[SunshineAcres]

I don’t have a draft/draft cross breed. I have a Belgian/QH cross that I affectionately refer to as a Quelgian. Her name is Maddie. She’s a tank as far as saddle horses go. She’s 16 hands.

[SunshineAcres]

It sure is, Jen! Who knew she would turn out so nice, certainly not me. Sunshine is the one horse I will never sell. I’ll keep her until she dies. She’ll probably outlive me! lol The kill pen in Shipshewana, IN usually has a lot of draft horses in it not because they’re awful horses, but due to the large Amish population. Horses in the kill pen do not require a Coggins and it’s cheaper to put them in there vs. the ring. Sunshine was an untrained 4 yo (estimated by my vet) when I bought her. I don’t know the reason she was in there. I can only speculate. She’s had babies before. Maybe she wasn’t throwing big enough babies? IDK. She was only 15.2 hands in the last picture. She’s now 16.2 hands.

[SunshineAcres]

Thanks! I certainly didn’t know that when I bought her. Here’s a picture of her the weekend after I bought her. Can you believe this is the same horse?!:

[SunshineAcres]

I feed an alfalfa/grass mix hay (80/20) along with a 2nd cut grass hay. I also have free choice trace mineral and a salt block. All the horses get Tribute Kalm Ultra. It’s 12% protein, 12% fat with Omega 3 & 6. Here’s their website:
Okay, I’ll probably get slammed for this but there’s no corn in it. It’s a low starch, high fat feed. Perfect for drafts and hard keepers. We know most drafts are easy keepers so they only get 1/2 lb am/pm feedings. The hardest keeper at my barn gets 3 lbs am/pm. They all get a general vit/min supplement, tsp probiotic, wheat bran a day. Some of the horses get a hoof or joint supplement or both. Got a 38 yo mare here who looks 15. She gets Kent Equine Senior feed in addition to the Kalm Ultra. She also gets alfalfa pellets. I feed a variety of horses: Belgian, Standardbred, Irish Draught, pony, QH.

[SunshineAcres]

I live, I am buying 2nd cut alfalfa/grass hay with 80% alfalfa 20% grass. I’m feeding horses with it. Paid $3.50 for a 60 lb. square bale. Supplier has a couple thousand bales left. I’m one of the lucky ones who has a supplier. Most hay for 1st cut grass is $5 for a smaller (40-50 lb) square bale. 2nd cut grass is $6 bale and those are hay auction prices! I’m just glad I don’t live in FL! Yikes!

[SunshineAcres]

I have a couple horses I rescued from the kill pen. One is my Sunshine. I’ll keep her forever. The other is a 20+gelding I named Big Poppa Shugs. He was obviously no stranger to hard work. Brought him home and rode him. Smart fellow. Caught onto the cues alright. Sold him for what I bought him for to my friend Martha. Got a few others (not drafts) from there too. I take in unwanted horses, usually saddle horses. My friend and trainer get them retrained then we sell them, obviously not for a profit b/c the horse market sucks along with the economy but it makes me feel good to do it. I use my own money BUT do have a link on my website if anyone ever did want to donate for the cause. I won’t look a gift horse in the mouth! lol I’m not asking for donations, so don’t start that crap. I only take in what I can afford to take care of until they’re rehomed. I get offers from people to come help out at the farm. Help come groom/feed the horses, do chores, whatever. That’s neat too. I just figure whatever someone wants to do is great. Any help is a God send! If it makes them feel good to do it like it makes me feel to save them, then more power to them for offering to help! I agree that there is a need for the kill pens and slaughter houses. I’ve seen horses that need to go there. What kills me are the ones that don’t need to go there. I got a 10 month old gelding I named Lucky who I can’t figure out for the life of me how he ended up in there! So that’s my story and here are the horses I spoke of:
SUNSHINE:

LUCKY:

BIG POPPA SHUGS:

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