Mister Deez

Neigh Savers is thrilled to announce that we have had several recent adoptions. In the last few months, we have found forever homes for 9 of the Banning Auction Horses, 1 Direct Track adoption, 1 forever home for a horse from top trainer Kristin Mulhall, 3 Northern California Program Adoptions, 1 Assisted Replacement, and Southern California’s 1st Retraining Placement. All in all, we have placed 16 horses.

 A few Highlights include:

Wendythethief

Wendythethief: A beautiful 5 yo 16.2 hand mare who was the first horse to be retrained in our Southern CA retraining program has found her way to Bellingham, WA where she is the pride and joy of our dear friends, Dr. Cay & Sandy. Wendy could not have found more wonderful and loving people to dot on her. She will be ridden and shown locally in dressage, trail ridden, and spend her warm spring and summer days turned out in grass pastures. Wendy has a kind, beautiful spirit and will flourish under the love, care, and partnership of these 2 very special ladies.

Mister Deez: Tall, handsome, and gorgeous! Mister Deez comes to us through our dear friend and racing trainer, Kristin Mulhall. Kristin and her clients have taken exceptional care of Mister Deez, and after running in one race, wanted to retire him sound into a perfect forever home. A perfect, forever home he has, thanks to our new friend, Jamie. Jamie has almost 20+ years of riding experience, is a vet tech, and after the loss of her 30 year old horse, decided to open her heart to this special man. Mister Deez is officially one very lucky and very spoiled boy!

Land Between, Cubanita, & Stevie: Our three senior ladies from the Banning Dispersal have landed softly at the beautiful San Diego area ranch of Linda and Dale H. With over 40 acres, beautiful stalls and pastures, Linda & Dale have opened their arms and their hearts to these kind and wise old girls. Being 26, 16, and 18-20, respectively, these girls deserved a beautiful retirement with pastures to run in and carrots to munch on. Nothing will be expected of them and they will be showered with love and bags of carrots as they spend their days beautifying Linda and Dale’s pastures.

At the end of October, it was brought to our attention that there was to be an auction to disperse 60+ head of horses from a private Southern CA breeding facility. Many of the horses were either old broodmares or young and unregistered and there were no minimum reserves which put these horses at significant risk for ending up on the killer’s trucks. Due to the profound generosity of our supporters, both new and old friends, we were able to attend the auction with the ability to walk away with over 12 high risk horses.

Neigh Savers So CA team showed up in force, along with Southern CA TB Rescue, and United Pegasus Foundation, we formed a coalition against the killer buyers vowing to prevent any horse from leaving on the killer’s trucks. Unfortunately the auction was cancelled after only a fraction of the horses were auctioned… however, we feel our presence there called to attention the fact that despite laws to the contrary killer buyers are at nearly every auction.  We would like to thank the efforts of our Southern California Area Director Nicole and the great team she assembled that arrived with cash and horse trailers.  Neigh Savers would like to thank each individual donor for their compassion and generosity as well as all individuals who have either adopted or are sponsoring horses on a monthly basis: Linda & Dale H, Kim & Mike von Disterlo, Betsy B., Kat D., Jean & Pat H, Beth. These horses have found beautiful forever homes and remarkable people to be their guardians and partners.

Slewpy’s Charm, Rosy’s Endow, and Iona Prospector are available for adoption. Take a look, you never know if you will find your special friend!

Career decisions are sometimes hard. Many are left pondering what it is that they want to do when they “grow-up”. Off-Track Thoroughbreds (OTTB) are no different. The breed is as varied in ability, conformation, and personality as a Heinz 57 dog. Massive, powerful, refined, cat-like, elegant, lazy, energetic–all are adjectives to describe thoroughbreds. Some horses just LOVE to run; others prefer do not.   The common variables that all of these horses do share is their heart, work ethic, and need for human interaction. Given love and kindness a TB who may not have left their heart on the track will give all their heart to the human they love.

