| Newsletter April 2026 As this newsletter goes out, the days at the ranch this week have been colder with some much needed rain and snow. A more regular weather pattern for Spring in the mountains. We are looking forward to the Help a Horse Day Spring Fling & Volunteer Appreciation on Saturday, April 26th. Learn more about this special day below and we hope to see you there! The horses are doing well, and 2026 is shaping up to be one of our most successful adoption years yet! So far 10 horses have found their new Journey this year, with another 7 leaving for their next adventure in the next few weeks. We welcomed 4 intakes to quarantine in April. All these intakes and adoptions leave 38 horses currently in MVHR care, all looking to graduate from their Journey of Hope. As always, our waitlist never seems to get shorter and it has been busier with intake requests due to the drought and concerns about upcoming hay prices. Spring program season has been busy, with the horses getting visits and care from a Girl Scout Troop, Helping Hands Workshop participants and of course our Mini Horse Heroes. Read about the Girl Scout visit last week below as they earned a badge for their service! In the next two weeks, we'll welcome over 100 school students for field trips and service days. If you are still looking for a fun and educational summer for your horse crazy kids, there are still camp spots available both with transportation from Eagle and Yampa! Scroll down for the registration button! Continue reading for more details and updates from MVHR! |
| MVHR Horse Updates The successful adoptions continued into April, with Adoptions for Craven, Flint, Shadow, Jesse, Jet, Lucy and Lilly adoptions recently finalizing! A number of other herd members started their adoption trials since we updated you last montht! Bosco left for Oak Creek where he'll go on leisure trail rides with a wonderful couple. Zephyr chose her match and started her adoption trial onsite at the ranch. Pard, who just arrived last month, already found his forever person and will head out to his new home next week where he will enjoy a life of leisure rides and lots of love. And then there is Huckleberry, who found the best companion home any horse could wish for and he became instant best friends with his new pasture mate. We are so happy for this special boy. And of course all this happy news allows for more good news as we are able to welcome 4 new intakes into quarantine. Parker, a registered, 13 year old quarter horse gelding who has worked for the US Forest Service for the last seven years, and is ready for something different. Maverick, an adorable little gelding, who we are evaluating for lameness issues. Dixie, a special Argentinian Thoroughbred mare with vision loss who loves people and Blue, a handsome Blue Roan registered Tennessee Walking Horse gelding who needed a safe place after his owner passed away. We look forward to learning more about all of these new intakes, how we can make them feel their best and what they might like to do in their next adventure. Other Updates are that Juniper and Bonita, who have been in training with Versatile Equine in Delta, are making wonderful progress. We are so grateful these two horses have the opportunity to gain this experience. All of the above is possible, thanks to our wonderful donors, who allow us to help horses with anything they need. MVHR has wonderful horses who are waiting for their next loving home. Those that are rideable won't be here for very long. Are you looking? Then don't wait to check them out! A list of the Current Herd can be found by clicking below! |
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| MVHR Community & Programs |
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| Next Week: April 25! Spring Fling, Help a Horse Day. Join us on Saturday, April 25th for a special Community Volunteer Spring Fling & Open House! Come help the horses with a variety of chores and projects around the ranch from 10am till 2pm. Come early for a pancake breakfast at 9:30am, followed by an assignment of a task that fits your abilities! Bring the whole family, and pack a lunch if you'd like to stay all day. We will celebrate the day & all our volunteers at 1:30pm with cake! The Afternoon will include Educational Horse Stations & Activities. This is our big Spring Fling to get ready for Summer! We hope to see you all there! National Help a Horse Day on April 26th each year encourages horse lovers and advocates to join forces and protect abused and neglected horses. National Help a Horse Day is celebrated annually on April 26. The day was created by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) to raise awareness of the need to protect horses from abuse and neglect. The date was chosen because it's significant to the ASPCA's history of horse protection. In 1866, ASPCA founder Henry Bergh stopped a cart driver from beating his horse on April 26, resulting in the first successful arrest for horse mistreatment. Volunteer Trainings! We have Volunteer Training available on the first Tuesday of each month, the next one coming up on May 5th. If this does not work for your schedule, you can also schedule a training by appointment. For more info click here! Complete a volunteer application to ensure that you receive a volunteer opportunity email each month. Thank you to ALL Volunteers, MVHR could not help as many horses without you! |
