A Thousand Reasons
With the fires, evacuations, and deep concern for our oldest animals came lack of sleep, missed meals, fatigue, stress, the flu, and in the end, a three day hospital stay; it…
Inspiring Kindness and Compassion towards Animals, Our Planet, and Each Other
The Greatest Movement In History
In the style of the late Harvey Milk, my name is Ellie Laks and I want to recruit you! I’d like you to join me in the greatest movement in history! The atrocities…
A Warrior
Bonsai was an enormous, mighty, strong, brave, courageous, opinionated, and feisty giant who ironically came to us in a miniature horse’s body. He was the victim of severe abuse for his first six years of life until he was…
Twenty Years
It feels like a lifetime, and it’s gone by in a blink. I’m so grateful to have served the last 20 years and I am excited to…
Kindness Always
Having a sanctuary is amazing; hearing the animals’ soft noises as they eat and rest, smelling the earthy grass and fur aroma from the barnyard, and of course, getting to spend time with all these mystical creatures is pure magic. Living…
Little Details
This week we brought another one of our horses to the hospital. Caesar is now thirty-two years old. He has overcome past abuse, has opened up and come out of his shell, has become the…
Warrior
Our miniature horse Bonsai has been in and out of the hospital now for about three months. Initially, he had a very painful impaction and over time caused an infection in his intestines. This took a very long time to heal. Horses have bacteria in their gut, including salmonella, which is dormant when they’re healthy and strong, but when they have an elongated illness that bacteria can take over. Bonsai was diagnosed with salmonella last week, which has caused a lack of appetite, severe diarrhea, and extreme weight loss. There is no way to directly treat the salmonella, however with supportive care, like Sun Chlorella, acupuncture, massage therapy, energy work, fluids, tube feeding, probiotics, daily visits and love, and great vet care, Bonsai is finally getting better, slowly.
There was a time where Bonsai had lost so much weight, was so uncomfortable, and was feeling so weak, that I was wondering if he had had enough and wanted to transition...
There was a time where Bonsai had lost so much weight, was so uncomfortable, and was feeling so weak, that I was wondering if he had had enough and wanted to transition...
My Girl
Sasha was terribly afraid of humans. She had been started under saddle in a very cruel way and had lost all confidence in people, afraid that any mistake or hesitation would bring harsh retaliation. And I had an irrational fear of horses then. Sasha and I worked every day to heal each other. I would spend hours petting her and exploring her body with my fingers, uncovering all her sweet itchy spots. I would bury my face in her mane and her warmth and the floral scent would fill me with pure joy. I would brush her tail for hours, feeling like a kid with a new doll...
Addison
Playful as a puppy playing tug of war and pushing bouncy balls around with…
Graduation
This week something very unexpected and sudden happened that took someone…
Upcoming Events
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Open Sunday in Missouri
We are excited to be open to the public again on Sunday, at The Gentle Barn: Missouri.
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Open Sunday in California
We are excited to be open to the public again on Sunday, at The Gentle Barn: California.
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Open Sunday in Tennessee
We are excited to be open to the public again on Sunday, at The Gentle Barn: Tennessee.