RIPLEY'S STORY
by Michelle Miner
My boy. He was not like
other horses I had known. From the day he was born he seemed special.
It felt different in my heart.
At 2 months he was found stuck under the 3 rail.
He had cast himself from the pain of colic. The vet was called and
for 5 days we did not know if he would live or die. I spent hours
with him in the pasture rubbing and patting his distended belly.
I learned the meridian pressure points to stimulate his digestive system.
I learned the "Tellington Touch" to give him comfort. And every day I asked
him to live. It was only the beginning. He was chronic.
For many months we struggled with colics and ulcers from the stress and
medications. Then one day he was playing. He was running and
kicking and it was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen, and I wept.
I wept because it was the first time I had seen him loving life in months.
And I knew that I had made the right decision in asking him to live.
Because of all the special attention he got while
he was growing up, Ripley did not know how to be a horse. I bought
an 18 year old appy named "Dakota" to be his mentor. Dakota was awesome
with my boy and they were the best of friends. But Ripley’s battle
wasn't over. At the end of March I noticed a bump on his gums, next
to his lower teeth. I called the vet and they put him on medication
to reduce swelling and fight infection. Within 6 days it had doubled
in size. The surgeon was called out and they shaved the tumor to
the gum line.
Those 3 days waiting for the test results were
the longest of my life. It was confirmed: Ripley had an ossifying
fibroma that was growing rapidly. To take out the tumor, they would
also have to take out all the surrounding tissues, including bone.
Unless they got every cell it would keep coming back. They suggested
that we take 4 to 5 inches of his lower jaw. With his history of
ulcers and colic, Ripley's chances for survival were not good. It
was a Wednesday. By Friday he was in so much pain that he was pressing
his teeth on anything to relieve the pressure from the tumor, and by now
it was pushing out 3 more teeth. I asked myself over and over "how
can I, how can I not?"
It was the hardest decision of my life.
I could not ask him to endure any more pain for me. So on Saturday
I asked him to have just one more shot and I thanked him for sharing my
life and giving such a wonderful gift.
His best friend Dakota didn't understand.
I moved Dakota to a larger pen to give him room to run. In my grief
I didn't realize there was too much green grass to eat, and he foundered
on the 3rd day. I had to take him off the pasture and put him back
in his smaller pen, where he ran and cried for his friend day and night.
We had the foot x-rayed and learned that he had a drop and rotation of
the coffin bone and a bruised heel. I had special shoes put on and I was
to keep him still to let the bruising heal. Impossible!!
For 3 weeks he paced and cried. I couldn't
take it anymore and called the Second Chance Horse Rescue Ranch to see
if they could help me. I talked with Teri an hour and then decided
to have a look at the place. Teri said that she would take Dakota
and that he would be taken care of. He would be in Special Care classification
and they were not always adoptable but that he could live there at the
ranch for the rest of his days. She then told me that the ranch had
to relocate in a matter of weeks and that they had 30 some horses that
had to be moved from the property.
I was so touched by what I saw at that
ranch I couldn't just sit back and let them leave. They needed a
miracle. I called King 5 News at 8 am and by 12 pm they were at the
ranch to do the story and get them some help. It was the beginning
of something that would affect our entire valley in some way or another.
--Michelle Miner
P.S. August, 2002
I am glad to announce that Dakota is home with me now. He has a new
roommate to contend with, Remington a 2 yr. old Arab. He seems to be looking
for Ripley and has paced and cried for only a couple hours. Dakota has
little to no interest in Remington who is eager to play with his new friend.
I am sure they will work it out. It is nice to have him home and I think
he is glad to be here. His heel seems completely healed from the bruising
but I am still on hold for the fracture and the bone tag in his foot.
February 27, 2003
My Friends, I had to make one of those life choices today. My old man
Dakota was put down. His life had become more and more of a struggle each
day. He has been fighting an enemy only he could see or feel for awhile
now. This morning he tried to fight the bad in his belly and hurt himself
real good. I can only imagine what he was trying to accomplish by taking
the hide off of the inside of thighs and by puncturing his under belly
so many times. He will run with my boy Ripley now, free from the pain that
tormented him here. Run fast and hard my old man, your free.
Michelle
WILMA'S STORY
by Wilma Tronstad
At the
end of June 2002, I got a call from Michelle Miner asking for my help.
She continued in a very excited and rushed manner, that she had been doing
volunteer work, for about a week or so, at a horse rescue and that they
needed a new sign for their place. Explaining to me that King 5 News
had been out to do a story on them and it would air in less than four days.
If all went well, there would be people trying to find them and they needed
a better sign. I must mention, that I really dislike painting signs
because I am not a sign painter and it takes me a very long time.
Of course the only thing I could say was "Okay where are you, I'll take
a look."
That's how easy it was,
I was hooked. I was prepared to end up depressed because I would
have to look at a bunch of sick horses. Not so, what I saw was hope
for new life. There in a pasture was Michelle's quarter horse Dakota,
calmly grazing with a ratty old mule. I had to smile to see him just
being a horse again. I knew all about Dakota and Ripley. I
got to walk around and hear the names and stories of these four legged
residence and was filled with a feeling of urgency and an overwhelming
desire to help.
From that point on, ideas
started flooding my mind on what this rescue and other rescues needed.
I knew I had the ability to help make those ideas become a reality.
I felt an energy in myself that had been missing for such a very long time.
It was so ironic, that people were rescuing horses and I knew, that these
horses were going to rescue me.
Wilma
Tronstad
PIKA'S STORY
by Pika Stratton
In May of 2002 I was watching
King 5 News when a broadcast came on about a Horse Rescue in jeopardy.
It was a local ranch in my neighborhood so I was intrigued. As the
story unfolded, I realized that one of the spokespersons was a good friend
of mine, Michelle Miner; as soon as I could I called Michelle for the scoop,
passed the info onto the rest of my friends and went to the ranch to see
what I could do.
What I saw at the ranch was devastating and I
was determined at that point, that I would do everything in my power to
help existing rescues from following down the same path. I recognized that
in order to help the horses we had to find a way to help all the rescues
across the state of Washington.
Hence:
Ripley’s Horse Aid Foundation
Pika M. Stratton
DEPUTY ANN JACKSON
Officer Down, End of Watch
She will be missed and not forgotten.
Sent: Tuesday, September 02, 2008 6:27 PM
Subject: Anne Jackson
Four years ago I sat down at a table that included
Animal Control Officer Ann Jackson, Sandy Nelson (humane society director),
Wilma Tronstad (Ripley's Horse Aid Director) and myself (Ripley's Horse
Aid President). On that day, the Hay for Horses program was created and
put into motion for Skagit County. Anne saw its potential and without her
approval the idea would have died right there.
Since that time, Ripley's Horse Aid Foundation
has helped 100's of horses in need all over the state of Washington through
Animal Control Agencies.
On behalf of the 100's, Thank you Anne.
And for the 100's more still waiting.
Michelle Miner
Ripley's Horse Aid Foundation