November 1, 2013
Golden Spike Farm
Farm Horses
donate, equine, farm horse, Golden Spike Farm, horse, love, rescue, SaveNash
Tuesday, November 19th
Heart Felt Appreciation
I can’t believe it is really happening! The generosity of friends and animals lovers is beyond words! We have raised enough money to pay for the surgery! Thank you to all of Nash’s benefactors:
- my lesson students who
- choose to ask for donations for Nash instead of birthday presents,
- raised funds through their schools – Nickles for Nash
- put out Nash Cans at local businesses.
- the friends of Nash & GSF who give of their own money
- friend who organized a raffle for tickets to a football in Nebraska
- friend and amazing photographer Judy Reinford who donated a photo shoot & images for the fundraising flyers and postings and had a client out for a photo shoot who donated to the campaign.
- Fretz Western Wear for agreeing to have a Nash Can on their counter and their customers for donating.
I have not yet closed the fundraising due to the cost of aftercare and in case of any post surgery complications. If there is any money left after he is healed and recovered I will donate it to a worthy horse rescue group.
Now for the Details
I spoke to Dr Eric Parente on Wednesday. He is the a professor of surgery at the New Bolton Center for large animals. He explained that we will have to minimize Nash’s feeding schedule for 2 days prior to the surgery. The goal is to decrease bulk in his colon so that there is less pressure on the surgical site. So this means no hay starting Sunday, November 17th and he can only have 1 -2 cups of grain every 4 – 6 hours. He is going to be so mad at me!
Nash will be admitted to the hospital for 4 – 5 days. I can bring him in either Sunday night or Monday before noon. On the first day Dr Eric will ultrasound the hernia to find the margins and how close it is to the last rib. He will use the ultrasound to figure out what to anchor the surgical mesh to. If it is close enough he might even use the rib for anchoring.
The surgery would consist of general anesthesia and the insertion of the mesh. After the surgery he would have a belly bandage for support. They would use IV antibiotics followed by oral antibiotics.
He should be able to come home on Saturday. I scheduled his release during the week of Thanksgiving when I am off from work and my parents are up visiting. That way I can be there for him and spend time with him during his early recovery. Once Nash is home he would have to be in the stall for 2 -3 weeks with only limited hand walking. This will allow time for the important scar tissue to form.
The end result is that the mesh would provide support from it getting bigger. The results would not be flat against the stomach because it will have a round shape as the scar tissue fills in.
October 7, 2013
Golden Spike Farm
Farm Animals, Farm Horses
donate, equine, farm horse, Golden Spike Farm, horse farm, horses, rescue, SaveNash
A friend of the farm has generously donated 2 college football tickets to the Nash fundraising campaign. Then he set up a raffle through ebay to raffle them off. All proceeds will go to Nash’s surgery fund.
Please click here to visit the ebay page: Raffle for 2 Nebraska vs Michigan State Spartans 11-16-13 football tickets
Please share this link with any friends in Nebraska or Michigan. Thank you for your support!
October 1, 2013
Golden Spike Farm
Farm Animals, Farm Horses
donate, equine, farm horse, horse, horse farm, horseback, mare, pony rides, SaveNash
This past weekend our favorite photographer, Judy Reinford, arranged a holiday photo shoot at the farm with her clients. She asked if Heather could be used in the family’s photos on location at Golden Spike Farm. In return the family made a contribution to the Nash fund raising campaign. It was a wonderful afternoon. The weather was perfect. Heather who loves kids was a super star. She stood, posed and did not move a muscle for 2 hours. Such a great pony!
Heather is a Welsh Pony used in the my lesson program. She is getting up there in years, mid to late twenties, but still enjoys having the kids on her back. She is so patient with them and knows their ability level. She will not do anything until they are ready for it. Since she is a white color, she is starting to show signs of skin cancer. “Melanomas are most common in older grey or white horses; as many as 80% of grey horses will develop them at some point during their lives.” See Common Equine Tumors. They don’t bother her at all so the vet is just keeping an eye on them for size and spreading.
I got to know Judy when she volunteered her time and services to the Nash Campaign. Check out the post from May of this year. She is an amazing photographer who’s pictures make everything seem magical and enchanting.
September 23, 2013
Golden Spike Farm
Farm Horses
donate, farm horse, rescue, SaveNash, surgery
I am so very pleased to let you know that thanks to the very big help of my lesson students we have reached the 1/2 way point in Nash’s fund raising campaign. Thanks for all your help and support we have more to go but this is a great accomplishment. I hope to have the funds raised in time to have the surgery done this winter.
August 14, 2013
Golden Spike Farm
Farm Horses
donate, equine, farm, farm horse, Golden Spike Farm, horse, horse farm, horseback, horseback riding, horses, riding, SaveNash, surgery, trail rides
Save Nash Fund Raising page
What a busy summer the farm is having! Sorry I haven’t updated you on Nash in a while but I wanted to let you know that the fund raising campaign is still on going. I would like to extend a special thanks to my lesson kids. They have jumped on board and are helping raise funds this summer. They have done lemonade stands and put cans in local pet supply stores and Vet office.
