Animal Sanctuary, Rehabilitation for people and horses, Faster Recovery, Overall Healing, Attitude, Cushings, Filling out, topline, and joints!
John Dowdy:
Hello and welcome to another Equinety podcast, this week we're swinging out west to California. We've got C.C. Wellman on the podcast this week with Happy Endings Animal Sanctuary. C.C. welcome to the Equinety podcast.
C.C. Wellman:
Well, thank you so much, John. I'm excited to be here.
John Dowdy:
Good. Well we're happy to have you and excited to hear your stories and I think before we get into the Equinety and what it's done for some of your horses, let's talk a little bit about the animal sanctuary that you have out there and what exactly you do. So you started back in 2007 I believe, if my dates are correct.
C.C. Wellman:
Yes.
John Dowdy:
Yeah, so tell us a little bit about what you do out there on the farm.
C.C. Wellman:
Well, we have a number of programs. We take horses that would otherwise be euthanized and we rehabilitate them and try to adopt them out. If for safety reasons, they cannot be adopted out, we have them in our sanctuary program. Some of the horses are permanent residents and we use them in our education programs for the children and also adults. We have our education program for schools and camps and if and different organizations, in which we teach care and respect and what to look for if you see an animal that's in trouble. If it's thin or if it doesn't have any food or seems to be in a desperate situation.
We also have our horse angels program, where we have at risk children, foster care children, different children around our area that are at risk. Meaning that they are either in the foster care system or having problems in school and we know their stories before they come. And so what we do is we pair abused horses with abused children and neglected horses with neglected children and drug addicted horses or previously drug addicted horses with drug addicted children. And it's completely amazing. The horses seem to know what the kids' problems are and their whole demeanor completely dissolves.
There is nothing more than love and respect on both ends. We tell the children the horses stories and we humanize it and the kids are amazed that horses can feel like that and have the same issues in their life. There's a bonding that goes on there and we have each child go up to a certain horse and give them a hug and tell them their deepest, darkest secrets. It's amazing the change in the children from when they walk down the driveway, when they arrive and when they leave. The hardened, angry children are hugging me, wanting me to be their foster mom and [crosstalk 00:03:50] for the horses. And it's just, it's amazing. So it's a gift and I absolutely take no credit for that program. I don't do anything except teach the children how to be safe and how to give a cookie. The rest of it is the horses.
John Dowdy:
Yeah, wow.
C.C. Wellman:
They're amazing and I'm so grateful that we have an opportunity to heal hearts, both in horses and children.
John Dowdy:
I would imagine with these kids coming in, of course they know they're going to see a horse, is probably what they're told. I'm assuming, they might go a little bit more in depth, but as you said, what they're coming into as a hardened kid because of what's happened to them and then I would imagine that is pretty tear jerking in some situations, watching their demeanors change and the horses change and everything else during that time.
C.C. Wellman:
Absolutely, it's magic and there is no other way to explain it. It's just magical and the horse does it all. They sit with them and that especially our Tucker, listens to them and looks at them and then he'll nod his head like, "Okay, I get it. Been there, done that. I totally understand." And no matter how long they want to grab him around his neck and hug him, he just stands there and it's just amazing. And it's teaching these kids how to realize what unconditional love really is. And the amount of acceptance that animals give injured people, whether it's PTSD or any kind of other issues, is priceless. You can't put a price on that.
John Dowdy:
No, no, not at all, wow. Now how long are the kids typically in the program? So some of the kids that come out for the first time, do they come out weekly, monthly? How does that work?
C.C. Wellman:
Well, usually in the foster care system we have issues with transportation, so sometimes they'll come out for a week, sometimes just a couple of days. It all depends on the situation. And we're not allowed to transport them, so we depend on case workers or foster parents or things like that.
John Dowdy:
Sure and I didn't ask you this question previously, but have you had anybody that's been coming out for months on end or even in years, that have just, they're religious about coming out all the time? Do you have any cases like that?
C.C. Wellman:
Well actually, we had one of our first horse angels girls, I think it was 2008 when she came and I lost track of her. And it was very upsetting because I knew that her situation was extremely volatile. I went to a program at a ranch that's near us, to sit there with my table and promote Happy Endings and I looked up in the video tower and I said, "Boy, that girl looks familiar."
And she came and she said, "Well, I don't know if you remember me. I came to your ranch years and years ago. My name is Khalifa." And I almost fell over backward. I grabbed her and hugged her, I'm like, "Oh honey, I'm so glad to see you." Yeah, so she has been coming back. She doesn't live in this county anymore, but she comes back, volunteers. She did a wonderful one-on-one interview on the program, Animal Zone, that we were featured on.
