Freedom Reins Ranch and Rescue

06/19/2026

06/17/2026

What’s on tap this week?

Besides a million inches of rain, we have the farrier coming.

And Atlas is losing his manly parts.

Our bills will be about $320 for everything, if my math is mathing.

Anyone want to sponsor a trim? They are $40 each x 6.

Or pitch in for Atlas’ neuter? Our balance is $77.

https://www.paypal.me/helpFRRR

(PS. Picture for attention…this was pre the 5.25” of rain in less than 48 hours. More is coming! We are a soggy mess!!)

06/13/2026

06/11/2026

Excuse the harsh and crude language… but he is not wrong. We are getting older, and are empty nesters… any high schoolers or young adults in the area that want to help us? We have 3 at the moment that we would love to partner with a reputable trainer, or someone who aspires to be. PM me!

06/10/2026

Just curious if anyone has seen any of the following:

Are there any people or rescues currently fundraising to save horses from slaughter? Or are there any pens asking for folks to bail their horses to keep them from shipping?

If so, they are LYING! I would hope most people would know this by now, but in light of the couple of screwworm cases in Texas, the southern borders are CLOSED.

As awful as this news is about this horrible parasite, the silver lining is NO horses are shipping to slaughter right now. And maybe, just maybe, this will bankrupt some of those horse traders masquerading as slaughter shippers.

How can you make a difference?

Take note of anyone still trying to extort and deceive soft hearted horses lovers. Unfollow them. Block them. Don’t engage, as that only brings up their rating in the algorithm.

If you have a lame, terminally ill, or very senior horses with a low quality of life, do NOT try to sell them or give them away. Give them a compassionate end. Can’t afford to do so? PM the page and we will try to help you find the resources you need. Otherwise, they could fall into the hands of these charlatans, and ship from auction to auction, suffering in the process. Or worse.

https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animals/animal-health/livestock-and-poultry-disease/current-status

06/04/2026

Yesterday was just the saddest.

We made the final decision to say goodbye to Sir Charleston based on the exam by LSU, and their findings about how much pain he was in. He had all the markers. By truth be told, I knew that. I could see it in his eyes when I picked him up yesterday morning from foster care. Plus, I knew when we rescued him last year, that he would not be longer for this world.

Was there anything else that could have been done? His meds were no longer working. There were other more expensive options that may or may not have worked, that may or may not have given him another 3-6 months.

But where I used to try as much as possible, to extend a life, being uncomfortable with death, I am now more uncomfortable with seeing a horse suffer.

I stayed to give him one last long hug. Watch as he was walked to a padded room, and given a sedative so he would fall asleep. Sat by his side and stroked his fur as he was euthanized. Cried that he was gone, too soon. Not too soon for his life, as it was time. But that we only had him in ours for a short time. Prayed with one of the students, with thanksgiving for such a great facility, and very understanding staff and future vets.

I waited for his tail and mane braids, and his quirky little forelock. They will be mailing an imprint of his hoof.

These items are all that we have left of Sir Charleston. Plus our memories, and the imprint me made on our hearts.

He was kind and curious. Stoic. He was a really great listener. Not only when anything was asked of him, but he would stand and pay attention to what we needed to say. I suspect most horses are that way, but I think it was Sir C’s superpower.

We donated his body to LSU to help the veterinary students learn about horses, and maybe it will help bring better understanding for comfort and treatment for the future.

Overall, even though it was a tragically sad day, it is a relief. Sir is no longer in any pain. Where he was all alone, and in need of rescue, when we decided to intake, he was not alone at the end. He had a wonderful foster mom and dad, a foster brother horse who is a dream, a little goat family that shared the pasture, with the sweetest barn and pastures for the last 6 months. And he was surrounded by so many students and staff members in death. And me. I was there, even though it was so hard. But I wanted to honor his life even in death.

Huge thanks to Tonia for caring enough about him to advocate for a rescue. Thank you to Terri and Scott for loving him, and giving him daily feed and care. Thank you to everyone who pitched in for his expenses. And thank you all for your love and prayers, not just for Sir C, but for us and all of our fur kids at Freedom Reins.

Sorry to be the bearer of so much bad news lately, but it goes with the rescue territory. Hopefully I can share some happier updates with you all soon…but for now, I am just going to take some time to sit with the heartbreak of loss, give my pain and anger to God, try to recount all the beauty and lessons that we learned from both Rockstar and Sir Charleston, and love the ones that are still with us.

06/03/2026

Comfort.

It is what we want, and spend a lot of time searching for. It is what we want for our animals. At least those of us with a heart.

Years ago, I listened to a sermon by Craig Groeschel where he said that we can have comfort, or we can have growth. I repeat that often to myself, especially in challenging times. And as if life isn’t challenging enough as it is, we decided almost a decade ago to start a rescue, which makes life even more challenging.

In my past, I had a tendency to “quit” things often, when they got too hard, too boring, or had no meaningful purpose. But at some point, as I got closer to the Lord, a shift started. A shift to press into the pain. A shift to run faster through the darkness, to get to the light on the other side, rather than running from it…and having to deal with it anyway.

But on the heels of a decade of rescuing, on the heels of a horrible month of round the clock care for Atlas (the recent GSD we rescued), on the heels of saying goodbye (just last week) to Rockstar, on the heels of a long journey to visit to see my aging parents (just returning late last night), I am exhausted. My heart does not feel strong enough. At least not strong enough to say goodbye to yet another fur friend.

