We were NOT able to save them...

Thank you to everyone who tried to help us with the Minnesota horses. We tried our very best, worked around the clock with good, solid reliable people around the country and we could not do it.

I am absolutely exhausted so will update everyone tomorrow, we were all up till 3am and then back up at 6am and really, truly gave it our very best shot.

You can see some updates on our facebook page and others comments.

I want to lay out the full story here for our readers, unfortunately if I lay it out now, it might look like a game of 52 card pick up and that won't be good.

Thank you for your wonderful, kind words to me...it was a truly sad moment when we realized we would fail, but at least we tried as hard as we could.

I believe I have refunded everyone's donation, if not, please let me know and I will get on it asap. It took me two hours to do them all (our readers are totally awesome)...and big thanks to those who said to keep the donations for the horses and for future NH rescues, we appreciate your generosity and kindness to us.

No Potato Salad Required - Acres Acres No Show Picnic!

No Potato Salad Required - Angel Acres No Show Picnic Fundraiser!

Click the flyer for details and a bigger version of the flyer!

Big thanks to Carol for her AMAZING flyer!

You can click here to see it too! ALL Proceeds go towards hay for the horses.

Big Thanks To Rick - WHY, you might ask? Read on...

We just received our very first, EVER, donation from the sale of a vehicle....AND I didn't even know it was happening until I got the check mail!

Rick donated his vehicle to Independent Charities of America and they sent us a check! I have heard of this kind of donation before and really didn't think they worked...well, now I'm a believer (oohhh...singing in my head like Davey Jones...hhhmmmm...maybe to early to be bloggin?! lol)...

THANK YOU RICK!! This is a fabulous way to start the weekend...especially since our No Show Picnic Hay Fundraiser Starts this weekend!! YEA!!!

Would you happen to have a car thats just sitting around, oafing, taking up space and just in need of a new home?! If so, click here and consider donating it to Angel Acres!

To The People Slaughtering American Horses In Florida!

Outstanding Peer Reviewed Manuscript - EATING HORSE MEAT IS A HEALTH RISK!!!

Click Here to Read The Manuscript:

Association of phenylbutazone usage with horses bought for slaughter:
A public health risk

Whomever is eating horse meat in the USA (via the illegally slaughtered horses in Florida) or wherever, I sure hope you read this...maybe your own health being at risk will make you think twice about eating American horses.

Since the pain and suffering you (YOU meaning whoever is committing these horrific acts & YOU meaning the person eating, maybe one in the same ) are inflicting upon someones riding partner, friend, pet, companion, (insert word) etc. has no affect on your cold, calculating and money motivated heart...maybe the fact that you (see ref above) will probably suffer some health repercussions for your heinous acts of violence towards innocent victims MIGHT give you reason to pause and consider your acts and stop this terrible, barbaric and illegal act!

If not, I hope they find you and throw the book at you...

Get Ready...it'll be posted soon...the no show picnic!

Getting Ready to Launch our No Show Picnic Fund Raiser! WOO HOO!!

All proceeds will go towards purchasing our years supply of hay!!!

Details to follow soon...prizes, awards and a special prize for the best no show!

Emails I Receive About Starting A Rescue - Read on!

You should SEE some of the emails I get...I could do a tv show just on those alone...and I just think...WOW...

Lots of people REALLY believe that because they want to start a rescue that they can write for grants to purchase a farm and off they go...trust me...if there was a grant out there to buy a larger farm, I would have found it. There are NO start-up grants that I am aware of, none, nada, zip, zero...

It's a catch 22 for the would be rescuer - you have to have SOMETHING/SOMEWHERE to place animals to start (small farmette, a loaned stall, maybe some foster families- SOMETHING), a business plan and a passion to save (insert animal) and a relentless work ethic.

In my case I am as stubborn as can be when I have decided to do something, I will give it my best effort and succeed or give it my best effort and fail...I refuse to be 80 years old and wondering, what if I had done (insert item)...I will try and know the outcome, good, bad or just silly!

If I can give anyone a bit of advice to anyone who chooses to go into rescue...It is this, say thank you and really mean it!

I truly, absolutely appreciate every single person who donates to our rescue, says a kind word to me, writes me an email, pays a visit, organizes a fundraiser, or simply emails and tells me they are sending prayers and good wishes, etc...

I always send out a thank you card to them (or email if no mailing address) and I may take a month to get a note out, but its always hand written by me ( you might not be able to all read it, I have terrible carpal tunnel lol) and sent via postal mail.

