Patch's Place

05/31/2026

🙏🐴❤️‍🩹 CORA ❤️‍🩹🐴🙏

The reality of running a sanctuary for draft horses with special medical needs- what starts as a relatively uneventful, ordinary day can change in an instant.

As I was cooling Cora off Friday afternoon with her daily hose down, so she was happily enjoying the cool water while I was enjoying a quiet moment with her. Then I looked down and immediately noticed that one of her hind legs was nearly twice the size of the other one.

You see, Cora has CPL (ChronicProgressive Lymphedema), a lifelong condition that affects the lymphatic system and causes swelling, skin changes, and discomfort in many draft horses. While there is no cure, it can often be managed to a degree with diligent care.

I immediately texted Jasmin, our amazing partner at 1 Horse At A Time Draft Horse Rescue for backup advice (thank you, Jasmin!), and then got to work, shaved the affected area, cleaned her leg thoroughly, massaged it to encourage circulation and lymphatic drainage, and began doing everything we could to make her more comfortable. We are am now hoping the veterinarian can get out soon and administer a steroid injection to help reduce the inflammation.

Please keep Cora in your thoughts, prayers 🙏, and send her some positive energy☀️. She is such a sweet girl and deserves every chance to be comfortable and happy. We will continue to monitor her closely and provide the care she needs.

Life at a sanctuary is full of beautiful moments, but it also comes with unexpected challenges like this. Thankfully, Cora is surrounded by people who love her and are committed to giving her the best quality of life possible. 💛🐴💛

We’ll keep everyone updated on our sweet girl. 🐴

05/29/2026

🐴💙 $5 Friday at Patch's Place 💙🐴

Summer is in full swing, and that means round bales disappearing faster, water stations being set up around the ranch, medical bills, farrier visits, and preparing for our upcoming summer camp.

One of the things we are most proud of is that our "Finding Your Brave" summer camp is offered free of charge to participants. Through time with our gentle giants, children learn confidence, self-advocacy, communication, empathy, and resilience. We love sharing the healing power of horses with our community.

This Saturday is also farrier day, an important part of keeping our herd healthy and comfortable.

If you've ever wanted to help support the horses and the people they impact, consider joining our $5 Friday. Every $5 gift helps provide hay, hoof care, medical support, and educational programs that make a difference.

Thank you for helping us care for these gentle giants and continue serving our community. 🐴❤️

❤️‍🔥DONATION INFORMATION ❤️‍🔥
PAYPAL: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=H5Y7F29TMSV84

VENMO:

ZELLE: [email protected]

WEBSITE: https://patchsplace.org/

CHECKS or MONEY ORDERS:
9910 Meadow Ranch Rd.
Justin, TX 76247

EIN: 93-4890344

Patch's Place is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that relies on donations. Your generous support is greatly appreciated, as it makes our work possible. If you are unable to donate financially please “like” and share our page, as that is another way to support us and our mission.

All donations are tax deductible to the extent of the law. Employer match’s are often offered, please check with your HR department.

05/29/2026

☀️🩷🐴 LADY 🐴🩷☀️

Lady has her priorities straight, fresh round bale first, everything else later! 🌾❤️ Finally a sunny day with no rain! ☀️

05/29/2026

💞🐴 GIDEON & GRACE 🐴💞

Some friendships don’t need words. 💛

After dinner, Gideon and Grace shared one of their favorite rituals, grooming each other. A simple act of trust, comfort, and connection that reminds us how deeply horses care for those they love.

05/25/2026

🍂 Exciting Update: Christmas in July Auction Moves to Fall! 🐴❤️

Due to our busy summer camp schedule, and to allow our Patch’s Place family more time to create, gather, and get auction donations to us, we have made the decision to postpone our online auction until October 1, 2026.

The good news? It will now join together with our 2nd Annual Fall Fundraiser: Gentle Giants, Healing Hearts for one special season of giving and community.

This year’s event will include:🍁 Games🍁 Food🍁 Entertainment🍁 Silent Auction🍁 Community fun—all while supporting the horses of Patch’s Place

📄🎁 DONATIONS 🎁📄
If you own a business, have a special talent or skill, offer a service, create handmade items, or would like to support our mission through an auction donation, we would be incredibly grateful for your support.

Auction donations, gift certificates, products, services, and items will now be accepted through September 1, 2026.

Questions? Please send us a message, we would love to hear from you.

