Open Gates Equine Rescue
New Gloucester, Maine
Success Stories
Herbie & Tuti ~ The Mini's
View their video on Youtube
This is Tuti the day she was seized by the state. She came to us for rehabing after she spent many days at a vet hospital, where she almost didn't make it.
Here is Tuti back to great health.
Herbie on the day of seizure. He was not as bad as Tuti, but under all that hair, he rated a Body Scale of 2.
Tuti & Herbie back to great health and ready to go home with Rosie, Their new adoptive Mom.
This is Drummer at his forever home with his new owners, Richard and Pam.View their video on Youtube
This is Tuti the day she was seized by the state. She came to us for rehabing after she spent many days at a vet hospital, where she almost didn't make it.
Here is Tuti back to great health.
Herbie on the day of seizure. He was not as bad as Tuti, but under all that hair, he rated a Body Scale of 2.
Tuti & Herbie back to great health and ready to go home with Rosie, Their new adoptive Mom.
Distant Drummer
by Pam Templeton
by Pam Templeton
Rich met Drummer in the early spring of 2006, before he met me. He told me about his friends who had a horse rescue and that he planned on volunteering there. Also, that he loved horses and all animals as much as I do. When I read that email I was thrilled, and knew we had to meet one another as we might just have a soul mate match in the works!
Rich and I met in May 0f 2006 on my birthday. (What a present he was)! He took me to Open Gates to meet Linda, Deb, and the horses with Drummer amongst them a few weeks later. It doesn’t take long to fall in the love with the big white horse, and Rich was already there. I followed suit effortlessly. It was nearly impossible
for Drumm to allow people near him. He had learned well from many years of
abuse not to trust humans.
Our childhood years had exposed us to certain unkind ways in humans that left their marks on Rich and I as happens all too often to many of us. We learned to hold back, be shy, and steal ourselves to stay safe, much the same as Drummer had learned to do for himself. We both saw and felt that in Drumm and we were drawn to him, and feel the three of us came together to learn, help heal, and love one another.
All that summer, (Linda married us in August)! And throughout the winter, we would spend time with Drumm while he was in the barn standing outside of his stall door. Many nights were spent slowly, gradually gaining his trust so eventually we could share time with him inside his stall. There were many nights we felt stuck”and not sure how to break through Drumm’s fears. One night, I just spoke to Drumm honestly as he was pacing nervously with me nearby. “Drumm, I’m not sure if you want me here right now”, I said.. As soon as I spoke those words he stopped pacing, stood still, and sighed a bit. He could feel the intent in my words and voice to just be honest with him and he responded to it. That was a breakthrough moment in the relationship. To us, it was full of understanding,
that being that Drummer and all horses are attuned to what people’s actual thoughts and feelings are toward them. Even if we are trying to convey the
exact opposite of what we really feel, and think, they know the reality. Just admitting to him that I wasn’t sure of what to do gave him relief in that sigh, and helped him relax with me a bit more.
The long hard winter of 2006 led to new growth and renewal for spring and summer this year. The relationship between the three of us has blossomed
and grown steadily. Drumm trusts us just to be with him and talk to him, reassure him, tell him how handsome he is and how much we love him. He seems to like stories to be told to him read from pages of a book or just from your own thoughts. He allows us to groom him, touch and hug him around his gorgeous muscular neck and take him for walks in the paddock. Rich and I have known
for awhile that we wanted to adopt Drumm which we did in August! The girls turned away quite a few “suitors” for Drumm letting them know he was already “spoken for”.
We didn’t stand a chance...Drummer is such a part of our hearts and souls and it seems he feels the same for us. We will take Drumm to his new permanent home with Rich, Myself, Sally, Sammy and Lucy our three cats as soon as all is in place. We can see in his sweet soulful eyes and beautiful face that all he wants is to be loved, trusted and cared for well and that’s what Drumm will always know from us. He doesn’t have to do anything more than just be a horse, receive our love and care and to trust us to keep him safe. We’ve learned well from Drumm
that the way you earn mutual respect and love is through consideration of him, patience and time. That is the formula sublime that relights our sweet
Drummer’s soul.