Without ALL of these things...a rescue cannot succeed.

A dear friend of mine said to me one day during one of my "oh woe is me days" (the truck, tractor AND car were all broken down, it was snowing, etc) and the calls for help and horse surrender and horse neglect were still coming in...and I said to her, "don't people understand how hard this is and that I am not Super Rescuer Girl?" And she said, "Jo, you make it look to easy."

You know what...she is right...I really try not burden people with my problems, I try not to say too many sad things on the web (but rescue is sad, it can also be fun, crazy and hectic in a good way), try to find the positive side of almost everything and really keep my emails, newsletters, etc upbeat. I also have a few good volunteers that are AMAZING...and sometimes mistakenly people will call me the "rescue owner"...no one owns the rescue...I am lucky to be able to administer the program and the horses are who we all answer too, they are the owners.

Rescue is hard, unending, demanding, time-consuming work...it is NOT easy, but the reward of seeing photos posted of once slaughter bound horses being loved on by their new families is a reward no paycheck could ever match.

Good luck to all of you up and coming rescuers!

Fun Update and a Beautiful Photo!

WWWOOOO HHHHOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

I just found out that we have been invited to the World Equestrian Games in Kentucky this year by our friends at the Maker's Mark Secretariat Center, how cool is that?!

We may be sending someone from the Angel Acres Velvet-Nosed gang to be adopted out through the center during this 16 day event! The Center has placed 3 of the Angel Acres horses through their program.

This is Fly and Melissa at a show in Kentucky!

She is one of 3 rescued Thoroughbreds sent to Makers Mark to represent Angel Acres, the Thoroughbred breed, and the commitment of good, solid rescues working together to change the lives of Thoroughbreds.

Makers Mark strives to promote the rescues they work with at all of their events...big, super, duper thanks to Susanna, Melissa and the entire Makers Mark Gang!

Cheryl Babysits & Kids Color - For Angel Acres!

Cheryl, an Angel Acres reader and supporter from Vermont, has contributed to our Just a Buck Fundraiser...which has now become the Poopy Holder Machine Fundraiser! LOL!

Cheryl donated her money she earned babysitting and the young children she baby sat also donated a dollar each to our fundraiser...what a wonderfully, kind, generous thing to do...thank you Cheryl, Elijah and Ben!

Thank you for your wonderful donation!

And thank you to everyone who has pledged or donated to the fund! With pledges and donations we have met our goal and will be picking up the spreader this weekend...YEA!!!

The pictures on the left and below are the adorable pictures the children colored and sent with their donation...priceless :o)

Rebecca FINALLY Reaches Jo & Angel Goes Home -

Angel went home with her new family over the weekend...yea!

Rebecca saw Angel's picture and pretty much tracked me down (I had left her a few messages letting her know I am sometimes hard to get ahold of due to cell service, meetings, etc) and told me she HAD to have Angel.

We thought we would have a difficult time finding someone to match her...Angel, I explained to Rebecca, was not just an anyone's horse, so to speak...she is a great ride, super duper smooth canter, sound, gorgeous, no bad habits, no vices, etc...but needs one on one attention to really thrive and be happy. And, as any mare, can be spunky.

Well, as many of you know, I play velvet-nosed & human non-fuzzy nosed, match maker...A LOT...after speaking with Rebecca (quite extensively), I got the feeling that, yes, Rebecca is right for Angel and will give her what she needs to be happy...fast forward...Angel has a new, wonderful Mom & human family!

Here's just a few pics of her first day in her new home...

Thanks Rebecca for giving this sweet girl a wonderful forever home!

Big Thanks to Kevin & Christine for Donating 200 Bales of Hay!

Super Duper Big thanks to Kevin and Christine & their family for donating 200 bales of hay to our rescue! We go through about 12 bales a day for the horses and this is a great help to us!! YEA!!

We so appreciate donated hay...it's one of our biggest expenses and needed for the horses each and every day!

If you have hay you would like to donate, please click here, to learn how to donate it!

WOO HOO!!!

Bandito's Update - Day 60 - after being rescued from death trap of neglect & starvation!

This is Bandito, eating hay this morning in his dry lot...soon, we hope, he will be moved onto grass in one of the pastures for very small periods of time...for now he eats hay all day long!

He is recovering from liver damage, is eating 2 big scoops of senior feed twice a day, is eating hay stretcher once a day and has clean water all day long.

He is mostly hairless along his topline and down his barrel...but new, soft hair is slowly, sssoooooo slowly growing in!

