Happy Endings!
Castiele
Happy Endings shared by
The Horse Protection League
GOLDEN, CO
The Horse Protection League
GOLDEN, CO
THE HORSE PROTECTION LEAGUE ORCHESTRATES PERFECT HARMONY
FOR A HORSE, A LLAMA AND AN EVERGREEN MUSIC TEACHER
ARVADA, CO (Nov. 15) – This is a story about a lonely llama, a horse without a home and a music teacher with a little ranch and a lot of compassion.
The music teacher is Dee Calfee near Conifer. She has a house with a barn and three acres of pasture. For 25 years, it was home to a horse named Qui (pronounced Q-E). Qui lived the good life under the care and watchful eye of Dee, who grew up in a horse-owning family. They would ride as time permitted.
Miles away in another part of Colorado, a family adopted a female llama. What they didn’t realize is that the mama llama was pregnant, and soon gave birth to a cria (baby). Mama and her baby girl, Missy, were inseparable.
“One night, a bear shredded the mama llama,” Dee said. “Missy watched it. She watched the whole thing and was traumatized. From that point on, she was petrified.”
Shortly after that, Dee answered a local ad offering a free llama.
That was how Missy, the little llama, came to be friends with Qui. The two shared a barn and romped together in the pasture until about a year ago when Qui died.
“I was heartbroken,” Dee said. Missy was distraught. Dee said she shears the llama twice a year, but for a time, Missy’s thick coat became the resting place for many of Dee’s tears, as the two commiserated together. Just as Dee grieved, Missy became despondent.
The loss left their world like a piano that was out of tune.
Dee knew she had to do something. She checked into adopting another horse from various places. Many of the horses she met were too old, or very aggressive.
A friend recommended she try The Horse Protection League, and Arvada-based ranch where equines are rescued and rehabilitated with the goal, in most cases, to find an adoptive home.
“I was not familiar with The Horse Protection League,” Dee said. “But I have a friend who volunteered there, so I decided to pay a visit. It was clean and very nice”.
Dee met with Erin Quinn, one of the board members for The HPL. After sizing up the needs presented by Dee, Ms. Quinn considered the personalities and traits of the horses in the herd at the historic Churches Ranch facility. She recommended a gentle, five-year-old Arabian -quarter horse gelding, Castiel, brown with a black mane and a white spot on the front of his head.
Quinn knew immediately that Dee and Castiel would be lifelong partners and that Dee would provide Castiel the time, attention, and love that he deserved. Dee was immediately smitten with Castiel. The first time Dee saw Castile, she couldn’t stop smiling.
Dee agreed with Erin’s recommendation, and the adoption was completed on June 30, the day after Dee’s birthday. For the first few weeks sharing space with the llama, he kept to himself. Missy kept her distance, as well.
“She was used to Qui. And (Castiel) is shy,” Dee said. “At five years old, he can be saddled but not ridden yet. But I’m going to work with him on that.”
Dee gave the horse a name change. She now calls him “Lark,” after her grandfather whose fondness for horses was memorable. At first, Lark was reticent about roaming into the tall grass in the pasture and would eat only from the cut grass closest to the barn.
Over the course of a few months, he warmed up to his new barn-mate and surroundings. He now wanders the entire pasture, and a keen friendship is developing between Lark and Missy. Even when Missy gets fresh with him and spits, Lark doesn’t react.
“She likes Lark,” Dee says with a laugh. “He still won’t go near strangers, unless they bring him a carrot, but that’s okay.”
The llama, Lark and the little ranch in Evergreen have achieved harmony, much to the delight of the music teacher.
Quinn is pleased that the adoption has gone so well and she corresponds periodically with Dee to share pictures and videos of Lark. Eight horses have been adopted to new homes by The Horse Protection League in 2023. The ranch is managed by one paid staff and few dozen volunteers that act in the capacity of feeders, handlers, and wranglers. Quinn says The HPL is always in need of more volunteers. New volunteer orientation is scheduled the first Saturday of each month.
“There is always work to be done at the ranch,” she said. “The horses need to be fed every morning and again in the evening. We’re on a 161-year-old active ranch that is an Historic National Landmark, still being used in the same ways it was at the time of the Civil War. Right now, we have 22 horses, and are looking to add stalls, as well as conduct educational events for the public.”