As a young thoroughbred sitting in a stall on the backstretch of a race track, we often look at a horse and wonder what their future has in store for them. They don’t race forever. What happens next? Will they make a Hunter/Jumper, Eventer, Dressage, Western, or Trail horse? Will they have a home? Someone to tend to their needs, cultivate their abilities, give them love? The lucky ones are given time off of the track, time to let down. Then, they are found new homes, new careers.  And then, there are some are just not that lucky. 

Doolledo, “Bowie”, is a 9 years old, 17.3 hand gelding. He is a massive, powerful animal. Bowie is also a laid-back, gentle horse. He is silly, plays with his bucket, and throws his rubber bowl across the turnout. Bowie loves to hang his head out of his stall and socialize with anyone that is willing to chat with him. He’s a gentle giant, just one of the boys.

Doolledo leaving the track

Winning his first race, Bowie showed promise at the track. However after running 18 additional races, Bowie never graced the winner’s circle again. Bowie came off track into the loving care of Craig and Colette Geibel. Here, Bowie spent his days playing in the paddock with his buddies. Occassionally, Craig would ride him on the trails, but Bowie was rather large for the narrow, steep trails. Unfortunately, Craig was no longer physically able to ride and Bowie just hung with his other equine compadres.

Participating in the holiday festivities at Geibel Farms, Bowie puts his best hoof forward

Thoroughbreds thrive on routine and consistent work. It was clear that Bowie needed a job. Bowie was listed on the Neigh Savers site as available for adoption. Neigh Savers was contacted by the Presidio Park Mounted Police Department. They were looking for a BIG and quiet horse. Bowie, with his giant stature and goofy personality fit the bill. The police departmet scheduled an interview with Bowie. He passed with flying colors save one exception–he had a love of munching on the American flag while mock protesters waved it in his direction. Not bad for an Off-Track Thoroughbred. Spooky, hot, Bowie scoffed at those words used to describe his breed.

Sgt. King welcoming Bowie into the Presidio Park Mounted Police training program

Unfortunately for the Police Program, Bowie decided that their work shifts were entirely too long for him. Much to the dismay of the Sargeant, they had to pass on him after nearly 3 months in training.  It was a difficult decision for Sgt. King for Bowie had every attribute the police were looking for and in previous years they would have invested much more time to get Bowie to accept his longer shifts.  In fact, they had another horse exactly like Bowie that they had the luxury to work with until they molded him into the perfect police horse.  Unfortunately with budget cuts and staff cuts the Mounted Police needed a horse that could be ready for duty within 90 days.

Back to Geibel Farms and the Neigh Savers Program he went. First career as a race horse was not Bowie’s speed, second career as a trail horse, was a little too steep, third career as a police horse, a little too long of a day, well maybe the fourth time’s the charm…enter Mike.

Mike von Disterlo, of Kimberlee Farms has always dreamed of having a police horse and has always had a love of thoroughbreds. In his 20’s, Mike had the opportunity to compete in Southern California Hunter/Jumper shows on an Off-Track Thoroughbred. Mike has not shown in years and has spent time in the saddle with his elderly rescued Quarter Horse. Mike has yearned to have the opporunity to jump again. He wanted a Thoroughbred and he wanted to be a part of an off-track Thoroughbred’s story.

Mike’s dream has come true. Bowie has moved down to Kimberlee Farms, where Neigh Savers’s Southern California Program is based. Bowie is being restarted under saddle and will ultimately be trained for a career in Hunters/Jumpers. Mike aspires to get back in the show ring and is proud to have such a special partner to do it with.

One never really does know what their life’s career will be. It is a funny thing that no matter how much planning, training, and time is spent working towards one’s career of choice, life and circumstance can change everything. Horses are no different. When horse’s no longer have the ability or desire to race, Neigh Savers is there to help transition them into a new career. We are creating new beginnings for retired racing thoroughbreds. No longer are they trying to win their race of the day, but together, we are helping them win the race of their lives.