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| | Thank you, Eagle County Girl Scouts Troop 57213! Last week a troop of six Eagle County girl scouts came to the rescue to learn how to take care of the horses. During their visit they cared for the horses by mucking corrals, feeding the horses who get supplemental meals throughout the day, and learned about the horse's stories. In the afternoon they gave the horses extra love through grooming and leading. To receive a new badge, they were assigned an "Action Project" to help educate others about caring for animals. To do this the girls partnered up, chose their favorite rescue horse, and wrote a short paragraph about their favorite rescue horse explaining to the public what that horse needs and what we at the rescue do for that specific horse. The troop plans to create and hang posters that highlight the rescue horses they chose to write about. The posters will be shared within the community. Thank you Eagle County Girl Scouts for your help and care towards the horses! |
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| | |  | Summer Day Camp still has spots! MVHR's Summer Camp Registration is now available, and there are still spots with both transportation from Wolcott and from Yampa! 2026 Summer Day Camps has the popular curricula returning and a new camp: Equine Explorers. For detailed info and to register, click the buttons below! |
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| | 2026 Events - Save the Date! - Saturday, April 25th ~ Help a Horse Day, Volunteer Spring Fling & Open House, McCoy
- Sunday, July 19th ~ Brunch for Horses, Lake Creek, Edwards
- Saturday, September 19th ~ Hay Day, McCoy!
- September/October, Date TBD ~ Steammaster Charitable Golf Tournament at Sonnenalp Golf Course in Edwards.
- Tuesday, December 9th ~ Colorado Gives Day
For more information on Events, check out our Calendar! |
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| MVHR is Hiring! We have a variety of positions available. Do you have a deep compassion for horses and the ability to communicate with and work well with others? Then check out the following positions! - Horse Trainer, Full time/Part time, year-round
- Program Assistant, Part time, year-round
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| Other Ways to help this Year End! Donating to help the horses can be done in many different ways! In addition to cash, check and online donations, volunteering your time and sharing MVHR's mission with others, read on to learn about some other ways to make a huge impact to the sustainability of MVHR for future generations to come! |
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| MVHR Brokerage Account with Edward Jones Did you know MVHR has a brokerage account that you can donate to…and that you can make a gift to the horses this way? Donating stocks offers benefits for both you and MVHR. We are so grateful for the donors that have already committed to doing so. For more information on how to donate to our account with Edward Jones, contact your broker or email [email protected]. |
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| MVHR Endowment Fund at YVCF Your contribution to the MVHR Endowment Fund provides support for horses today, tomorrow and beyond, truly ensuring all MVHR horses have the care and love they need throughout their lives and for generations to come. If you'd like to learn more about donating to the Endowment Fund, please click HERE. |
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| MVHR Planned Giving Create your legacy by making a planned gift to MVHR. Through a planned gift, you will be a part of making an everlasting difference in the lives of rescue equines long into the future. A hundred years from now, you will have an impact on the care of horses in need. Lend your Hopeful Heart to Helping Horses by making a legacy gift to MVHR today! Click HERE for more information. |
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| ... and then there is MORE! Visit our Other Ways to Help resource page to learn about more ways to help MVHR anytime of year. We have information on our Amazon Wishlist and how to shop and support MVHR thru organizations such as Vail Valley Thrifty Shops, City Market & Chewy Gives Back. Check it out and sign up for some of the shopping programs, or please consider helping out with much needed supplies from our wish lists. From all of us at Mountain Valley Horse Rescue, thank you for your continued support! |
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| | Contact Us! Mountain Valley Horse Rescue
33933 Colorado River Road
McCoy, Colorado 80463
970-653-0185
[email protected] |
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