Fur In The Paint

IERAL stands for Iowa Equine Rescue & Awareness League. IERAL is located in the Cedar Rapids area and is an established non-profit organization which provides care for abused livestock for the state of Iowa. They partner with law enforcement, attorney’s and veterinary agencies all over Iowa to help fill the void when it comes to the rescue of large animals like horses. IERAL offers a rehabilitation program for the horses they take in.

Earlier this year, I went out to visit IERAL to learn about the operation and take some photos in the hopes of creating a painting for auction as well as prints to help raise some funds. I am pleased to be able to participate in this cause as it is something I believe strongly in.

Karla Sibert took some time to show me around and introduce me to some of the horses. (I’ll introduce you to some of them in an upcoming post.) I liked Karla quite a bit. She struck me as tough, honest and passionate about the cause. I recognized in her a fellow spirit who pushes herself way past the amount of hours she has in a day. Her work for IERAL is just one of many things that she is a part of.

If you would like to learn more about IERAL visit their website at www.iaeral.org. There you can also see who is ready for adoption and who they are helping now. Also as the need for equine rehabilitation continues to grow they are always in need of donations of any kind. Check ‘em out.

This spring I went to photograph several rescue horses in preparation for doing a portrait as a fund raiser. This is the horse I chose to do for IERAL (Iowa Equine Rescue and Awareness League) as he is so beautiful in both looks and spirit.

Colton is a 7 year blind old Arab gelding. I fell in love with him immediately. He has the sweetest nature and in many ways reminds me of my own horse Chicory.

The following is part of an email to me from Karla Sibert with Colton’s story.

Colton, was brought to IERAL on August 18th, 2007, along with 5 other horses that were abandoned in Lee County, IA. He was six at the time and had never been away from his mother. When he arrived at IERAL foster care facility, we had no idea that he couldn’t see, and we were so taken back that he had never been away from his mother his entire life.

We took two stallions (Colton being one of them) to get gelded that same day. When we picked them both up at the equine clinic Dr. Abraham said “You know this gray is blind don’t you?” I’m like no way he is only 6 years old, what would cause the blindness this early in life? He said, probably moon blindness, which he probably caught some virus that went untreated and so he went blind. That would explain why he never bred his mother I’m sure.

So, he was put back in with a half sister and his mother upon his arrival back to foster care. We adopted out both sister and mother within about three weeks after that, so we brought in a pony to keep him happy. Well, he was lost with out the two mares, but he finally adapted with his pony friend. So, at this point you know the rest of the story. My goal is to get Dr. Abraham out to evaluate his eye sight, and get him referred to ISU for eye surgery.

Well, we got rained out again. I can’t express how much water there is. The city we were in was already at flood stage. And then it poured. People who lived along the river were evacuated. So in comparison, my not being able to sell stuff is pretty minor troubles.

My horse safari was also a mixed experience. I did go and photograph some horses, but was unable to get to the Friesian Farm that I scheduled in the afternoon. I am very disappointed, (Heavy Sigh) because they were very nice and offered to do whatever I wanted with the horses. Like run ‘em around and such for great action shots. (Pinch me, I’m in horsey heaven!) Hopefully we can try again next time I’m in that part of the state.

I do however, have some lovely photos of a blind arab gelding named Colton. I fell in love with him and will be painting his portrait and donating it to the Iowa Equine Rescue & Awareness League. IERAL. They plan on having prints made and selling them as a fund raiser. The original will most likely be auctioned off, also to raise money. I used all 35mm film, so you gotta wait to see any pics until I get them developed. And since I live in the boonies that may be a week or two. It’s great living far from civilization, unless you actually need something.

I will tell you more about Colton and IERAL soon, but today I am draggin butt.