Healing Horses "One child at a time" Inc.

03/05/2026

The March winds have began & hopefully winter is on vacation now. All is as well as it can be here. Rebuilding is slow, but patience is a virtue I have to work on, & this is certainly teaching me ;)

The herd is doing well. We were concerned for Renegade loosing Goose, who had clung close to her, after losing his mares, Cracker & Pixie. But he has adjusted a lot quicker than I have. He likes Fancy, but she isn't impressed with his studly act at almost 30 years old. You'd think he'd give up the act after being gelded for 14 years. Not that boy. It is beautiful to watch him do his studly dance.

I currently am proving to be a redneck. I must be since I've had a rooster in my bathtub for over a week🤣 Humbly admit it's not the first time either. My husband truly was a patient man. His only request was I didn't bring the horses into heal them ;) Big Mac fell ill, we think from the hard freezes, though we did have heat lamps on the flock. Truly not weather Florida animals are accustomed to. He's a good boy & rather special to us. So he can have all the time he needs to mend & is doing better. The draw back to a rooster in your bathtub is once they begin to heal, they begin to crow again. 4 am & every hour on the hour till about 8 am. Yes, it's a good sign, Yes coffee begins a wee bit earlier these days 🤣 Big Mac is his name. His father was a Jersey Giant named Two Step & the best rooster I'd ever had in my life. Gentle with even toddler children. But watched his hens & called them to bugs. Yes, a mighty fine rooster Two Step was. Big Mac's mother was our famous Minnie pearl for her small hat on her head. She was a Sapphire Gem Olive Egger. What a mix eh? Big Mac was hatched having his father's heart & his mother's color & comb. Handsome he is

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02/23/2026

Happy Monday folks! We thought.........that was the first mistake, that the cold was gone ;) But mother nature has a mind of her own, stinker that she is. As we grumble & drag in plants, prepare the horses & grumble some more, our prayers are with the folks in the north, whom have had it rough enough already. A mere inconvenience to us, life threatening to many in this latest northerner blowing hard. We have a couple of hard freezes starting tonight & you can certainly feel it now. Yesterday, I was in a t-shirt, today a sweat shirt. The horses are full of energy & seem to love it. Frolicking, bucking & swallowing hay like there's no more to come.

Hope all are doing well. Warm, prepared & have hot chocolate on hand. Here's to the mid week warm up. I'm ready for spring which lasts about 2 seconds in Florida & summer last forever ;)

Bear hugs to all & have a great week

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02/09/2026

I received news today that saddens my heart. Katie Heissler Cunningham's father, Bill Heissler, passed on the 7th of February. Katie's family were a very big part of this rescue with Katie for many years. Bill was a man of great humor, wit, kindness, a heart of gold & deep faith in our Lord. I have many memories of laughter, pure love & friendship to cherish with her Dad, her Mom, Becky, Sister & Katie whom I will always adore. May they find comfort & strength in all Bill gave them from faith, honesty, love & laughter. Our hearts & prayers are with each of you & we are here for anything we can do to make this very difficult journey better. Love straight from my heart to the entire Heissler family

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02/09/2026

All tax letters were out by Jan 31st. If anyone hasn't received theirs, please check your spam, if not there, please message me, so I can forward your letter to you. IF you changed your email please advise me via message. Thank you each for your sacrifices for the herd, each of you helped more than you will ever truly understand

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01/26/2026

Just checking on folks & praying all in colder areas fair well. The cold from the Northerner is hitting us tonight. Horses have a fresh round roll in front of them, Fancy has a half block of alfalfa to keep all warm. We've already had 4 hard freezes, so everyone has a good winter coat. It looks like the entire country shall have a few days of cold & ice. Please take good care of yourselves, hunker down, stay off the ice! Sending a love filled bear hug to all

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12/26/2025

I hope each of you had a blessed Christmas, or Hanukkah!! Ours was peaceful, quiet & joyful in the celebration of Christ's birth. Stephanie came for a bit & gave us a chance to catch up, share laughs & the family was grateful to have the time with her.

We would like to send a bear hug & deep appreciation to Vicki Harden for the donation to help with hay & the final caring for Goose. It's cold for Florida at night especially & the horses are pounding the hay/alfalfa down. Goose recently had her eye cancer return. The chemo beads gave her many extra, happy years here on the farm, but the cancer is now in her bones & we suspect brain. So this next week, we shall say goodbye to Goose here, thank her for her 15 1/2 years of service to kids & adults in need & send her over the bridge. My heart is literally breaking to say goodbye, but I know it's the right call. Over the bridge she goes to green pastures & friends before her. I know I'll see her again. Goose came in a starved, angry & a dangerous horse, who with soft hands, patience & time not only learned to trust again, but taught many children they could trust & heal as well. To me, like the other horses that have serviced humans here, she is a real HERO.

The fencing is coming along nicely. Josh has saved 3 oaks in the fence line that I couldn't bare to see cut down. He came up with a brilliant solution that saves the tree and allows adjusting the fence as they grow. I'll get on the golf cart this week & take a picture of his solution. I'm rather proud of him

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12/10/2025

Hope all had a love filled Thanks Giving!

The fencing is slowly but surely coming along. One thing is for sure, it will last 3 decades or more. Josh is not a corner cutter for sure.

