Gracey Ranch Rescue Update

Saturday 15 August Update on the Gracey Ranch Rescue. This day was the day scheduled for a Veterinarian visit by Paws-n-Hooves Mobile Veterinarian Services, led by Dr Kassie Valerio and Vet Techs Brii Pineda and Joh Joh, Brii's husband Alexx came to help sort equines from the holding pen we constructed, so we could move the equines one by one (sometimes we would get two on accident) into the stock so the Vet could do exams. We started just before 7a finishing the gathering pen and stock, and pushed 51 equines into the pen. A panel failure where one of the larger horses jumped the panels knocking it down and letting all equines loose across the 2.5 acre turnout, had us restarting the gather. We had the 51 gathered back up just as the Vet and her crew were ready to start. It would have been hard enough gathering stud minis and stud colts, mommas and their foals on horseback, but we did all this on the ground as none of the rescues have been tested for EIA yet and none of us was willing to expose out horses to that chance.

We had to rope maybe a third of the horses to get them into the stock for an exam and worming. Most of these horses had not been handled much at all before and one spin of a lariat and they were all running around. I wanted to stress them as minimal as I could because of their condition and there were small foals in the bunch.

The rest of the others we were able to push and separate off from the rest into the stock. We were lucky to have two very capable young ladies, Chloe and Gabi, who proved to be the most valuable human work horses of the entire crew. One the ones I could rope, these young ladies were able to get halters on them, and with a butt rope, able to get hem into the stock. They caught several foals pushed to them and carried them into the stock. Rene and Desirae painted hip numbers and kept records from the Vet's exam. The Vet Exam included: taping them for a weight estimate to calculate initial wormer using Fenbendazole, estimating age by their teeth and Galvan's groove; noting the ones for anti-biotics; treating open wounds and such.

We moved on to the other 19 equines and had been previously been placed in pens as they could be built, and around 4.30p everything was done for the day. Thanks to the Paws-n-Hooves Vet team and everyone previously mentioned and all who showed up to help Mike Gracey and Micah Mayfield yesterday. All the rescue equines are doing good. Free choice grass hay, fresh water, salt blocks and above all good handling is paying off after the abuse and starvation they went through before being confiscated. The rescue if still raising funds to build more pens and to fund EIA (Coggins) testing.

Gracey Ranch Rescue Cash App Donation Site

Gracey Ranch Rescue Better World Org Donation Site

Terrible Equine Abuse Situation

I hope God judges animal abusers harshly. I think He will and He must have a special place in his heart for horses and dogs as they bring us, His children, honesty, joy and unconditional loyalty. Therefore, when there are animal abuse cases, the most prevalent being dogs and horses, it just saddens the hearts of the vast majority of us.

Most of these cases are a small number of animals being abused or neglected from basic life needs. So the latest case, here in El Paso County, shocked the conscience when the El Paso Sheriffs Office (EPSO) Animal Welfare Unit confiscated 60 equines a few days ago, among them mares with foals, 2-3 years old stud colts, a bunch of minis and a couple donkeys.

Due to a lack of legitimate El Paso Horse Rescues, the EPSO) Animal Welfare Unit placed all with the Gracey Ranch Rescue, which is a startup rescue operation crewed by a two man operation, the owner and one hired hand, with a couple part time volunteers. The day after trailering load after load to Gracey Ranch Rescue, the EPSO Animal Welfare Unit showed up in force to catalog all of the animals and document their abuse and neglect, which included: mares in such poor condition they could not nurse foals; many horses in body score 2; horses with hooves so long they look like skis; and, horses with open sores and cuts.

In the group there are a couple, just a couple of horses in decent body score which tells me that they were recent additions to the abusing owner's herd, and he did not yet have the time to mistreat those few. Prior to these 60 equines arriving, Mike Gracey and his ranch manager Micah, already had 10 previous neglect cases which were volunteer surrenders. There are local people responding with hay, milk replacer for the foals, stock tanks and such, but between appearing in court against the abusing owner and taking care of not only the 70 equines, and an additional 10 rescue pigs, Gracey Ranch Rescue is looking at fund raising. They are hosting an open house for the pubic can see for themselves these abused equines and are actively seeking donations.

They can take donations through the mail sent to Gracey Ranch Rescue, 6400 Charolais Drive, El Paso, Texas 79938. Donations can are also be made through Cash App and through their account at the Better World Organization. The links are below.

Gracey Ranch Rescue Cash App Donation Site

Gracey Ranch Rescue Better World Org Donation Site