| Newsletter July 2026 July is always the busiest month for MVHR, so this newsletter is a little later then normal and with so much to share! Between Summer Day Camp, adoption appointments, visitors to the ranch, getting ready for the Brunch for Horses and Eagle County Fair & Rodeo, July's calendar is always full to the brim! We'd like to take a moment and thank all who came to the Brunch for Horses on July 19th and to all of you who donated towards our Feed the Horses efforts! Thanks to all of you, we have raised enough funds to purchase the Hay we need for the year to come! July has continued our adoption success, as 7 horses left on their adoption trials this month, allowing us to welcome new intakes who started their Journey of Hope! Read below who found their person and who arrived into quarantine this month. As this newsletter goes out, we have only(!!) one week left of Summer Day Camp! Over 300 children will have visited the ranch and spent time with the rescue herd. Thank you to Vail Health for supporting 81 scholarship recipients this year, without your help these children might not have had the opportunity to spend the summer with horses! Continue reading for more details and updates from MVHR! |
| MVHR Horse Updates Several of our amazing herd members started their adoption trials in July. Parker, Scout & Stache went together to a wonderful family on the front range. Prince didn't even make it out of quarantine before he found his new adventure with a sweet family in Edwards. Lucky, who has been at MVHR patiently waiting for her person for 2.5 years, found her forever home with the most amazing couple. And Smokey, everyone's favorite affectionate paint, started his trial period with a woman who will take him on many trail riding adventures. Bonita continues her trial and is doing well at her new home and Pete's adoption finalized with his very own little girl. He will stay at the ranch as a boarder, and help with our Mini Horse Heroes program! Thanks to all of these horses leaving for their adoption trial, we have been able to chip away at our growing waiting list, welcoming three new horses this month, with more arriving in early August. Crackin, is a gentle twenty something sorrel gelding who is ready for a slower life after most recently being used for gymkahans and 4-H. Tilly & Fred arrived together after dementia made it too difficult for their owner to care for them. Both in their twenties, these sweet horses are settling in and we are excited to learn what they might be up for in the future. In addition, you will find Juniper in quarantine who returned from Versatile Equine after four months of extensive training with Daniel Harris. She is in amazing shape and ready to find her forever home, where she would most enjoy adventures on the trail! If you are looking for your next trail partner, Juniper is your gal! All of the above is possible, thanks to our wonderful donors, who allow us to help horses with anything they need. MVHR has outstanding 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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| Goodbye Ernie It is always a heartbreak to lose a horse. It sounds cliche, but they are just so "big" both in our worlds and in our hearts. So to lose an especially "big" horse like Ernie hurts even more. Although he stood over 17 hands, he was as gentle and kind as they come, and his sweet, sometimes worried eye belied a gentle spirit that often felt small in spite of his size. When chronic lameness made even the most basic of daily movement a challenge, some of the sweet twinkle left Ernie's eye, and we knew it was time to lay him to rest on the hill overlooking the river. God speed, dear Ernie...you are a true gentle giant among the herd who we will always remember. Run free dear boy! |
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| Thank you to all! We are so grateful for your Support! We'd like to thank everyone who joined us at the Brunch for Horses, and generously supported our efforts to raise funds to Feed the Herd. We enjoyed conversations and stories with all of you! We also want to thank those that have donated towards the campaign online and by mail, we appreciate your support of our mission from afar! MVHR could not do this work without your generosity and love for the horses. We also want to take a moment to thank: our event sponsors, TAB Associates, Alpine Bank and Roaring Fork Equine Medical Center; our wonderful volunteers that made the event run smoothly; Foods of Vail for the delicious food; Harald, our Director of Maintenance, for the outstanding bar service; Bethel Party Rentals for their service and discounts; Raj Manickam for the photography; Vail Daily & Mark Bricklin for the ad discounts and placement which many of you saw; and last but certainly not least, our gracious hosts Alexandra & Ron Mastriana. We are so grateful for your generosity which helped MVHR reach it's goal to pay for the Hay and Grain that feeds the herd for the next year! Thanks to all of you, we raised $100,000 for the MVHR herd! |
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| | | Why We Rodeo.... It starts as the sun comes up. People walk into the barn, talking quietly to their horses as they fill hay nets and water buckets. Leg wraps and fly sheets are taken off, horses are taken out for walks to the river or are turned out in the arena for some free time....click the link to read MVHR's full column. |
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| | | MVHR is an in-kind sponsor of Eagle County Fair & Rodeo for over 10 years and just wrapped up a busy week at ECFR where we are in charge of the rodeo contestant stalls. As contestants arrive, we help tuck horses away, watch them overnight and help clean & care for these amazing equine athletes. In addition, several of our alumni horses have made appearances at this rodeo with the 4-H Freedom Riders and Eagle County Fair & Rodeo Royalty. Rodeo Queen Leila Devins has adopted multiple horses from MVHR, who have all helped her carry the American Flag and in her Royalty Role. We could not be more proud to see these horses shine in this large arena in front of thousands of people. |
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| MVHR Community & Programs |
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| Hay Day Volunteers Needed! MVHR's Annual Hay Day Open House is on Saturday, September 19th and we are looking for volunteers to help us make the day a success! We need 60+ volunteers to help with set up, stations like grooming horses, game stations, face painting and the general store. Whether you are a seasoned volunteer or new to MVHR, no experience is needed! If you'd like to help out, please email [email protected] to sign up! We welcome over 400 people to this event each year, and it is only possible thanks to our amazing volunteers! |
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| Volunteer at MVHR! Our next Community Volunteer Day & Trainings are hosted on: - Saturday, August 13 - 9:30am - 12:30pm
- Saturday, September 12 - 9:30am - 12:30pm
Come spend time with the Horses, and give them love and care! We always welcome new volunteers, and after a Volunteer training you can come help out whenever your schedule allows. Pancake Breakfast is served at 9:30am, after which we head out for a variety of chores to help the horses. No experience needed, and no need to RSVP either. Have you volunteered before but need a refresher? This is a great day to join! In addition to these Saturdays, we have Volunteer Training available on Tuesdays: - Tuesday, August 4, - 10am - 12pm
- Tuesday, September 1 - 10am - 12pm
or by appointment. For more info click here! Complete a volunteer application to ensure that you receive a volunteer opportunity email each month. |
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| |  | That's a wrap on Summer Day Camp! MVHR's Summer Day Camp's last few days are full next week and we look back on another amazing Summer introducing children to the rescue herd! These fun and educational experiences help the horses thrive and receive love from so many. We are so grateful for this years Scholarship sponsor, Vail Health, for allowing us to award over 81 scholarships to campers who would have otherwise not been able to participate. Thank you Vail Health! We look forward to planning future day camps, including during other school breaks for both Eagle and Routt County. Keep an eye on our newsletters and social media for future programming coming your way! |
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| | 2026 Events - Save the Date! - Saturday, September 19th ~ 12th Annual Hay Day, McCoy!
- October 1st ~ 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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| Other Ways to Help! 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, there are even more ways you can help horses! Read on to learn about other ways to make a huge impact on the sustainability of MVHR for future generations! |
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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 stock 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 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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