Need New Hay Barn: Collapsed barn leaves hay exposed to elements

Neigh Savers’ Northern California horses are in desperate need of a new hay barn. Our delapidated hay barn has finally collapsed. Although temporarily covered with tarps, Geibel Farm gets a tremendous amount of rain and the horses’ hay is getting exposed to the elements, thus running the risk of spoilage.

Through the generosity of two contractors, an electrician and a welder, all labor is being donated. Per the city of Clayton, the structured must have significant steel reinforcement to meet coding standards. Unfortunately, as a result of the steel reinforcement, the cost of materials is approximately $3,000.

We are now raising money to assist in the rebuilding project. Any donations are appreciated and fully tax-deductible.

Macho happily munching on carrots from his supporter Allison

As a result of racing injuries, Materazzi “Macho” was suffering from bone chips in his front knees. The bone chips were causing swelling, lameness, and degenerative arthritis. With successful surgery and rehab, horses like Macho can continue their careers, and even continue to race.

Thank you to Dr. Kim Kuhlman for performing the surgery at a significant discount and Dawn Mellen from After the Finish Line for providing emergency medical funding. Macho is now successfully recovering and will never have to run another race; instead, he has won the race of his life. We are grateful to all of his supporters, donors, and previous owners for giving this kind, affectionate and beautiful gelding a chance at a happy and healthy life. Macho’s prognosis is excellent and he will go on to have a productive second career. 

Jockey Mike Smith riding Warning Zone to victory in Gr. 2 Sunset Handicap

Neigh Savers Southern California Program is pleased to announce the arrival of Warning Zone aka “Ozzie”. Ozzie arrived at the end of April and is enjoying life at Kimberlee Farms. He stepped off the trailer a perfect gentleman.

Thank you to top trainer, Kristin Mulhall for placing this special thoroughbred in our care. He was retired from the track, a champion with winning 2 Graded Stakes races under the guidance of Jockeys Mike Smith and Cory Nakatani and, as well as having over $350k in career earnings. He will now enjoy lots of love, carrots, and most likely retrain for a career as a hunter.

Warning Zone Arriving at Kimberlee Farms

Kimberlee Farms owner, Kim von Disterlo, has fallen in love and has adopted. She aspires to showing him in Hunter Hack and Rusty Stirrup classes. As a horse who has given so much of himself, he will enjoy a quiet life and a special woman to love him forever.

Warning Zone, we are pleased to welcome you home!

Colette, of Geibel Farm, with long-time supporters Doug and Susan

The Neigh Savers’ first Northern CA open house was a hit! Saturday, May 22^nd was an exciting day for our Northern California team as Craig & Colette Geibel of Geibel Farm and NS founder Karin Wagner welcomed all who came to visit our first annual open house. We offered pony rides, homemade goodies, new volunteer opportunities and a chance to meet our retired off-track Thoroughbreds and are grateful to our volunteers and supporters for helping to make the day a success!

New Volunteer Cheri with Yah Never Know

A special thank you to Craig & Collete for all of their hard work and for donating farm fresh eggs and brownies, to Cyndi and Jessica for giving pony rides to the kids, to Trish for donating fantastic homemade jams, to Victoria for donating stall guards, to Carolina and Family who volunteered all day long and provided cookies for our bake sale, to Andrea for homemade brownies, and Michele for exotic Turkish goods. Also thanks to Shelby & Cheri who signed up new volunteers, and to Allison for offering to help sponsor Macho. Big thanks to the Clayton Pioneer, whose article helped bring publicity and support to our event.

Ashna enjoys her first pony ride with proud papa Swapan

All proceeds from the pony rides and homemade goodies sale directly benefit the care of the horses.

Fritz's bright and happy smile

Neigh Savers’ Northern California program is proud to bring Fritz Grau into its program. Fritz is a six year old, 16.3 h/h chestnut gelding. Fritz was a fierce competitor on the track and known around the barn for his gentle, kind, and even personality. He has always loved the attention of people and munching on his carrot treats. Fritz is currently in rehabilitation for a slight shin fracture and should be able to return to work around August 2010.

