| | Horse Heroes Summer Day Camp is All About H.O.P.E. This summer, MVHR is offering campers from ages 8 through middle school H.O.P.E. - Heart, Opportunity, Perseverance, and Empathy. Our new H.O.P.E. curriculum will help campers develop communication and leadership skills while they create deep and meaningful connections with the Rescue horses. This 4-day program will teach horsemanship skills through groundwork, liberty, craft and stewardship. Seven sessions will be held from June 22nd through August 6th. Each session is limited to 12 participants allowing plenty of horse time for all. The H.O.P.E. Horse Heroes Summer Camp is not a horseback riding camp. To see the new curriculum in action, please watch our video below. Dates, registration and all other details are available on the Programs page of our website. Scholarship assistance is available. See you this summer in McCoy! |
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| | Director of Resources: Marleen Bosch Hopkins As MVHR continues to grow, so does its staff. We would like to introduce our new Director of Resources, Marleen Bosch Hopkins. Marleen will be a familiar face to many of you in our community. Originally from The Netherlands, she has been volunteering at MVHR since 2011 and served on the Board as treasurer from 2013 until taking this new role. She also brings a wealth of horse knowledge and experience, having competed, trained horses and started a horseback riding school while living in The Netherlands. As Director of Resources, Marleen will continue the financial management of MVHR, assist the staff and board with a variety of tasks, help evaluate new intakes and assist in training needs. We feel so fortunate to add her to our talented and dedicated team - Shana Devins, Executive Director; Kensie Redden, Programs Coordinator; Kendra Scott, Program Horse Trainer; and Joel Aguilar, Onsite Caretaker and Trainer. To learn more about Marleen and our other staff members, please visit the Board and Staff page on our website. |
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| | Horse Updates Hooray for more adoptions! Holiday and Luck have been in trial adoptions and we expect those to finalize the beginning of May. Bonita and Ruby 1's adoptions have finalized, so they are officially home. All of these new families are something to celebrate! Another cause for celebration? Tango gave birth to a healthy filly the beginning of April! After months of anticipation, she was well worth the wait. Cora B will be a month old tomorrow and is settling into ranch life with her mama quite well. April also saw a significant increase in intakes. We welcomed Blizzo and Maverick first, both of whom have lameness issues we will be working to sort out. A big draft horse named Herman arrived next, followed by a thoroughbred mare named Cali. As soon as these new Rescues make it through their quarantine periods, we have others ready to arrive. Lots of horses in need right now! In Memorium We are sad to share that Morena was humanely euthanized last month. In spite of MVHR trying every option to make her more comfortable, her mobility and contentedness were decreasing by the day. Rather than wait for her worst day, she was gently laid to rest, surrounded by loving staff and volunteers, on the hillside overlooking the river. Morena now runs with the amazing herd of horses who have gone before her, forever free of pain. |
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| | Volunteer Spotlight: Cat Stone Like many in our valley, Cat graduated from college and moved to Vail to be a ski bum. After checking that item off her bucket list, she migrated to Denver where she taught elementary school for 13 years and started to raise a family. She, her husband and 2 boys made the move back to Eagle County four years ago to rediscover the mountain lifestyle. Cat started volunteering at MVHR last November and covers the Tuesday morning chore shift. She will also be helping out with our programs this summer, heading the new session of High School Rescue Club. |
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| | Horse of The Month: Estrella This beautiful 16-year-old black and white paint mare is a real joy. Lovely, sensitive, energetic and responsive, she loves to hit the trails - even by herself! At 14.2 hands, Estrella is well-trained, fully handleable and would best suit an intermediate child or small adult rider. If you would like to sponsor or adopt Estrella, or learn more about our other adoptable horses, please contact us at info@mvhr.net. |
