A Special Thank-You to those
who help make this all possible.

THANK YOU to our friend Kenny for the donation of a hot walker.

THANK YOU to the Donn and Karen Thompson family of Scottsdale, Arizona for the boxes and boxes of used horseshoes with which we make our fundraising gifts, and for the feeders and fencing material.

THANK YOU to Kate Loomis and family of Angelwings Pony Rescue and Sanctuary in Anderson, California for making our first website and being a good friend.

Most of all, a personal THANK YOU to my wonderful husband Randy, who keeps his promises and does his best to make all my dreams come true, from Susan. I love you honey!

2003

Thanks to Fred at LinkII for getting our own domain name and hosting our website!

Thanks to all our friends and neighbors who stopped by Patton & U.S. 60 on Saturday, January 11, 2003 for "pony" rides and donated!

Thanks to our kids, Lindsey and Hilary, for all their help with feeding, cleaning pens, grooming, exercising, preparing the used horseshoes for welding, etc. etc. etc. You are a big help and we couldn't do it without you!

Thank you to Cowboys for Kids for inviting us to their rodeo and giving us the opportunity to fund-raise by selling tickets.

 Thank you to Scottsdale Saddle Club members and gymkhana participants, who purchased carrots and horse treats and made donations during our fund-raising visit to the gymkhana on February 9, 2003.

Thanks to our friends and neighbors who stopped by the empty lot next to the Burger King in front of Safeway on Grand Avenue (U.S. 60) northwest of Bell Road, on Saturday, February 22, 2003, for pony rides and donated. Thanks also to the local businesses who put flyers about the public appearance in their windows for us.

THANK YOU to Western's School of Horseshoeing, located in Phoenix, Arizona, and especially instructor Tim Lett and his class of 8 students, who made a 60 mile round trip and spent several hours with us to take care of Wilbur.

A VERY SPECIAL THANK YOU to the young lady who wrote us this letter:

"Hi, my name is Samantha. I am an 11 year old girl from Ohio. My mom owns a store and I decided to start saving money up for your Ranch. I took some pictures off your web site, glued them on a poster and put it in my mom's store. I saved up $17.38 and I went to a local tack shop and used that money to buy the things your Ranch needs. I have a horse and a barn. My mom and dad have a horse too. They are all Morgans. I hope you looove the things I mailed you! Also there might be things still coming because I still have the poster up. : ) Thank you! Sincerely, Samantha B. : )

Samantha sent a package which included fly spray, a wormer, a soft grooming brush, a comb, 2 hoof picks, 4 small sponges, and 2 packs of Co-Flex (vet wrap). The initiative and compassion shown by this wonderful young lady brought tears to our eyes and gave us back a little of the optimism we had lost when we saw the condition of our first rescue, Wilbur (see his story by clicking the "Meet Wilbur" button on the left). Just when we were wondering how people could be so awful, we were reminded that there are good people out there too. Samantha, your parents can be very, very proud of you!

THANK YOU to our friend Wayne, who kindly offered his property as a quarantine site for our rescue.  Not only did he keep Wilbur the mule on his property for two months, he also volunteered to take care of feeding him and giving him his medicine so we didn't have to drive there twice a day.  Wayne also spent time with Wilbur to begin his "rehab" and even cleaned the pen every day.  Later Wayne kept Jasper and Nugget for a few weeks and worked with them as well.  He has also worked with our Little Miss Maggie.  What a friend!

A great big THANK YOU to Hoof-Rite for donating their product to us for Wilbur's use!

THANK YOU to Gary and Kelly Bennett and Discount Tack & Saddlery Discount Tack & Saddlery for inviting us to be part of the fundraiser held at their store location on behalf of Arizona Saddle Club. Tomahawk and Jasmine worked real hard giving pony rides to raise money for the rescue, and the rest of the Public Relations Committee did a great job looking cute! We appreciate all the folks who stopped by to donate and meet the little ones.

THANK YOU to Trish Manes for the awesome article about Wilbur that she wrote for the June 2003 issue of the Bridle and Bit. Getting the word out is priceless!

THANK YOU to Alpine Clock Shop, Scottsdale, AZ, owners Peter John and Erika Meyer-John, for their cash donations.

THANK YOU to the Arizona Desert Riders for their cash donation to help with Wilbur's rehab. This trail riding club is made up of some really fine horse folks.

Thank you to Mrs. Horwitz, the kids' math teacher at Nadaburg Elementary School, for her cash donation to help with Wilbur's rehab.

THANK YOU to Lucynda and Buckeye Sports Arena for providing transportation to rescued minis Ginger and her colt Dakota (June 2003), and Willow (November 2003). .

THANKS to Joseph and Katherine and their mom, Carol, for cleaning pens and helping to feed the animals so many times!  And special thanks to Katherine for being our brave little rodeo girl, willing to get on anything to see if it can be ridden now that my girls have gotten too big...

THANKS to Scott, Kevin and Wayne for taking time out of their busy Saturday to help load/unload pipe fencing!

2004

HUGE THANKS to Fred at LinkII for hosting our website again this year!

THANKS to Stacy Frick for her donation.  Stacy does custom embroidery, check out her website at www.JustFrickinGreat.com - Stacy says:  if you have any suggestions as far as products that horse owners/lovers would need, like Blankets/towels, let me know!

THANKS again to Gary and Kelly Bennett of Discount Tack & Saddlery for inviting us to do pony rides at the grand opening of their new store location at 35th Avenue and Greenway Road in Phoenix, and good luck to the Calendar Cowgirls who are also fundraising for their trip to the Rose Bowl Parade.  Thanks also to all the friendly folks who brought their kids out for pony rides and donated.  This public appearance resulted in placement of two minis with a wonderful family.

A GREAT BIG THANK YOU  to Karen Thompson, who made a cash donation in memory of her husband Donn, who loved animals of all kinds.  And our sympathies to you for the loss of such a great man, we know you miss him!!

Thanks to Fawn Warren for the horseshoes, check the stud services at CW Warpaint Ranch

Thanks to Melissa Blassingame for the donation of a set of horse cookie cutters for use as a raffle prize.  "Cutters by Keimel" has cookie cutters for ALL occasions, contact info 270 Hunt Drive, Merritt Island, FL 32953, phone (321) 693-4819, or e-mail cuttersbykeimel@msn.com 

A special thank-you to Karen Bumgarner, who shares our goal of helping equines in need - we heard of this lady on a rescue newsletter e-mail we get, she adopted a special needs PMU foal.  See the story of "India" and Karen's really neat fundraisers on her website.  Can't wait to get some sculptures done of our own equines!!  Great job, Karen!!  See the Whimsical Clay Horse Sculptures at K's Clay Creations

IMPORTANT MESSAGE April 2004:

Dear fellow horse lover,

My newly-released novel, RIDING LESSONS (Harper Collins/April 2004), touches on many themes, including the complex and often difficult relationship between mothers and daughters, and whether someone has the right to end his or her own life in the face of debilitating illness.

In the end, however, it is the relationship between horses and people that ties this book together. Horses have been an important part of my life for as long as I can remember, and I am now the proud owner of a beautiful black and white tobiano mare.

Last year, I learned of the production of pregnant mares' urine (PMU) for
use in a brand-name drug used in hormone replacement therapy. I was
horrified to learn that the foals that are literally byproducts of this
process go to auction, and from there, usually to slaughter--innocent
victims of a drug industry largely unconcerned with their plight.
Unfortunately, the recent National Institute of Health study that links
hormone replacement therapy with breast cancer has only compounded the issue by forcing many PMU farms to close and displacing thousands of pregnant mares. Unless they are rescued, these mares and their babies will continue to be slaughtered.

These mares and foals need our help. To this end, I am donating a portion of my royalties from RIDING LESSONS to a selected group of horse rescue charities, which are listed at www.gruenzoo.com/horses.html . I am also using my public speaking engagements to highlight this issue. I have loved horses my entire life, and am grateful for the opportunity to give something back.
If you are interested in learning more about my book, please visit my Web site at www.saragruen.com .

"Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could only do a little." -Edmund Burke

Sincerely, Sara Gruen  (and a great big THANK YOU to Sara who donated three signed copies of her book for use as fundraisers)

THANK YOU to Moon Valley Nurseries' Surprise location for donating the pots we needed to start our donated trees.  Let them help you landscape your yard - www.moonvalleynurseries.com

2005

HUGE THANKS to Fred at LinkII for hosting our website again this year!

THANK YOU to farrier Dennis Green for the donation of used horse shoes.

THANK YOU to Bill & Denise Manley for their cash donation.

THANK YOU to Trinity Taylor for her cash donation.

THANK YOU to Shelly Brown and daughters Savannah and Sierra, who have donated hours and hours of their time helping around the ranch and with some of our PR Group visits, as well as feeding when we go out of town.  You girls are the best!!

THANK YOU to our friends Wayne and Carrie for helping with pony rides.

THANK YOU to Maureen and Rob for your trust and willingness to let us offer sanctuary to Bella Noche.

2006

HUGE THANKS to Fred at LinkII for hosting our website again this year!

THANK YOU to Terry Rune for her assistance with the website... you can reach Terry at trune@earthlink.net if you need assistance with setting up a website or problem-solving.

THANK you to Fearless Farrier Service (Mikey Ellingson) for the donation of used horse shoes.

THANK YOU to our neighbor Cindy for the donation of hay, salt lick, flax seed etc.

THANK YOU to Pam N in Payson for the donation of a mini halter.

2007

HUGE THANKS to Fred at LinkII for hosting our website again this year!

THANK you to Fearless Farrier Service (Mikey & Wade) for the donation of their services for Rosie the rescue donkey.

2008

THANK you to Fearless Farrier Service (Mikey & Wade) for Fred's first trim.

CANISTER SPONSORS

Thank you to Erika Meyer-John and Peter John, Alpine Clock Shop, for sponsoring a canister until the retail store closed.  Good luck with the repair-only shop and hope you enjoy your semi-retirement!

Thank you to Discount Tack & Saddlery for sponsoring a canister.  Visit them at 3502 W. Greenway Rd., Suite 7, Phoenix, AZ, on the northwest corner of Greenway Road and 35th Avenue, phone (602) 267-1144, and be sure to drop your spare change into the rescue canister! Check out their website at www.discounttackandsaddl.tripod.com 

Thank you to Vicki at Wrangler Feeds for sponsoring a canister for several years.  We will miss you, enjoy your retirement!!

Thank you to Mike's Discount Hay Barn and Cowboy Gear, 20035 N. Cave Creek Road, Phoenix, AZ,  just south of the 101 Freeway, phone (602) 569-0777, for sponsoring a canister.  Hay and pellet days - 50 cents off every Tuesday and Thursday.

Thank you to The Pampered Horse and Rider, located at 17040 North Scottsdale Rd. in Scottsdale, for sponsoring a canister.  (480) 342-8801.

Thank you to Double D in Wickenburg for sponsoring a canister.

Thank you to Serenity Farms in Wickenburg for sponsoring a canister.