Click here to see his arrival day, 30 minutes after being rescued from the death trap that he and Gee (Gee did not survive and starved to death next to Bandito) were in...you can see the VAST improvement in only 60 days!!

Bandito's Fund Page is here. Thank you to everyone who has donated to him, prayed for him and visited him to give him love and support...thank you...

Just A Buck Fundraiser - Manure Spreader - is under way!!

The Send Us A Buck, Help Us Clean Up The Muck Fundraiser is Underway!!

We are in need of a manure spreader, our 1938 New Idea Manure Spreader could no longer be repaired after 6 years of constant use. We had one donated to us via Pam, one of our readers and wonderfully nice lady...when she went to measure it for pickup, she discovered it had been STOLEN!!

We use the spreader to take the manure and straw right from the stalls to the spreader to the fields...NO manure is stored on the property. This makes it much cleaner, safer, keeps flies and rodents away and generally helps to keep the environment for the horses healthier.

Truly, there is NO glory in rescuing a manure spreader from it's owner...lol...but we need it almost as much as we need hay and grain.

Please Send Us a Buck and Help Us Clean Up The Muck! If you would like to help with our fundraiser: Send us a buck to:

Angel Acres
PO Box 62
Glenville, PA 17329

Or you can click here to donate today!

Thanks so much for helping us help keep the rescue gang all clean and spiffy!!

NINE WORDS WOMEN USE - OH MY! HILARIOUS!

NINE WORDS WOMEN USE

(1) Fine : This is the word women use to end an argument when they are right and you need to shut up.

(2) Five Minutes : If she is getting dressed, this means a half an hour. Five minutes is only five minutes if you have just been given five more minutes to watch the game before helping around the house.

(3) Nothing : This is the calm before the storm. This means something, and you should be on your toes. Arguments that begin with nothing usually end in fine.

(4) Go Ahead : This is a dare, not permission. Don't Do It!

(5) Loud Sigh : This is actually a word, but is a non-verbal statement often misunderstood by men. A loud sigh means she thinks you are an idiot and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you about nothing. (Refer back to # 3 for the meaning of nothing.)

(6) That's Okay : This is one of the most dangerous statements a woman can make to a man. That's okay means she wants to think long and hard before deciding how and when you will pay for your mistake.

(7) Thanks : A woman is thanking you, do not question, or faint.. Just say you're welcome. (I want to add in a clause here - This is true, unless she says 'Thanks a lot' - that is PURE sarcasm and she is not thanking you at all. DO NOT say 'you're welcome' , that will bring on a 'whatever')

(8) Whatever : Is a woman's way of saying TAKE A HIKE...

(9) Don't worry about it, I got it : Another dangerous statement, meaning this is something that a woman has told a man to do several times, but is now doing it herself. This will later result in a man asking 'What's wrong?' For the woman's response refer to # 3.


* Send this to the men you know, to warn them about arguments they can avoid if they remember the terminology .

* Send this to all the women you know to give them a good laugh, cause they know it's true!

Homes For Horses Coaltion - Day 1

We are at that the Homes For Horse Coalition Conference in Nashville, TN.

We are learning a ton of stuff and connecting and brain-storming with a lot of fabulous horse people!!

Resting, then back to the meetings!

Dewey Arrives in PA - Update by new Mom Lesley!

This is Dewey and Lesley taken yesterday, at Dewey's new home! Lesley says he is settling in well and is getting used to his new surroundings...evidently Dewey had never seen a cow up front and personal before...well, he has now! That is what he is looking at in this photo.

Lesley is letting him settle in and showing him around...we will keep you updated on his progress...big thanks to Lesley for giving this sweet, deserving guy a fantastic home...the farm is beautiful as well...hhhmmmm....wonder if Lesley might like to be an Angel Acres repeat adopter?! LOL!!

Mocha and Chloe - Update!

This note just in from Bridget!! YEA!! WE LOVE HAPPY ADOPTION UPDATES!!!!

Note From Bridget:

Hi Jo,

I thought you might like to see some new picture of Chloe and Mocha. They are both doing fantastic! They were pretty much lawn ornaments this winter, but we are all getting back into shape now!

I hope everything is going well at the rescue.

Thanks!

Bridget

Bandito - Starved & Left For Dead - Now Recovering!

