Hayley's Gifts at Work

Hi! Sorry I have been missing for so long. We've been traveling or sick but I promise to stick around for a while this time. A couple of Sunday's ago I was happy to have Rylie, who read my blog and wanted to come volunteer, out to LEARN to show her around. We started at the pony barn and it was hard work! First we started by grooming Rudy and boy was he dirty. I showed Rylie how to use the different brushes and my Mom showed her how to pick his hooves. Doesn't he look pretty after all that brushing?

Rudy giving Rylie some pony love

Next we mucked out the stalls. Is it weird that we had fun doing that too? We also washed out each stall's water bucket and refilled them with fresh water. Thankfully, there are only 3 stalls to clean or we may have been there all day. It is important for the horse's health to have a clean stall and fresh water every day.

Rylie and me with the manure scoops

After the barn was done, we went out to the pasture and cleaned all outdoor water buckets. These also need fresh water daily and regular cleaning because they get gross pretty fast. These ponies may be small but they still drink a lot of water!

Rylie cleaning buckets

Me filling the outdoor water bucket

After all of our hard work, it was time for a little fun. I taught Riley how to put a halter and lead line on Rudy and she got to learn the correct way to lead a horse.

Learning to put on the halter

Rylie asking Rudy to walk

Rylie looks like a pro!

When we were done walking Rudy around the pasture, I introduced Rylie and her Mom to the other horses that live at the pony barn. Everyone had such good manners and they loved meeting new friends! Rylie and her Mom had some more time so we went down to meet the big horses in Meggett. We stopped at the mare's pasture first. The girls were really hungry so we got to help Mrs. Janice feed. We helped mix up the grain in the first set of feed pans and then we took turns putting two scoops of chopped hay in the second set of feed pans. Once they had feed it was safe to go with our Mom's out to brush some of the big girls.

Rylie's mom, Mrs. Kim and Laddie

Rylie and Ellie brushing Allie



Rylie, Ellie, me and Allie



After hanging out with the girls for a while we went over to the main LEARN property to see the boys. It was feeding time for them as well. Our moms did this while I showed Rylie my favorite dirt mound to play in! Sometimes you just have to have fun! Boy did we have fun but we were a little too dirty which made our mom's a little upset but that is what kids are supposed to do, right??? We worked hard then we played hard and my hope is that Rylie and her Mom come back very soon. Taking care of the horses is a lot of work but when you have friends to help, it takes no time at all!! Thanks Rylie for coming out to meet all my horse friends at LEARN!

Mom's Note:

Hayley and I are so appreciative to Rylie and her mom, Kim, for taking their afternoon to come out and see what LEARN is all about. Hayley's Gifts is a LEARN program in its infancy. Our goal with Hayley's Gifts is to educate and expose the youth of the lowcountry to the world of horses and proper horse care. We hope to educate and inspire the horse owners of tomorrow. There are several ways we are trying to accomplish this. One way, is through having youth volunteers and teaching them through one on one interaction, just like Rylie. Another is by giving presentations to groups like the girl scouts/boy scouts. We welcome any group out to the LEARN farm or we can come to you.

The final way and truly how Hayley's Gifts was started is by fostering the gift of giving. If you or someone you know is interested in having a birthday party that benefits the horses, we would love to help. We are going to be offering pony parties that benefit the rescues 100%. Hayley and some of our other LEARN youth ambassadors are willing and able to come and teach their peers a horse 101 kind of class. So not only will your party guests get the experience of riding but they will have hands on time with some of our rescue ponies. It is certainly different and will have a lasting effect on your guests. If you would like more information about Hayley's Gifts, please don't hesitate to contact me at charlotteblairwest@yahoo.com. Take it from this proud momma...it is a LIFE CHANGING experience!

What has been going on around LEARN?

I'm back! I was gone with my parents on a trip to Florida for Farm Bureau but while they had to work, I got to play. I went to Animal Kingdom, the Magic Kingdom, Epcot and Sea World. It was a great trip but I was happy to come home and see my horse friends. A lot happened while we were gone and I can't wait to tell you all about it!

The best news of all is that 4 horses have gone to live at their forever homes!


Sugar

 Sugar has found her home with a wonderful friend of ours, Ms. Frances. She is settling in just fine and I will be going out for a visit soon to see how much she loves her new forever home. Check back for that update.


Pixi

 Ms. Frances paid it forward by helping find Pixi her new forever home. She now lives with a very nice woman who has a grandson named JJ. He is 5 years old and LOVES his new pony. I know JJ and Pixi are going to love each other just like Rudy and I have loved each other for so many years.



PJ Magee

 PJ Magee has gone to live at his new forever home. He is now living with a wonderful pasture mate and is living the life he deserves. I know his Mom in heaven is smiling down on him now!

Molly and me last spring

Molly, one of the sweetest ponies I know, is going to her forever home in Loris, SC. She will be living with some of our Farm Bureau friends who have a sweet little girl named, Savannah. Savannah's family have several horses that will keep Molly company and I know she will continue to be loved the way she deserves!



Rudy and Pumpkin

 Remember these guys? My favorite guy and girl, Rudy and Pumpkin are coming home! My dad is finishing fixing up our pony pasture and they will come to live on our family farm in the next couple of weeks. I am so excited that they will be here so I can love and take care of them everyday! We saddled up Pumpkin yesterday and she did pretty well. My mom is going to work with her a bit before we start riding her but I know she will be great. My goal for Rudy is for him to pull a cart just like Smarty Pants. He is so smart so I know he will be wonderful at it just like his buddy! He is quite the character, check out the picture below. Mrs. E thinks he is Elvis in a pony body! I think maybe she is right!

Rudy as Elvis

That is not the end of the good news! There are some new sponsorships and pending adoptions at LEARN! We need many more of these. Do you think you can help? Maybe you know someone who is looking for their special companion? I am happy to report that Mrs. Janice and her family are now sponsoring Allie and plan on adopting her in the very near future. Don't Mrs. Janice and Allie make a cute couple?


Allie and Mrs. Janice



Allie, Ellie and Mrs. Janice

I am also very excited to tell you that my family is sponsoring Scarlett. She is one of the most beautiful girls I have ever seen. My hope is that we can continue to grow our bond and that one day we will adopt her and give her a forever home! Look at how pretty she is. I think we are a good couple. What do you think?


Scarlett and me




Scarlett



Me grooming Scarlett

There are also 2 new members to the LEARN family. They are from right here in my county and are adjusting well and learning to trust their new care takers. They are a mother/son pair and are both registered Quarterhorses. The mom Berkeley is 18 years old and the colt is named Doc Williams. They told Mrs. E that he is going to be 3 years old but his size and teeth tell us that he is younger. Either way, he is very small for his age. I can't wait to see how much better they both get as recover here.

Berkeley

Doc Williams and Kelsey

Today I am going to meet a fellow horse lover, Rylie. She learned about LEARN because her mom read my blog and told her about it. We are going to groom the ponies at the pony barn and I plan on introducing her to the other rescues. It is going to be a GREAT day. I will let you know how it goes.

Remember, if you have any questions about sponsoring or adopting one of our rescues, please contact my Mom at charlotteblairwest@yahoo.com. Come back soon to hear about my day with Rylie, the details of Hayley's Gifts and the new retirement home that we hope to build very soon for some of our older guys. To make this dream come true, we are going to need your help! You can make donations from the LEARN website, www.learnhorserescue.com. THANK YOU!