Abandoned Arabian Stallions. Update post 77; Stallion 1 has lifetime home!

[ljcfoh]

[QUOTE=Watermark Farm;6245850]
We don’t know, but wanted to at least try. Their feet look OK, not terribly long. But no idea what the future will hold. Still, it seems worth giving it a shot…

I rehabbed an unhandled horse who spent 15 years straight in a pen. He lived a great four year with me as a pasture pet. It’s possible![/QUOTE]

I would imagine they will be so relieved and grateful to be out of those pens that even if their remaining time is brief due to yet unknown health issues or whatever they will have a more peaceful remaining time. It seems only fair to let them see the better side of life if even just briefly. Good work Watermark, I will continue to keep my fingers crossed for each of them.

[Neigh-Neigh]

From Katie (poster of the pic’s on FB):

Hi,

Thanks so much for your email.

Good news is that #2 stallion has a great home to go to. I am working on finding homes for #1 and #4. We plan to euthanize #3 as he is blind.

I am helping with this effort as part of my role as vice president of the board of directors with the non-profit Sonoma CHANGE Program (sonomachangeprogram.com). CHANGE assists Animal Control with equine humane cases in our county.

We have set up a separate fund for donations, which would be used specifically to fund one round of dental work for each stallion that goes to a new home, and possibly castration as a way of helping the permanent homes shoulder the cost of such a project. If you would like to make a small contribution, that would be extremely helpful. Please direct it to CHANGE and note CAMP MEEKER ARABIAN STALLION FUND on it. 100% of your donation will go directly to dental/castration for the stallions and CHANGE will pay the providing vets directly.

CHANGE website: www.sonomachangeprogram.com

Please feel free to contact me for more info and updates!

Katie Moore
Vice President, Board of Directors
Sonoma CHANGE Program
home 707-544-7584

---

I just sent them some coin to help with these boys.

[ljcfoh]

@Neigh-Neigh;6246066

From Katie (poster of the pic’s on FB):

We have set up a separate fund for donations, which would be used specifically to fund one round of dental work for each stallion that goes to a new home, and possibly castration as a way of helping the permanent homes shoulder the cost of such a project. If you would like to make a small contribution, that would be extremely helpful. Please direct it to CHANGE and note CAMP MEEKER ARABIAN STALLION FUND on it. 100% of your donation will go directly to dental/castration for the stallions and CHANGE will pay the providing vets directly.

CHANGE website: www.sonomachangeprogram.com

Neigh, Neigh thanks for posting the link, I hadn’t had a chance to look it up yet and it made it even easier to donate to their cause.

[mbm]

fwiw, we haven’t had much rain this year so they would not of been in mud for much of the winter… i would imagine it is dry now and probably was most of the winter.

[ahf]

I wondered why Watermark Farm had such a familiar ring. Now I realize that you are Argus’ rescuer/angel, the thoughtful author of the blog Saving Argus.

I followed your triumphs and setbacks for all four years.

You are a very amazing person, and of course I will donate to this latest effort.

[Home_Again_Farm]

@ahf;6246135

I wondered why Watermark Farm had such a familiar ring. Now I realize that you are Argus’ rescuer/angel, the thoughtful author of the blog Saving Argus.

I followed your triumphs and setbacks for all four years.

You are a very amazing person, and of course I will donate to this latest effort.

I just glanced through the Saving Argus blog. If this is the sort of people who are helping these Arab stallions, I am onboard, too. I will be sending a donation as well.:yes:

[Watermark_Farm]

[QUOTE=ahf;6246135]
I wondered why Watermark Farm had such a familiar ring. Now I realize that you are Argus’ rescuer/angel, the thoughtful author of the blog Saving Argus.

I followed your triumphs and setbacks for all four years.

You are a very amazing person, and of course I will donate to this latest effort.[/QUOTE]

Thank you so much. Yes, I am Argus’ mama. I am also on the BOD of the Sonoma CHANGE Program, the organization that got Argus out. CHANGE is also behind the effort to place these stallions.

This has been a whirlwind few days and I’m incredibly touched at the support and caring of the horse community.

[Indy-lou]

I’m touched by the incredible caring of people like you, Watermark. Donation sent. Please keep us posted.

[ahf]

FWIW, I’ve followed CHANGE’s efforts through Katie’s blog over the years. THey are what all welfare groups should aspire to, and I did not put any stipulations on my donation today.

It’s my hope that they raise more than they need to fund the issues with the Arab stallion intervention, and will be able to use the excess funds as they see fit in the future.

[oldernewbie]

More $$$ help on the way from another Arab lover! Bless you for taking care of these guys.:yes:

[ljcfoh]

Katie,

I hadn’t previously had the opportunity to follow your story or have exposure to the CHANGE program – until today. After getting your email, I had a few minutes to go review the CHANGE website and was simply stunned by the efforts of the team and conditions of some of the animals the program has helped. I would say to you and all of your fellow CHANGE associates you are an inspiration to others and I can only hope at some point to offer a fraction of the assistance you have.

I would encourage anyone with a few minutes to read Katie’s blog or even just the stories on the CHANGE website.

Thanks for doing so much for these absolutely helpless animals. You reminded me why I treasure the ones I have, but also to keep my eyes open for those who might not be so fortunate.

http://savingargus.blogspot.com/
http://www.sonomachangeprogram.com/

[Watermark_Farm]

Thank you. Where is the teary-eyed emoticon? I am happy to work with a well-run organization like CHANGE. We have four senior Arabian mares available for adoption that came from the same property as the stallions. A fifth, who is believed to be 39, resides at my farm. She took Argus’ spot.