And told everybody what the program had done for her and how much the program had changed her and changed her heart and given her hope and helped her deal with her foster parents and her birth parents. And how she could deal with her friends better and did better in school. I mean, she just graduated high school and just so proud of her. She is amazing. We've had kids come back and volunteer after the program and kids that have fund raised for us multiple times. It's just heartwarming.
John Dowdy:
Yeah, wow. Yeah, well for sure. I mean and like you said, it is magical and I don't know of any other word you could really say about that.
C.C. Wellman:
No and they come to our program with the intent of helping us help the horses. So there's no, you're going to come here and we're going to theraputesize you until you're blue in the face. They get enough of that in their everyday life. But they come to help us help the horses and so they're not defensive, some of them look bored and are looking at their phone and blah blah blah. But it's very cool.
John Dowdy:
Yeah, yeah. They ended up getting more out of it than what they expected, I'm sure.
C.C. Wellman:
No, it shocks every single one of them.
John Dowdy:
Wow, that is-
C.C. Wellman:
Like, "Wow, that horse feels like that?" They never let me know that they're thinking about that, but it's pretty obvious by the looks on their-
John Dowdy:
Right, yeah, oh man. Wow, well before we get into some of the stories of the horses, people can find you on Facebook, which we will have the link below this podcast listed on our website at teamequinety.com in the podcast section. So I have a link to your Facebook page. I know on your website, you've got a donate button on there, so anybody that feels compelled to donate, please do so. Because I know that definitely helps in many, many ways.
So that is great. Well, so let's jump in now to the Equinety product. And you came across this product about six months ago and dealing with some of the horses that you have, with rescue horses, some of them that were left to starve. You're kind of a go-to place to help in whatever means necessary, whether it be on the human side or on the horse side. So back in 2007 is when you got started and all the way up until about six months ago, you didn't have Equinety. What would you say is the biggest advantage, I guess, to adding Equinety to your program?
C.C. Wellman:
Well, the biggest change that I've noticed is the speed in which I can get the horses into recovery, without having any kind of backlash physically. It's been amazing, the difference in their weight gain and their skeletal wellbeing, in their coat and really just in their overall attitude. It's the spark in their eye and their willingness to work with me to help them is amazing.
John Dowdy:
Sure and their working condition, not all of these horses are obviously in the program with the kids and things like that, but those that are, it's important for the horse to feel good from the inside out because if they can feel good, then they can pass that over to whoever's dealing with them as well, interacting with them.
C.C. Wellman:
Yes. Especially our 30 year old Tucker, who has Cushing's and he's our rock star and he is doing so well. He has absolutely no lameness issues any longer. His hair coat is better, he has more of a spark in his eye and he feels just wonderful. He is just amazing.
John Dowdy:
Yeah, now I want to come back to Tucker in just a minute because there's a really neat story that goes along with Tucker. At least I found it very interesting. But let's go with I found you initially on Facebook and then you had posted some pictures of Jordan, tell us about Jordan, how you found her, what her condition was like and where she is now.
C.C. Wellman:
Well, Jordan was at a self care facility owned by a man who didn't have any proper finances or desire to care for him properly. He was probably at least 700 pounds underweight. He looked like just a bag of bones and so it took quite a few months, excuse me, for us to convince this man that we should take him. He wanted to charge us lots of money because he was just this very expensive thoroughbred, which was kind of insidious.
But anyway, by the time we got him, it was winter and he had a huge hair coat on him, which is not inconsistent with starving horses. He was stuck in the mud up to his knees, unable to lie down and unable to really move very well. Still eating basically cow hay, was what he was being fed. And so we pulled him out and started him almost immediately on Equinety, after the blood work came back and I mean that was February 23rd and today he is actually fat, he has no more lameness issues.
Most of his joints are completely revitalized. He's eight years old. He is a tattoo thoroughbred and he now looks like he's ready for a horse show and he is just the sweetest horse that anybody's ever met. Every horseshoer, every vet, anybody that ever meets Jordan, I just can't believe how beautiful and sweet and darling this horse is.
John Dowdy:
Yeah, wow. Well that's a great-
C.C. Wellman:
He was actually a stallion when I got him, We had him gelded.
John Dowdy:
Yeah, well that's a great testament with the feed and care that you give him, which he was in desperate need of. How would you say that the Equinety really, I guess it would be a speeding up process because again, you've been doing this for enough years without using the product and just adding the product helped speed everything up to bring him up to where he is today, I guess would be the best way to put that.
C.C. Wellman:
Well, the speed, but also the quality. His feet got better very, very quickly. His hair coat actually almost completely dissolved and fell out and grew back to where he looks like a national champion. The spark in his eye, I mean, every aspect of what he needed to be fixed, Equinety has just escalated that whole process amazingly and he's absolutely gorgeous.
John Dowdy:
That's great, okay, let's go on to the next one, Rainbow, who's a 26 year old Paint, tell us what was going on with her.
