“Many have forgotten this truth, but you must never forget it.You remain responsible forever for what you have tamed.”

- Antoine de Saint Exupery

Dear Valued Friends: August 6, 2018

Busy summer days! Horse Camp, new horse arrivals, horse adoptions, building projects – each day bookended with beautiful sunrises and sunsets. This first half of 2018 has been extraordinary for Blue Rose Ranch.

Blue Rose Ranch Receives GFAS Verification Blue Rose Ranch welcomes our Verification from the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries (GFAS). GFAS is the preeminent certifying body in the world of animal welfare. GFAS certifies that a facility meets worldwide Standards of Excellence in humane care for animals in need. Their standards are stringent and encompass areas

of direct animal care, facility safety and maintenance, and organization operational effectiveness and financial stability. Application for Verification is a long process of submitting information and photos, as well as on-site visits from the GFAS staff. The Verification Designation from GFAS ensures our supporters that horses receive the highest standard of care at Blue Rose Ranch, and that our organization is solid and committed. This recognition elevates our organization to a higher status and opens new doors of possible support.

Horse News Recent arrivals at Blue Rose Ranch include Stormy and Onyx. Stormy is a handsome black and white paint gelding. Stormy’s owner was an elderly gentleman who spent a lifetime caring for horses, but he reached a point where he could no longer physically care for Stormy. He was also being forced to move from his property and Stormy needed a place to live.

Onyx is a stunning “Morab”, which is a combination of an Arabian and a Morgan. Onyx’s family also went through a sad story of injury on the job, which led to permanent disability and loss of income. These were both situations where rescuing the horse also resulted in a “rescue” for the owners. Stormy is an older horse with physical limitations who has become one of our sanctuary horses at Blue Rose Ranch. Onyx is a younger, sound horse. He is receiving training and we will seek a great new forever home for him.Onyx

Stormy

Adoptions! Millie was adopted to a wonderful home in Rye, Colorado. This family also adopted a horse named Ivanka last year. We are sure Millie was happy to see an old friend when she arrived at her new home. Millie’s job will be that of companion and trail horse. Nugget has been adopted to a young lady who needs a great horse for competitions. Handsome Nugget will be seen in the show ring, competing in both Western Pleasure and Dressage. Nugget spent the spring at Lamar Community College where he received advanced training from an LCC student, Haley Burch. At the end of the semester, Haley won “Horseman of the Year” at the college – with Nugget’s help. We were proud of them both.

New Hay BuildingEarly spring this year came with very violent winds. In what may have been a microburst, one of our hay buildings was ripped from the foundation and folded in two. It has been replaced with a beautiful new hay building constructed by ClearSpan, the same company that constructed our Indoor Riding Arena. The new hay building is made of the same fabric as our arena – the same construction material used in the Denver International Airport Teepee architecture.

Speaking of HayIn southeast Colorado we experienced severe drought starting the Fall of 2017 and it lasted through the winter and spring this year. It wasn’t until July that we started getting meaningful rain and now our pastures are growing and doing well. For the last nine months, with 47 horses, we went through our hay reserves at a fast rate. We always plan on keeping a two-year supply

of hay for protection and this year we needed that reserve. We have pending contracts to bring in 120 tons of large bales of hay and they are starting to arrive. Grass/hay prices are the highest in years. Diesel and delivery costs are also high, but hay is a necessary expense. Our new hay building is being put to good use to protect this investment.

This year we really had our eyes opened to the challenges that hay producers face. Some regional farmers finally got enough rain to grow their hay only to lose it after monsoon rains prevented them from bailing and getting the hay out of the fields. This is what happened to the farmer in Kansas where we purchase small bales. We are hoping that his next crop – third cutting - will come in, but demand and prices will certainly go up.

Annual Youth Horse Camp: June 11th – 15thOur Horse Camp sold out and we expanded to include participation of 31 kids. Horse Camp at Blue Rose Ranch is much more than kids sitting on an already saddled horse that just follows the horse in front. We have developed a curriculum that challenges participants to learn a wide range of horse care and interaction with horses. At our Horse Camp, kids learn to groom horses, pick up hooves, give a horse a bath, and administer fly spray. They help with special feeding for older horses.

Hay building tresses going up

Clearspan hay building nearing completion

First load of large grass bales arrives

During our ground school sessions, kids learn to halter horses, which can be a challenge as most horses are tall and the kids are not. Handling and leading horses through obstacles requires kids to establish leadership over these large steeds. Kids look forward to riding horses. Participants had the opportunity to experience three modes of riding; Bareback, English saddle, and Western saddle. This variety helped them learn to balance on a horse and gave exposure to alternate horse disciplines. One of the biggest challenges for kids is learning to steer and direct large horses when their arms are short! Great improvement takes place over the course of camp.

Guest instructor this year was Alecz Adams, nationally acclaimed and award-winning horse trainer and equestrian. Alecz inspired and instructed camp participants in their riding skills. Also joining us this year to assist with riding instruction was Haley Burch, 2018 Horseman of the Year at Lamar Community College. On Friday, parents were invited to observe their kids’ achievements in horsemanship. Friday’s highlights included a demonstration by Zak Feeley, Blue Rose Ranch Horse Division Foreman, and his mustang Sarah. Alecz, Haley, and Zak formed a trio and entertained and inspired with their arena drill high-speed choreography. The camp culminated with the Joe Rosengrants Memorial Picnic, in honor of Joe and Norma and their support of the Blue Rose Ranch outreach to youth. Many parents commented that their kids not only had fun, but learned a great deal at the camp.

Thank you for your support of Blue Rose Ranch: through volunteer work, moral support, word of mouth, and financial support. Your contributions make our work on behalf of unwanted horses possible. We wish you a great summer’s end and fall, and invite you to visit Blue Rose Ranch.

Sincerely,John and Cheryl WebbExecutive Directors

In Memoriam:

Bond, as in “James Bond” we always joked, passed away this spring. Bond was a favorite of our young volunteers. He was kind and possessed a wonderful disposition. Many took their first ride on Bond, and he could be counted on to care for the young riders. Bond is truly missed at Blue Rose Ranch. He was indeed special.

Bond with friends at Blue Rose Ranch. We believe he is now enjoying green pastures in heaven.

Blue Rose Ranch Youth Horse Camp 2018: June 11th - 15th

Check out our new video:

Blue Rose Ranch released a new promotional video on Youtube this spring.

See “Blue Rose Ranch 2018” and enjoy!

Rebekah Heath - Youth Director of Horse Operations

Demonstration and inspiration by staff members - Haley, Alecz, and Zak

Blue Rose Ranch would like to thank the following Foundations for their support:

Alice Jenkins FoundationAnimal Assistance FoundationAnschutz Family Foundation

ASPCA (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals)Build-a Bear Workshop Bear Hugs Foundation

Colorado Unwanted Horse AllianceEl Pomar’s Hambrick FundEl Pomar’s Sally Beck Fund

Equus FoundationMerck Animal Health

Rutherford FoundationSally Beck Foundation

Southern Colorado Community FoundationWilliam H. and Mattie Wattis Harris Foundation

Unwanted Horse Veterinary Relief Campaign