For those who are curious about senior stallion castration, I emailed Dr. Eric Davis at UC Davis. He is kind of the castration ‘guru’ at UCD. Here is his response regarding castration of these studs:

Yes older stallions can be castrated. It should be recognized that,
particularly if they have been used for breeding purposes, their behavior
will not change greatly. While they may become somewhat more docile, they
will still respond to mares in heat and some will even erect and penetrate
if give the chance. As with all species the male behavior becomes
‘learned’ over time. For this reason I often try to dissuade owners from
castrating older stallions, if they are well mannered. However, I realize
that most boarding facilities or adoptive homes will not take a stallion.
So we DO castrate stallions in their 20’s. There is no particular befit to
hospitalization, as the anesthesia protocol, surgery, and after care would
be the same either way. I try to do them standing (depending on their
level of training) as anesthesia in an older animal is always a concern. If
nothing else the recovery part is potentially more difficult, since older
horses are more likely to have the aches and pains we all get as we age,
and getting a horse up after anesthesia is the hardest part of the whole
process. That said my anesthetist has done over 2500 field anesthesias
with me with only one complication (a wild mustang that was very excited
and had to be sedated very heavily with a capture dart…and in retrospect
I should not have asked her to anesthetize the animal). So if anesthesia
is necessary I don’t see that as a problem.

[ljcfoh]

[QUOTE=Watermark Farm;6246517]
Thank you. Where is the teary-eyed emoticon? I am happy to work with a well-run organization like CHANGE. We have four senior Arabian mares available for adoption that came from the same property as the stallions. A fifth, who is believed to be 39, resides at my farm. She took Argus’ spot.

[/I][/QUOTE]

;( Crying yet again today…I just read the stories of the mares on the adoption page, but 39 WOW! That’s really special.

Just out of curiosity, how big was the place where this group was located?

[Watermark_Farm]

After the stallions are situated, we will turn to the task of placing the mare herd that was also abandoned. A volunteer is researching them and we should have most identified soon.

We still need homes for Stallion 1 and Stallion 4

Mare Herd:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.387385777962255.101527.100000725092704&type=1&l=4f3d4de0f3

[Equilibrium]

Watermark,

I just spent 2 hours reading Argus’s blog. Needless to say I’m still sniffling. I’m off to read the next blog and read about more special horses.

I hope these Arabian stallions get the same chance at freedom no matter if the time is short or a bit longer.

I’m really at a point in which this board mostly annoys me. I really don’t visit here as much as I used to, but these are the reasons I do keep coming back. So thank you.

Terri

[Justa_Bob]

[QUOTE=Watermark Farm;6246517]
A fifth, who is believed to be 39, resides at my farm. She took Argus’ spot.
[/I][/QUOTE]

I am so glad for the 39 yo mare is ‘taking’ Argus’ spot. (Had no idea you were Argus’ momma. Amazing blog Watermark!

Bump for the stallions and mares.

[TKR]

THANK YOU for helping these elderly Arabian gentlemen. Hoping they have some affection and good care now for their final years. Send a donation. God Bless!
PennyG

[Watermark_Farm]

[QUOTE=ljcfoh;6246729]

Just out of curiosity, how big was the place where this group was located?[/QUOTE]

Very rural, undeveloped property, probably a good 1000 acres or more. The mares have run loose for over 10 years and live much like a wild horse band, foraging for food and water. Not a bad life, all in all.

MTA: Thank you for all the donations. So far, it looks like we have most of the cost of one dental for 3 stallions covered.

[ljcfoh]

@Watermark Farm;6250326

Very rural, undeveloped property, probably a good 1000 acres or more. The mares have run loose for over 10 years and live much like a wild horse band, foraging for food and water. Not a bad life, all in all.

Wow, that is sort of fascinating. I suppose as circumstances go the mares had the better end of the deal, but still so strange to “become” wild after being not. Though I am sure there were times that it must have been a little more challenging for the mares to find food, but at least they had each other and freedom unlike the stallions. I suppose it is fortunate that the stallions didn’t join that part of the herd as it certainly seems like something that could have been considered.

[Watermark_Farm]

It has been a very long day and this update will be short. Today Animal Control seized the Arabian stallions and volunteers from the Sonoma CHANGE Program coordinated the seizure and moved the horses to safety.

It was quite the event, moving FOUR mildly sedated stallions who have lived in pens for months all in unison down a steep, long 4-wheel drive road, across a rural highway, to trailers waiting. But we did it, the boys seemed to know we were helping them, and they cooperated and jumped into the trailers and they are all safe tonight.

Stallion 1 is in a temporary barn and will travel to Springlake next week for a summer of TLC at her facility — unless we can find him a more permanent home first. Thanks, Springlake!

Stallion 2 spent 4 hours in the trailer to go to a lifetime home with a wonderful Arabian enthusiast! See Facebook album for photos of his move.

Stallion 3 is in a foster barn where he will receive TLC and great food and care for a week, then be euthanized. He is a total sweetie and he seems to be enjoying every minute of his new life.

Stallion 4 is in a temporary barn and still needs a permanent home.
He is beautiful!

Thank you COTH for donating enough funds to cover dentals and for spreading the word about these horses.