Lost Meadows Mule Refuge

26/09/2025

An overdue Mercy update 🤎

Mercy has been enjoying a quieter life nearby the Refuge while she is fostered by our very own receptionist and ranch hand, Abigail.

Abigail recently lost her LMMR-adopted mule very unexpectedly from a lightning strike 💔 although this was such an improbable loss, that didn’t make it any less devastating.

While our intention was to send Mercy home with Abigail for extra daily attention, Mercy ended up being there to comfort Abigail every day as her heart heals from grief. They have grown to love each other dearly.

I am grateful every day that Lost Meadows has them both. 💙

26/09/2025

Our recent intakes Finn, Wanda and Jester are settling in well at the Refuge together.

On Monday, we will have a very busy vet day and could really use your help with the expenses - Delia will have her hernia surgery, 8 mules will be getting Coggins, and 1 mule will get bloodwork done for unexplained weight loss.

10 of our senior mules will also go out to nearby boarding facilities on Tuesday so our grazing pastures can get a much needed rest and be hydroseeded in the fall. They are very tired and thirsty. 💧

Boarding our seniors until spring will increase our monthly expenses by $2,325/mo. We are also opening a second training facility in South Oklahoma next month, which will further increase our monthly operating costs, and we hope this will help to create more adoptions and therefore open up space at the Refuge for more rescues.

We are projected to finish the year at almost 50 intakes ! which has been a HUGE push of faith in our supporters despite this years economic hardships and uncertainty. While many rescues have understandably closed their doors, we have done our best to responsibly keep ours open and help as many mules as possible.

89 mules currently call Lost Meadows home, and we strongly rely on your support to finish out the year strong. 💙

www.mulerefuge.org
PayPal.me/mulerefuge
https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/donate-to-our-mules
P.O. Box 479 Caldwell, Texas 77836e

25/09/2025

ADOPTABLE MULES! 🍂🍁

We have too many mules in training and would love to see these 3 geldings find their family in October! All 3 have been in training for several months and are friendly, easy to catch, lead on a halter, pick up their feet, and load into a trailer. UTD on Coggins, dewormer, vaccines, trim and dental

Available for meet and greets in Liberty Hill, TX. FREE handling sessions for approved applicants and FREE transport up to 500 miles!

https://www.mulerescue.org/sylvester 🩶
($200 discount for REPEAT adopters)

https://www.mulerescue.org/jimmy 🤎
($200 discount for REPEAT adopters)

https://www.mulerescue.org/digby 💙

23/09/2025

LMMR is taking in an urgent case for 3 mules this week. 2 older, rideable horses are in need of help as well. If you represent or know of a reputable horse rescue who can help, please email [email protected]. TIA!

21/09/2025

Our Page is monetized so please watch this video and like, share and comment!

Yesterday 40 mules were trimmed at the Refuge, using our beautiful, newly upgraded chute system! This massive system has a two-way tub with one alleyway that leads to our medical squeeze chute, and another alleyway that leads to our “palpation” chute and tilt chute. The entire system was relocated to the backside of our barn and connects to a large “L” alleyway, which makes it so much simpler and easy for us to move unhandled mules to and from sanctuary to the chutes, or to and from quarantine to the chutes.

An incredibly generous donor sponsored the full cost of this system, with features that greatly improve the safety of our staff and the mules over the former system.

With a herd of almost 100 equines, many of which are unhandled, this upgrade was really needed and will make our operations much easier and safer, from trimming to veterinary appointments. 💪🏼

Today was a bit eventful though, including a choke episode from poor Arthur! 😢 Arthur has lived in our sanctuary for 5.5 years and has never choked before, nor has he ever colicked, or had any medical issues. This was a very unexpected emergency right in the middle of trims and we did have to urgently call out our veterinarian from Texas A&M. Fortunately, the episode seemed to resolve after about 40 minutes by the time she arrived, so for now he is separated and being closely monitored over the weekend with only mashed food. We hope he makes a full recovery and can return to the herd soon.

Several mules were also sorted today to go into our training program next month and 1 for medical observation.

I have included the names of the mules shown in this video, in case you’d like to visit https://www.mulerescue.org/meet-our-mules and read more about them. You can search up their name and even sponsor them monthly for $29!

Sponsorships are critical to keep our sanctuary running year-round, and many of our mules are currently without one. 💙

If you’d like to help with a one-time donation, each trim today was $35 and I did tip our farrier extra for the added time when we had to stop and see to Arthur. Our total for today was $1,500. We also dewormed the majority of the mules today, which cost $1,735.

The other 40 will be trimmed and dewormed in November when the weather is cooler. 🍂

www.mulerefuge.org
PayPal.me/mulerefuge
https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/donate-to-our-mules
P.O. Box 479 Caldwell, Texas 77836

19/09/2025

Today 40 mules were trimmed at the Refuge, using our beautiful, newly upgraded chute system! This massive system has a two-way tub with one alleyway that leads to our medical squeeze chute, and another alleyway that leads to our “palpation” chute and tilt chute. The entire system was relocated to the backside of our barn and connects to a large “L” alleyway, which makes it so much simpler and easy for us to move unhandled mules to and from sanctuary to the chutes, or to and from quarantine to the chutes.

