THINGS
ARE LOOKING UP AT ASAP!!!
It sure is a great
feeling to drive home in the afternoon and see Chief grazing
peacefully with the love of his life, Cricket, and the other
horses. The cath that went into his vein came out two days ago
- and this is a good thing, since three days ago he was very
tired of the whole thing and rubbed it until it broke open.
He must have known that he only had a day of I.V. medication
left to give! Squish ----- out came the cath and Craig was surprised
to see how long it was (maybe well over two inches!).........we
kept it as a souvenir - how nice to know that story had a happy
ending!!!
Now to come to
ASAP is an absolute joy - we have switched paddocks around so
that two paddocks are sprouting with freshly sown pasture grass.
The sanctuary horses are in the back paddock, and the horses
available for adoption are in the 150' x 300' arena with a shelter.
The arena offers good solid footing with NO MUD. The pasture
is growing all around us, and soon we will be fencing our new
adjoining land and preparing that new pole shed with additional
stalls. I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel,
and life is good! Thanks for all of your support as we went
through the darkest of times.
Financially, things
could be better (which non-profit wouldn't say that, right?)............but
your contributions are helping us pay the bills a little at
a time. The best scenario would be if someone came along who
wanted to adopt Thank God for Granny, the Thoroghbred, and pay
the vet bill in exchange for getting the filly. We'll hope that
the right person comes along soon, and continue to be thankful
for Amy H., who is fostering Granny. She has been a godsend
for all three of the fillies.
Adrienne from
Trempealeau and her 4-H club brought a Pat Parelli trainer in
two Saturdays ago for a fund raiser for Granny. Most of the
horses in attendance were Standardbreds, and many riders learned
new strategies in collecting their horses' gaits and received
other valuable tips that I hope Adrienne will share with us
all in this update. Thanks to Adrienne for being such a steadfast
person and doing the fund raisers and also fostering Incredible
Future as well as Jackpot and Wuvbug!
As far as the
Thoroughbred racing world being concerned about the fillies
we took under our wings last December, we have had moral support
from one group in Chicago (thanks to Gigi and RERUN there),
but they were unable to assist financially.
The Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation simply refused any type
of assistance financially, and Blue Horse Charities, who claim
to help those associations who "help the horses" has
not even given us the courtesy of a reply in reference to the
three specific fillies that were received into our care emaciated,
abused, and at death's door. The Standardbred racing world,
however, has shown their true colors and has not let ASAP down.
We have received our yearly stipend from the Illinois Harness
Horseman's Association (thanks to Jack Kelly and the IHHA board),
and are receiving a donation that I will not specify at this
time from the Illinois Harness Horseman's Benevolent Fund. Several
harness racing owners have sent in contributions totalling several
hundred dollars each, and many of our adopters have sent from
$10 - $100 to help us get out of the HUGE hole that recent vet
expenses have found us in. The Standardbred community is a community
with unspeakable commitment to each other............... and
they have not forgotten ASAP. We are thankful to all of you
- there are no words to express it! If any of you read this
and would like to help us take action with the Thoroughbred
community, please go to
www.BlueHorseCharities.org and send an e-mail on ASAP's behalf
- for Granny, Last Name First, and Sabre's Sweetheart.
Maybe they will hear a unified voice?
We want to thank
Mary for her recent donation of a brand new computer for the
office. Now Bonnie is able to take your e-mails at adoptprogoffice@yahoo.com
Also thanks to Terry L. for all the hourse he is putting in
fostering and hauling horses for ASAP. At this time, all foster
families except one are providing FREE foster care for ASAP's
horses - thank you all.
Hope you enjoy
all the pictures I took recently - John Stevenson from CC-106
is the adopter of Pachelbel-N and Firewalker, and is an avid
fan of ASAP, as we are of him! My daugher, Cherie, amazes me
with her initiative and leadership skills, so I had to add her
to the weekly update, even though horses are not her favorite
subject! All my children and my husband continue to be the strength
of my life as we experience the ups and downs of charity life,
and all of you, ASAP's friends through adoption or donation,
are the pulse of this organization.
Until Next Week,
Susan
