DEAR GOLDEN CARROT  PATRONS:

Well, the good  news is that escrow closed on May 1, 2000, and The Golden Carrot  will be, and is now in the process of, moving to 44700 Terwilliger  Road, Anza, CA 92539. We’ll be on 27 acres with an area already  cleared (but not yet fenced) for a paddock and a nice riding arena.

The bad news  is the only place to put the stalls has required extensive tractoring.  In an effort to save money, Mike found what we thought would be  a deal on a tractor for him to run. As it turns out, moving brush  and boulders was doable, but the actual process of moving DIRT and  leveling the site is an art that Mike cannot be expected to learn  in just two days. Unfortunately, trying to find someone with the  experience and equipment to finish the job is just about impossible.  Quotes are ranging from $600 to $1500. With the $750 already spent  for tractoring and post holes dug, you can imagine we’re in  a financial bind. The property had one house on it, in which Mike  will live. I had to find and pay for and transport a house for myself  at a cost of $3,000 - and it’s a wreck. No flooring, no paint,  roof falling in, all fixtures gone and most windows out. I’m  not too concerned about myself - I can take the time to get the  thing livable once the utilities are operational. But getting the  horses moved and housed is more important. So Mike is installing  fencing at least in the paddock area. Mr. Kurt Stone dug approximately  50 holes with his tractor ($200 per day), Mike sets the fence pole,  and adds the cross rails. But it is very slow work. I’ll be  providing Carol Cooling (my web designer) with photos of the "before"  and "during" photos we have so far, to give you an idea.

I had thought  we’d be moving the horses by the end of next week (May 19)  but so far, we have NOWHERE to put them. Though Mike is on vacation,  8 hours is about all he can do each day and his vacation time is  used up next week. I don’t have paid vacation and have to pay  for feed and farrier and my own living expenses - I move and help  build weekends and Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, and work evenings,  often till midnight.

I know we are  too far off the beaten track to get actual assistance, but any donation  at all at this time will help. If it only pays for the horses’  feed and farrier, it frees my own paycheck to pay for tractoring.  Even $5 - enough of you donating at that level can make a difference.  A donation to Big Horse Feed (909/676-2544) would be great - I have  to buy $300 worth of feed this weekend. It seems unlikely, but maybe  someone knows of a tractor guy, or equipment outfit who will help  out. A break on move on and off costs, or hourly rate, or willingness  to accept payments could make all the difference.

So far, the horses  don’t have a clue. I haven’t changed anything for them  yet except removing the round pen (for the materials). They are  all suffering a little with the very hot days and very chilly damp  nights we’ve been having, but we blanket Joshie, and make sure  they have plenty of food, and I hose them off when I feed at 10:30  or 11 AM. We had a little scare last night with Domino, who was  obviously suffering from a belly ache, but used Tellington’s  belly lifts to good effect and by the time I fed the evening hay,  he was feeling well enough to eat. Mr. Tough Guy scared me when  he WANTED to be cuddled! Thank god for the Tellington Touch program!

Thanks for any  support you can offer. I’ll try to keep you posted on the progress  of our move. Keep an eye on the web site for photos when Carol can  get to them.

IN MEMORY OF ZAYLER

On May 22, 2000, after a 24 hour bout with colic,  Zayler passed away.

The timing is bitter - when Zayler came to The  Golden Carrot, he was terribly thin and wasted after an abusive  and neglectful owner had simply not bothered to feed him. His prior  owner, Katie Davis, discovered his wretched condition and took him  away from his abusers, but wasn’t able to do much to rehabilitate  him. She sent him to TGC, in the hopes that at least a little easier  life would enable him to recover somewhat.

In fact, with his great heart and TGC’s brand  of care, Zayler made an incredible recovery. He was in his mid 30s,  and the abuse was so severe I didn’t know what to expect. But  with a diet of senior feed, a couple of adjustments by Dr. Adrienne  Moore to help his aching hips, and proper foot care by Paul Turner,  Zayler was scampering around the paddocks in pretty good form within  a year. He was always a little teetery on his feet - and always  had a little trouble getting back up after laying down for a sunbath  - but considering everything, Zayler was one of our great success  stories.

But that wasn’t enough for this courageous  horse. He showed huge interest when the little Hughes girls came  to ride, and finally, one day, I said - let’s put little Anna  on Zayler. Look at the opening page of our web site - and that’s  Anna riding Zayler. Eventually, I used Zayler for Erin Lyons also,  and his obvious pride and tender care of the youngsters would cause  a lump in my throat. Walk trot was all he could do, but he was hugely  pleased with himself and the girls loved it.

Lastly, for the first year, this Spring Zayler  showed a lot of interest in having his own mare and pairing up.  He chose Ladyhawk. She’s not an easy conquest - very leery  of other horses due to her blind eye, but they were eating together,  and hanging together head to tail in the hot sun. It breaks my heart  to report that the last time I could get Zayler on his feet, he  headed straight for Ladyhawk’s stall - ‘Look sweetie,  I’m better, really’. And she’s missing him. Each  day when she comes out of her stall, she heads towards his and gives  a cry or two - something she never did till he was gone.

I hope the time at TGC made up for Zayler’s  past difficulties. I believe he was happy here and I know he was  loved. Zayler, more than many, exemplifies the contribution even  an older and disabled horse can make to the lives of those around  him. His kind heart and fighting spirit brought him through hard  times and made many people happy. I miss him more than I can say.

Bye Bye, Zay