As many of you know, we’ve been making many changes at the ranch, and I would like to give you a better understanding of those changes.
First, I would like to tell you a little about myself and my experience. I was born and raised right here in western Arizona. I grew up on a cattle ranch where we raised beef cows and trained our own horses. My father taught us that animals always come first and if you do not have a love for them and the work that comes with it, then do something else
I grew up with a hard work ethic, discipline, and honesty. As a child, when I was 9 (yes 9) I started riding bulls and continued to do so for many years. I spent a total of 27 years in rodeo, many of those years in different PRCA circuits. During that time, as I got older, I also went into the US Army. While pursuing my career, I continued to ride bulls and train horses all over the US and the World, including 7 different countries, while still performing my duties and being deployed to OIF/OEF multiple times.
Along the way, I learned a huge variety of different horse skills and Dos and Don’ts as well. I took in what worked and also what did not. I continued my career while still having a deep passion for horses and the ranch life. I finally retired from the military and came back home. Today, I live in Desert Hills with my loving wife and children.
I have been around Triple R for many years. I have participated in many days of volunteering and putting together events for the rescue and the horses. I have also adopted 7 horses from the rescue, which today either my family or I still have.
We recently had a Clean Up day which included installing many metal shade structures, adding a hay shed, creating multiple stalls and removing many rocks from the turnout area (thank you to everyone that assisted in this large effort). These changes have allowed us to assign a stall to each horse, and each horse has its own feed chart noted on the stall. As the horses come in, they will be assessed, and a feed chart will be created specific to their needs.
The stalls are crucial for many reasons. They will help us with herd introduction, and they will help if a horse needs extra feed/supplements (our reason of feeding all supplements in stalls and feeding hay at night). The stalls will allow us to check the horses stool, water intake, behavior, and many other things as well. If you turn out 10 horses to feed, at least 2 are not getting the proper rations. We will feed in the turnout in the morning so that volunteers are not waiting, but in the evenings, all feed will be placed in the stalls after the horses are put away.
We feed the horse based on Health and Weight. As mentioned above, the horses are assessed and a feed plan is created. We feed Alfalfa and/or Bermuda, and depending on the horse’s needs, we’ll supplement accordingly. We feed psyllium to horses to help move sand through the body so horses do not Colic (a dangerous scenario). Sand moves quickly through most of the body until it reaches the Ventral (lowest) portion of the intestine due to its weight and gravity. Psyllium is basically a preventative measure used (especially in Arizona) to prevent horses from Colic and Surgery. Salt and Mineral Blocks are also an important part of an equine’s daily diet, and they are placed in the turnout.
We also do worming, shots, farrier, and vet checks/treatment on all horses at the rescue. We have a chart for every horse, their needs, and special instructions from a vet or farrier. Many of you will see me at the rescue; I am either working or just checking on things like water intake, manure, scratches, cuts, or whatever needs attention. I will always dedicate 100 percent of my free time to make things right for the equine.
If you haven’t been out to volunteer for a while and/or are interested in volunteering, join us for orientation. We hold orientation each Saturday at 8 a.m. Come, participate, have fun and help care for our horse while they await their forever homes.
Thank You,
Curry Eversole, President
Triple R Horse Rescue
