The horses out together yesterday evening.

In memory of those who have passed on under HOP’s care, we wish to share this poem. Though originally no horse was mentioned in it, we suspect that the author,who obviously possesses an exceptional heart, would not mind a bit.
The Rescuers Rainbow Bridge
Unlike most days at the Rainbow Bridge, this day dawned cold and grey. All the recent arrivals at the Bridge did not know what to think, as they had never seen such a day. But the animals who had been waiting longer for their beloved people to accompany them across the Bridge knew what was happening, and they began to gather at the pathway leading up to it.
Soon an elderly dog came into view, head hung low and tail dragging. He approached slowly, and though he showed no sign of injury or illness, he was in great emotional pain. Unlike the animals gathered along the pathway, he had not been restored to youth and vigor upon arriving at the Bridge. He felt out of place, and wanted only to cross over and find happiness.
But as he approached the Bridge, his way was barred by an angel, who apologized and explained that the tired and broken-spirited old dog could not cross over.
Only those animals accompanied by their people were allowed to cross the Bridge.
Having nobody, and with nowhere else to turn, the dog trudged into the field in front of the Bridge. There he found others like himself, elderly or infirm, sad, discouraged and dejected.
Unlike the other animals waiting to cross the Bridge, these animals were not running or playing. They simply were lying in the grass, staring forlornly at the pathway across the Rainbow Bridge. The old dog took his place among them, watching the pathway and waiting, yet not knowing what he was actually waiting for.
One of the newer horses at the Bridge asked a cat who had been there longer to explain what was happening.
The cat replied, “Those poor animals were abandoned, turned away, or left at rescue places, but never found a home on earth. They all passed on with only the love of a rescuer to comfort them. Because they had no people to love them, they have nobody to escort them across the Rainbow Bridge.”
The dog asked the cat, “So what will happen to those animals?” Before the cat could answer, the clouds began to part and the cold turned to bright sunshine.
The cat replied, “Watch, and you will see.”
In the distance was a single person, and as she approached the Bridge the old, infirm and sad animals in the field were bathed in a golden light.
They were all at once made young and healthy, and stood to see what their fate would be.
The animals who had previously gathered at the pathway bowed their heads as the person approached.
At each bowed head, the person offered a scratch, a pat or a hug. One by one, the now youthful and healthy animals from the field fell into line behind the person.
Together, they walked across the Rainbow Bridge to a future of happiness and unquestioned love.
The horse asked the cat, “What just happened?”
The cat responded, “That was a rescuer. The animals gathered along the pathway bowing in respect were those who had found their forever homes because of rescuers. They will cross over when their people arrive at the Bridge. The arrival here of a rescuer is a great and solemn event, and as a tribute they are permitted to perform one final act of rescue. They are allowed to escort all those poor animals they couldn’t place on earth across the Rainbow Bridge and into Heaven.”
The horse thought for a moment, then said, “I like rescuers.”
The cat smiled and replied, “So does heaven, my friend. So does heaven.” Author Unknown
pictured here is “Pocket” who was laid to rest a few years ago. We love the poignancy in this picture.

Claire and HOP volunteer, Suzanna, during a ground work lesson. Sorry folks, all we could find on this messy afternoon was a buggy whip for a carrot stick. Wait til ya’ll see the movement this little gal has!
The two foals (Calli’s Fillies) headed today to their Ky private rescue farm where they will be placed when they are ready. So glad to have been able to get this arranged! Thank you, Morgan! — with Jessie Smith Hardesty.
Grace is such a lovely mover! She seemed green today during her evaluation, but she accepted tack easily.
Schmidtty is looking better already!
Blake is back with HOP and adoptable! She is a well trained, but very strong willed QH mare. She requires a very good rider. She is easy to handle on the ground.
11 years old and 15hh. Liver Chestnut.
So needless to say Claire is at least half Arab. . .
She arrived very abused. Our VP and her family have been working on restoring her trust in people.
She was impossible to catch when turned out when she arrived. She has made a lot of progress so far at our VP’s farm! It is impressive that after our volunteer chases her around so we could film her movement, she is able to walk up to Claire and catch her.
The foals have arrived safely to the KY farm and have been named “Reba and Shania”!
It takes a lot of folks to make this rescue go around.
http://www.wvhorserescue.org/about2.html
Ona, WV
Arab cross gelding. Well behaved trail horse. 15hh, 13 years old
No fee to approved home with references