This story could not have been told without the two loving kind women of Open Gates and their steady guidance. Linda Walker and Deb Hutchins, they saved our sweet Drummer’s life when no one else would. Without which, we would not have had the chance to love and adopt him. Our unending thanks goes out to you both always. There are may folks that spend time at Open Gates with experience and expertise who have guided Rich, Drummer and I along this path to whom we are also so grateful. Deb Rand, Deb Dugauy, Deb Tomasini, Rosie Stansfield, Katie Coughlin, Mary Ann and Steve Belanger, Louise Poppema and Karina Lewis. Many
Rich and I met in May 0f 2006 on my birthday. (What a present he was)! He took me to Open Gates to meet Linda, Deb, and the horses with Drummer amongst them a few weeks later. It doesn’t take long to fall in the love with the big white horse, and Rich was already there. I followed suit effortlessly. It was nearly impossible
for Drumm to allow people near him. He had learned well from many years of
abuse not to trust humans.
Our childhood years had exposed us to certain unkind ways in humans that left their marks on Rich and I as happens all too often to many of us. We learned to hold back, be shy, and steal ourselves to stay safe, much the same as Drummer had learned to do for himself. We both saw and felt that in Drumm and we were drawn to him, and feel the three of us came together to learn, help heal, and love one another.
All that summer, (Linda married us in August)! And throughout the winter, we would spend time with Drumm while he was in the barn standing outside of his stall door. Many nights were spent slowly, gradually gaining his trust so eventually we could share time with him inside his stall. There were many nights we felt stuck”and not sure how to break through Drumm’s fears. One night, I just spoke to Drumm honestly as he was pacing nervously with me nearby. “Drumm, I’m not sure if you want me here right now”, I said.. As soon as I spoke those words he stopped pacing, stood still, and sighed a bit. He could feel the intent in my words and voice to just be honest with him and he responded to it. That was a breakthrough moment in the relationship. To us, it was full of understanding,
that being that Drummer and all horses are attuned to what people’s actual thoughts and feelings are toward them. Even if we are trying to convey the
exact opposite of what we really feel, and think, they know the reality. Just admitting to him that I wasn’t sure of what to do gave him relief in that sigh, and helped him relax with me a bit more.
The long hard winter of 2006 led to new growth and renewal for spring and summer this year. The relationship between the three of us has blossomed
and grown steadily. Drumm trusts us just to be with him and talk to him, reassure him, tell him how handsome he is and how much we love him. He seems to like stories to be told to him read from pages of a book or just from your own thoughts. He allows us to groom him, touch and hug him around his gorgeous muscular neck and take him for walks in the paddock. Rich and I have known
for awhile that we wanted to adopt Drumm which we did in August! The girls turned away quite a few “suitors” for Drumm letting them know he was already “spoken for”.
We didn’t stand a chance...Drummer is such a part of our hearts and souls and it seems he feels the same for us. We will take Drumm to his new permanent home with Rich, Myself, Sally, Sammy and Lucy our three cats as soon as all is in place. We can see in his sweet soulful eyes and beautiful face that all he wants is to be loved, trusted and cared for well and that’s what Drumm will always know from us. He doesn’t have to do anything more than just be a horse, receive our love and care and to trust us to keep him safe. We’ve learned well from Drumm
that the way you earn mutual respect and love is through consideration of him, patience and time. That is the formula sublime that relights our sweet
Drummer’s soul.