We've had a couple of days of hard rain, of course on the weekend. Had to fuss at Josh out in the pouring rain hanging fence ;) We actually truly needed the rain. So grateful.

Pictures of some of the fencing. Every cross brace is engraved with no trespassing, no climbing & a electric fence symbol. Every front down post on front line, has a horses head & our street number. Yes, Josh did it with his laser. Prettiest farm fence I've ever seen ;) The address numbers are for city slickers who don't understand rural streets & seem to always miss the big green numbers on the gate.

I'm still of course in PT & fighting hard on my way back to the ability to walk like a normal person. Never say you can't, try, try again has always been my motto with the kids who come here, so I'd better live it!

Hope this finds you all well, happy & things getting easier by the day. I carry you each in my heart & sending a big ole bear hug from me & knickers from the herd

11/19/2025

November is blowing right on by with a quickness. It seems I probably won't make it to the pastures, nor more my dance with the herd by the end of the month. But Dr. Smith reminded me this month that my case wasn't the usual & it's going to take time, lots of PT & patience ;) I got the first two, the latter, working on it.

The herd is fat, loving the cooler weather & sassy. It's been down right cold a few nights. Keeping their hay cradles filled & so happy to see them frolicking without the sweat.

It's almost Thanksgiving Day. My favorite holiday. Never stress, just filled with good memories of those gone, cherishing the ones left & watching them enjoy a good meal, laughter & deep appreciation for our blessings. I hope each of you have a peaceful, love filled day & the time to share with those you love, whether family, friends, or both a day of thanks for all the blessings we can sometimes overlook in the hectic pace of life. A huge, love filled bear hug to each of you & knickers from the herd

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10/31/2025

Just checking in on my folks ;) Still trudging along with PT & fighting the frustration of things going so slow in progress. Have to remind myself I'm not a spring chicken anymore. If I forget Stephanie will remind me 🤣😂

A welcomed cool spell, though it will be short lived for both human & four legged here. Can tell you the herd is prancing, snorting & playing hard ;) I hear them stampede by to the front, grab my rollator & hurry to the window to watch them bucking & playing. Cool doesn't come often & the humidity is pretty much gone for the moment. Happy for them truly.

Josh is definitely excited over the cool down & planning on setting posts all weekend. I'll tag along on the golf cart Stephanie brought me to use during this no unlevel ground rules.

Hope this finds you each well & managing the shutdown & challenges some may be facing. This too shall pass eh? After Covid & all the harm caused, I'm tough skinned to what ever they throw our way ;)

I know many are now preparing for the holidays. Wishing you each fun in the preparation. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday personally. I love to cook & I love seeing folks at the table enjoying each other, void of stress, with laughter in the air.

Bear hugs to all & knickers from the herd

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10/10/2025

Thank you Ms. Vicki for being there once again to save us!!

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09/24/2025

I will start with the herd & let you all know they are fat, full of mischief & healthy. ;) Romeo & Bobby stay in trouble. Of course Bobby is the follower & Romeo is the creative one. Renegade does his best to make them both behave. Renegade has teamed with Goose since loosing Cracker & Pixie. I'm so glad for both of them. Goose has never really had a buddy & seems smitten with Renegade. He hovers over her, guards her & tends her. Renegade will never believe he's not still a stud. In his mind he's Mac Daddy & when the youngsters dare question that, he quickly puts them in their place. Romeo has Brandi, who could truly care less. Take her out of his sight & the fit begins. Wesson, well that boy is still as nosy as ever & always looking for a treat. Fancy is old now & just wants to graze in peace. Thankfully the younger crowd respects this ;) I do have the joy of seeing them now that enough of the front pasture is done. I can't see them if they head for the back.

I have been AWOL for since last month. It's been a tough journey folks. My recovery has not gone quite as I was expecting. It has been a slow, painful journey. Having it broken for two years & the massive damage done to nerves, etc., it isn't going to go as easy as I had hoped........being fast. But I graduated to a cane part time this week & that's a huge accomplishment. It's very slow walking & yes painful, but it is on the walker. I have a wonderful PT person, who has been with me since the beginning of my journey. This is a huge plus, since he understands my legs & why they don't want to work far better than I do.

So onward we go through the fog, with faith intact & grateful for the blessings before us. My goal is still the same, as the doctor believed I could obtain before surgery of the end of November, dancing with the herd & the deer ;) I'm no quitter..........get er done!

Sending all my deep gratitude for the love & support during my rodeo, but more importantly for the herd & our cause. I couldn't do any of what's been done the last 15 years without each of you. Sending bear hugs & well wishes to you each

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08/21/2025

I'm up & working hard at PT folks ;) It's a process I'm real familiar with after two knee breaks. Doc says I should be able to boot scoot with the herd by November & I'm pawing the ground to get at it! Been a long ride & grateful to see the rainbow at the end of this knee hurricane. The herd is doing well. Josh has done an amazing job of keeping everyone tended & spoiled with his treats. The only man EVER to approach & actually pet Renegade. He hangs his head over Josh's shoulder for treats. Mutual respect they have.

I want to thank our supporters for all they have sacrificed through two knee breaks, hurricanes & life! I'm eternally grateful to each of you that love this herd & show it. We wouldn't survive, couldn't survive without you. Sending you each a sincere cyber bear hug for each of the horses full bellies

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