HOW TO IDENTIFY A HORSE CRAZY Kid…
1. When you are looking for your broom do you often find it between your child’s legs?
2. When you ask your child to name off colors do they say “bay, paint, chestnut, sorrel, palomino, dun, and buckskin” ?
3. When your child has another horse crazy kid come over do you look out your window to find them round penning each other in your dog’s yard?
4. When your child is bought Barbie’s do they use them only to ride their toy horses?
5. When you open your media cabinet do you find only horse related movies?
6. Have you watched The Saddle Club more times than any Disney movie?
7. Instead of your child answering with a ‘no’ do they instead reply with a “neighhhhhh”?
8. When you offer your child an afternoon snack do they always request carrots and apples?
9. When you go to the petting zoo, do you have trouble prying your child away from the ponies to see anything else?
10. Does your child tie herself to the baby buggy with jump ropes and prance?
11. Does your child try to sleep standing up?
12. Does your child call a bedroom their stall and your bathroom the wash rack?
13. Does your child request a ponytail every day to wear to school?
14. When your child stares at the sky, do they always see horse shapes in the clouds?
15. Does your dog run and hide from your child because it is tired of wearing a saddle?
I know what my shirts says, but I don’t feel like I save horses this particular day

Rainer is gone.
I know I’ll think more sensibly of it tomorrow or next week, but right now, I’d rather not think about how it has to be and the real world.
I’d like to imagine there comes a time this doesn’t have to happen. . . for now. That we can always rehab them where they go on to be adopted and know the good life for a long while.
I’ll know better tomorrow.
“‘I Dreamed A Dream’ (from LES MISERABLES)
There was a time when men were kind
When their voices were soft
And their words inviting
There was a time when love was blind
And the world was a song
And the song was exciting
There was a time
Then it all went wrong
I dreamed a dream in time gone by
When hope was high
And life worth living
I dreamed that love would never die
I dreamed that God would be forgiving
Then I was young and unafraid
So dreams were made and used and wasted
There was no ransom to be paid
No song unsung
No wine untasted
But the tigers come at night
With their voices soft as thunder
As they tear your hope apart
And they turn your dream to shame
He slept a summer by my side
He filled my days with endless wonder
He took my childhood in his stride
But he was gone when autumn came
And still I dream he’ll come to me
That we will live the years together
But there are dreams that cannot be
And there are storms we cannot weather
I had a dream my life would be
So different from this hell I’m living
So different now from what it seemed
Now life has killed
The dream I dreamed”

Rhett, the first foal born to a mare rescued pregnant in HOP in his adoptive home getting a trim by Ronnie Bowman today (He is 2.5 years old now)
Got a call from ACO literally 5 minutes after Rainer was put down this morning about a report of a horse abandoned in Wayne county, WV tied to an abandoned property’s porch.
I’ve been trying to get directions since.
The property owner (who lives in Ohio) just called me and let me know how to get there.
The horse has been there without care tied to the porch, as far as she has been told, for about a week.
We are headed there now
— update —
https://www.facebook.com/HeartofPhoenixEquinerescue/photos/pcb.846106295420667/846106172087346/?type=1&theater
Tara today. . .after the torrential downpours we’ve had
This is an older picture of Blake but it shows off her lovely head and deep chest. Blake is adoptable for an experienced rider. She has a lot of western training and leads well. Blake is a liver chestnut QH mare, 11 and 15HH.
This is his rescue story today
Not a foal, as further checking reveals – just a younger pony.
Animal control called this morning to ask us to take this pony.
This was a case where the owner of the property no longer lives in this state, and she called to report a pony tied up in her yard. ACO asked us to pick the pony up. He was said to be tied out like this for about a week.
Arizona is just about the cutest little thing! She worked on being caught today and saddling and bridling. She sure is making good progress considering her mental state when she started!
I believe it can be safely said that Alfie has completed his rehab! 13.2HH gelding pony – Our guess, likely WELSH/TWH cross. Alfie is suitable for an advanced beginner child or a smaller adult
Love this
What a before and after!

