Friday Standing Ovation, Presented by Ovation Riding

This week’s honoree: Long Meadow Rescue Ranch.

Each Friday Horse Nation teams up with Ovation Riding to spotlight an individual or organization that is doing good work in the horse world. This week we salute Long Meadow Rescue Ranch.

Presented by:

This week’s honoree:

Nestled among 165-acres of woodland near Union, Missouri, the Humane Society of Missouri’s Longmeadow Rescue Ranch is haven for hundreds of abused and neglected horses, cows, goats, pigs, ducks and other farm animals. The ranch is one of the most comprehensive horse and farm animal care and rehabilitation centers in the country. In addition to animal care, ranch staff provide hands-on humane education experiences for both children and adults.

The ranch can take care of as many as 350 animals at a time and provide them with much-needed personal attention and medical care. Once the animals are rehabilitated, they are adopted into loving homes.

Longmeadow Rescue Ranch hosts Open House / Adoption Days every Friday from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. If you’re not in a position to adopt but still want to help, consider sponsoring a “Barn Buddy,” a perfect way to help these animals live quality lives at the ranch. These sponsorships help cover the cost of feed, board and medical care for the animal of your choice.

Barn Buddy sponsorships also make great holiday gifts — and truly a gift that keeps on giving.

“When you give someone a Barn Buddy sponsorship, you are really giving two gifts,” said Amanda Mullen, director of Longmeadow Rescue Ranch. “Your loved one will appreciate the thoughtful and unique idea, and the animals at the ranch will thank you for giving them a second chance for a happy and healthy life.”

When you sponsor a Barn Buddy, the gift recipient will receive a beautiful, full-color Barn Buddy Gift Packet. And, order by December 17 and we will deliver a Barn Buddy Membership package to anyone on your gift list in the U.S. by December 25! The $50 sponsorship packet includes:

• Plush Toy
• A Professional Photo and Biography of the Barn Buddy
• A Personalized Certificate of Care
• An opportunity to meet your Barn Buddy in person at Longmeadow Rescue Ranch in Union, Missouri

Equine Barn Buddies available for adoption include…

Ritz, a miniature horse rescued in 2010. He had been living in a small pen with four other mini horses, a deceased horse and a young foal. There was also trash, debris and scraps of barbed wire in the pen with the animals. The only food source was moldy thick straw. Ritz was malnourished, suffering from external and internal parasites, skin infections, and untreated wounds. At Longmeadow he was put on a re-feeding program and treated for his wounds,
infestations and infections. He quickly responded to the treatment and became an energetic, young miniature horse.

Twist of Fate is a warmblood cross and “miracle colt” who was born at Longmeadow in 2007. His dam Mama came to the rescue after a double-decker semi truck carrying 41 horses and one hinny wrecked on I-44 on its way to a slaughter house in Illinois. Twenty-five horses and the hinny were saved. Mama was in one of the top compartments of the trailer (which was found lying on its side) standing over several dead horses. When she was rescued from the wrecked trailer, it was very obvious Mama was pregnant. Longmeadow was concerned the baby would not survive such an ordeal; fortunately, Mama continued her pregnancy and Twist of Fate was born.

Tumbleweed is a Palomino mare rescued in January of 2012 with 15 other horses and two donkeys in serious need of nutritious food and veterinary care. Too weak to stand on her own, Tumbleweed had been left to starve and could not get to water or protection from the freezing cold of winter. When she arrived at the ranch, staff members began lavishing her with loving, intensive care including lifting her to her feet several times each day because she could not stand on her own. Slowly, she gained strength and the 250 pounds she needed to be at the correct weight for her age and breed.

Teddy was rescued in the fall of 2012 from a property with many other neglected horses, mules and dogs. He was found living in a small pen with another miniature horse and several huge, starving hogs. The hogs were more than four times the size of Teddy! Hogs are known to be predators of anything smaller than them, especially when starving, so Teddy was lucky to be alive. Teddy was very thin was he was rescued and his hooves were so overgrown that they began twisting. The tendons in Teddy’s feet were weakened from the malformation of his hooves, causing him a lot of pain and making it difficult for him to walk. Since being nursed back to health at Longmeadow, Teddy’s beautiful roan coloring and flaxen mane and tail really shine, and he loves getting attention from people.

Calypso is another equine born at Longmeadow. His mother Clove was rescued with nine other mini horses and a mini donkey from a puppy mill in Tennessee. She already had a foal nursing at her side and when she was examined, it was learned she was pregnant. Calypso only weighed 32 pounds and was just 26 inches tall. As a newborn, Calypso was very shy around people, but with lots of loving attention from her ranch caretakers, she has become very friendly. When she was born, it took her a while to figure out how to work her front legs. She kept crossing them over each other and getting them tangled. With a little practice, she is now very agile and quick. She loves to play with the other animal friends at Longmeadow.

A number of other animals are available for sponsorship at Longmeadow. Visit the Longmeadow Rescue Ranch website at www.longmeadowrescueranch.org for a full list of available Barn Buddies. You can also follow Longmeadow on Facebook here.

We applaud the Longmeadow Rescue Ranch for the great work they do and encourage Horse Nation readers to consider adoption or sponsorship of their animals!

Go Riding.

Many thanks thanks to Ovation Riding for their support of both Horse Nation and individuals and organizations that are doing good work in the horse world. If you know someone who deserves a Standing Ovation, we would love to recognize them in a future post. Email the name of the person or organization along with a message about the good work they do to [email protected]. Photos/videos are always welcome, and include a link to their website if applicable.