Rescue does not use foster homes for horses confiscated!  We do send out horses that have already been through quarantine and medical - and we can not thank the people enough who stepped up and took horses so quickly, enabling us to move the most critical of horses to our South and Main Facilities.

We are fortunate to have a certified trainer who is going to our SW Facility to work with and train both volunteers and horses.  He will use only gentle methods and is helping us with beginning the evaluation of the horses that have been turned over to IHR.  Once the horses are released from Medical, we will begin adopting them out.  If you are interested, please get your application, references and pictures sent in so your application will already be processed when the horses are made available.  We still have horses that came in last September from Gibson County that are available for adoption at our Main Facility.

Benefit Trail Ride for Indiana Horse Rescue

Tentatively scheduled Benefit Trail Ride for the Indiana Horse Rescue on Sunday, Oct. 28 at Tippecanoe River State Park. We are still working out details.  If you or anyone you know is interested, please contact Nancy Hobbs at nahobbs@verizon.net  If you like trail riding - come out, contact Nancy about your group being there.  The more who turn out the more fun it will be!  We are hoping for a good turn out to raise awareness for the rescue and raise funds to care for the many horses that come to the rescue.

Hay and Donations are needed!

We currently have 5 locations up and running in Indiana.  IHR Central Division in Rossville, IN should be up and running by the end of September with any luck.  We are fortunate to have Ken and Cynthia Dierdorf who will be running that Facility as our Therapeutic Division.  Ken is already NARHA certified and Cynthia has several programs she has already developed for our military.

Many of you know how hard it has been to find good quality hay this year - imagine trying to find hay for over 200 horses!  Yes, right now our organization has over 200 horses in our care.  These are not all neglected or abused, but many, such as the Gibson County horses, require extra hay - and it must all be good quality hay.  We may be feeding hay cubes if hay is not found in time.  Hay cubes are expensive - but the rescue horses are worth every dime!

Volunteers needed!

So many times we forget how fortunate we are.  Without volunteers we could not do what we do.  Each Facility is run by dedicated animal rescuers.  We sometimes forget that we are human and need a break.  It has been pointed out to all of us at one time or another - but as one Prosecutor stated "This is your life, isn't it"  Yes, it is; and we know that not everyone can do it full time.  Some of us miss out on graduations, birthdays, holidays and much more.

Do you have a day free each week?  Maybe an afternoon?  It means more than we can say to have you come in and do an afternoon feeding or watering of the horses.  They don't get brushed as often as we would like.  Sign up for a day of cleaning stalls or feeding the horses.  It would mean a lot to the Managers and Volunteers to know they could run a few errands, or get caught up on paperwork if you were there.  It would mean a lot to the horses to know you cared.

We can't do it alone.

Tulip

Tulip is just one of the many horses that have come to the rescue in need.
Check out Daisy on www.indianahorserescue.com and see what changes can be made with a few months, some good food, a little love - and a lot of prayers!
We hope to see the same changes in Tulip soon!

HAVE YOU JOINED THE TOP TEN FOR JULY?
Today is the last day - make IHR the #1 rescue for July!

Go to http://www.savedahorses.com/julystopten.htm - make a $10.00 donation and vote for Indiana Horse Rescue.  100% of all money raised from the votes goes directly to the winning rescue.  What a great program!  Remember, your vote doesn't count if you don't make a donation!

DON'T DELAY! DO IT TODAY!