I am proud my Daddy is a Farmer!

I wanted you to see this video that was made at my family farm. My Dad and Mom are part of the Young Farmers and Ranchers group and I thought this was really cool. Me and my brothers are in it too. I hope you like it! Thank a Farmer today. I just did!

PJ Magee - The New Guy on the Block



PJ during his first day at LEARN

PJ is the newest guy on the block and he needs a new home with someone to love. His story makes me very sad. A little over 2 months ago PJ's life changed for the bad. He had a wonderful owner named Ms. Dee Hillman and they were together for 20 years. That is a LONG time. He is a 26 year old dressage horse and was very well taken care of for all those years. Ms. Dee passed away suddenly at the young age of 58. He lived at a barn and was used to getting fed grain and hay twice a day and getting groomed on a regular basis by Ms. Dee. After she passed, PJ was put out in a field and got hay but no grain which is bad news for a senior horse. He also didn't get groomed again. This is why PJ looked the way he did the day he came to LEARN. See the pictures below.

Can you tell that he hasn't been groomed in months? Ms. E fixed him up right after this picture

Even though he is an old guy he is still very handsome

This is why I love LEARN so much! After 2 months of being alone and confused Mrs. E came to the rescue. She brought PJ all the way here from Clemson. Ms. Dee had a lot of nice things for PJ but Mrs. E couldn't find his blanket which should have been on him because it was really cold that day. So after he got all groomed Mrs. E had to put the only blanket she had that would fit him which was too big and PINK. Not good for a handsome boy! Mrs. E put a message on Facebook that he needed a new blanket and some other things. Guess what? My friend Ellie and her Mom, Mrs. Janice, got PJ a new blanket. We went down the next day to give it to him. You can see that in the pictures below.

Mrs. Janice  meeting PJ for the first time.

PJ getting ready to get his new blanket

Ellie giving PJ a carrot after he got his new blanket

Now, I know what you must be thinking...purple isn't much better than pink. But my Mom says it is a very regal color and I think he looks great. The most important thing is he is now warm and dry during bad weather. PJ is settling in just fine with his new pasture mates. He isn't the only 26 year old in the pasture; Ali is the same age and is one of his new buddies. PJ is thin and has some rain rot on his back but he loves being fed like he should and is putting on weight everyday.

If you think that you would like to sponsor or even better give PJ his forever home, please email my mom at charlotteblairwest@yahoo.com. He is one of the sweetest boys I have ever met and he would really love a forever home like the one he knew for the past 20 years. He really deserves it! Look at how cute he is below.

Me and PJ nice and warm

PJ filling his belly with yummy chopped hay

Thank you Lott family for his nice new blanket! I love seeing these horses getting the love and care they deserve. I know PJ really, really appreciates it too.

My Concern (aka Sweet Tea)



Sweet Tea the day she came into LEARN

Today I want to tell you about my friend Sweet Tea. She came to live LEARN in April of 2010. As you can see from her picture she was hundreds of pounds under weight. She came from Beaufort County with her pasture mate, Ella (who is at her forever home in Martha's Vineyard). She was in very bad shape and had been kept in a very muddy round pen. That isn't a lot of room for 2 big horses. Her teeth were overgrown and her hooves hadn't been trimmed in years. LEARN brought in the equine dentist and the farrier to take care of those problems right away.

Sweet Tea having her teeth worked on

Did you know that horses teeth NEVER stop growing? They need to have them "floated" which is a fancy way of saying filing them down. It depends on the horse but this could have to be done once or twice a year or if your horse has slow growing teeth it may be every other year. Either way, it is VERY important for your horse to see the equine dentist regularly just like you and me.

Back to Sweet Tea, Ms. Elizabeth told me she is a Thoroughbred that is 13 years old and has a tattoo on her lip that tells us she was a racing horse. Mrs. E traced her tattoo number through the Jockey Club and learned she once won her owner/breeders money. I wonder how good horses like this end up in a muddy pen in such bad shape. It makes me sad. How about you?

Not only was she very skinny but she had A LOT of worms. She had to be wormed many times and feed 3 times a day to put weight back on. LEARN always feeds it's horses the best feed and hay money can buy and in just 2 short weeks she looked like a new horse.

Sweet Tea after 2 weeks at LEARN

Another picture 2 weeks after getting to LEARN

Sweet Tea under saddle this past summer and looking very healthy!

Sadly, that is not the end of Sweet Tea's story. Ms. Elizabeth noticed that there was something wrong with her left eye. One Vet came to look at it and said it was fine but Ms. E had a bad feeling that wasn't right. She called another Vet who came to have a look and agreed with her. They did an ultrasound and a biopsy which told them she had cancer in her eye. They had to make the hard decision to have her eye removed so the cancer wouldn't spread to other parts of her body.

What Sweet Tea looks like today

Still a beautiful girl!