This story could not have been told without the two loving kind women of Open Gates and their steady guidance. Linda Walker and Deb Hutchins, they saved our sweet Drummer’s life when no one else would. Without which, we would not have had the chance to love and adopt him. Our unending thanks goes out to you both always. There are may folks that spend time at Open Gates with experience and expertise who have guided Rich, Drummer and I along this path to whom we are also so grateful. Deb Rand, Deb Dugauy, Deb Tomasini, Rosie Stansfield, Katie Coughlin, Mary Ann and Steve Belanger, Louise Poppema and Karina Lewis. Many
thanks to you all for your friendship and guidance.
LovePam and Rich Templeton
Here Drummer is really enjoying his new paddock.
Molly the Rescue
by Deb Rand
This is Rocky the day he arrived in Maine.
Rocky the PMU Foal
Molly the Rescue
by Deb Rand
Let me start by staying that I am not a writer, but if I can instill the passion that I have for a five year old standardbred horse, I might be able to help other people find the happiness I am enjoying in my life.
I had been affiliated with Open Gates for several years when I heard from Linda that a horse named Molly needed to be rescued. The name instantly made me think about my springer spaniel who died of cancer some years ago. I was told that Molly could be rescued for $200, and I immediately knew that somehow I would have to be part of that rescue. Unfortunately, that day I did not have the $200 needed to rescue her. I told my husband, Alan, exactly what was happening and how much I wanted to rescue her. He is not a horse rescuer but he was that day. I think looking back on that day, Alan could tell just how important this rescue was to me, and I was so happy that he willingly gave me the money. I contacted the girls immediately and I was off on my first rescue.
I had a lot of questions on my trip to save Molly. Basically, I was told not
to say much and not to be judgmental in front of the person who owned her. It was a tough order to take but I kept my thoughts to myself and upon arrival I
couldn’t wait to get into the barn to see her. What I found upon entering the barn was a horse that looked like a donkey. I was the first person to touch her and
to this day I will never forget that moment in my life. Someone or something purposely brought us together, and I knew instantly that she and I would spend our lives together. The only problem would be how can I do this financially? She got on the trailer nicely and we brought her back to Open Gates. You see she was
with several percherons and they were preventing her from eating so she was 350 pounds underweight. A sad looking horse.
After we got her home, I must admit I was initially uncomfortable going into her stall and introducing myself, but as time passed I became more and more
comfortable with her and her with me. You would think that she would not have a lot of love for people but the opposite seemed to be happening. She was and is a very lovable horse.
I have always felt that if things are supposed to happen they will and something nice and totally unexpected happened to me. I was blessed with a small inheritance that would allow me to adopt Molly. I scheduled a pre-adoption checkup and met my first horse veterinarian. However, several weeks before Molly’s adoption became final she developed an abscess in her rear hoof which meant that the foot would have to be soaked for a week. I then met yet another horse veterinarian. Initially, Molly was not too happy with the soaking but I was lucky enough to have a special person who was staying at Open Gates help me for which I remain thankful. The next week she coliced and I was called at 6:00 a.m. Molly became my priority very quickly and yet another horse veterinarian appeared on the scene. The doctors were all wonderful caring people and I only mention this
because I found out rather quickly that horses’ medical needs are costly but well worth every dollar spent. I just didn’t think I would meet them all in one week.
Molly has since moved to Spring Hills Farm and is in the process of being trained for riding. If I were twenty-five I would jump on, but unfortunately I am not and far from it, but I will wait patiently to ride. She is coming along nicely and has no fear of equipment but just needs to learn to walk. Being a standardbred the trot and canter comes easily but the walk is not in her nature but she is getting it.
I visit Molly just about every day which is the highlight of my day. She means the world to me and, yes, I do spoil her but isn’t that the way it should be?
I will leave you readers with a couple of thoughts for the day: Several years ago while at a quilting class an older woman said to me – you need passion in your life to feel alive. I did not understand her then but I sure as hell do today. Molly is my passion. No matter how bad your life is going or what a rotten day you have had, just brush a horse and you will find your frustration quickly goes away. They are spiritual animals that can help us on a daily basis if you only let them.
