| | Newsletter March 2025 Although some of these early spring days are still cold and snowy, we are seeing the lots of signs of spring arrive at the Ranch. That first green grass popping up, some horses have that extra energy we all get when the days get longer and the thick winter coats are starting to shed. Are you a Grooming Guru yet? This is the perfect time to come out and give the horses a helping hand with a shedding blade and a good curry comb! Check out this newsletter on how you can become a Grooming Guru. For those looking for their next horses, those that want to hit the trail as soon as weather allows, we have a number of horses ready to go on adventures with you! Like Beautiful Lucky in the header picture, and Rusty, Dakota, and Clementine - all ready for their new homes! The ranch is dried out, so coming to meet the horses right now is the perfect time to find your best friend. As March wraps up, we are busy planning some fun April Events, so read on to learn about Easter at MVHR on April 12 and Help a Horse Day on April 26! All monthly events this year are in honor of our 20th Anniversary! Spring & Summer Program Registrations are Open and filling up fast! So don't wait to check out below what we are offering this year! There are still Summer Scholarships available thanks to the support of Vail Health! Continue reading for more details and updates from MVHR! | | MVHR Horse Updates The first update we must share, is that we sadly had to say goodbye to Elvis on March 11. He presented with a sore leg, and further diagnostics by Dr. Stocker revealed a fracture of his radius, making euthanasia the only fair decision we could make. Elvis arrived last November together with Suede. This handsome, gentle giant had a personality as big as he was, but sadly a body that was slowly betraying him, with extensive hind end issues that had plagued him as long as we'd known him, and likely contributed to the failure of his front leg. Expected to be close to 30 years old, he still enjoyed all the visitors at MVHR, getting pets and lots of scratches from everyone her greeted at the fence in the months he was with us. He went peacefully, surrounded by love, tears, and herd mates and now runs fast and free of pain with that beautiful herd in the sky. Goodbye Elvis... In happier news, Duke got adopted and will stay at the ranch for now as a boarder, so you still can see his handsome face. And before the month ends, we will welcome three new intakes who are ready to start their Journey of Hope. More on them next month! Interested in your next horse, or know someone who is? Amazing horses are waiting for their next adventure who are ready to go! Come meet Dakota, Suede, Ginger, Clementine, Lucky, Cassidy, Rusty & Gem if you hope to get on the trail this Spring! Or maybe you are looking for a best friend to cuddle with and take on leisure walks, come meet Hammer, Boomer, Big, Freddie, Torec, Ernie & Belle! Adoptions make it possible for us to help more horses on to next chapters of their own! A list of the Current Herd can be found by clicking below! | | | | | | | | | | | |  | Firefly Firefly arrived at MVHR in August 2022, together with two other horses, when their owner was no longer willing to care for them. As he dropped them off he said "I hate this horse". It was no surprise that Firefly was defensive, and even aggressive at times, as she had learned to defend herself from the owner that didn't care for her. It took some time for this mare to trust and she was slowly coming around when Kathleen and her husband came to meet her in January 2024. They took their time with her, getting to know this special mare over several months and ultimately taking her home. Here is Kathleen's Update on Firefly! "We brought Firefly to her new home in Hayden CO on April 20, 2024 and put her in a paddock by herself adjacent to our 4 llama boys, with our 2 horses on the other side. She completely ignored the equines; but wow, did she put on a show! We will probably never see such a fancy high-stepping trot or canter out of her ever again, but she thought those camelids were totally thrilling. Then she discovered that if she approached the fence, they retreated. Game over in 20 minutes. Such a smart girl." "Weird looking, stinky cattle you've got, Mom; but I could definitely round them up." "Her first ride on our property was totally uneventful. We were two very happy old ladies together. We gave up early on a bit. She hated it, fussed non-stop, and was soft and responsive with the bosal. So why bother with the bother? Meanwhile we found out that my old cherished DeSoto endurance saddle fitted her very badly. Sigh. We ordered a new Specialized Trailmaster, and had it custom-fit to her." "After that, there was no looking back. She's never met a gravel road she didn't like. Jimmy Dunn Gulch, Flat Tops, Elkhead Reservoir Preserve, our private road. She motors like crazy, has that hip-swinging TW walk that keeps pace with her stable mate Fancy Pants, who's a hand and change taller. And for treats: she likes girth rubs, and she loves places that the swather can't harvest the hay. "We can't thank