These are photos from yesterday morning of Bandito's left side...as you can see the hair is gone...we gave him a bubble/medicated (SSSHHH...he didn't know there were meds in there lol) bath on Sunday. (The other side is the same - no hair)

It was oozing and doing some really freaky stuff (my vet would be writhing if he saw me describe it in these terms) and we decided to use an anti-fungal shampoo. Evidently, it worked wonders!

The hair is now dry, no oozing and I was able to lightly use my hands to remove the dead hair and WOW it smelled terrible!

It now appears that new hair is growing in and it's all smooth and shiny!

We have set up a page specifically for Bandito's Fund.

This page will accept donations quickly and securely for anyone who wants to donate to his care and recovery.
Big thanks to everyone who is helping this guy recover!

He is still painfully thin, but I do believe the prayers and good wishes and visitors are helping his spirits!

Thanks for helping us help Bandito!

Bandito's Fund click to learn more!

Linda Just Pushes Us OVER THE EDGE....

Over the edge of our target goal for the first leg of Mattie's Legacy Fund, that is!!!!

Big thanks to Linda for making these donations to our fundraiser...totalling over $400!!!!!!!!

And this was her note to me upon my thank you note to her...and I thought...WOW... maybe she can inspire others to pick their idea, charity, etc to step up to the plate and JUST DO IT! There is nothing to add to her note, it's perfect! THANK YOU LINDA for (as she put it SO well) Stepping Up To The Plate for Angel Acres and Mattie's Legacy Fund!


Hi Jo:
You're welcome! My only regret is that I didn't make the donations on Sunday, April 25th. I just needed a little more time to think about it. Then I said to myself, you're driving around with a bumper sticker that reads "Save the Horses." This was an opportunity for me to step up to the plate. I'm so glad I did. I have been following all the wonderful things you have been doing for about a year through your website and your newsletters. I hope I am able to continue to be one of your regular supporters.

God Bless you, your staff and all of the rescued horses.

Wishing you the best,


- Linda

Because of YOU....We get stories like this....

This is Super Nationals (ends with an "s") AKA Natty he is living in Colorado with his Mom, Sara - super, fabulous Angel Acres adopter, his velvet-nosed brother Pumpkin (her second Angel Acres adoptee - below left) and Edge (not shown)...

They look AMAZING...and have the personalities to match!

It is because of our readers, supporters, friends and volunteers that we are able to rescue fabulous horses like this and give them a new, loving home and a second chance at life...

Just wanted to say thank you to everyone who donates hay to us (which we really, always need), makes monetary donations (see hay donation note lol), visits and mucks stalls (the more the merrier), helps spread the word about Angel Acres, etc...and what better way than this...they do say a picture is worth a 1000 words..

Two happy, healthy, gorgeous horses...what a way to say THANK YOU :o)

Angel Acres Horse Haven Rescue - visit us today!

Label Fundraiser Update - WOO HOOOO!!!

From Fran:

My eyes are crossed, my fingers are sore from counting that bag of feed labels!! :)

We at Angel Acres are extremely grateful for the $172.50 worth of feed labels we picked up from Pimlico/ Laurel via Petra Kappel.

Mind you some labels are worth $.25 per and some are worth $.10. And this is just from labels turned in last week!!!!! That's a LOT of labels!!! Her last bag was well over that number !!

To date we have raised $1200.35. These funds are going towards purchasing a new (used) tractor as ours didn't make it thru the winter.

From Jo:

PLEASE KEEP THE LABELS COMING!! You can see the kinds of labels we need by clicking here.

The funds raised, over $1200 was raised only since October 2009!! We are hoping for even more this time next year!! Thanks to everyone helping us raise funds via the feed label program from Southern States!

Angel Acres is a 501 c 3 charity and is accredited by GFAS (Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries)

Manure, Manure, Manure, oh and newsletter...lol....

Today's Newsletter!!!!

Read it for updates on Bandito (he looks mopey due to his face losing fur and a skin condition/infection) and our manure spreader needs...sigh...lol...

Thanks for reading!!!!

Tequilla - Available For Adoption - OH MY - is all we can say!!!

Oh MY! Is the best way to describe Tequilla!

Super gorgeous, sound, sand, super solid 1st level and is currently schooling 2nd level dressage, outstanding jumper - is jumping 4ft at the moment.

No issues, no vices, no bad habits, no injuries, no meds, just one of the most fabulous horses we have ever had.

Photos have NOT been altered and he is NOT wearing show sheen/oil/ etc...he really is stunning.

You can go to youtube and search Angel Acres Tequilla and see a few other clips of him jumping, training, etc.

Please call or write for more info.