Equine Protection Network
August 1, 2006

E-Mail Address Changes!

The E-Mail addresses ending in, "epix.net" are no longer valid.
Please use info@... to contact us.

EPN Sanctuary Program - Donations Needed!

Silver Inflation is in need of a set of Shoo-Fly Leggins,a fly mask
and a Weather-Beeta Fly Sheet to protect him against the painful
biting flies which due to the heat and hunidity this summer are
terrible! We need $100.00 to purchase these important fly protection
products! Please, please consider donating to help this wonderful
horse who provided therapy to handicapped and diabled children and
adults until lameness ended his career.

Remember you can shop online at Igive.com, shop at CDRush.com and
put "EPN" in the coupon code, click on the Back In the Saddle link
from our website or shop at our store to help support the EPN while
you shop! Links to each of these methods of supporting the EPN are
located on each page of our website!


Kona Fund

Thank you to everyone who sent donations to the Kona Medical Fund. I
apologize for the delay in keeping everyone updated. Please
understand that I voulunteer my time to the EPN and recently my
family, my own horse farm, pets and the completion of my AA Degree in
Police Science have required most of my time.

The EPN has also been busy assisting law enforcement in the
investigation of horse cruelty cases and has donated more books via
our Saddle Up For Storytime! program. Remember a tax deductible
donation of $100.00 allows the EPN to donate 15 books to the school
library of your choice. The books we have selected foster a love of
reading and an understanding of horses and horse welfare issues,
including horse slaughter and the American Mustang.

The philosophy of the EPN is to change the status quo by addressing
the root cause of the problem, not applying a band aid after the
damage has been done. We believe the horse industry needs to change
what we are doing as an industry that is causing horses to end up at
slaughter at the age of 7- 11 years. We believe in holding owners
accountable for their actions, not giving them money for their bad
behavior.

We believe that anyone interested in horse welfare issues involving
cruelty must take college level courses in Criminal Justice so as to
understand and effectively investigate and prosecute those who have
neglected, abused, or mistreated the noble and magnificent horse. The
majority of horse cruelty cases are lost in court due to a failure on
the part of the investigators and prosecutors to properly
investigate, collect and present the evidence of the crime of horse
cruelty.

Remember that a defense attorneys first line of defense is to have
the evidence thrown out. If horse welfare organizations and
individual horse owners want to be involved in the investigation and
prosecution of those who negelct and abuse horses, you MUST learn the
rules of the game and you MUST follow them or the offenders will go
unpunished and the horses will continue to suffer. We will send more
information on this in another newsletter.

An excellent website for information on cruelty cases in Berks,
Chester,Lancaster, and Delaware Counties is the Large Animal
Protection Society's website:

www.largeanimalprotectionsociety.org

Check the case files for cruelty cases that have been investigated
and prosecuted by this non-profit organization.

Paula and the EPN are working on the creation of the Kona Memorial
Fund, a fund that will be available to owners who demonstrate a
financial need for assistance in paying for life saving medical care
for their horse, and who have made The Commitment to their horse. It
is very important to Paula that other owners faced with the same
situation have a financial resource that allows them to save their
beloved horse's life.

It is important for everyone to understand that Paula never asked for
help, the EPN and her friends offered assistance to a friend during a
time of need.

Paula has expressed her appreciation to everyone who has made
donations. As time allows we are forwarding name and address
information to Paula so she can send Thank You's and the EPN will be
sending receipts for tax purposes.


Our website has pictures of Kona, Lucy, and Lucy's buddy, Desi.

http://www.equineprotectionnetwork.com/kona.htm

More pictures on our homepage:

http://www.equineprotectionnetwork.com/

Update Wednesday May 31

It is with very heavy heart and aching soul, I write this to tell you
my beautiful mare Kona died this morning, leaving behind not just a
grieving owner, many friends, but also her precious 5 week old baby,
Lucy.

She developed a type of colic older broodmares can develop. She was
diagnosed with large colon displacement. As many of you probably
know, major surgery on horses is extremely risky. With large colon
displacement, unless the horse is critical, the treatment is one of
wait and see with proper drug support to relieve the distention and
inflammation. Often that alone allows the colon to reposition in an
appropriate place.

