Did you know?
 
A horse’s range of vision is 350 degrees with two small blind spots, one directly in front and one directly behind them.

Horses cannot breathe through their mouth, only through their nose.

Horses usually gallop at around 27 mph, but the fastest recorded sprinting speed of a horse was 55 mph.
There are around 350 breeds and types of horses around the world.
 
Most of the white horses that you see were actually a much darker color at birth and gradually turn white. These ‘white’ horses may start out as bay, chestnut, or almost black. Of course, these horses aren’t actually called white, but grey…

Horses with pink skin can get a sunburn

Most of the time, wherever a horse's ear is pointing is where the horse is looking with the eye on the same side.
If the ears are pointing in different directions, the horse is looking at two different things at the same time.
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In Wilbur, Washington, it is illegal to ride an ‘ugly horse.’ Do so and you risk a $300 fine.
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Horses in Burns, Oregon, are allowed into the town’s taverns with their owner — provided their owner has paid for their admission, of course. (Haven’t tested this, but I kind of want to)
 
You can tell if a horse is cold by feeling behind their ears.
If that area is cold, so is the horse.
 
Horses produce approximately 10 gallons of saliva a day.
This is roughly 40 times the amount humans produce.
 

Horses have a sense of humor.
A fun horse fact is that horses are just that - funny! According to Dr. Sarah Ralston, VMD, PhD, DACVN, horses exhibit many “playful” behaviors throughout their life such as playing tag, mock fights, or nipping.

​Horses use their ears, eyes, and nostrils to express their mood.
They also communicate their feelings through facial expressions. They can also understand human expressions and remember a person’s previous emotional state, adapting their behavior accordingly. This ability comes naturally to horses as they have complex facial expressions themselves.
 
Horses remember a lot.
You may have heard that elephants have an extremely superior memory. Did you know that horses are considered second in rank when it comes to memory in animals after elephants? Horses have great memories!

All existing horse breeds fit into five categories: hot-blooded, warm-blooded, cold-blooded/draft, pony, and miniature.

Hot-blooded horses include the Arabian, Thoroughbred, and Barb breeds with origins in the Middle East. In contrast, cold-blooded (heavy) horses and ponies developed in northern Europe. A warm blood horse refers to any breed whose ancestors were crosses between hot-blooded and cold-blooded/pony type breeds. Finally, miniature horse breeds are scaled-down versions of their big cousins with a specified maximum height.
 
All Facts Sourced from:
https://www.doubledtrailers.com/45-random-amazing-bizarre-horse-facts/ https://www.horseandhound.co.uk/features/horse-facts-653825
 

March 1st is National Horse Protection Day also known as World Horse Day was founded in 2005 by Animal Behaviorist and horse lover Colleen Paige. Her goal was to bring awareness to the plight of animals around the globe, and ultimately bring people together to help!
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At Harmony New Beginnings Animal Rescue (HNBAR) we help horses in all kinds of situations. Occasionally, an owner will surrender their horse to us, because they are no longer able to care for their beloved friend and want to know they will be taken care of and rehomed to a safe and loving environment. Unfortunately, it is much more common for a horse to come to the rescue scared, abused, and in rough shape. Many of the horses that are at HNBAR have never had a positive interaction with humans before. This is where patience, kindness, and care are the important building blocks to rehabilitation.

​Warrior, Moon Dancer, and Reaper are Mustangs that were bought to avoid them going to slaughter. When they first arrived at HNBAR they had little to no interaction with humans, and what little contact they did have, left them suspicious and fearful. Now they train with a professional trainer, and are socialized with volunteers every day. All three still have a long way to go before they hit the trails with a trusted rider, but everyday they are making progress. 

​Scout, Heather, Moriah, Mandy and Indy were brought to us by their owners for various reasons. Heather and Indy were previously rescues at HNBAR. All of the animals that come through our rescue have a safe place to come back to if needed. While it is hard to give up a beloved pet because circumstances in your life have changed, we are so glad to be able to continue helping these horses and hopefully find them another loving home. 

