OPEN HOUSE

Tomorrow we get ready to open the gates to the public. We’re open for volunteering twice a week pretty much every week but this is a little different. Mostly in that we aren’t asking anyone to scoop poop tomorrow between the hours of 10am and 2pm. If you show up early – you’ll be handed a scoop! But seriously, we are so excited to see some new and familiar faces.

With the addition of the Thrift Shop in Kingston we are meeting new people every day! If you haven’t popped in to check it out, I cannot recommend it enough. I (Alex) don’t personally volunteer at the shop but I’m in almost every week shopping and there’s new stuff all the time. We're open Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 10am-5pm. We are so grateful for the support and the excitement that everyone has been sharing with us. All proceeds support the ponies. What we would like tomorrow to be is an opportunity for folks to put a face and story to the horses they have been supporting. Volunteers will be there to give tours, answer questions, and let you love on the ponies in a safe way. We’ll have stories posted around the farm about each horse – if you would rather read.

Tonight, we were working on some last-minute things and were going over some print outs of the horses and their stories and Toni said “hmm how come there aren’t any pictures of me on here?”

She was totally joking but that was a really good question and I have been thinking about it since I got home. And here’s what I’ve come up with. She doesn’t stand still long enough to get in the pictures… or she’s behind the lens. Toni Houck really doesn’t stop. She runs the rescue, makes sure her volunteers are taken care of, works at the thrift shop, does all the shopping for the rescue, feeds mornings and evenings and has her hand, if not both hands in every event we put on. And at the end of the day, she’s still on call in case something goes awry in the night. But when you do find her in pictures – she has the biggest smile of anyone I know. I just wanted to take a minute to point that out. She loves her horses and she loves her volunteers and she works hard to make sure they all feel it.

So, when you come tomorrow and put a face to the name of each horse, take a minute and put a face to the name of Toni as well. We are super excited to host you. We’re curious about your stories too. What made you come by? How did you hear about Toni’s Ponies? Is your favorite color pink too? And now I’m going to search for some of those illusive Toni Ponies photos! See you at the farm! (July 29 · 10am - 2pm 23473 Seatter Rd. NE Kingston, WA 98346)

Meet Darby

Darby was rescued by Olesja Lapteva of Poulsbo from the Eugene Sales yard in August of 2022. She was running with a paint/draft stallion and was presumed bred so Olesha saved her and brought her home. She added her to her herd but Darby was low man in the herd and did not thrive as she should have. Olesja reached out to us on March 21st concerned for the well being of Darby and her possible baby. Darby was being bullied by the other horses, including being run off her food, wasn’t putting on weight and had chronic diarrhea. She asked if we were interested in giving her a home and we immediately said yes. On Monday march 27th she arrived at the farm and settled in. This afternoon, Tuesday March 28th we had our vet out to give her a wellness exam where she was given an ultrasound and confirmed that she was in foal. She was wormed and given her first round of prenatal shots. She also had her teeth checked over. This girl is in definite need of some more groceries in her diet so she can put on weigh before foaling. She will also need her teeth floated and it was suggested that she is put on a high dose of psyllium because she has quite a bit of sand in her belly.

Darby had quite a full day today! She met other horses, saw the vet, walked over to Alex’s house to graze on some lush grass, snuggled in the grass, and then came back to the farm just in time for dinner! We can not wait to get her all cleaned up tomorrow during our volunteer day! We know the volunteers are going to fall in love just as fast as we have! Stay tuned for some after bath pictures!

It's hard to tell in the photos but Darby is a BIG girl. She is easily the tallest horse here at the farm. She will probably eat twice if not three times as much as the other horses due to her condition. While she is quite underweight, things look good otherwise. It’s going to be quite the journey getting her ready to have this baby but we are excited to be here for it. As always, we so appreciate that Olesja reached out to us when it was clear she was not going to thrive where she was.

If you would like to help support Darby’s journey here at Toni’s Ponies and the journey of her foal there are several ways to do so. This girl is going to need vet care coming up on top of her wellness exam. Donations can be made to Sound Equine of Poulsbo Washington 360.779.5557 on the Toni’s Ponies/Toni Houck account. Gift cards to Tractor Supply help us buy grain and specialty vitamins and supplements. You can also support Toni’s Ponies and the horses we rescue here by a one time or even monthly donation. Our partnership with Zeffy assures that we get 100% of all electronic funds donated to us and pay 0 transaction fees. Click here to become a sponsor.

Follow us on facebook for more photos of Darby and to keep updated on her journey!

Rescue day

9:00am: Today started out like any other day here at the rescue. We currently have fifteen horses, four mini horses, five donkeys, two lambs, a double handful of chickens, and a goat that need feeding. After morning chores, were done we talked about a horse that was in need of rescue. Toni had been sent the same flyer by multiple people online about an abandoned horse just a couple of towns over. She had been in communication with the people for the past couple of days trying to get the story and trying to see if we had the resources for this particular rescue.

12:19pm: Toni gets a call from her contact saying that the horse is now colicing, it’s off it’s food and laying down.

12:35pm: Andy gets the trailer ready and Toni, Andy and Deb jump in the car and pick me (Alex) up on the way out.

1:20: We pull up at our location and walk down to the house. We are greeted by a very distraught woman and a very emaciated horse. The owner explains that this horse was left at her property two years ago and her husband had been taking care of it. He had a stroke a while back and she did her best to care for an animal she knew really nothing about. When I tell you this was heart wrenching, I mean it. This woman was just beside herself with grief and guilt.

This is such a hard thing to see on so many fronts. This horse was in a bad way. It is hard to surrender an animal that you love. It’s hard to make the call to someone when you know the animal is hurting or in need. We never want that to stop people from calling and reaching out. Because we were called, this horse has a fighting chance.

1:55pm: We load this sweet girl in the trailer. Her name is Wendy and she’s on her way to Toni’s Ponies. It’s clear from the get go that she fancies Andy. He walks her down the road and she walks right into the trailer no problem.

2:43pm: We arrive back at the rescue and the peanut gallery (i.e.all the other horses) are lining up to see who is in the trailer. Wendy comes on out like a champ and we are able to spend some time brushing her out and untangling her mane. We get her fit for a blanket and give her some hay and water. Nothing seems to phase her. Tequila, at one point walks right under her… nothing. Her eyes are clear and she seems so happy to be receiving this pampering. She’s cleaned up as much as we can and then taken to the round pen where she’ll spend the night and get used to Jessie and Sugar over the fences. We feed the rest of the horses and throw hay. And that’s a wrap.

4:00pm: The sun is going down and everyone is ready to warm up. I head home across the field and it strikes me that days like this make me feel so many things. I’m so happy that there’s another horse that we can help. I’m sad about her condition. I can’t stop thinking about the woman we left sobbing as she watched us go. I’m worried the horse might not make it. I’m hopeful she will. Toni and Andy have been doing this for awhile and they really are amazing with the people we come into contact with as well as the horses. I feel so lucky to be able to witness days like today.

Don’t forget to follow us on facebook to keep up with all the horses here at Toni’s Ponies. We will be posting updates on Wendy and all of our other equine friends as well. Thank you for your continual support. If you would like to help support this new girl and her road to recovery please consider giving on our donation page which you can find here.