An incredibly generous donor sponsored the full cost of this system, with features that greatly improve the safety of our staff and the mules over the former system.

With a herd of almost 100 equines, many of which are unhandled, this upgrade was really needed and will make our operations much easier and safer, from trimming to veterinary appointments. 💪🏼

Today was a bit eventful though, including a choke episode from poor Arthur! 😢 Arthur has lived in our sanctuary for 5.5 years and has never choked before, nor has he ever colicked, or had any medical issues. This was a very unexpected emergency right in the middle of trims and we did have to urgently call out our veterinarian from Texas A&M. Fortunately, the episode seemed to resolve after about 40 minutes by the time she arrived, so for now he is separated and being closely monitored over the weekend with only mashed food. We hope he makes a full recovery and can return to the herd soon.

Several mules were also sorted today to go into our training program next month and 1 for medical observation.

I have included the names of the mules shown in this video, in case you’d like to visit https://www.mulerescue.org/meet-our-mules and read more about them. You can search up their name and even sponsor them monthly for $29!

Sponsorships are critical to keep our sanctuary running year-round, and many of our mules are currently without one. 💙

If you’d like to help with a one-time donation, each trim today was $35 and I did tip our farrier extra for the added time when we had to stop and see to Arthur. Our total for today was $1,500. We also dewormed the majority of the mules today, which cost $1,735.

The other 40 will be trimmed and dewormed in November when the weather is cooler. 🍂

Please enjoy this video! 💙

https://youtu.be/NCLg9agjEM8?si=3uwHhGglMSWqZez0a

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

19/09/2025

Good morning, it’s trim day for 40 mules! As always we’ll be posting a YouTube video when we’re done. $35 sponsors 1 trim for 1 mule. 💙

www.mulerefuge.org
PayPal.me/mulerefuge
https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/donate-to-our-mules
P.O. Box 479 Caldwell, Texas 77836

18/09/2025

Our new girl Wanda is just the sweetest… when a vehicle comes down the driveway, she follows it down the fence hoping you will stop and say hi to her! 🤎

18/09/2025

Ever seen a 5,700 # chute walk? … What do you think we’re up to tonight? 👀

18/09/2025

We are so sad to hear about this, the passing of Dr. Hodges from our former clinic Western Veterinary Hospital. Dr. Hodges was very supportive of our Refuge and showed us great kindness many times. Our thoughts are with his loved ones, and may they take comfort in the long legacy of animal lives (and their humans) that he helped by being a great veterinarian. 💙

It is with heavy hearts that we share the passing of our beloved Dr. Gary Hodges, DVM. After more than 52 years of dedicated service as a veterinarian, Dr. Hodges fought courageously against an aggressive form of cancer and, sadly, passed away yesterday. His compassion, expertise, and unwavering commitment to animals and their families touched countless lives and will be deeply missed.

Dr Hodges graduated in 1972 and did his Residency at an Equine Hospital in Georgia. In 1973 he came home and opened his own vet clinic and stayed there until he experimented with retirement. Clearly his retirement didn’t suit this hardworking and dedicated man and in 2015 he opened Western Veterinary Hospital where he worked until his “real” retirement in December 2024.

17/09/2025

Please welcome rescue #30, who just arrived all the way from Virginia.

His name is Jester and he was transferred to us by Hope’s Legacy Equine Rescue due to some serious behavioral issues. He will be behaviorally evaluated here but is likely a candidate for sanctuary only, and we are the only dedicated U.S. mule refuge who can provide him with a soft landing in a long-term sanctuary. 💙

Our sanctuary has a limited capacity of 50, and we are already 3 over our budgeted limit at this point in the year. If you can help us raise $500 for Jester’s intake costs, it is truly appreciated while we do our best to keep our doors open to more mules in need for the rest of 2025:

www.mulerefuge.org
PayPal.me/mulerefuge
https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/donate-to-our-mules
P.O. Box 479 Caldwell, Texas 77836

15/09/2025

Wanda and Finn have arrived at the Refuge!

Miss Wanda came from West Texas and Finn is all the way from Arizona. They are both currently being quarantined in one of our grazing pastures and decompressing from their trip. Both of these mules are said to be friendly, well-handled and safe to be around, which we will make sure of in the coming days/weeks before deciding whether they qualify for sanctuary or adoption.

Neither are rideable, Finn due to some arthritis in his stifles and Wanda due to an old healed leg fracture.

Despite just coming off the trailer this evening, Wanda especially is already being extra sweet and friendly to us.

We are grateful to be able to say yes to older mules like these who come from responsible homes and are in need of a soft landing. Your support makes it possible for us to keep saying yes to more cases this coming fall.

Thank you so much for finishing our fundraiser of $1,000 today, which covers their first 30 days of intake costs (hay, dewormer, microchips, hoof trim, dental, etc.) 💙