I had been affiliated with Open Gates for several years when I heard from Linda that a horse named Molly needed to be rescued. The name instantly made me think about my springer spaniel who died of cancer some years ago. I was told that Molly could be rescued for $200, and I immediately knew that somehow I would have to be part of that rescue. Unfortunately, that day I did not have the $200 needed to rescue her. I told my husband, Alan, exactly what was happening and how much I wanted to rescue her. He is not a horse rescuer but he was that day. I think looking back on that day, Alan could tell just how important this rescue was to me, and I was so happy that he willingly gave me the money. I contacted the girls immediately and I was off on my first rescue.
I had a lot of questions on my trip to save Molly. Basically, I was told not
to say much and not to be judgmental in front of the person who owned her. It was a tough order to take but I kept my thoughts to myself and upon arrival I
couldn’t wait to get into the barn to see her. What I found upon entering the barn was a horse that looked like a donkey. I was the first person to touch her and
to this day I will never forget that moment in my life. Someone or something purposely brought us together, and I knew instantly that she and I would spend our lives together. The only problem would be how can I do this financially? She got on the trailer nicely and we brought her back to Open Gates. You see she was
with several percherons and they were preventing her from eating so she was 350 pounds underweight. A sad looking horse.
After we got her home, I must admit I was initially uncomfortable going into her stall and introducing myself, but as time passed I became more and more
comfortable with her and her with me. You would think that she would not have a lot of love for people but the opposite seemed to be happening. She was and is a very lovable horse.
I have always felt that if things are supposed to happen they will and something nice and totally unexpected happened to me. I was blessed with a small inheritance that would allow me to adopt Molly. I scheduled a pre-adoption checkup and met my first horse veterinarian. However, several weeks before Molly’s adoption became final she developed an abscess in her rear hoof which meant that the foot would have to be soaked for a week. I then met yet another horse veterinarian. Initially, Molly was not too happy with the soaking but I was lucky enough to have a special person who was staying at Open Gates help me for which I remain thankful. The next week she coliced and I was called at 6:00 a.m. Molly became my priority very quickly and yet another horse veterinarian appeared on the scene. The doctors were all wonderful caring people and I only mention this
because I found out rather quickly that horses’ medical needs are costly but well worth every dollar spent. I just didn’t think I would meet them all in one week.
Molly has since moved to Spring Hills Farm and is in the process of being trained for riding. If I were twenty-five I would jump on, but unfortunately I am not and far from it, but I will wait patiently to ride. She is coming along nicely and has no fear of equipment but just needs to learn to walk. Being a standardbred the trot and canter comes easily but the walk is not in her nature but she is getting it.
I visit Molly just about every day which is the highlight of my day. She means the world to me and, yes, I do spoil her but isn’t that the way it should be?
I will leave you readers with a couple of thoughts for the day: Several years ago while at a quilting class an older woman said to me – you need passion in your life to feel alive. I did not understand her then but I sure as hell do today. Molly is my passion. No matter how bad your life is going or what a rotten day you have had, just brush a horse and you will find your frustration quickly goes away. They are spiritual animals that can help us on a daily basis if you only let them.
This is Rocky the day he arrived in Maine.
Rocky the PMU Foal
We heard about the plight of pmu foals and decided to see what that was all about. In the process we found Rocky way up in Alberta, Canada. We were very drawn to him and decided to adopt him. He arrived in November of 2003. A deep bond was made between Rocky and Chris Lombard, who was our trainer at the time. Chris now owns Rocky (or maybe it's Rocky who owns Chris) and they do lots of Natural Horsemanship clinics together.
This is Lacey at her forever home. She is the first horse that we ever placed. She is an Arabian/QH who has been adopted by a very loving couple and is not too far away so we can visit with this beautiful little filly. Lacey came from an abusive home, where they let grown men ride her at a year old, put chains in her mouth and let her drag tires, and where she had no food or water for days on end. She is now a very healthy and wonderful little filly who just loves people.
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