In the spring we delivered compost (aged horse manure) to local farms and residents. I asked that all they pay was for gas. If the truck did not need gas at that time the extra cash went to Nash.
So today I am going to deposit $188 in cash to the Nash bank account.
Please continue to spread the word and help anyway you can.
Thank you!
Nash is doing great. He is enjoying his summer doing trail rides and lesson. All very light activity nothing more than a running walk. His hernia seems to have become a little larger. There is an additional half moon bulge to the left but he is not bothered by it. Fortunately we are not at the point of extreme concern yet. 
May 22, 2013
Golden Spike Farm
Farm Horses
donate, flyer, help, horse, photography, SaveNash, surgery
I am so excited to announce the save Nash flyer is done. It was a collaborative effort of many people. Thank you all for your help. It looks great!
May 22, 2013
Golden Spike Farm
Farm Horses
donate, equine, hernia, horse, SaveNash, surgery, veterinary
Nash update from New Bolton Center
I just got off the phone with Dr Eric Parente. He was very nice, explained everything and took the time to look a the hernia pics that I conveniently posted here in the plog. I took notes of the conversation so wanted to share with you the positive news.
Nash would be admitted to the hospital for 4 – 5 days. On the first day Dr Eric would ultrasound it to find the margins and how close the hernia is to the last rib. He will use the ultrasound to figure out what to anchor the surgical mesh to. If it is close enough he might even use the rib for anchoring.
The surgery would consist of general anesthesia and the insertion of the mesh. After the surgery he would have a belly bandage for support. They would use IV antibiotics followed by oral antibiotics. Once Nash is home he would have to be in the stall for 2 -3 weeks with only limited hand walking. This will allow time for the important scar tissue to form.
The end result is that the mesh would provide support from it getting bigger. The results would not be flat against the stomach because it will have a round shape as the scar tissue fills in.
I asked about the risks:
- What are the risks of having the surgery? There is very minimal risks to the surgery itself. The only one would be infection. This is a low risk as this site of herniation has never been exposed to the outside world. The fear is that there would be a low grade infection inside the hernia now and that would be opened up in the surgical process. If the does occur then the mesh would have to be remove and the surgery would have to be performed again.
- What if we didn’t have the surgery? It would continue to get bigger and not necessarily rupture but get to the point where it could become traumatized. Meaning that if it was big enough it could be accidentally cut open and risk infection.
- What is the risk of the surgery not working? If we stick to the recovery plan, the risk of reherniation
So good news all around. Back to fundraising!
May 13, 2013
Golden Spike Farm
Farm Horses
donate, horse, rescue, SaveNash, surgery
Nash the rescue horse at Golden Spike Farm needs hernia surgery. I am seeking the help of Animal Lovers to save his life.
Less than 1 month in and we are 1/5th of the way through our fund raising. A very BIG thank you to those who have supported so far.
Please visit the website and donate if you can. Every little bit helps so even the smallest donation will make a big difference.https://www.youcaring.com/save_nash
One other favor help me spread the word. Please share this on your wall and pages. I would be a great help to let more people know about this great horse that needs a chance to life a full and happy life.
Thank you!
April 22, 2013
Golden Spike Farm
Farm Horses
donate, horse, rescue, save, SaveNash, surgery
Save Nash: Week 2
I would like to thank Nash’s supporters, after less than 1 week we are off to a great start. As you know every little bit helps, and your donation will go towards saving a wonderful horse. Please also share we need to get the word out. Thank you so much!
April 18, 2013
Golden Spike Farm
Uncategorized
donate, farm horse, rescue, SaveNash
Save Nash Surgery Fund
Nash is a handsome black Tennessee Walking Horse that I rescued in June of 2011. He was at a horse farm in where the farm owner knows the person that trucks horses to Canada for slaughter. The truck driver stops at her farm and unloads horses he thinks she can re-home. To prove to her the horses are quality he gets on them bareback when he unloads them. If she thinks she can find a home for them she puts the horses in her rescue barn. She has about 10 rescue horses at a time that are kept in standing stalls. They are tied up and not able to move or turn around. As a result from standing for so long the horses ankles swell.
This is the conditions Nash was in when I went to look at him. They said he was the nicest horse they had in the group but knew nothing of his past nor why he was on his way to Canada. I took a look at his deep brown concerned eyes and fell in love. I got on him that day to experience for the first time the wonderful gait (running walk) of the Walker. Here is my blog post from that day.
It was then that I noticed he had a bump on his lower abdomen. The farm owner played it off as not a big deal. When he got to my farm the vet checked him out and told me it was a hernia, in a very unusual spot. Normally they are around the belly button. The vet said to keep an eye on it and if I gets any bigger it will require major surgery.
Well unfortunately almost 2 years later the hernia has grown to the size causing my vet real concern and I have find a way to fund his surgery. You see Nash was rescued at the small cost of $600 the surgery will cost $5,000. I do not have the funds for this.
Here is where Nash’s big heart comes in. He is the biggest lover of all the horses. He comes up to everyone and is so gentle he licks your hand like a dog. He loves kisses and hugs. Really everyone who has met in falls in love with him and they have convinced me to raise funds to pay for the surgery.
Golden Spike Farm's Plog 
What others are saying: