4-H goes to Last Chance Corral

First day of spring! Sunny! YIPS! Could it really be time to uncover the gardens? Look for crocus and daffodils? See signs of the early tulips rising? Well, perhaps. But,  the 18 mph wind bringing a windchill in the same number says otherwise. It says- "Oh, look at the pretty sunshine coming in your windows." Instead.
Still, we are not completely idle here at Cowfeathers. We have squeezed a few things into the schedule besides going to work, cleaning stalls, going to work again, feeding critters...you get the picture. I led a contingent of our 4-H Club down to Athens, OH to the Last Chance Corral. Last Chance is a foal rescue for orphan foals that are by products of the racing industry. (I'll try not to get judgy here) Here is how this goes;
An Expensive Successful Racing Mare (ESRM) is still a mare, and is pregnant for around 11 months. When she has her baby foal -Expensive Foal with Racing Potential (EFRP) nature tells her to take care of and nurse this foal for most of another year. This is not suitable for the owner of the ESRM. He would like her to have an EFRP every year. So, what to do, what to do? Hey! Here's an idea.... you get an Average Non-Racing Mare (ANRM) pregnant. She, too, will have a baby in 11 months, and then, she will have milk! She will be able to nurse the EFRP! This will allow the ESRM to come back into heat, be re-bred by the Expensive Racing Stallion (no need for an acronym, he's only special this once). Then the ESRM can have an EFRP every year and make us oodles of money!!! Wonderful!
This trip into the logic of the human mind has been brought to you at the expense of the Average Foal, No Racing Potential (AFNRP). Because this little AFNRP has no mommy. If the owner of the ANRM wants the cash from the owner of the EFRP he has to make the ANRM available for feeding only by the EFRP. The AFNRP is good for very little. No need to feed him, he's just going off to Mexico on a truck to the processor, and will fetch maybe $100 if he makes it there alive.
Ew. Pretty skeevy, huh? ( Okay, fail with the "try not to get judgy" thing)
This is where Last Chance Corral comes in. They have a relationship with the breeders and owners of the ANRMs. When they have a few (usually 4-12) foaling, they call up Victoria (the engine in the whole Last Chance operation) and she drives to Kentucky, Ohio, WV, mostly in a 5 hour radius to pick up a trailer load of babies. These she rushes back to Athens, where volunteers are on hand to start trying to save and care for the babies. Some of the foals are in rough shape. But the skills of the folks at LCC are fierce, and they lose few. These babies then, are taught how to drink from buckets, and eventually, sent out to homes with new owners to raise them up and make them their own riding horses. They will do this non-stop from January through June each year. That is the foaling season for racing horses. Sometimes hundreds of foals will get one Last Chance.
Our 4-H club donates money from our fundraiser to charity each year. Last Chance Corral was one of their choices to receive the club donation for 2013. I thought it would be educational, as well as fun, to take a trip down there with the interested 4-H'ers. When we got there, Victoria had taken a trailer load with most of the babies to Delaware, where she has a friend that will find the foals homes on the east coast. There was one foal that had not been strong enough to make the trip, so he was a bit lonesome, and really happy to have some friends visit for the day!

"Bobby" the foal, inspects Youngest.

Bobby has a nuzzle with Middlest.

The 4-H contingent spent the afternoon loving on Bobby. Here they pose with the check for money they raised to support Bobby, and other babies like him.

Here is the Fearless Leader (me! Fearless, because it takes moxie to stand between two skiffs full of manure.) Posing with some of the kiddos that make it all happen!

Now, for those interested in LCC, they have a website, and there is information about the place and donation etc. Plus, they're always happy to have volunteers willing to WORK!
Also, I should mention that in addition to cash donation, LCC makes money by rescuing horses, and finding them suitable homes, for a donation. This is where I got Oslo, and Mikey. So, on the website will be horses up for adoption.

Oslo

Mike