Quinn said The Horse Protection League relies on donations through Colorado Gives Day, which is coming up Tuesday, Dec. 5. The Horse Protection League is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization, which operates at the historic Churches Ranch site through a special-use lease agreement with the City of Arvada.
FOR A HORSE, A LLAMA AND AN EVERGREEN MUSIC TEACHER
ARVADA, CO (Nov. 15) – This is a story about a lonely llama, a horse without a home and a music teacher with a little ranch and a lot of compassion.
The music teacher is Dee Calfee near Conifer. She has a house with a barn and three acres of pasture. For 25 years, it was home to a horse named Qui (pronounced Q-E). Qui lived the good life under the care and watchful eye of Dee, who grew up in a horse-owning family. They would ride as time permitted.
Miles away in another part of Colorado, a family adopted a female llama. What they didn’t realize is that the mama llama was pregnant, and soon gave birth to a cria (baby). Mama and her baby girl, Missy, were inseparable.
“One night, a bear shredded the mama llama,” Dee said. “Missy watched it. She watched the whole thing and was traumatized. From that point on, she was petrified.”
Shortly after that, Dee answered a local ad offering a free llama.
That was how Missy, the little llama, came to be friends with Qui. The two shared a barn and romped together in the pasture until about a year ago when Qui died.
“I was heartbroken,” Dee said. Missy was distraught. Dee said she shears the llama twice a year, but for a time, Missy’s thick coat became the resting place for many of Dee’s tears, as the two commiserated together. Just as Dee grieved, Missy became despondent.
The loss left their world like a piano that was out of tune.
Dee knew she had to do something. She checked into adopting another horse from various places. Many of the horses she met were too old, or very aggressive.
A friend recommended she try The Horse Protection League, and Arvada-based ranch where equines are rescued and rehabilitated with the goal, in most cases, to find an adoptive home.
“I was not familiar with The Horse Protection League,” Dee said. “But I have a friend who volunteered there, so I decided to pay a visit. It was clean and very nice”.
Dee met with Erin Quinn, one of the board members for The HPL. After sizing up the needs presented by Dee, Ms. Quinn considered the personalities and traits of the horses in the herd at the historic Churches Ranch facility. She recommended a gentle, five-year-old Arabian -quarter horse gelding, Castiel, brown with a black mane and a white spot on the front of his head.
Quinn knew immediately that Dee and Castiel would be lifelong partners and that Dee would provide Castiel the time, attention, and love that he deserved. Dee was immediately smitten with Castiel. The first time Dee saw Castile, she couldn’t stop smiling.
Dee agreed with Erin’s recommendation, and the adoption was completed on June 30, the day after Dee’s birthday. For the first few weeks sharing space with the llama, he kept to himself. Missy kept her distance, as well.
“She was used to Qui. And (Castiel) is shy,” Dee said. “At five years old, he can be saddled but not ridden yet. But I’m going to work with him on that.”
Dee gave the horse a name change. She now calls him “Lark,” after her grandfather whose fondness for horses was memorable. At first, Lark was reticent about roaming into the tall grass in the pasture and would eat only from the cut grass closest to the barn.
Over the course of a few months, he warmed up to his new barn-mate and surroundings. He now wanders the entire pasture, and a keen friendship is developing between Lark and Missy. Even when Missy gets fresh with him and spits, Lark doesn’t react.
“She likes Lark,” Dee says with a laugh. “He still won’t go near strangers, unless they bring him a carrot, but that’s okay.”
The llama, Lark and the little ranch in Evergreen have achieved harmony, much to the delight of the music teacher.
Quinn is pleased that the adoption has gone so well and she corresponds periodically with Dee to share pictures and videos of Lark. Eight horses have been adopted to new homes by The Horse Protection League in 2023. The ranch is managed by one paid staff and few dozen volunteers that act in the capacity of feeders, handlers, and wranglers. Quinn says The HPL is always in need of more volunteers. New volunteer orientation is scheduled the first Saturday of each month.
“There is always work to be done at the ranch,” she said. “The horses need to be fed every morning and again in the evening. We’re on a 161-year-old active ranch that is an Historic National Landmark, still being used in the same ways it was at the time of the Civil War. Right now, we have 22 horses, and are looking to add stalls, as well as conduct educational events for the public.”
Quinn said The Horse Protection League relies on donations through Colorado Gives Day, which is coming up Tuesday, Dec. 5. The Horse Protection League is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization, which operates at the historic Churches Ranch site through a special-use lease agreement with the City of Arvada.
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