And in this moment, I don’t want any more growth. I just want to stop and catch my breath.

Is that what I will do?

Doubtful.

We still have 8 other equine in the rescue. We still have 5 dogs, including Atlas who is in the middle of rest and rehab (I will try to make another post soon with some good news). I am still in the process of becoming a trainer for service dogs.

And today, it means making hard decisions. Traveling to pick up an old friend. Loading him onto the trailer for what might be the last time. Traveling to LSU. See him through to the end. Traveling back home.

I will keep pressing through, holding on.

I am going to need to take longer than a minute to grieve the loss of Rockstar. And it is looking like Sir Charleston as well.

Really would appreciate all prayers. Not could have, should haves. Not have you tried this or that. These decisions are hard enough as it is. And to watch or hear about the suffering of an animal is what wrecks my heart. I don’t want people to be comfortable with death, but we also need to be uncomfortable with suffering. End it when we can. Sometimes that looks like long term care. Sometimes that looks like a compassionate end.

What doesn’t it look like to give a horse a compassionate end? Pawning our responsibility off on others. Expecting others to make the hard choices when we can’t face it. Dropping a horse off at auction. Leaving it to die a slow death in a field. Spending thousands of dollars to try to manage pain, because we have a hard time saying goodbye. Demanding rescues foot the bill for end of life decisions.

None of these things are fair to expect another human to do for you. Learn to give comfort and compassion to your animals, even if it means discomfort. Press into the hurt of the heart, physical exertion of the body, or pain of the pocket book. Animals give us so much.

“The godly care for their animals, but the wicked are always cruel.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭12‬:‭10‬ ‭NLT‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/116/pro.12.10.NLT

A song that touched my heart this morning:
https://open.spotify.com/track/27oqAdEmp480usR8hPV5Iq?si=N7pXMchOTd-MTJf7X7vXnA&rowId=2168ffcc5fa5d893

06/03/2026

When it rains, it pours… 🌧️

After saying good bye to Rockstar last week, this weekend we received bad news that Sir Charleston is having lameness issues.

In case you missed it, he was rescued last year. He is a senior, who had been left alone on a property, was underweight, and had lameness issues. On his initial intake exam, the cause of his lameness showed up on xrays…concussive arthritis, from his racing days.

We have had him on meds for pain relief since last year, with few bad days, but this weekend they stopped working entirely. And after consulting with a family vet, he is at his max dose, and no other NSAIDS should be given or it could cause ulcers or kidney failure. 😵

Since he is believed to be 25 or older, we are not sure anything else can be done for him. We do have an urgent appointment at LSU, but we might be looking at another end of life decision.

I would just bring him here, but he is in foster care 4 1/2 hours from my place. And to trailer him that far would be cruel. That is why we opted for LSU. It is within an hour of his foster home, and they are an excellent facility.

This is very hard on my heart, especially on the heels of having to lay Rockstar to rest. 💔

Please pray for us, for his fosters, and for Sir C. It looks to be another devastating week. And I hate to even ask, but if anyone would like to pitch in… we have an initial estimate of $300 plus medication. I will try to post an update once we have the final bill.

As always, thank you in advance! 🙏🙏

https://www.paypal.me/helpFRRR

05/28/2026

4 years, 4 weeks and 4 days.

It wasn’t long enough. And yet, it seemed like a lifetime.

We said our goodbyes, and laid Rockstar to rest, this week. He is buried near the top of the pasture, overlooking his barn and barnyard, his friends and fence mates from the past 4 years.

Rockstar was everyone’s favorite. He taught me so much about blind horses. About overcoming obstacles. A reminder that all life has purpose. It was a joy and an honor to give him some really amazing years before he crossed the rainbow bridge.

I hate goodbyes. I hate sickness and disease. I hate the end of something good. The past few days have been a real struggle, shifting through different feelings. Disbelief. Sadness. Numbness. Anger. Understanding. Hope.

Rescue is so hard. Saying hello to horses in the worst condition. Witnessing some of the ugliest human behavior. Having to take on the burden that belongs to others. Making heavy decisions about lives that are a beautiful gift from God.

I know after a decade of rescue, that we are on the downhill side of that. There are not many more goodbyes. And while it was someone else’s burden to bear, we took on the responsibility of Rockstar’s beautiful life. He knew compassion. He had so many friends, both human and animal. He had half a barn and a large barnyard. He knew regular meals. It wasn’t fancy, but he was loved and well cared for. There is consolation in that.

Apologies. It took me a few days to process. Sit with my feelings. Allow God to help ease the loss.

Thank you to everyone who touched Rockstar’s life. From my son, who loved him more than anyone ever has. To Krystal, who gave him some beautiful months in a lush pasture. To everyone who visited, fed him cookies, listened to his story. To those who supported his expenses. To my husband, who always made up the difference, and buried our sweet blind friend. Thanks for shouldering such a tragic, heavy load. Thanks for being hard enough to do the hard things, and soft enough to hold me and pray for me when I couldn’t even speak. Thank you to everyone who has prayed for all of us!!

Here are some of my favorite pictures of our beautiful Rockstar.

RIP, Handsome!