Dixie is growing up and turning into a lovely mare. She does have her own personality though and isn't inclined to do anything she doesn't want to. She loves being around people but feels that life should be on her terms!

Dear Momma Gail,

I am soooooo spoiled here in Alabama. I get bales of hay as tall as me! I like to try and climb them but I am not quite big enough... yet. I'll be turning 2 soon and Momma Kristy is going to teach me how to drive. She said I need something to do besides annoy my pasture mates.

I know my name really well and come cantering up the hill whenever I am called. Tell my Mom I am happy and healthy and my adopted moms are very happy I don't have her 'tude. By the way, do you have and tips on how to catch a Shetland pony? I keep trying but she gets away everytime!

Love you and miss you!
Little Miss Dixie

From Dixie's Foster Mom: Dixie wants to know what the big deal is...

I thought you'd get a kick out of just how concerned she is over the bareback pad.

Dear Momma Gail,

Today Auntie Kristy taught me how to walk on a lungeline. I didn't quite get it at first but with her gentle encouragement, I did it and she told me I was a very good but lazy baby. We also practiced leading and trotting on the lead for my first horse show. My aunties say maybe next month they will take me and show me 'in hand'. Whatever that means. I am growing up fast and my aunties say I will be a great mare when I am all matured. I keep hoping someone will fall in love with me and bring me home as their forever pony.

With love and slobbers,
Dixie

Dixie Courage is ready for a family to call her own!

The yearling filly is growing up fast and looking to be adopted. Born in Nov/Dec of 2010 and rescued off a dreadful feedlot in the spring of 2011, Dixie was thin, wormy and covered with lice. But what a year of love and good care has made for her! She is a real beauty and will grow up to be a gorgeous red dun quarter horse mare.

Dixie has been given a solid foundation of ground manners- leading, tying, grooming, blanketing, and trailering. She's been super for her routine farrier and vet visits. She is even learning about being ponied off other horses, show grooming with clippers and various sprays! Dixie gets along great with her pasture buddies as she has a nice laid back personality but she is smart, curious, and quick to learn.

Dixie still has some growing to do before being ready for saddle training as it is strongly recommended to wait until at least 3 years old, but she will be fun to show in local halter classes until then. Yes, her foster family has been preparing her for that too!She likes her standing naps too! (pic below)

Dixie currently eats orchard hay with a little bit of alfalfa, sand colic preventative each month, and is on a de-worming schedule. Her farrier visits are on an 8 weeks cycle. She is handled daily and is often walked on the trails of the Santa Ana River so she is exposed to getting off the farm and seeing new sights and smells.

Update on Dixie...
My Auntie's told me to send you an email about how awesome I was today learning some new stuff and practicing old stuff. I learned more stuff about giving my peoples space. I don't like to give space, I prefer to snuggle and nibble on my peoples, but Auntie said it is impolite.

I also practiced walking on and off the big white horse box again. That was boring. I know how to do it already and thought my aunties were crazy for making me walk on and back off but I got to munch on hay so I didn't care. It is almost my favorite time of day, dinner. Tell my momma I said, neigh.
Love,
Your red devil Dixie.

TIER is FULL! The fact is that we do not have the funds or room to bring in the many, many horses in need in our County. We continue to network with other rescues and individuals to help as many horses as we can.

Huge THANKS to Kristy & Bonnie for offering to foster Dixie so that we can bring horses like Caylee in to help them. TIER does NOT utilize foster homes very often due to experiences in the past. We are fortunate to have two fosters that we have known for years and have no qualms about their horse handling skills, care, knowledge and dedication. Kristy & Bonnie are such Foster Care Providers.

Dixie has the opportunity to learn skills while she is growing up with Bonnie & Kristy. She has already learned to load in a trailer, be led out on trails, is good for the farrier and has buddies to play with. She also has a great view!

She is really growing up! She is such a gorgeous girl and continues to have a great attitude. But there are the times that she just has to be a youngster and let all that "baby" spunk/energy flow!

The care, handling and training that Kristy and Bonnie are providing will be assets for Dixie and help her to find her own special person when she is adopted.

I just don't know where all the hair is coming from. She keeps shedding and shedding! Dixie's umbilical hernia clamp has finally dropped off. There is a small raised section left, but nothing compared to the hernia that was there previously. The remaining protrusion will decrease in size with time. She is a very sweet girl and getting a bit sassy now that she is gaining weight and getting proper nutrition

Bonnie & Kristy came out today to assist with tightening the umbilical hernia clamp on Dixie. One of the screws is not tightenting properly and we have a call into the vet.