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| | | Program Updates High School Rescue Club Applications Due May 15th Calling all high school students! Do you love horses? Do you want to expand your leadership skills and community service experience? Then MVHR High School Rescue Club is for you! HSRC is FREE to youth grades 9-12 who can make a year-long commitment to MVHR (June 2021 thru April 2022): - Attend a 4-day leadership and horsemanship camp June 15th-18th
- Assist at one 4-day youth summer camp session in June, July or August
- Volunteer 1 day per month at the Rescue from September through April
- Plan and implement a horse rescue advocacy campaign from September through April
Applications are being accepted through May 15th. Please email hsrc@mvhr.net for an online application or more information. NEW! Little Horse Friends Lessons MVHR is excited to offer a horseback riding lesson program for children ages 4-7! In this lesson program, children will work on natural balance, core strength, confidence & multi-tasking skills. All lessons will be on a lead line, where the instructor will help each child step-by-step to get comfortable, focus and gain confidence. Kids will also learn exercises to help them acquire additional skills required to ride on their own. Upper body strength is developed along with a growing appreciation of respect, patience, and gentleness. Lessons are available either privately or in a group on Saturday afternoons, starting May 15th. Find all the details on the Programs page of our website, and then sign up by emailing marleen@mvhr.net. Horseback Riding Lesson Program MVHR is offering expanded lesson opportunities for kids ages 7+ and adults. Beginner to intermediate lessons are available in both Western and English on Wednesdays and Sundays by appointment. Please email programs@mvhr.net to learn more and sign up. Group lessons start at $50 per rider, depending on the size of the group. Private lessons are available at $80 per rider. Preschool Mini Horse Heroes: Spring Sessions SOLD OUT Mini Horse Heroes (ages 3-5) will resume in the fall, so stay tuned for those dates and sign up early! |
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| | May Events & Volunteer Opportunities Please email info@mvhr.net to sign up or for more information, unless otherwise specified below. - Basic Volunteer Orientation: May 1st from 12-3pm or by appointment. If you want to help with our horses, this is the way to get started. Please RSVP to shana@mvhr.net to save a spot on May 1st. Only a few spaces are left!
- Feeding & Chore Shifts: After completing Basic Volunteer Orientation, please sign up for morning, afternoon or evening chores or PM Feeding. Open shifts are shown on our website calendar.
- Thursday Vet Days: Veterinarian, Dr. Stocker, treats horses from 10am-4pm. If you want to help handle horses, this is a great way to learn about the Rescue herd's vet needs and treatments.
- Tack Sale: May 1st from 12-4pm. Come check out the goods at our ranch in McCoy.
- Join Our Maintenance Team: P/T paid position! MVHR is looking for a handyperson/ mechanic to help with repairs and maintenance as needed. This offers a flexible schedule, working with a few others, for a total of 10 hours per week to start. Are you a self-starter, able to work independently, and experienced with tasks such as (but not limited to): fence building and repair, vehicle maintenance and minor repair, irrigation maintenance and minor repair, basic construction and repairs, lawn mowing, and snow plowing? Please contact shana@mvhr.net to apply.
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| |  | More Ways You Can Help the Horses - NEW! Purchase items from our Chewy wishlist.
- Getting a Colorado state tax refund this year? Consider donating part or all of your refund to MVHR. Simply enter Mountain Valley Horse Rescue and our registration number 20063004823 in the "Donate to a Colorado Nonprofit Fund" line on your state income tax return or tax software – or just give this info to your tax preparer when you share your tax documents.
- Purchase horse art, gifts or masks from artist Frances Marino at www.frances-marino.artistwebsites.com. Note in your order that you made a purchase to support MVHR.
- Purchase tack from MVHR. Contact info@mvhr.net for details.
- City Market Community Rewards: Join the program at https://www.citymarket.com/to…/city-market-community-rewards and select MVHR as your organization.
- Purchase items from our wishlists on Amazon and Valley Vet Supply.
- Select "Mountain Valley Horse Rescue" as your nonprofit on Amazon Smile!
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| | Mountain Valley Horse Rescue
33933 Colorado River Road | McCoy, Colorado 80463
970-653-0185 | info@mvhr.net |
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