Rescue is never without something dramatic going on.
We received a call from our local animal control about moving a horse tied up and thin in our county.
Our local animal control officers are sheriff’s deputies and able to make the call on seizures and charges.
We did as asked, as usual, and we picked the pony up and brought him here. You’ve all seen the video, I’d say. If you haven’t, we taped the entire trip and pick up. You can see it below in the other posting, if you’d like.
Animal control did not know who owned the pony and assumed he had been abandoned; however, they have said when the owner is found, charges will be brought.
We have nothing to do with the charges or how that plays out. We hold the horse for the county until ownership is either returned to the owner (which has so far never happened in the years we’ve worked with ACO here) or given to us formally.
Someone claims to know the owner of the pony, now. They are posting on this page and elsewhere. This is not an uncommon thing to happen when a horse or pony is seized.
We just want our followers to be aware. We worked the way we always do. We will let law enforcement / ACO do what they always do, and we hope what is best for the pony is what plays out.
This serves as a reminder, given how awful some of the posts by the person have been, WHY we do not have a public facility or post our location. Helping horses in need means putting ourselves (and our children) in situations one may not deem safe. I hope those that have wondered about this in the past consider this a fair reason as to why we work the way we do.
________________ UPDATE
https://www.facebook.com/HeartofPhoenixEquinerescue/photos/a.485813968116570.112242.356449524386349/846774855353811/?type=1&theater
We have some great news for Misty. . .
She will be heading to a group that specializes in the rescue of pregnant miniature horses very soon. Thanks to Cindy G at The Homes for Horses Coalition for linking us to them!
https://www.facebook.com/PeaceforPonies
All of the references have raved about the excellent, specialized care this group can provide her, and we appreciate them having reached out to us to network her.
This is a wonderful thing because it opens up a spot to allow us to help others in dire need.
http://www.earthlodge.org/id39.html
Skye in her adoptive home
“A man that don’t love a horse, there is something the matter with him”. -Will Rogers

We are often asked if anyone was prosecuted in the cases you see posts on our page. Many times we are asked with the assumption that Naturally, someone was.
Given the conditions many are seized or found in, you would imagine most of these cases are open and shut, with criminal charges resulting. Jail time or at least heavy fines, right?
But that is rarely the case. To date, I’m only certain one person was charged and had true consequences, but honestly, we just do not have time to be angry or worry about that.
We aren’t “animal cops.” I am not sure I believe it happens like that anywhere, but if it does, let me tell you, it has failed to play out like that here.
Tunnel vision on charging these people results in loss of focus on our real goal. . .that is saving the horses.
We load them up, we rehab them and make sure THAT doesn’t happen again. That is all we can do.
I really cannot get trapped in the worry about what happens to the person responsible after we have the horse. We wish the world was justice-filled, that good always prevailed, that people get what they have coming. . .but it is not. So we do what we do, we try to do it well and let the legal system either succeed or fail on the repercussions for those making a need for us vital.
Haflinger mare and filly in need of placement urgently in Wayne, WV – no fee to safe home. Mare has foundered in the past. Friendly, younger mare. Filly is about 3 months old. If interested, send vet and farrier references and facility photos to equinerescue@live.com
Clover, Boone and Bettie in their adoptive home. Willie lives there, too, but he isn’t generally turned out with this herd as he is too protective of Clover. lol!
The Owner of Hershey just came in and signed him over to HOP at the Animal Control office in Cabell county.
Thank Goodness. We appreciate that!
She apologized for the comments on facebook and said the person on here posting continually and belligerently was not the owner of the pony.
All Settled.
Welcome to HOP, Hershey!
“Individual commitment to a group effort–that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.”
–Vince Lombardi
“Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.” –Henry Ford
We need someone to haul down from Hampshire county in WV – two horses were seized there and need to make it to HOP here in Huntington, WV.
We will cover costs
Pretty little Arizona got turned loose in the field today and later when we went to catch her, she walked right up to Raven, one of her fosters! We love seeing them go from “scared to death”, to “maybe you are okay”, to “Hey I like you guys”!
Misty AND Marlee head out this evening to Peace for Ponies in Massachusetts. We are happy they can go together, and this allows our foster, Angela, who holds minis and ponies, to make room for others in need. This is such a high needs area, we are thankful for this!
https://www.facebook.com/PeaceforPonies
My amazing Willie shutting our driveway gate after our evening trail ride . He is my best friend with all his quirks and uncertainties I love him to pieces ….I just had to share how awesome he is. He has come SO far!
#heartofphoenix
Thanks to Angela K hauling Misty and Marlee to meet the transporter tonight!
Misty and Marlee headed to lay over in Pa and then to Massachusetts