Thank you for helping us continue providing sanctuary, specialized care, and healing through horses. 💛🐴💛

🎄🐴 Patch’s Place Christmas in July Silent Auction is Coming Soon! 🐴🎄

Our Christmas in July fundraiser will be here before we know it, and we need your help to make it magical! ❤️

Are you a crafter? Small business owner? Artist? Photographer? Maker? Do you know someone who is? Or maybe you simply have a new item, experience, service, gift basket item, or something special you’d like to donate?

Please keep Patch’s Place in mind this season!

We are currently collecting donations for our online silent auction fundraiser, with 100% of proceeds benefiting the Patch’s Place sanctuary horses and helping provide lifelong care for our medically fragile draft horses while supporting our free community equine-assisted coaching programs.

✨ Handmade items✨ Artwork✨ Services✨ Gift certificates✨ Experiences✨ Horse items✨ Home décor✨ Business donations✨ And more!

📦 All donated items must arrive at the ranch no later than July 1, 2026.

Please message us for more details or to arrange delivery.

Or send items to:

Patch’s Place
Attn: Christmas in July
9910 Meadow Ranch Rd
Justin, TX 76247

Thank you for helping us turn Christmas in July into hope, healing, and full hay nets for the herd. ❤️🐴

05/25/2026

Another Afternoon of Texas Storms ⛈️🌳🐴

Another round of Texas storms rolled into the ranch today, and is still going on. ⛈️ 🌧️ 💨 ⚡️

Even though every pasture has shelters available, most of the herd still chose their favorite storm strategy… standing under the trees. I’ll never fully understand horse logic, but I’m grateful they have both options and the ability to choose what feels safest and most comfortable to them.

Today we were watching the sky and praying hard for dry weather because tomorrow is scheduled to be farrier day. Unfortunately, farrier work and mud do not mix. It isn’t safe to work around muddy footing or muddy horses, and the mud is also incredibly hard on farrier tools.

Our herd is really over due for hoof care, but safety comes first, theirs and our farrier’s.

Last farrier day we were only able to get through two horses, Laverne and Shirley, before the storms rolled in⛈️. The two farrier days before that had to be canceled completely because of weather. We currently have two farrier days scheduled this week, and at this point we are just hoping and praying 🙏 we can at least get the second one in.

Texas weather… we know we need the rain and we are thankful for it, but our herd’s hooves are definitely ready for a break in the storms.

Send dry weather thoughts our way and keep those fingers crossed for our gentle giants 💛🐴☀️

05/25/2026

🤍🐴 The Tough Side of Sanctuary 🐴🤍

We love this herd so deeply. Every horse here matters. Every story matters. Every life matters.

But one of the hardest parts of sanctuary work is knowing that ALL of the horses who come here do so because of special medical needs. Some will go on to live long lives with chronic conditions that can be managed. Others arrive with bodies that have already carried more pain and more years than they ever should have had to.

Some come to us on what feels like borrowed time. 💔

When that happens, it is hard. We do everything we can to keep each horse comfortable, supported, and as pain free as possible while preserving dignity, choice, and quality of life. We celebrate the good days, adjust when needed, and listen closely to what they tell us. But loving sanctuary horses also means knowing that when the time comes, and only when we know they are hurting more than living, we must be brave enough to let them go with dignity and honor the life they lived.

Right now, for Ben… that reality feels close, and it’s hard.

Ben came to us carrying severe emotional trauma from abuse along with advanced osteoarthritis and significant bone and joint issues. Before rescue, Ben spent years as a milk delivery horse at a dairy in Wisconsin. Years of hard work and difficult handling took a toll on both his body and his trust.

Today, Ben is surrounded by love. He receives supplements, careful management, pain support, monitoring, and all the comfort we can offer. But despite those efforts, his bone continues to shift, which is concerning and something we are watching closely.

For now, we continue to take it one day at a time and let Ben tell us what he needs.

We love you, Ben. Thank you for trusting us with your story. 🤍🐴 Thank you to our partner 1 Horse At A Time Draft Horse Rescue for rescuing him, allowing him time to feel loved and comfortable. Without you none of this would be possible.

If you have a moment, please keep Ben in your prayers, send him healing thoughts, well wishes, comfort, positivity, and all the peace you can spare. We hope he feels every bit of the love being sent his way.🐴💙✨❤️‍🩹

Patch’s Place is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit sanctuary dedicated to providing lifelong care for medically fragile draft horses like Ben while creating opportunities for healing and connection between horses and humans.

As a nonprofit, we rely heavily on the generosity of our community to continue this work. If you would like to support Ben’s care, or help any of the horses who call Patch’s Place home, your donation makes a meaningful difference.

