SCCR Newsletter, Issue #9 - August, 2023

Second Chance Cheekye Ranch: Rescue, Rehabilitate, Rehome

Second Chance Cheekye Ranch (SCCR) was established in 2016 by Kris Latham. With the help of a passionate group of animal loving volunteers, SCCR aims to rescue, rehabilitate, and rehome horses in need. More than 25,000 horses are slaughtered in Canada annually, with most of the meat being exported for human consumption. We aim to save as many as we can from that fate.

Do you love animals and want to make a difference to the lives of horses, donkeys and mules in need? Our team of volunteers is invaluable, and we are always on the lookout for great people to join our team. Without the caring, hard-working volunteers we have at the ranch, we would simply not be able to do what we do.

Second Chance Cheekye Ranch is a sanctuary for horses, donkeys, pot-bellied pigs, and dogs too. Ask any volunteer around the ranch, and you will hear a tale of how this incredible place has changed not only the lives of all animals who call it home, but also the wonderful people who have dedicated their time and energy to helping these animals in need.

To help the rescue:

• Donate here to contribute towards saving these incredible animals.

• Learn more about the fate of horses who are not rescued, and how to help them.

• Book a tour to learn more about the ranch and meet some of the horses who have been saved.

• Volunteer at the ranch. No experience with horses is necessary.

Adoption Success Story: Desiree and Skye

It is said that the Morgan horse chooses their human. I did feel chosen when Skye purposefully walked across the paddock and tapped her muzzle against my heart in the summer of 2020.

Though the connection was undeniable, it was not an easy road ahead. Skye’s past had left her hesitant to forge connections with other humans, making it challenging for potential adopters to connect with her. However, with the guidance and support of Jim, a trainer at the rescue, Skye and I slowly built a bridge of understanding and trust.

My initial vision of long trail rides together was temporarily put on hold when Skye became lame ten weeks into our partnership. Nevertheless, this setback did not deter me from adopting Skye. I thought her lameness would be quickly remedied. Instead, we went on a two year journey focused solely on Skye’s healing. I brought together a team of practitioners, from veterinarians and farriers to herbalists, energy workers, animals communicators, and rehab specialists to share their expertise in restoring her health.

Skye has emerged from the journey physically rejuvenated, moving with a new found ease and vitality, but our journey was not solely about her physical healing. Skye’s heart and spirit have transformed as well. She has blossomed into the horse she was always meant to be, embodying wisdom that grounds, nurtures, and loves unconditionally.

Despite Skye’s restored health we are not yet riding. Instead, our journey has become about our extraordinary relationship. Our bond deepened through the healing as we explored energy work, mindfulness activities and conscious breathing, bringing a new dimension to our connection.

I could never have imagined the creative and powerful journey Skye and I were going to go on together. However, from our very first meeting, Skye had hinted that our path together would be a journey of the heart. And, indeed, it has been.

Learn more about Skye’s journey on Instagram @horse_n_heart

~Desiree

Volunteer Highlight: Steph

What does SCCR mean to you and your family?

In 2018, my daughter was constantly asking me if she could do something which involves horses!

It was pretty obvious early on that she had the “horse bug”, that inexplicable and unfathomable and immeasurable love of horses was in her blood like it was in mine!

I had not been around horses for 20 plus years and whilst I was stoked that my daughter was showing a keen interest in these wonderful creatures, I was also a little nervous as I knew that it would be like opening Pandora’s box not only for her but for myself too. I knew that as soon as I had that indescribable smell of horse on my hand I would just yearn for it on a daily basis. It is not something one can be content to smell once in a while!

I had been following Second Chance Cheekye Ranch ever since they joined Facebook. I watched a video they posted of a whole truckload of young Pemberton colts that were rescued. I decided to reach out to Cheekye about volunteering then and there. At that time sadly they only had a.m. shifts available and I had two young kids to get off to school each morning, so that wasn’t an option for me.

Soon after, a “come paint with horses” fundraiser was advertised at SCCR. My daughter’s birthday was that month so it felt like fate. As her birthday present we donated some money to the ranch and were able to visit for the first time and spend the day painting some of its inhabitants.

It was a day neither of us will ever forget! That day literally changed our lives forever. We sat and tried to do justice to these magnificent creatures on our canvasses and were introduced to a truckload of donkeys which had just arrived at the ranch and were in need of some soothing cuddles. My daughter and I were literally in heaven and I knew that we just had to find a way to become involved in this magical place.