Fritz has a special story. His dam, College Band, was found on a feedlot in foal and gave birth to a stillborn foal. After being rescued by a well-known California horse breeder, College Band became a favorite dam and produced some very fine racers over the years.

Geri named Fritz after an old friend who always talked race horses and loved the track and all things racing. However, Mr. Fritz Grau could never be convinced to participate as a race horse owner. Several years ago, Mr. Grau was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Although he had never owned a horse, his dear friend, Geri, named this kind, young colt after him. In his final days, Mr. Grau found much joy in visiting his namesake at the barn.

As fate would have it, Mr. Grau’s widow, Susan, is helping to sponsor Fritz in her beloved husband’s memory. Mrs. Grau writes: “Fritz is a gorgeous, friendly horse as you are probably aware, and named after my wonderful, gorgeous, friendly, unfortunately deceased husband. Thank you so much for his care and being there.”

Fritz and Cat's Matching Sock

Fritz has excellent conformation, a short back, and clean legs. With his personality, heart, and physical build, he will make a fine riding partner and best friend to a very special person. We look forward to seeing Fritz find his new career, but in the meantime he and Ymustichasethecat are the best of friends, spending their days paling around the paddock and joined at the hip.  The two chestnuts look like twins.  They even each have one white sock on rear right legs!

Fritz will be available more adoption in the fall. We are currently accepting applications for him. Interested? Email: karin@neighsavers.com

Seth urgently needs cataract surgery

Scythian Gold (Seth) is a yearling by Mongol Warrior out of the dam Now My Precious. Seth is very “Precious” to us already and has come to Neigh Savers by quite a route. His dam was part of a controversial southern California breeding dispersal.  Now My Precious was pregnant with Seth when she eventually landed in a feed lot in Arizona. The dam was rescued and subsequently foaled Seth at another rescue.

We have now taken over Seth’s rehabiliation, care, and training as the other rescue is not in a position to train young horses and also does not have the necessary funding to pay for Seth’s cataract surgery. We are not exactly in a good position to do this either but are committed to raising the funds for this very urgently needed surgery. We know we have some awesome and dedicated supporters. We can only help Seth with your help, generosity, and compassion.

Not only did we adopt Seth, but at the same time also a filly, Valerie’s Gift (Gigi), another yearling by Dante’s Inferno out of the dam Baby Bountiful. Baby Bountiful was found on the same feed lot and traced back to the same breeding dispersal that dumped Now My Precious there. Thus, both babies came to us indirectly from a breeding dispersal via a feed lot. They are two of the fortunate ones. Especially fortunate because both yearlings are now living and will be trained at Kimberlee Farms in Somis, CA.

Please help us raise the funds to provide Seth with his much needed cataract surgery.

Mike von Disterlo, Owner, Kimberlee Farms and Karin Wagner, Founder, Neigh Saver, proudly displaying grant check from CARMA

Neigh Savers was honored along with 11 other rescues last month by the California Retirement Management Account Foundation (CARMA).  The majority of the funding went to the three major rescues that run dedicated retirement facilities.  However, we were honored to be included for the second consecutive year.  We will quote directly from the news release:

“We are extremely proud of the work we have done over the past 12 months,” said Madeline Auerbach, a program founder who chairs the CARMA Board. “These funds will help buy much needed hay, feed and medications, etc.  Hopefully, this will give a financial cushion to each of the charities. Not only has the CARMA program proven to be successful in terms of dollars raised, we’re able to see a tangible difference at the farms and facilities where the horses live. As we go out and visit organizations throughout the year, our directors are seeing the money put to work.”

Neigh Savers looks forward to continuing rehabilitating, retraining, and rehoming Off-Track Thouroughbreds in 2010. Shown proudly displaying the Neigh Savers’ grant check from CARMA are Mike von Disterlo, Owner, Kimberlee Farms and Karin Wagner, Founder, Neigh Savers.