you enough for introducing us to this wonderful girl. She is cherished." Thank you Kathleen for sharing this update and for adopting Firefly in 2023! We are especially grateful this wonderful horse found such love, after coming from such a difficult situation. | | | | | | MVHR Community, Events & Programs | | | | Easter at MVHR! The horses invite you to the ranch for Easter at MVHR on Saturday, April 12th from 10am to 12pm for some spring fun! Participate in the First Annual Easter Egg Hunt at the Ranch. The Hunt is on across the property, while you learn about the rescue horses, and ends by decorating a sugar cookie or having a cup of coffee. Bring the whole family! Spots are limited, so please RSVP! This is a FREE community event. The horse's Easter egg baskets will be hanging by their corrals and they'd love for you to bring them a gift. We look forward to seeing you there! | | | | | | | | SAVE THE DATE! Help a Horse Day! Saturday April 26 Join us on Saturday April 26 for National Help a Horse Day! A special Spring Fling ~ Community Volunteer Day where we come together to help horses! We will celebrate existing volunteers and welcome ALL supporters to come to the ranch for a tour and meet the horses! You can help in any way you are able, and we'll have volunteer training available as well! National Help a Horse Day on April 26th each year encourages horse lovers and advocates to join forces and protect abused and neglected horses. 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. Keep an eye out for more information, but mark your calendar and plan on being here at the ranch! | | | | | | Did you know...? After spending 10+ hours as a Volunteer at the Rescue you are now eligible to receive training to become a "Grooming Guru." During this training you will learn how to properly groom a horse and gain access to the tack room where you will find supplies including grooming kits for the horses designated for this program. Once trained, you can then conclude your chore shift with some one-on-one grooming time with a sweet rescue horse. The physical and emotional benefits of grooming a horse are many, for both horse and human. New to Volunteering? Complete a volunteer application, this will ensure you receive a separate volunteer opportunity email each month. | | | | | | | | | | Summer Break Day Camps! MVHR is excited to be offering ages 6 and up the opportunity to spend Summer with horses. Registration is open, so don't wait to check out the variety of curricula. New this year are camps for Routt County Residents, with transportation from Yampa. These camp days and the transportation are made possible thanks to a grant from the Yampa Valley Community Foundation. For ALL Summer Day Camp information and to register click below - you will also find Scholarship information, as listed below. | | | | | | | | Summer Camp Scholarships! MVHR is still accepting Summer Day Camp Scholarship applications. Full and Partial Scholarships are available thanks in part by Vail Health! If you need a scholarship in order for your child to participate in MVHR Summer Day Camps, please click the button below for our scholarship application. | | | | | | | | Mini Horse Heroes Our most popular program returns this Spring! The littles are introduced to horses in a fun and playful way. They spend time with the rescue horses and discover confidence and empathy. We learn about horse care, grooming & leading and finish with a pony ride! | | | | | | | | Homeschool Horse Heroes These are still a few spots open! We start on March 31st, so join us if you can! We are excited to bring back the Horse Heroes Homeschool program for Spring 2025, starting March 31st The Homeschool program is a Horsemanship program of 4 sessions focusing on Horse Behavior & Body Language, Nutrition & Horse Health, Horse Breeds & Colors and Basic Groundwork & Liberty Technics. For more information and to register by March 24, click below! | | | | | | | | Upcoming 2025 Events - Saturday, April 12 - Easter Egg Hunt at MVHR in McCoy
- Saturday, April 26 - National Help a Horse Day at MVHR!
- Sunday, July 27 - Brunch for Horses in Lake Creek, Edwards
- Saturday, September 13 - 11th Annual Hay Day at MVHR in McCoy
More information on these events will be shared in upcoming newsletter, our website and on social media! And we are working on even more events for this special 20th Anniversary Year! You can visit the event calendar on the website anytime! | | | | | | Other Ways to Help All Year Round! 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 many other ways to make a huge impact to the sustainability of MVHR for future generations to come! Click HERE to learn more. You can also visit our Other Ways to Help resource page to learn about more ways to help MVHR anytime of year. Looking for MVHR swag? Our MVHR Webshop has several items you can support the horses and show it off to your community! From all of us at Mountain Valley Horse Rescue, thank you for your continued support! | | | | | | Contact Us Mountain Valley Horse Rescue
33933 Colorado River Road
McCoy, Colorado 80463
970-653-0185
info@mvhr.net | | | | | | | | | | | |
