The Keebler Elf Herd Rescue

Today I received in the mail a letter from the City of Los Angeles. It said:

"Dear Ms. Branch and Mr. Archer:

We would like to extend our deep thanks for your recent assistance with the ponies from Sylmar, CA. Once we were able to assess the conditions of the ponies, we knew your equine rescue would ultimately be the best place for them. It is wonderful to know that there are excellent facilities willing to assist us when the need arises - and this was a very desperate need.

I have been checking the web page that you set up and absolutely love the pictures. We're hopeful that all will someday find a home and receive the care and affection they so justly deserve.

Thanks, again, for working with us. We are deeply in your debt.

Sincerely,

Kathleen J. Davis
Interim General Manager"


Dear Kathleen,

On behalf of the Keebler Elf Herd, I would like to thank you and your staff for getting these ponies out of very neglectful situation so that they could be rescued, given affection, care, and placed into loving homes with people to dote on them. Without your services and staff, which keep an eye on the town for the welfare of animals, theses ponies would still be lingering in pain and misery.

You see, to us, there is no such thing as unwanted horses. Each and every horse is wanted by somebody. Each horse is special in their own way. Each has a personality which we here at FalconRidge Equine Rescue bring out and share with the world. We spread their greatness so that others can see them for the champions that they are. We make them special...because they are.

When these ponies came in their feet were the worst our farriers had seen. Their coats were dull and matted and many were underweight. They were mostly wild as they were unhandled.

As far as these ponies someday finding a home? I have a few things to say.

Angel is adopted to a loving home!
Obi Wan is adopted to a loving home!
Elvis Presley is adopted to a loving home!
Niblet is adopted to a loving home!
Rod Stewart is adopted to a loving home!
Ziggy Marley is adopted to a loving home!
Princess Lea is adopted to a loving home!
Tinkerbell is adopted to a loving home!
Chewbacca is adopted to a loving home!
Pixie is adopted to a loving home!
Darth Vader is adopted to a loving home!
Teenie is adopted to a loving home!
Smurf is adopted to a loving home!
Brutus is adopted to a loving home!
Keebler is adopted to a loving home!

Thank you very much!

Nicki Branch

Officer Dancy lets me know there are 7 stallions, mares who some are pregnant and only 4 calm ones of the 17 ponies who will be arriving Saturday. There is 1 gelding. I hear about two lead stallions, one of which sticks his head through a portable stall and runs away with it so they have to tie it down. The herd is due to arrive Saturday at noon. Our volunteers were called and several agreed to give up their Saturday to help catch, hold, handle and with the trimming of the 9 ponies whose hooves are extremely long.

Officer Stacy Dancy emails me a picture of two ponies with extremely long, neglected hooves. She says "possible surrender case." The owner in Sylmar, CA was told to get them trimmed a month ago. No farrier could get near the ponies though as they had not been handled and were wild. The 18 were seized by animal control officials and taken in. There the vet looked at them, got run over by the wild ponies, and had to euthanize one poor 3 yr old white mare (in the picture with Keebler above) as she could not walk properly and grew deformed due to the poor condition of her hooves. The ponies had never been trimmed before and 9 of them had extremely long slipper type hooves. I offer to take them in and get them trimmed immediately.