Meet Our Police, Prison and Military Ponies
Liberty Ann and Sweet Magnolia Christine arrived on July 5th, 2024 - Appomattox, VAOn Thursday, the 4th of July, 2024 Sweet Magnolia Christine and Liberty Ann were picked up for transport from Texas and arrived in Virginia on Friday, July 5th, 2024.
There story is a long one so I will try to hit the high point. The awesome nonprofit organization Texas Police and Prison Horse Rescue has deep ties and solid relationships with all sorts of “horse” people in Texas. They received 2 calls in one weekend from 2 different kill pens (not connected in any way). One was letting them know that there was a Louisiana Prison/Police horse leaving for Mexico (slaughter) the next day. The other wanted TPPHR to know that there was a man hunter posse horse leaving for slaughter in 4 hours. TPPHR jumped into auction, drove to each horse’s location, bought them on the spot and brought them back to their ranch. They contacted us and we said YES, they were perfect for our NEW Virginia BLP’s location. Harriett William (BPS Treasurer and Secretary and I (BLP Prez) traveled from GA to VA on July 4th so we can be there to meet these 2 beauties when they arrive at Ron and Gloria's on July 5th. We celebrated their arrival on July 6th with a “meet & greet”. We had the Mayor of Appomattox attend, along with lots of friends and town folk. There was no less than 30 people loving, and feeding, these new babies. Spoiled on day 1! HOW FUN! Meet Liberty Ann:
Meet Sweet Magnolia Christine:
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Isra Rose arrived January 6th, 2024 - Dahlonega, GAOn Saturday, December 30th, 2023 Blue Line Ponies adopted Isra Rose a Texas Prison Horse, from an auction in Texas. It was a heck of a weekend! Harriett, the Treasurer and Secretary, and Shelley, the President, took a road trip to Texas to attend an auction. This was their first "in person" horse auction experience so they met up with Tim McLemee of Texas Police and Prison Horse Rescue - 501c3, who showed them the "ropes". He was a HUGE help! After meeting all the career police horses and asking questions to people more experienced, they were able to pick 3 favs to bid on. YES, Isra was in the top 3! Just like Yoshi, Isra was born on the prison grounds, worked her whole life, and was retired at the age of 16 because she “lame”. Lame means that something is wrong with her (usually her legs, ankles, feet, etc. are injured) and she can’t work from 5am-8pm 7 days a week. You see, these horses are TOOLS and if the tool does not work/breaks, it gets thrown away and replaced with another tool that can do the job. Isra worked the fields as security, the cattle operation (we are told 24k head of cattle), the horse operations, and the Southern border rode by law enforcement both State & Federal. She has no special awareness which worked in her favor when chasing down bad guys. Shelley and Harriett learned a ton watching almost 70 horses auctioned off before the prison horses came up (there would be another 200 non-prison horses after them). Isra was the 3rd to be auctioned off from this special group and guess what.....BLP had the highest bid.....AND IT WAS WITHIN THEIR BUDGET! There we at least 3 kill pen buyers at auction…not today people….not today! They named her Isra Rose. Isra mean “journey of the night”. Harriett and Shelley spent the days in auction houses and the nights traveling. They never really saw the great State of Texas because it was always dark. Shelley named her Rose after, Harriett, her dear friend who accompanied her to Texas. |
Marilyn & Festus arrived January 6th, 2023 - Mount Airy, GAOn Sunday, December 31th, 2023 Blue Line Ponies adopted Marilyn, a search and rescue horse, & Festus, a donkey (they are a very bonded pair of 20 years) from Texas. You see, Marilyn’s dad, friend, and handler passed away and that left her homeless. Due to her age (23), she would not have gone to a loving home, she would have gone to her death, so we stepped in.
Marilyn was a search and rescue palomino with MOCSAR. She spent her career looking for lost children, good guys and bad guys. One of the earliest search and rescue groups to organize in the State of Texas, Montgomery County Search & Rescue Team (MOCSAR), was established in 1984 by a group of county residents interested in helping others. http://mocsar.org/index.html MOCSAR is recognized throughout Montgomery County and Texas for its dedication to the community, commitment to and expertise in SAR operations, as well as its high standards for membership and training. Members of the team are professionally trained in specialized areas such as man-tracking, ground search and black water diving. Other members of the team use specially trained dogs and horses to facilitate tracking efforts as well as all terrain vehicles. Types of missions include lost persons, drowning victims, hiking accidents, swift-water and wilderness rescue. Marilyn and her dad were a huge part of this organization and you can find several photos of them on their website photo gallery. We are extremely proud to welcome beautiful Marilyn and her sidekick Festus to Blue Line Ponies Retirement Range. http://mocsar.org/index.html |
Yoshi arrived November 11th, 2023 - Dahlonega, GAOn November 6th, 2023, Blue Line Ponies adopted Yoshi, a beautiful Police Prison Pony from the great State of Texas.
