The cost of owning a horse only begins with the purchase price. As feed and maintanence costs go up, many folks find they can no longer afford their horse. As a result, literally hundreds of horses in Arizona alone, are in desperate circumstances. Starving, sick, injured, and in some cases just turned out into the desert. People who rescue horses soon learn at some cost that there's no such thing as a free horse. Feeding, shoeing, medical and dental care, stabling, and training are ongoing and expensive. More and more, folks see horse rescue as just another hopeless cause. At Lazy Bear Ranch, we see horse rescue as an opportunity to inspire our students, to show them what can be achieved with careful planning, lots of hard work, smart budgeting, love, and above all else, daring to dream of owning a horse they can ride and love forever. Thanks to the kindness of folks like Daniel & Morgan O'Brien, Lazy Bear Ranch was able to rescue seven horses this year.

Meet three of our special needs 2008 rescues

Dante

Dante is a prime example of the difference between taking care of a horse and just owning one! When we found Dante he was a severely malnourished 4 year old Thoroughbred in a barn with six or seven other horses. They were all in bad shape and one other 4 year old died. They went with out food some times and when they did get it, it was just grass, and not much of it. Dante was whipped and hit and put up with welts over his body and head. I don't know why this wasn't reported by the on lookers. I was able to acquire Dante from his owner, and in a span of about eight weeks I invited the owner of the barn where the horses were kept to come see him. When she did, her jaw dropped. the person that was in charge of feeding at her barn was fired, and the barn owner came to us to learn how to get all the other horses in her barn healthy like Dante. It is never to late to learn, just ask. Dante is now learning Dressage and will be showing this year.

At this point we invited his former owners over to see Dante and they did not even recognize him! We were able to show his former owners exactly what, and how, we were able to turn Dante around is such a short period of time and we are happy to report that all Dante’s former stall mates look just as good and are just as healthy as Dante is. Sometimes it takes more than just buying feed to keep a horse healthy. Simple changes like diet or frequency of feeding can make a big difference so never be afraid to ask because your horse can’t tell you. (These pictures of Dante are 8 months difference.)

Flower

When Daniel found Flower she was in a small pen with multiple horses, all of them starved and covered with whip marks and sores. She had never been ridden, shod, or had any vet care.

With only four months of loving care, Flower has become one of the most popular gals at the barn. Our students adore her, and Flower clearly loves her new owner, Daniel's baby girl, Madison.

Tuffy

Tuffy lives up to his name in every respect. When we found this little guy he not only had a huge gash in his leg and a torn nose, but he was also suffering from a broken, abcessed tooth which had to be surgically removed. Many owners would have walked away from Tuffy, but not Carlos. This Tucson firefighter spent over $1500 trying to help him. When he was told surgery was the only way, he knew he couldn't afford it. Yet instead of giving up on Tuffy, he gave Tuffy up, to save his life. By putting this little horse's welfare ahead of his own, Carlos has given us all a lesson in humanitarianism and self-sacrifice.

$2600 and three days later the great folks at Arizona Equine Hospital successfully removed the tooth, treated his wounds and his infections. He still has a way to go, but this little guy stands perfectly still while his wounds and incisions are flushed, debrided, and medicated, three times a day. All he asks in return is a cookie, which he gets from every little girl in our barn. Tuffy and Flower will be joining our Bits 'N' Boots Horse Camp For Kids this summer. Check back for pictures and updates.

Meet our 2007 rescues, some of whom are also returning to camp with their new owners.

Ginger Snap

Meet ginger, a 14-year-old mare that we rescued last year.

Lucky

This is Lucky, his age is approximately 18 years old. He was rescued by a member of the Sheriffs Possie Last year. He wasn't sure what to do with him cause he had a bad knee, so we took him in. We saw that his tounge was cut very badly in four places and barely hanging on. We had his dental work done and put him on a good diet and supplements and he blossomed. He got to enjoy the baths and grooming by the campers last summer and at the end of camp he was given to an 11-year-old girl named Vallery and now has a wonderful life with her and her grandmother.

Happy

This is Happy, when we got him his eyes were so infected we couldn't see them, and most important he could't see where he was going. He was full of tics and so under weight and week he could barely walk, he would literaly fall down he was so weak. We bathed him and took off all the old hair and tics and, Wow..... to our surprise there was a beautiful horse under there waiting to recover. We had his teeth fixed by Christine Staten at Adobe Vet Clinic so that he could eat, and Had cancers removed from his sheath and in 8 weeks he gained 260 lbs and started to shine. He loved trotting out with the other horses and before you knew it he was galloping around the arena. He met Holly at last years summer camp and fell in love with her. Who are we to keep them apart, so as the story goes Once again he is a little girls first pony.

Wilson

Wilson has had more strikes against him than any other horse I have ever known. At 2 weeks old he had kidney and liver failure and spent 5 weeks in ICU at Arizona Equine in Gilbert Az. After getting through that he still had contracted tendons and deformed legs. So the next step was surgery for him and months of work rehab for him. This was the one we should have named Mortage....... Now he is my best friend and I use him to lead the groups each camp and he loves his job. He turned 5 years old just this March 31, 2009. What a fighter, he is the one that never gave up, so neither did we. This is my personal horse that will be with me for the rest of my life. All the vets said he by all rights should not even be alive let alone be able to carry me and run. And believe me he can run faster than any horse here. He is my hero!

For every Flower, Tuffy, Ginger & Happy, there are hundreds more, just as sweet and just as desperate for help. Each year we take as many as our budget allows. With your help, we can do more. A lot more. And we make each of our donors this promise. Give what you can and we'll make it work, whatever it takes.

Here's how you can help turn wishes into horses; Donations to a specific horse. Donations for specific services for rescues (med, dental, etc) General donations to help support our rescue program

You can donate to a specific horse or horse service if you prefer. Unspecified donations will be used exclusively for horse rescue expense of all types. This link will open in a new window. You do not have to have a paypal account to donate! You can click on the word 'continue' to the left of the login boxes and input your information.