Name: LeRoi

    Type: Hinny

    Color: Dappled Liver Chestnut

      Markings: None

    Sex: Gelding

    Birthday: 12/30/2014

Mr. LeRoi was a pitiful sight. In fact, he was so thin and bedraggled we and the vet both thought he was an elderly equine in his late 20’s. We couldn’t stand to think that someone had dumped this poor, old hinny to a questionable fate, so we agreed to take him in. As it turned out, once LeRoi arrived at the vet clinic, we were all in for a surprise! He was skinny, wormy and sick, alright, but a closer examination of his teeth proved that he was only about two years old! He had pneumonia, anemia and a whole host of other issues, but he had youth on his side. 

He was frightened, had clearly had limited handling, and wasn’t a fan of going through the various diagnostic tests that he needed. However, within a few months Mr. LeRoi overcame his illnesses, completed his quarantine and arrived at Red Bell Run. LeRoi is a typical hinny. Hinnies, with horse fathers and donkey mothers tend to be more like horses. More skittish, more of a prey animal, suspicious of new places and things, and in general a little more difficult to work with. They have a medium length ear (shorter than a donkey but longer than a horse) and more of a pony face than a longer donkey face. They can be wonderful companions, but they do take patience!

Fortunately for LeRoi he landed in a place where patience is in abundance. At Red Bell Run we understand that many of the equines coming here are suffering from unkind handling and downright abuse and neglect in their past lives. With coaxing and gentle handling, LeRoi is now very good for most things, even tolerating veterinarian and farrier procedures. He even goes for exercise walks in the vineyard. LeRoi has a “coat of many colors”, and in the summer has dapples galore while during winter he is a very fuzzy fellow. LeRoi is best friends with a group of ponies about his size and enjoys lazing in the sun, grazing with his buddies and generally enjoying life at the Sanctuary.  

    Name: Findley

    Type: Pony

    Color: Dark Bay

      Markings: None

    Sex: Gelding

    Birthday: 12/27/2012

In February of 2016, Celine Myers of the Ark Watch Foundation was notified about a Hackney pony stallion down in a Texas kill pen by a hauler she used occasionally. There were a lot of terrified donkeys running around in the same pen and the hauler feared that the pony, unable to rise, might be severely injured.

The hauler was so worried about the pony that she offered to postpone her hauling job and take the little pony to a nearby vet clinic if Ark Watch would take him. Knowing time was of the essence in a situation like this, Celine told the hauler to go ahead and load him in her trailer and take him to a nearby vet clinic.

Celine decided to call the pony Findley, thinking it was a proper English sounding named for a Hackney. Once Findley was transported to the vet clinic, he was promptly examined. Findley’s CBC and Chem panel tests showed the results one would expect to see from an underweight kill pen equine. He was very anemic and most of his electrolytes were out of balance. A scan of Findley’s lungs revealed he had pneumonia with comma tails in both lung chambers. His respiratory illness turned out to be difficult to resolve. Even though Findley was treated with multiple antibiotics, his condition worsened and abscesses began to develop in one lung. Findley would spend the next eight weeks on medications and supplements while he recovered from months of prior abuse and neglect and a trip through a kill pen.

When he was well enough to travel, Findley was moved to Reata Equine Hospital where he could receive more specialized care. There Findley’s condition markedly improved. All of his blood and electrolyte values returned to a normal range, with the exception of a low HCT level, still indicating anemia. Anemia in malnourished equines always takes many months to resolve. Once healthy enough, Findley was gelded at Reata and was much happier once he wasn’t constantly obsessed with who or what he was going to breed!

Because Findley is such a small pony, he is really only suitable to carry a child or pull a cart. However, it became clear that Findley had not received any handling prior to his rescue and, having been a stallion until the age of 4 years, Celine was concerned that even with significant training, Findley might be ill-suited to becoming a child’s riding horse. Celine appealed to Red Bell Run to let Findley fill an open spot created when she reshuffled a list of Ark Watch Foundation owned equines already headed to the Sanctuary. Findley settled in well, first in the Florida facility and now at North Carolina with his friends, Dauceny, LeRoi and KitKat where they live at the Trailside barn. Findley now has manners and is a very proud little Peacock, often seen showing off his spectacular Hackney trot! 

    Name: Kit Kat

    Type: Pony

    Color: Dark Bay

      Markings: Star

    Sex: Mare

    Birthday: 12/30/2012

Kit Kat was in a bad situation. With two other “ponies” she was getting ready to be sold at auction – and in the shape she was in, there was little chance anyone but a kill buyer or trader would want her. A rescue group in Oklahoma stepped in and decided the three of them didn’t deserve that fate. First of all – Kit Kat was sick with a respiratory infection and needed to see a vet and go through quarantine. The other two “ponies” were also sick. Several people stepped up so that tall three of these equines had a place to go. Red Bell Run agreed to take Kit Kat, so she began what would be a long journey to get to Sanctuary. 

Once through quarantine, Kit Kat was taken to a friend in South Texas to wait for transport to Red Bell Run’s Florida facility. After several weeks, she hitched a ride with some other lucky equines and made her way to Red Bell Run. There it was discovered that her pneumonia had recurred. There was scarring in  her lungs from  her illness and she had developed an asthmatic condition. Poor Kit Kat underwent months of antibiotic injections, but finally began to turn the corner. Our Florida vet confirmed what we had suspected…Kit Kat wasn’t really a pony. She had been so starved and neglected as a foal that she was actually a stunted two-year-old horse. Although still small for a horse, Kit Kat had grown into a beautiful mare!

Meanwhile, she became friends with some other ponies and when Red Bell Run transferred everyone to the current North Carolina facility, Kit Kat and her friends came, too. Today she is friends with Dauceny and Findley, two handsome Hackney ponies from the Ark Watch Foundation and little LeRoi, a little hinny rescued from a dire situation in Louisiana. This foursome lives at our Trailside barn, enjoying the green pastures and attention from our devoted staff.  

    Name: Dauceny

    Type: Pony

    Color: Black

      Markings: Snip

    Sex: Gelding

    Birthday: 12/30/1999

In November of 2015, Celine Myers of the Ark Watch Foundation happened upon a video of a little black pony gelding in the Bastrop, LA feedlot who was clearly in need of help. The pony was coughing profusely, with a force that erupted from the depths of his being. There were copious amounts of discharge coming out of his nose. Not only that, the poor pony was being forced to carry not one, but two, children on his back! The feedlot manager wanted to show that this little gelding was rideable even though the pony couldn’t breathe at a standstill. The last thing he needed was to carry weight on his back. The feedlot manager said that the pony had been used as a “carousel pony” giving rides to children.

Celine quickly arranged for the pony to be picked up and taken to a vet where he could receive care. She named the pony “Dauceny” after the character “Chevalier Dauceny” in the French play Les Liaisons Dangereuses. She could see that he had good conformation and at one time had been a beautiful pony! Dauceny was examined as soon as he arrived at the Reata Equine Clinic in Weatherford, TX. His bloodwork showed he was anemic and his white blood cell count was low, indicating his body was having trouble mounting an immune response. The vet heard crackles and wheezes in both of Dauceny’s lungs and some rattling in his trachea. A lung ultrasound displayed abscesses in his left lung. Dauceny was also much thinner than he had been in the video which often happens in feedlots…often they aren’t fed and if they are, the weaker ones are hazed off the food by bigger equines. Another day or two without treatment and Dauceny would have been dead.

Thankfully, Dauceny received the appropriate medical treatment in time and the vet was able to save his life. In the months to come, Dauceny would enjoy plenty of fresh alfalfa, coastal hay, feed and supplements to nourish and revitalize his body. His respiratory issues eventually resolved and an ultrasound showed that Dauceny’s lungs were clear. When he was completely well, Dauceny and another little black pony saved by Ark Watch, Tessa, were introduced to each other at the vet clinic. By now, Dauceny had come back into his full glory and we were able to see just what a stunningly beautiful pony he is.

Celine and Mary Adams discussed little Tessa’s future, and Dauceny’s as well. It was decided that the two little black ponies would come to Red Bell Run to be sanctuaried together. In March of 2016, Dauceny and Tessa were taken to the Red Bell Run facility in Florida. They settled in well, and when Red Bell Run opened the Sanctuary in North Carolina, Tessa and Dauceny were among the first residents. While our Tessa (who was extremely old) has since passed away, Dauceny lives with his friends KitKat, Findley and LeRoi at our Trailside Barn. They have a track that they play on during the day as well as beautiful grass paddocks and thoroughly enjoy their lives at Red Bell Run. 

    Name: Nick

    Type: Miniature Donkey

    Color: Grey

    Markings: None

    Sex: Gelding

    Birthday: 1/1/1984

Nick is one of our much-loved miniature donkeys! He was rescued by Circle of Friends in Oklahoma City, OK from the dog catcher. He had escaped from his home and was running down a highway when he was spotted, landed in the county shelter and was scooped up and sent to Red Bell Run. At 39 years old, Nick has a variety of ailments but nothing slows him down! He has fibrotic lung disease common in older donkeys and lost an eye recently to endotheliitis. He has recovered well and is happy taking his naps and running the Trailside Barn with his friends! 

    Name: Pedro

    Type: Donkey

    Color: Paint

    Markings: Brown Spots 

    Sex: Gelding

    Birthday: 1/1/2019

Pedro arrived at Red Bell Run with his mother Petrina and older brother Pico. There is just something about those mini donkeys with the spots that melts your heart! Pedro is currently living with his best friend Pequito at our Trailside barn where they enjoy rough housing and playing tag.