​Graffiti, Clover, and Campo were victims of abuse. The official statement of the Sheriff’s Office said the animals were seized because of a “lack of proper shelter, nourishment, and veterinary care.” However, the reality was so much more horrifying than this simple statement. Horses were in living in half a foot of their own filth, some animals had to be euthanized on site because they had such extensive health issues resulting from the ongoing abuse they suffered. After arriving at HNBAR, all three began their recovery process. During their initial vet exams, we found out they were pregnant! Unable to tell just how far along each mare was, the primary concern was if the mom and babies were healthy. 

Malnutrition is dangerous to any horse, but can have even more lasting effects on a fetus. Would the foal develop properly? What health issues might it have once its born? Will the baby survive the terrible treatment its mom was exposed to? These are older horses; how will age affect them and their foals? Would the mares trust us enough to receive medical care? These are only a few of the questions that needed to be addressed. With proper diet and care the mares began getting vital nutrients needed for a healthy pregnancy. We had to wait six months before we would know the full extent of the damage done.  
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In February Campo had a beautiful little girl! Immediately the filly was given a plasma transfusion, to help boost her compromised immune system. She will have to have a hernia removed in the near future. Because of improper nutrition during half of Campo’s pregnancy, one of her foal’s legs did not form properly. We are waiting to hear from the vet if a brace can possibility correct the defect. We are very happy to report that mom and baby are doing well, however the filly does need some medical procedures before she is given a clean bill of health. Our goal is to give the new filly the best possible start in life!

Donate-  
Right now, we have a donor willing to match all donations until the end of March. No donation is too small, we need all the help we can get!

www.hnbar.org/donate.html

Adopt-
You will need to contact us, then fill out an adoption application. Next is a meet and greet, as well as, a home/facility check for suitability.

www.hnbar.org/adoption-process.html

Foster-
You will have to fill out a foster application and have your home/facility checked for suitability.

Volunteer-
If you want to get more hands on with helping, or can’t afford to donate, fill out our volunteer application online.

​www.hnbar.org/volunteering.html
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Raise Awareness-
Share knowledge about animal abuse and spread information about available resources to help care for animals when owners fall on hard times, such as our Pet Food Bank.

Its February and love is in the air! Harmony New Beginnings is no exception. We have some loveable pups at the rescue that are just waiting for the right match.

The Couple
Fiesta and Teddy came in to the rescue together and would love to stay that way. Their owner was moving and could not take them, they have been together most of their life. They are older pups, but still have lots of love to give. Fiesta is a wonderful girl that loves a good snuggle and is very cute in her sweaters! Teddy has that chihuahua charm, and is cute as a button. If you think this couple is right for you check out their Petfinder profiles with the links below.

​For more pictures follow us on Facebook and Instagram

 We are having a FUNdraiser! Go to our Facebook to see the merchandise boxes HNBAR is selling!
​Supply is limited so hurry!

In August, Harmony New Beginnings Animal Rescue (HNBAR) helped in one of our largest and most complicated rescues of 2022. Polk County Animal Control contacted the rescue about several horses in need of help at an illegal, unregistered equestrian business. Upon arrival, the neglect and abuse that these poor animals were subjected to became evident. Many of the horses’ hooves were overgrown and extremely painful. The stalls were filthy and the horses needed immediate medical attention. Nine horses were transported to our facility to begin their recovery.

Our wonderful professionals and volunteers got to work giving these horses the best care possible. The hooves were the first thing to get fixed. With the use of power tools our farriers did their best to alleviate the pain. Unfortunate, one of the horses never recovered from the damage caused by the neglect. Next dentals, immunizations, a healthy diet, constant care, and lots of love were administered.

Today we are happy to report that seven of the horses recovered from their ordeal and have been adopted into their new homes. 

Thank you for your support! 

To read more about the journey of these horses and see all the pictures and videos follow us on Facebook @HNBAR! 

​Click on the link below to see the news article. ​

Here we all go into the last month of the year.  The pressure for most of us because intense.  For non-profits the pressure for fund raising and the increased need for services hit, while our families of course want all of our attention for the holidays.  We hope everyone will remember to be kind to themselves and those around them.  Winter can be a great chance to help others and love each other.