He was born on the prison grounds, worked his whole life, and was retired at the age of 21. He was sent to an auction where people can bid on these overworked horses cheep. A awesome nonprofit was able to outbid the kill pens that wanted him for his meat! That’s a WIN for us! We transported him home in November and never looked back. Yoshi worked the fields as security, the dog kennels for manhunts, the cattle operation (we are told 10-12k head of cattle ), the horse operations, the Southern border rode by law enforcement both State & Federal and other places including security at the Texas State Capitol. These horses are pure Texas, they are work horses who do not even understand nice slant trailers, commercial feeds, fancy barns etc. If you grew up riding horses on the cattle ranch then you know exactly who and what Yoshi is.....PURE AMAZING TEXAS GOLD!!! Yoshi is a Japanese word that means "intelligence, wisdom, and cleverness". There is another variation of Yoshi and it means "looking good". Both versions fit him perfectly. Yoshi is a retired police prison horse, jet black, age 22 and has zero medical or special maintenance needs. He is very calm and laid-back. He is a big big boy at 17.2HH and he comes from an outstanding bloodline, Monts Gay Bay Bar and is registered with the American Quarter Horse Association. Yoshi is a fav here because he wants hugs and treats 24/7. He is the type of friend that will come in the house, sit on your couch, and hang for a while expecting noting in return. WELCOME TO YOUR FOREVER HOME Yoshi! |
Ashling Joan arrived on October 19th, 2023 - Dahlonega, GAOn October 12th, 2023, Brian and Shelley Hill (President and Vice President of Blue Line Ponies) bought a beautiful sorrel and white mare from a kill pen in Arkansas. Ashling is Shelley's personal horse but will also be the official "welcome wagon" for our police pony retirees.
Shelley named her Ashling because it means "dream". Shelley has dreamt of having a paint in her life since she was 5 years old. Shelley's 50 year dream has come true. Ashling’s middle name was named after one of Shelley’s best friends, Corky Joan Hamilton, who died of a stroke on the same day Ashling with saved. Ashling was one of 6 other horses that came out of a kid's camp when it closed the summer of 2023. They were immediately "saved" (for a limited amount of time) by Happy Healthy Horses Hoping 4 Homes (H4) and were NOT put on the kill pen lot or given a "kill pen tag".....YET. All 6 horses were at a private home (owned by the kill-pen owner/president) while they tried to sell them. They were each priced over $2400 because they are such nice horses. BUT, even though they are not your "typical" kill pen horses, they were still on "the list". Brian and Shelley SAVED Ashling from slaughter, which was scheduled on October 16th, 2023. She only had 4 days left on this world. We heard that 2 others were saved and the other 3 went to slaughter. So sad. |
Foster Babies: Vanna, Brownie and Lightening aka Little Man - Dahlonega, GAUPDATE: November 10th two of the three babies were picked up and are now home with their parents. Vanna and little Man loaded up like pros! Brian and Shelley still have Brownie, the 17 year old Mule. He has decided that the trailer is not his friend. HEEEE! They are giving him a break and will try again in a couple days. They miss Vanna and Little Man already but they are super glad they are home!
On August 2nd, 2023 Brian and Shelley took in 3 foster babies. Vanna is a 21 year old sorrel and white Quarter Horse paint, Brownie is a 17 year old, 17.1 hands Mule, and Lightening aka Lil' Man is a 10 year old Mini Horse. They are wonderful kids and they are happy they are on their range while their parents are building a house down the street. The last Shelley heard was that the "kids" will be heading back home the November 2023. They will be missed very much but they are lucky, they will be less than a mile away from Blue Line Ponies! These beautiful babies are not a part of Blue Line Ponies, but they get the benefits of extra pets! |
POTENTIAL: Shamrock aka Shammy
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POTENTIAL: Oreo
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