Summer 2020

Hello from all of us at the Ranch! We hope this newsletter finds you well and that you’ve been able to find balance and peace in these past few very challenging months. We welcome the warmer weather and find that the sunshine and blooming of plants are ways that God is blessing us these days.

Many of you know that we lost our Clyde last fall to colic and welcomed Burdie (a petite grey mare) into our herd. For those who haven’t heard the full story, the short version is that I

(Dana) had driven past Burdie on my way to and from work for two years and she looked like she needed some love. Her mane and tail were full of burdocks and her pasture full of scrap metal and old vehicles. I inquired about her via a note in the mailbox at the house with my number on it and two days later we brought her home. Life with Burdie has been interesting and challenging. You never really know what you’re getting into when you bring a horse home that you know virtually nothing about. She had laminitis, an inflammatory disease in her hooves, and no name, that was about the extent of what I knew about her.

Burdie is very cooperative for all of the new things she encounters living with us. She tolerates soaking and bandaging her feet daily, for several days, when she gets hoof abcesses

(laminitic horses are prone to these) and she stands quietly for radiographs when the vet takes them to check on the progress of her hooves. Her condition makes her have better and worse days in terms of mobility. The Summer months are the toughest with the heat and changes in humidity making her extra sore. We’ve been working closely with our farrier and purchased some boots with a cushion insole that have made her MUCH more comfortable and she wears them on a daily basis. Typically our horses stay outside (they have a run-in shed for shelter from the elements) as they prefer to be in a herd and have more freedom to move around out there than if kept in their stalls each night. We’ve found that Burdie likes to give her feet a break and lays down at night, so we bring her into her stall where she happily has dinner and rests. In the morning we put her boots on and she is ready to go back outside to join Titus and Herman. It has been especially rewarding to see how she has integrated into our herd after living alone for approximately 10 years. Herman is smitten by Burdie and often will call for her when she is in the barn or out being worked with. The relationship between Titus and Burdie is more sibling like, Titus is the bossy older brother and Burdie has no problem squealing at him to back off when he is picking on her and she’s had enough.

There have been a lot of things I’ve thought about since we’ve gotten Burdie especially through some of her more painful days, when she needs so much extra care. It’s amazing to me that God orchestrates the right people in the right places to fill the needs that they can. It reminds me that there is always hope, even in a junkyard for years, even when a chronic illness has persisted for so long. Burdie is a fighter, she can be very stubborn and it’s this will of hers that is a big reason she is still alive. She is very trusting for a horse who hadn’t been handled for so many years, it’s like she knows that we are there to help her. When I think about her rescue I’m still amazed that she chose to get on the trailer. No amount of pushing or pulling would have done it, but she took one look around her surroundings and decided for herself that she was going to get out of there.

I believe that God puts opportunities in front of us all the time that take an immense amount of faith, trust and hope that it’s going to work out well. Through all of the fear, hurt and hate that is going on in our world right now, we have to believe that God is still good. How can I say that, you ask? He’s asking us to do the same thing He always does, to love Him and to love our neighbor. If we look around at the big problems of the world we will feel hopeless, like there is nothing we can do. Sometimes the smallest decision, to take steps in the direction of love, to put your front feet and then your back feet on the trailer, can lead to a whole new life. I know now that there is so much more to Burdie’s story than “just” to save her life. She is with us to remind us to love, to love the broken and hurting that we have right in front of us. To do something about the thing that we have driven past for two years. This is where change begins.

Ranch Updates

We launched a new volunteer program this January and it has been an amazing addition to our farm life. We love our volunteers who come on a weekly basis to help with daily chores, spend time loving on the horses and for those who help with fixing machinery around the Ranch! They are so kind and generous to donate their time to us! We are also grateful for all of the kind words, cards, letters, gifts and donations that have followed Burdie’s newspaper story and that we were privileged to meet so many new friends through that! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts to everyone who supports us in thoughts and prayers and encouragement, this Ranch would not be here without you. As we head into Summer we will slowly be starting visits. We will try to adhere to whatever policies we need to as we want to keep everyone safe while still having visitors. Please contact us if you would like to come by and meet the horses, they love making new friends! We hope you have a wonderful Summer full of making memories with the people who matter most to you!

Prayer Requests

For safety and wisdom as we head into a new season of Ranch activities

For our Ranch kids, as they face challenges every day, and their caregivers, who support them and bring out the best in them.

For God’s guidance as we try to connect with our local community, to raise awareness of who we are and what we do.

That we would be open to the leading of the Holy Spirit as we interact with our Ranch families.

Volunteer Opportunities

We have many different opportunities for anyone who has a willing heart to invest in the Ranch. Whether you’re good with kids or adults, horses or mechanical things, we’ve got opportunities to help here. Let us know if you’ve got a free weekend to help with a proj-ect or two, or you just want to spend an hour once in a while unloading a hay wagon, grooming a horse, or picking up poop! There’s always stuff to do here!

Donate

Donations to support our ministry can be submitted on our website or sent to:
Timber Ridge Ranch, 2691 Route 174, Marietta, NY 13110.

We are a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization.