Heart of Tucson Happy Equine Acres Rescue and Therapy

06/05/2026

🌧️ Summer Weather Update & Safety Reminder from Heart of Tucson H.E.A.R.T. Rescue 🌵

We’re praying for everyone as we head into what looks to be a very active summer with heavy monsoons expected to arrive earlier than usual here in Arizona. Please take time now to prepare and keep your two- and four-legged family members safe! ❤️

At the rescue, we’ve already updated and reinforced all our shelters with plenty of cool shade, 3-sided windbreaks, fresh clean water (changed daily), and electrolytes. We keep emergency supplies stocked, vet numbers handy, and over-the-counter essentials within easy reach. Fly masks and quality insect repellents are a must!

Important Horse Health Tip:
Know the signs of colic. With drastic weather changes and dehydration risks, don’t wait — call your vet immediately. Better yet, stay ahead of it by keeping your horses well-hydrated, cool, and comfortable. When storms hit, vets get very busy very fast.

🇺🇸 July 4th Fireworks Safety – We’re Less Than a Month Out!

This year marks America’s 250th anniversary, and celebrations will be big. Please get everything in place now so our animals stay safe:
Have sedation medications (if needed) ready from your vet today

Check and repair all fencing, panels, and enclosures

Bring dogs inside if possible
Make safe arrangements for pets if you’re going out — many folks stay home and are willing to help (please compensate them if you can)

Let’s make this a Fourth where no animals go missing, get injured, or worse because of fireworks.

Monsoon Riding Warning:
If you ride in washes, stay extra vigilant. Arizona monsoons roll in fast and hard — washes can fill in minutes. Always watch the skies and weather!

We’ve learned these lessons the hard way caring for our own herd (seniors, minis, drafts, and dogs included). Preparation saves lives.
Please share this post, tag friends and family, and help spread the word. Let’s all have a safe, happy, and blessed summer! 🙏

Stay safe out there, everyone.

Faith • Hope • Love
Heart of Tucson H.E.A.R.T. Rescue & Therapy

UPDATE: EL NINO HAS STARTED WITH IMPACTS ON GOING

I'm not even sure where to start, but expect a lot of posts today given that there is so much to update you on…

First things first, we will be going over the El Niño situation, followed by many, many other topics that I know you guys are dying for me to talk about… confirmed via DMs…

Current Update on El Niño:
We are already transitioning from a neutral phase into the starting phases of El Niño.
The Niño 3.4 region, which is how we measure sea surface temperatures (SST), has already reached +0.9°C. It is continuing to rise and will likely hit +1.5°C within months. Weather patterns are already starting to show changes, and they will continue to shift rapidly as these temperatures continue to rise…

Impacts can already be seen:
* 🌀 A very active hurricane season across the Pacific.
* 🌬️ A split jet stream, with the southern branch currently dipping into our area and the northern branch staying further north.
*
We will continue to monitor further impacts. As bigger updates come out WITHOUT THE HYPE I will be sure to share them with you all…

Get professional-grade weather info, high-resolution radar, alerts and expert outlooks for less than the price of a cup of coffee.
* Price: $4.75/month (billed annually).
* Trial: Not ready to commit? Start with a free trial.
* Subscribe Here: 👉 https://zonewatchpro.com/subscribe

05/30/2026

Friday night in Southern Az. A beautiful "cool" evening at 79° on May 29, 2026...

Horses are happy, we are happy.
We pray you all have a blessed weekend!

05/29/2026

This goes with ALL animals anyone adopts, buys, rewcue or gets for free!

Please research them BEFOREHAND, know ALL the costs of what a lifetime commitment comes with for the animal you plan on getting. Also know the market if you plan on breeding (bad idea these days with any animal-so many available out there that need homes) or re-homing of your animal in case of emergency...

Be responsible animal people...do right by the life you commit to, the world will be a better place!

This post may offend people, but honestly, I’m past the point of not saying anything‼️

The surrender requests keep coming in, and I feel like a broken record saying the same thing over and over:

KEEP. YOUR. COMMITMENT.

Even after the devastating videos of Sebastian losing his home, we somehow received MORE requests from people wanting to give up their animals. These are REAL statements we’ve received:

“My pig got uncontrollably big.” —> not a reason to rehome your pig.
Piglets grow into pigs. That’s how biology works. Overfeeding also leads to obesity.

“My pig keeps getting out.” —> not a reason to rehome your pig.
Proper fencing exists. Hog panels. T-posts. Space to roam. This is fixable.

“I just don’t have the time.” —> not a reason to rehome your pig.
Do you think we magically have more time? We care for 150 animals while working full-time jobs.

“We are moving.” —> not a reason to rehome your pig.
Your pig can move with you.

“We are moving into a neighborhood that doesn’t allow pigs.”
→ You already knew you had pigs when you chose where to move.

“We are emotionally, physically and financially exhausted caring for our 4 bunnies and 2 cats.”
→ How do you think WE feel caring for 150 animals while juggling jobs, bills, emergencies, heartbreak, and messages like this daily?

Animals are not temporary entertainment until life gets inconvenient.

They are living beings you made a commitment to.

Research before you get an animal.
Prepare before you buy.
And stop expecting rescues and sanctuaries to clean up every avoidable decision people make.

05/28/2026

Good information!

We have had 5 foals born being selenium deficient, though Bunny, Brie, and Anthem were not as severe as the filly, Avalon (One of them Razr, was additionally later found to have liver cancer when at Rood and Riddle, and had to be put to sleep).

We know that Saffron was at least born in the very low range because she got tested, but it was not until days after she'd already been given 2mls by injection of e and Se.

What the heck is Selenium, and why should I care?

First off, let us say to Not randomly add selenium to your horse's feed without having a veterinarian with knowledge on this subject run lab work first. Too much selenium can be fatal or cause serious issues.

If the map shows that you live in a potentially selenium deficient area, you can and should put a selenium infused block out with your salt block and loose minerals.

While the common train of thought is that horses aren't guided like other livestock on knowing what they need, we often notice if they eat it quite vigorously, and we have lab work run it comes back that vet- guided, additional supplementation is needed.

Many commercial horse feeds will contain selenium. Often, though, they will not contain enough to make up for an environmental deficit. Many times it is selenium selenite added, which is not a form that horses are good at uptaking.

Because too much selenium is highly toxic, how much is added is understandably strictly regulated.

For this reason, the selenium requirements established for horses may be as much a compromise between soils that are high needs and low needs areas.

This is why providing your mares (and all your horses actually) with a well rounded nutritional program, including loose minerals and salt (as well as selenium blocks if you live in one of the areas shown on the map) is extremely important.

Signs of selenium deficiency may be easily overlooked because deficiency would first compromise cellular integrity. This damage is difficult to measure, but may eventually surface as: *work intolerance (tying up), *poor hair coat, and *early onset of problems normally associated with aging

On the other hand, anxiety, tension and spookiness can be signs of too much selenium or too little.

Hypothyroidism may also be a subtle sign of selenium deficiency, it is in humans, but the connection has not been proven in horses.

Deficiency effects on the muscle can cause: cardiomyopathy, myositis (muscle inflammation and pain), and white muscle disease (weak, pale muscles).

Gross deficiency signs are growth retardation, cataract formation, retained placentas, red bag deliveries, and eventual reproductive failure.

In foals, selenium deficiency may manifest as windswept legs, severe clumsiness, being extraordinarily spooky, very rigid muscles, getting stuck at birth, poor and ineffective suckling, stupor and/or a bright red tongue and gums.

Selenium deficient foals can be mistaken for traditional "dummy" foals.

If you have a dummy foal, and you live in the area identified on the map, you might consider asking your vet about giving 2ml e plus Se and pulling a selenium level. It follows that if your foal's test comes back low, your mare is going to be low as well.

Interestingly a podcast was just on talking about severe selenium deficiency and anhydrosis. When the selenium level was corrected the anhydrosis disappeared. Thinking back, we have had two HOP horses with disappearing anhydrosis. One was The Little and the other was Valero. Makes one wonder if their much better diet finally brought their selenium into a more normal range?

Things that make you go hmmmm

05/28/2026

On days like today, our hearts ache as we miss our sweet little boy, Calvin.🥹🥺🥹

It’s been over a month since Calvin crossed the 🌈 bridge, and Twister hasn’t been the same. He eats and drinks, but the spark and s***k that once lit him up are missing. It breaks our hearts to see him this way. Our big half-draft paint, Tux, keeps trying to be a friend to him, which brings us some comfort. We’ve also arranged extra attention and grooming time with a volunteer who was especially close to Calvin.

Horses and ponies grieve just like humans do. Most bounce back in time, but some feel the loss more deeply, and healing takes longer. Twister seems to be one of those souls carrying a heavy heart.

If you could say a little prayer for Twister, we’d be so grateful — that he finds his joy again and shakes off this depression sooner rather than later. In the meantime, we’re showering him with all the love, affection, and attention we possibly can, hoping it helps mend his broken heart.

We wish we could show him all the photos and memories of him and Calvin together. Truth is, even looking at them is still hard for us too.

Some pony hoofprints leave an especially big hole in our hearts. Calvin was one of those ponies.
Sweet boy, if you’re watching over us from above, please know how deeply you’re missed. All the boys feel it. You were such a good pony — full of life and fun. No one could ever take your place. We love you, Calvin.

05/28/2026

Almost Friday!

05/27/2026

Good information to know for a rattlesnake bite!

Antivenom locator (vets that carry it)

https://veterinarysnakebite911.com/antivenin-locator/?fbclid=IwdGRjcASEFbJjbGNrBIQVpGV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHs9_kYZF1acrciq8Ii1HQkKqhsGf5ZJgJLsfHrt2e1HY0Axk34wq2xaXE4-j_aem_7tm81jB8G4HBaHgLeQO0FA

Veterinary Snakebite 911 offers Antivenin Locator to find a veterinarian who carries antivenin in your area. Learn more

05/26/2026

Senior horses sometimes have dental issues and digestive challenges. They may need more pellets (mash) with more supplements to help them keep the weight on. We use Timothy grass pellets, Nutriena senior (no molasses) and sometimes the Purena Senior. We also add electrolytes and magnesium. We soak his pellets to help with the teeth issue and to help him digest it easier. He is a sweetie pie, just a good pony all around!

Donations for him and our other rescues can be made at heartoftucson.org

05/25/2026

Privacy Screening for Stalls & Corrals

We use 6' × 50' privacy screen (it comes in tons of sizes — height, width, and colors). We order ours from Amazon and it usually shows up in a couple days or less.

It works great as a privacy screen and wind block around our stalls and corrals. The smaller sizes are perfect for adding extra shade in spots that need it (not full coverage, but it helps).

✅ Comes with grommets already installed
✅ Holds up really well in extreme heat, cold, and wind
✅ Super breathable — which is a lifesaver here in the hot desert

Installation tips:
Make sure you pull it nice and taut on both the top and bottom when hanging it. Check the plastic ties periodically because they get brittle in the sun and cold. We replace them with parachute cord or baling twine for better longevity.

If you don’t have the budget for wood fencing around your stalls, this is a solid, affordable option. It cuts down on wind whipping through while still letting air flow, and gives your horses a bit more protection and shade.

Highly recommend!