When I first met Sweet Tea I was afraid because she looks different with one eye but once I spent time with her I discovered why they call her Sweet Tea. She is gentle and is a peaceful spirit to be around. Mrs. E said that she did great under saddle and will make a perfect horse for somebody. The fact she only has one eye doesn't bother her at all. She has adjusted very well. I am so thankful she is safe, well fed and loved here at LEARN.

Are YOU looking for a horse to love because she is looking for her FOREVER home! If you are interested in adopting this sweet girl you can download an application here http://learnhorserescue.com/rescues.php . If you can't adopt her maybe you want to be her sponsor? It costs LEARN $150 a month for her feed, hay and farrier. If you can donate some or all of that, you can do that here http://learnhorserescue.com/index.php, just click on the Donate button. I know if Sweet Tea could say THANK YOU she would, so I will say Thank You for her. I makes my heart fill up when I hear of people helping these animals I love so much. If you have any questions about Sweet Tea or donating to LEARN my Mom said you can email her. Her email is charlotteblairwest@yahoo.com. Thanks for reading and loving Sweet Tea too!

Meeting Sweet Tea for the first time

I am in LOVE!

Meet Some of my Friends

Yesterday I spent the day with the rescue horses. I would like to introduce you to them.

This is PJ, the new guy on the block.

This is Greer. I love him and he loves me!

This is Sugar. She is beautiful. Isn't she?

This is Scarlett. She is Sugar's pal. She is beautiful like her name and I can't wait to ride her!

This is Gizmo. He is still learning to trust people but he is looking MUCH better!

This is Angel, Charlie's Mom. She looks like a different horse than when she came to the rescue barn. She rules the roost at the pony barn!

This is Charlie. He reminds me of the horse Flicka, he is a little crazy. But Mrs. Elizabeth says he is going to learn his manners soon. When he runs, he looks amazing.

This is Coretta. She is a little cranky but I am trying to change that by being nice to her. I know she will change for the better!

This is Laddie. She is a BIG girl and is the boss at the mare pasture. But she was sweet to me.

This is Allie. She is a sweetheart. Mrs. Janice and Ellie are in LOVE with her.

This is Sweet Tea. Her other eye was taken out during surgery. She is sweet and will make a perfect horse for someone to ride. She is looking for her forever home.

This is Cinnamon. She is a little shy because of Laddie but was great once she got over to me. I even got a kiss!

This is Ali (like from the movie Aladdin). He likes to stay to himself but Mrs. Elizabeth says he is a very good boy. He would love to have a Sponsor.

This is Chase. He had surgery on his neck because he had a tumor. He used to be a race horse and won someone a lot of money. But he ended up here and that makes me sad. At least he gets a lot of love here.

This is Reese. He was a race horse too. He also won someone a lot of money. He sticks his tongue out when he wants a peppermint! He is really funny!

This is Uncle Fester. He also needs a sponsor. I think he has a cute face.

Here is my girl Pumpkin. I just wanted you to see how good she is looking. Being in love with the Rudster has been good for her soul.

Last but not least, my boy Rudy. He LOVES to give kisses. Wouldn't you love to have one?

Please check back regularly. I am going to be posting each of these beauties stories for you to read. If you have any time or money to donate to these horses I promise it will make your heart feel good. My mom says you can do this by going to their website http://www.learnhorserescue.com/. If you can't find your answer there, you can ask my Mom and she will put you in contact with the right people. Thank you from me and my horse friends!!

I Have a Dream...

My dream is for all the horses of the world to be loved and cared for like they deserve. Without horses, our world would not be complete. Here is the story about the 2 horses in my life. Rudy was given to me for my 4th birthday and I fell in love.

Hayley's 4th Birthday

When we had other animals at our farm Rudy was very happy. When we took our goats and sheep to live at a friend's farm Rudy got sad. So my Mom and I thought it would be a good idea for him to live with some other ponies. We asked Mrs. Elizabeth Steed if he could come live with her and her ponies until we could find him a friend. My prayers were answered this past December. Mrs. Elizabeth came to pick Rudy up after she went to get a rescue who had been tied to a tree. The rope tied around her neck had grown into her skin and made a big wound.

Pumpkin Spice tied to a tree with a rope

The wound in Pumpkin's neck



From that day forward Rudy hasn't left Pumpkin's side. He follows her around the pasture. He protects her from the other horses that may pick on her. He shares his food with her and he sleeps outside her stall every night. Rudy and Pumpkin are in love!

Rudy loving on Pumpkin

Pumpkin and Rudy

Once Pumpkin is feeling 100%, she and Rudy will be moving back up to our farm to their forever home. These two were meant to be together! I am so thankful to L.E.A.R.N. for rescuing Pumpkin and bring her into all of our lives. My brothers and I can't wait intil we get Rudy and Pumpkin.We will groom them, train them, love them and treat them how they deserve. We are very blessed kids!

Rudy, Hayley and Pumpkin