❤️‍🔥DONATION INFORMATION ❤️‍🔥
PAYPAL: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=H5Y7F29TMSV84

VENMO:

ZELLE: [email protected]

WEBSITE: https://patchsplace.org/

CHECKS or MONEY ORDERS:
9910 Meadow Ranch Rd.
Justin, TX 76247

Every gift helps provide feed, veterinary care, farrier services, medications, shelter, and the daily support these gentle giants deserve. We have no paid staff. Donations also help sustain our free equine-assisted coaching and wellness programs, summer camps, and volunteer and equine advocacy programs that give back to our community.

If giving financially isn’t possible right now, you can still help in a big way by LIKING 👍, commenting, and sharing our page to help spread awareness of our mission.

Donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. Many employers also offer matching gift programs that may double your impact, check with your HR department to see if your employer participates.

EIN: 93-4890344

05/25/2026

☀️🐴 We’re HOT! 😎🤩: I mean literally, HOT! 🥵!

So how do we help the herd handle Texas summers? 🥵🌳

Texas heat is no joke, and while our horses are tough, our draft horses with all that size, hair, and fluff, are not made for heat. We do a lot of little things to help keep them comfortable during the hottest months of the year.

This year is especially important because I believe it’s our four newest horses’ first summer in Texas, so we’re paying extra close attention and monitoring them carefully as they adjust.

Along with the basics like:
💧 Electrolytes
🧂 Mineral licks
🏠 Access to shelter and shade
💦 Unlimited fresh water

…we also do a few extra things.

One thing visitors often notice is that all of our pastures have natural trees for shade. While shelters are important, many of our herd actually prefer hanging out under the trees where there’s often more airflow and a cooler breeze. We intentionally keep those natural spaces available because the horses tell us what they like. 🐴🌳

We also thin and braid/maintain long manes when needed. Draft horse manes are beautiful, but they can trap a surprising amount of heat and sweat underneath. Keeping them tidy can help them stay more comfortable during peak summer temperatures, so we thin out their manes and braid the long ones.

In the middle of summer, for horses that enjoy it and tolerate it well, we’ll also:
🚿 Hose them off once or twice a day
💦 Put out extra water troughs for splashing and play
🍉 Offer cool treats like watermelon and other horse-safe summer snacks

Will any of this replace cool weather? Absolutely not. (We are still accepting donations toward an air-conditioned pasture… kidding… mostly 😅). But until then, we believe small things done consistently can make a big difference.

And a special thank you to our volunteers yesterday for spending time scrubbing water troughs, grooming horses (regular fly sprays helps keep them more comfortable) and braiding manes. Those may seem like small jobs, but they make a huge difference in the comfort and well-being of the herd. Clean, cool water and helping keep those thick manes manageable in the heat means more than you know. 💛🐴🙏

You all are so appreciated, and the herd is lucky to have you. 🐴☀️

05/25/2026

☀️⛈️ Texas Weather: 1 / Patch’s Place Projects: 0 🤠🐴

Yesterday started out absolutely beautiful, blue skies, sunny ☀️ , hot 🥵 , an amazing volunteer crew, and everyone working hard and checking projects off the list. It felt like one of those perfect ranch days where you think, “We are getting SO much done today!”

Then… Texas weather remembered we had plans. 😅

The clouds rolled in FAST and we had about three minutes to clear the pastures and get everyone safely wrapped up before the thunder started cracking, lightning ⚡️⛈️⚡️rolled in, and the skies absolutely opened up with rain 🌧️ for the rest of the day.

Needless to say… some projects are now officially rain delayed (or maybe just “Texas postponed”). 🌧️😂

Here’s to unfinished projects, muddy boots, and trying again another day. Thank you, Texas weather. ⛈️🐴🤠

05/25/2026

🇺🇸🐴❤️ Home of the Free, Because of the Brave❤️🐴🇺🇸

Today, we pause to remember and honor the brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country. Their courage, sacrifice, and love for something greater than themselves have given us freedoms we are grateful for every day.

As we spend time with family, enjoy the sunshine, or rain, and appreciate the simple moments, quiet mornings, open skies, and the peace found among the herd, we remember those who made those moments possible.

At Patch’s Place, we are especially grateful for all veterans, active-duty service members, and military families, including those we have had the honor of serving through our free equine-assisted coaching programs. Horses have a special way of helping us slow down, reflect, heal, and reconnect, and today we hold space for remembrance and gratitude.

May we never forget those who gave everything. ❤️🤍💙

With gratitude,
Patch’s Place