Bonnie snapped a few photos to show just how much this little girl is FINALLY filling out.

Momma Mavis did a good job of taking care of her little girl even though all she was being fed previously was cornhusks and corncobs. After their arrival at TIER, it was a little over 3 weeks before we saw the typical bouncy/energetic behavior that foals usually have. Poor Dixie just didn't have the energy due to poor nutrition.

She is getting pretty feisty now though! She really does not like us messing with the umbilical hernia clamp and I can't blame her. Fortunately for us, Kristy and Bonnie come by to help with tightening the clamp on a regular basis.

Dixie isn't flighty and has nice demeanor. She will make someone an awesome friend once she is available for adoption.

Dixie got her very first bath today thanks to Kristy & Bonnie! We had waited until she had put on a bit more weight and Mavis was more comfortable on her feet. As you can see from the pictures, she is still very thin.

The Lice were certainly having a feast on this poor baby. Kristy was so good in teaching Dixie all about bath time. Kristy applied a generous amount of Microtek shampoo (thank you Laura & Diana for donating this medicated shampoo), made sure she massaged it in well and let it set for awhile.

There was a bit of "I don't wanna do this!", but for the most part she was a good girl considering this was her first encounter with the hose, shampoo and being haltered for an extended period of time.

She only growled (and I do mean GROWLED) once when Bonnie was walking Mavis. Mavis was being antsy and Dixie felt she should be with Mavis instead of Kristy. She was a very good girl in that she didn't rear and didn't protest so heartily that it became a rodeo event.

After the bath, back in the arena.

And of course, the required roll in the hay!

We have Lift Off! Due to the rains and subsequent mud in Mavis' & Dixie's paddock, they were moved to a pen with access to the arena area. Upon entry into the arena Dixie's little tail came up, her head went high and she began prancing around (under the watchful eye of Mavis). Pens housing some of the other rescues border the arena which gave Dixie an instant equine audience. Every single one of the horses stopped eating, ears up, heads up, eyes alight. They all seemed to be in wonderment at seeing her prance around. They seemed to be saying "A BABY!!!". It was great to see.

Gemma & Sugar Bear checking out the BABY!

Dixie then began dashing to and fro, bucking, kicking, tail flagged. Mavis was busy greeting the other residents and was not overly concerned. I am so glad to see this little girl finally have the energy to be a baby! Eventually I put them in a large pen due to more rain on the way.

Dixie is slowly gaining weight and the size of her hernia has increased. Talked to the vet and he will be coming out Friday to either clamp it or sew it (depends on the size of the hole that the hernia protrudes from).

Dixie is getting more energetic, but I still haven't seen her buck, run, play. Vet said it would probably be a month before she is in full young baby mode due to her lack of nutrition. Corncobs and Cornhusks just don't provide for a baby properly! Strangely enough, Jezzebelle seems to like her. Jezzebelle is a VERY dominant/alpha Mustang Mare that doesn't take up with just anyone. She is the horse we put out with those that need a horsie attitude adjustment. Just a short time with Jezzie will remind a horse about horse behavior and hierarchy! HA. Dixie and Jezzie stand together at the fence and will groom each other a bit. Mavis and Jezzie don't agree on child rearing techniques and I can hear squeals of protest from Mavis on occasion.

Farrier was out 2/13/2011. Kristy arrived before he did and spent some time haltering, leading, picking up her feet, etc. so that she wouldn&ampampampamprsquot be too frightened and squirrely when the farrier did her feet for the very first time. Kristy did a wonderful job of introducing her to this kind of stuff and because she is smart/a thinking girl, she did well for the farrier.

While the farrier was attending to Momma Mavis&rsquo poor feet (see her page), I had to hand Mavis&rsquo lead to Kristy who was holding Dixie&ampampampamprsquos lead while I went got medical supplies/wraps, etc. for Val Dean (farrier). That baby just politely stood there! Kristy handed Dixie off to Bonnie and they stood for a while and then the baby got bored. So, Bonnie and Dixie went for a walk around the pen, munched on some hay and she got plenty of scritches from Bonnie.

A very good minded QH baby!

Big THANKS to Bonnie & Kristy. Thanks for all your help, hard work and caring. Thanks for the good pictures Bonnie!