Kris Latham, the owner of this haven for horses, came over to introduce herself to all the people who had come to the fundraiser and I literally begged her to let us come back another day to help out in any way. She turned to us and said we could come back to help muck the very next day which we did and have continued to do so on a daily basis ever since!

We volunteered 2-3 shifts a week right from the very start, rain or shine. My two daughters mucked paddocks in -15 in boots that really weren’t cut out for the job, resulting in many tears as they lost feeling in their toes. But never at any point did they ask to go home and quit doing chores. They were 7 and 9 at the time.

Volunteering at the ranch was teaching them invaluable lessons in perseverance and resilience, not to mention how to be a dedicated and responsible human being. They were able to see first hand in these rescues the consequences of the irresponsible actions of humans.

Over the next five years we met horses so skinny we didn’t think they were going to survive their first week and horses so traumatized and shut down, we wondered how it would be possible for them to ever trust a human again. We saw how dedicated and selfless Kris was and how much work was involved to keep this horse sanctuary running as smooth as possible through some hard times.

My girls and I have been blessed to call Cheekye Ranch our home away from home and to be part of this community for more than five years now. We have been even more blessed to be able to adopt two new members into our family, a young mare rounded up just outside of Vernon and, ironically, one of the young wild Pemby boys who was rounded up back in 2017, which I had seen online when I was following Kris and watching her dream of opening a rescue ranch come into fruition.

Thanks to Second Chance Cheekye Ranch, horses will always be a part of our lives. They have given true meaning to our lives like nothing else ever could.

~Steph

Adoption Highlight: Jett

Jett is a super sweet and keen ‘traditional’ Appaloosa gelding. He is 4 years old and stands about 14h-3”. He is well built and athletic, and very good on the ground. He stands for grooming, gives his feet, and leads easily. He has passed his Level 1 groundwork program and is on his way to Level 2. He has been mounted and ridden around the pen, but is still in the early stages. Jett is the kind of horse that has his nose into everything and provides constant entertainment. He has a really big personality and would be best suited for someone with horse experience and can continue his training. Jett is very easy to fall in love with, and he’ll make some lucky person an adorable life partner. To learn more about Jett, please click here.

To see other adoptable horses at SCCR and to learn more about our adoption process, click here.

Sponsorship Highlight: Spud

Spud is one of the sweetest, quietest souls out there. He loves to spend time with his BFF’s Phoenix and Buttons, and will follow along behind when they’re taken out for a stroll. He likes to be brushed, as long as there is a treat involved, and he always gives a friendly nicker hello to those he knows and trusts.

Spud was originally picked up by a meat buyer in Alberta after his owners no longer wanted him, but was thankfully intercepted and quickly made his way to SCCR which has become his forever home.

Spud has a grade 4 heart murmur, RAO (Heaves), and advanced arthritis in his front left pastern, and therefore needs some extra TLC to live comfortably. He is on daily steroid medication to relax his respiratory condition, and Previcox to help alleviate the discomfort of arthritis.

Please consider sponsoring Spud by making a monthly donation to help provide him with the comfortable retirement life he deserves.

To sponsor Spud and help make a difference in his life, please click here.

Horse Facts: What are Chestnuts on a Horse?

Chestnuts on horses certainly aren’t the most pleasant to look at, but chestnuts are completely harmless. They are basically a benign, hard flesh growth.

It is commonly believed in the horse community that a chestnut on a horse tells a story of their evolution. The earliest prehistoric horses had functional toes. Throughout time horses lost their toes, and developed only a single hoof to adapt to their climate and environment. Many scientists attribute chestnuts on horses to be remnants of the toes that they have lost throughout millions of years of evolution.

Horse chestnuts are formed from small deposits of keratin (same substance as fingernails) that gather on the horse’s leg. Chestnuts feel oily and scaly to the touch, similar to how a skin callus feels. They also don’t grow any hair.

Horse chestnuts are mostly found on the inside of the horse’s hind legs and/or right above the knee on the front legs. While chestnuts are harmless, they can cause some sensitivity to a horse. Chestnuts never stop growing so while they don’t necessarily cause any pain to the horse, keep in mind that it could be uncomfortable for them. To avoid an issue, some horse owners make the decision to remove the chestnut altogether. Most will peel off easily and quickly like a scab. But, it is recommended to have your farrier do it for you so as not to accidentally cause harm or pain to your horse. That being said, chestnuts do not have to be removed, as they usually do not cause any harm to the horse.

Source: Double D Trailers

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