Kona's did resolve on its own, but her gut developed a serious
bacterial infection. Her liver scores continued to rise and she
developed hepatitis and then an inflamed stomach. While she was
being treated for those conditions, her large colon displaced once
again, and there was really nothing left to be done to save her.

I had to let her go. Never has saying goodbye been so very hard.

She gave so many people so much. Her magic was very special, and
because of her, we all learned a lot about horse slaughter. Above
all else, she gave us her baby filly Lucy.

One of my friends posted a thread on the Chronicle of the Horse
bulletin board at:

http://www.chronicleforums.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=47733

So now with the help of friends, Lucy and I with heavy hearts, go on.

Please keep Kona, Lucy and me in your thoughts and prayers.

Paula

Background on Kona's Medical Fund and Kona's Story

Donations are Tax Deductible

Thank you to everyone who has donated and continue donate to help
Paula offset the medical costs incurred in caring for Kona during her
illness and now the unexpected costs in caring for an orphan foal and
her nursemare foal buddy.


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A fund has been created by the Equine Protection Network to help
offset the medical costs for Kona pictured below with her one month
old filly, "Lucy". Kona and Lucy are alive today due to the
dedication of horse lovers across the country who made Kona's rescue
from a feedlot at the eleventh hour possible and her incredible
journey across the United States to her new home in the Midwest a
reality. Kona has touched the lives of all those whom she has come in
contact with at her new home. Earlier this year Kona gave her
admirers another unexpected gift - a beautiful filly called Lucy! The
entire barn fell under the little filly's charms and she was
christened, "Everybody Loves Lucy"


Kona had been sold to the "killers" last year because she was
believed to be barren and not capable of producing any more foals!

Since foaling Kona has had several bouts of mild colic. Earlier this
week she was rushed to the hospital due to another bout of colic.
Upon consultation with the attending veterinarians it was determined
that the only reason not to treat Kona would be a lack of funds to
cover the cost of her care. A wait and see approach was taken and
Kona was improving until she developed a bacterial infection. Kona's
veterinarians describe her as a "fighter and a very stoic mare". As
for Lucy, well, Everybody Loves Lucy!


Kona's medical bills have exceeded $5000.00 and are still mounting.
Upon learning of the situation the EPN created Kona's Medical Fund to
help her owner and admirers offset the mounting medical bills.

Update Memorial Day

It is with a heavy heart that we must inform Kona & Lucy's admirers
that it has been determined that Kona has a life threatening liver
condition brought on by the mild bouts of colic caused by a displaced
colon. She only has a few months, if that to live. Paula has been
told to take Kona home to be with Lucy. Paula is devastated by this
news as we all are.

Update Tuesday Morning

Kona has taken a turn for the worse and instead of a few months,
Paula and Lucy may only have Kona for a few more hours....

Please help us raise the money to help defray the medical costs and
enable Paula to bring Kona's ashes home with her.

Please understand at this time during this emotional and fluid
situation we are unable to answer everyone's questions regarding
Kona's condition. We will provide more information when the situation
settles down and Paula has time to grieve the loss of her beloved
mare and has provided for orphaned Lucy.



Update on Lucy Adjusting to Life without Kona

It became apparent after the first day without Kona that Lucy needed
a buddy. She had turned into my dog, quietly following me wherever I
went and looking at me with a look of sadness, grief, and "what do I
do now". She picked at her food and slept fitfully in the corner of
her stall. While I pondered viable solutions, Victoria Goss from Last
Chance Corral, (an amazing rescue that hand raises the nurse mare
foals, www.lastchancecorral.org ), called to say she had a
compatible nurse mare foal for Lucy. I took that call to mean I
should get ready for a second foal. Lucy desperately needed an equine
buddy.

On June 1, my friend LeeAnn graciously offered to go to Last Chance
Corral with me to pick up Lucy's new companion.

On the LCC website he was pictured as Cupid's Quiver. He had been
promised to a family in New York, but they had postponed picking him
up twice. Victoria finally said, "enough", and offered him to Lucy
and me when the prospective owners tried to postpone pickup one final
time. I guess, like Kona, he was meant to come my way.

He was pasture born the first part of April, which makes him a couple
weeks older than Lucy. He was described on the website as a Quarter
Horse/Draft cross, but it just took one look for me to say no way.
The barn where I board is full of Walking Horses and this guy was
DEFINITELY a walking horse crossed with a draft or part draft.