C.C. Wellman:
Well, she all of a sudden just started losing weight, looking very, very badly very quickly. So we got the vet out and they did a bunch of blood tests and found that her liver values were less than terrific. So we pulled her off of all of her previous food, except for hay and some Equine Senior and got a blood test back that looked really good. And so the first thing that I added was a Equinety. And the difference in her hair coat, in her weight, her top line filled in just really nicely. And her joints seem better. She's just a very happy girl now.
John Dowdy:
I'll jump in here just a little bit because if you're tuning in for the first time and wondering what this Equinety stuff is and how it can help in so many ways. Simply put, it's 100% pure amino acids, which are the building blocks of protein, which is one reason why it's safe to give in any situation. But the unique thing is there's no fillers, no sugars, no starches, there's no loading dose. Serving size is 5.2 grams, which is not even a tablespoon.
But what makes the Equinety amino acids really unique is they're specifically formulated to stimulate the pituitary gland, which is the master gland in the body. And that's what releases the hormones that go throughout the body to heal. So one of the best examples that I've come up with is if you have a joint issue, then you're going to look at joint supplements or possible injections or with hoof issues, you're looking at hoof supplements and creative shoeing.
So we're giving the horse whatever medication or supplement for that particular issue. In our case because we're targeting the pituitary gland to release the necessary hormones. The body's deciding with pinpoint accuracy, exactly where to send those hormones to help with the healing. And that's why going to Jordan, the first horse. It really just helped speed up the healing process from the inside out.
And when you add this with the quality care and other things, whether it be Magna Wave or chiropractic massage, any of these other types of things, laser. It's just going to enhance everything that you're doing. So with Jordan, it helped speed everything up recovery wise, really nice coat, filling out. And then you look at Rainbow, who has had a severe stifle injury and you had mentioned getting the blood work, which I think is very, very important and we stress all the time.
Make sure that you're consulting with your medical team and your veterinarians to make sure that what you're doing is on the right track. And not just throwing stuff up against the wall to see what might work. So after the blood work came back with Rainbow, everything was clear and so you just started, Equinety was the first thing you started there. How are things going with Rainbow today?
C.C. Wellman:
Rainbow is doing much better. She's really looking top shelf for her age. She is more concerned about taking care of her brother, who is losing his eyesight. She is more interested in dealing with people and socializing more. She's moving better and her coat is absolutely gorgeous.
John Dowdy:
Now we're going to jump back over to the topic of Tucker, who loves the camera, by the way, as you had told me before we started recording.
C.C. Wellman:
Yes, he does.
John Dowdy:
Now tell everybody or share the story that you are sharing with me, when you received his paperwork, what did you find out about Tucker?
C.C. Wellman:
Tucker actually is my family. His great grandfather was our stallion growing up and our stallion, Leo Bar, was a part of our family. We never had animals that were just farm animals. They were always a part of our family, whether it have been horses or dogs or cats or whatever, birds, they were part of our family. So we loved Leo very, very much and I'd always wanted a Leo Bar horse, and I never got one. Life happened and I just never got one. So finally at 62 years old, I finally have a Leo Bar. So I am over the moon, the minute I told Tucker that he was my family, his whole demeanor changed. So when he comes out every day, after he has breakfast, he stops and wants me to hug him and kiss him and just love on him. And then when he's had enough, then he goes out to the pasture and deals with everyone else and does his horse thing. Before that, he did not do that. He could have cared less. He was like, "Yeah, whatever." [crosstalk 00:24:04] Yup, Yup.
John Dowdy:
Wow, that is fantastic. Well, I tell you what, C.C. I really appreciate you taking the time to share your Equinety stories and share your program. And if there's anyone else that's listening to this podcast and you know of somebody that might be in a troubled situation, find a local program that could have some significant help in therapy for them as well. I think it's a fantastic alternative or in addition to rather. But yeah, so
C.C. Wellman:
If you see something, say something.there anything else before we sign off? Is there anything else that you would like to add to or recommend or say to anybody that's listening in?
C.C. Wellman:
Well, our website is actually happyendingsanimalrescuesanctuary.org.
John Dowdy:
Perfect.
C.C. Wellman:
On Facebook, we're Happy Endings Animal Sanctuary and there is also a donate button on the left hand side of that page, down the left.
John Dowdy:
Perfect, yup and I will have those links listed in the podcast transcription that we do on our website teamequinety.com, so those will be listed there for everyone. So, well thank you again, C.C. I really appreciate your time.
C.C. Wellman:
Oh gosh, John, I just can't thank you enough for the opportunity. We're so grateful.
John Dowdy:
You bet, all right. Thank you and bye-bye.
C.C. Wellman: Thank you. Bye-bye.
John Dowdy: Bye.
