Brighter Days Horse Refuge

Today, Thursday the 30th of December started out overcast, gray and in the low 60's. But that was good, because we have had rain off and on for the past 2 days. We haven't minded because they are low on water and dry in this area of Texas. Also we have been following the Pa weather on Channel 16 out of Scranton/Wilkes Barre and know that it has been below freezing temperatures for almost 2 weeks. So despite the gray skies we decided to go to the horse refuge we heard about. First stop, was the local grocery for a bag of apples and 2 bags of baby carrots......  the price of admission for visitors. The first thing we learned was that we needed to cut up both the carrots and apples. James the Foreman of the refuge did that for us. 80% of the horses in the refuge are over 30 years old and need their treats in small pieces. Jeannie Weatherholtz, the president was our guide. She started this refuge 1985 and was relocated to their current home 40 minutes outside of San Antonio in Pipe Creek in 1994 when they needed more space. Today they had 97 horses on site. Some had been seized as abused and some had been surrendered by their owners. Most Texans are of the mind that if they aren't useful anymore they should be put down.... but not Jeannie and her staff and volunteers. They know each and every horse by their name and treat them as a member of the family. Here is the welcoming committee.....  boy were they noisy until we got over to feed them.

All the animals live in pods or groups in a specific area. There are shelters and feeding stations in each area also. Of course their are Bosses / Horse in charge in each of the pods. It was really interesting to watch the social dynamics between them. This little shaggy pony is the boss of 3 ponies and 4 large horses. You should see her in action.

Here is John dispensing some of his treats. They just love visitors because they know they will be receiving treats. They make you feel like a rock star.... they can't wait to get near you and have your attention.

They also have an ICU for the really sick ones when they first arrive. There were 2 horses in the ICU today, both with feet and leg problems. Here is one of them.  

The boss of the ICU however isn't a horse or pony or donkey or burrow. It is a cat..... smoochy by name. One of the friendliest cats I've ever encountered. Yes, being a refuge they have the problem of people dropping off cats in the middle of the night. Some stay, some find adopted homes, but smoochy found a job.

Below are a few more candid shots around the place. Their web page is, of course, brighterdayshorserefuge.org in case you want to see or read more. If you want to do more you can send a donation. Their WEEKLY feed bill is in excess of $1000.00, so they can use the help. Did I mention that they have also acquired 2 goats a sheep and a pot bellied pig. Feel like adopting a pig?

Oh, one more thing we learned.... if your going to a farm after 2 days of rain..... wear boots, not sneakers. On the way back to TT (Thousand Trails) we ran across these guys just sitting by the fence.