I decided to call him Desi. (Yes, we all needs some laughs these
days!)

Desi's imprinting had not been as kind as Lucy. His first interacting
with humans was someone taking him away from his mother and his home
when he was about 5 weeks of age. Then off to LCC he went. Needless
to say, he brought with him some touch issues. I am jumping ahead of
myself. . . .

The drive to LCC from my house is about 2 1/2 hours through beautiful
hilly rural southern Ohio to Athens Ohio. LCC is nestled at the
bottom of a steep hill on a country road. How Victoria does what she
does with such a small setting is truly amazing.

The horses are very well cared for in a very small space. The horses
are in a barn at the foot of the drive and the foals are kept in a
Swiss Alpine looking wing to Victoria and Donny's home, complete with
stalls, critical care room, medicine room and large open play yard
with milk replacer buckets hanging on the support beams.

Desi was one of 5 babies in residence, 3 being her fundraiser foals
which will travel to horse events during the summer as educational
and promotional foals, and one being a very young colt not ready to
go to a new home. Victoria explained that Desi had not had much
handling because he came to LCC very healthy and a bit older. With
only so many hours in the day, those hours end up being spent on the
needy ones.

Desi had to be herded down the lane into the trailer. Hmm I thought.
What was I in for?

The ride home was uneventful. We pulled the trailer into the large
indoor arena. I climbed in back and slipped a halter on Desi's
head. . . the first time he had ever had a halter on. We opened the
door and out he came.

Up close right now, he isn't what anyone would describe as handsome.
But step back and oh my. . .is he a looker! Right now he has a very
plain head complete with Roman nose so up close that's all you see.
BUT, when he moves, he moves! Big big confident strides of walk,
running walk, trot, canter and gallop. He moves off his back end
super well and when he trots he arches his neck, sticks his tail
straight up in the air and floats way above the ground straight and
true as can be. One on-looker said, "touch of Arabian".

He is not as tall as Lucy but he is more than twice as thick.

When we brought Lucy out to meet him she hid behind me like a
frightened child looking at an alien creature. She wanted nothing to
do with him.

After both foals settled a bit, we figured it was time to take them
to their stalls. Desi said no way are you going to put your hands on
me. It took three of us to finally calmly corner him so I could get a
lead rope on him. The idea was to let him follow Lucy who walks like
some obedience trained Great Dane. Well Desi said nuttin doing Miss
bryn, and off he went with me on the end of the lead rope. I always
wondered what it was like to be a wrangler. I found out. Eventually
he came around to my way of playing the leadrope game and walked with
no protest behind Miss obedient filly.

Lucy saw no purpose to this alien creature. All he did was freak out
at people and try to steal her hay. And then on top of that he stuck
his mouth in this frothy white stuff and came away with the stuff all
over his whiskers. And worse of all, he had this very odd appendage
where the milk machine was supposed to be and no amount of nosing or
sucking was producing any milk!

By the next day, Friday, the bonding had begun and she too had a bit
of froth covered chin and he had "Lucy's hay" hanging out of his
mouth. Lucy was still bound and determined to figure out how to get
milk from him though.

Friday we worked teaching him it was ok to be caught and haltered.
Then we worked on leading him in the stall, which again to Lucy
seemed like a real stupid thing to do. . . round and round we went
with Lucy in the lead.

Today, we worked in the stall and then led them both to the large
indoor arena. Quiet at first, they strolled around. Then he couldn't
resist, he had to climb on her – that's a boy for you – and she
said, "catch me if you can!" The games began. It was good for all.

Soon it was time to put them away. With patience, eventually I got a
hold of his halter. He did not fuss too much and he calmly followed
Lucy back to their stall. Both were tuckered out and finally Lucy
relaxed into a deep sleep.

The barn has now been thoroughly educated on the subject of
nursemares and nursemare foal rescue. Being largely a gaited horse
barn, people love him. The barn manager said, "You're not going to
sell him either are you".

Oh my, just what have I gotten myself into!

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Please send your tax deductible donation to help defray Kona's
medical costs via PayPal

or mail your check to:
Equine Protection Network, Inc., Kona's Fund, P. O. Box 232,
Friedensburg, PA, 17933
Please indicate your check is for "Kona's Fund"

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Remember to Shop online at IGive.com and support the EPN! We have to
feed and care for Silver Inflation, we need your support!