ANOTHER 911 call for a Wild Mustang Mare and her Baby.
Another Miracle for Chilly Pepper!
One of our amazing donors offered to match up to $1000. She will match every donation beginning this morning (now), lol. UP TO $1000
SO, any check dated today or later, and any funds donated now and going forward wil be matched!
Things are so tight, and we are supposed to be getting Mama and Baby in the next few days, so this is truly a miracle.
THANK YOU to everyone who keeps the rescue going and makes it possible to keep saving lives. YOU ROCK!!!
I hesitated to post another fundraiser, as we are still needing more help with Warrior and his vet bills, groceries, etc.
Stil, I’m reaching out in Faith. WILL YOU HELP SAVE MAMA AND HER BABY?
I have not seen Mama and Baby, or any photos. All I know is that they need you to help me get them safely to Chilly Pepper.
The pix here are the two that came in with the (20), with the starvation case. Their adopter decided she no longer wanted them. So now, right before winter, we need to raise funds for them as well, and hopefully find them some really great homes.
I am hoping we can raise enough funds to cover the rest of Warrior’s vet bills, make a payment on the WA one, AND be able to say YES, to the horses I was called for today.
On Warrior, he now has a girlfriend. Misty was the other “head injury” we just had. They are inseparable, and I think it will help Warrior with his healing.
Here is a link to a video if you would like to see what we do every day.
THANK YOU, ALL OF YOU, FOR BEING SO AMAZING FOR THESE PRECIOUS SOULS! YOU are the reason so many lives are saved!
I will keep fighting the good fight as long as I can afford to. I so appreciate all of you and so do the critters.
We still have a balance at our vet in WA State, and she has now come out and helped assess Warrior as well. Please call Goldendale Veterinary at 509-773-0369, if you would like to help with this bill.
I appreciate every single one of our Chilly Pepper Family. God has truly blessed this rescue!
Have a safe, blessed and lifesaving 2023!
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO KEEP HELPING US SAVE MORE LIVES, YOU CAN GO TO:
WIN (WILD HORSES IN NEED) is a 501c3 IRS EIN 55-0882407_
If there are ever funds left over from the cost of the rescue itself, the monies are used to feed, vet, care for and provide shelter and proper fencing for the animals once they are saved.
ANOTHER 911 call for a Wild Mustang Mare and her Baby.
I hesitated to post another fundraiser, as we are still needing more help with Warrior and his vet bills, groceries, etc.
Stil, I’m reaching out in Faith. WILL YOU HELP SAVE MAMA AND HER BABY?
I have not seen Mama and Baby, or any photos. All I know is that they need you to help me get them safely to Chilly Pepper.
The pix here are the two that came in with the (20), with the starvation case. Their adopter decided she no longer wanted them. So now, right before winter, we need to raise funds for them as well, and hopefully find them some really great homes.
I am hoping we can raise enough funds to cover the rest of Warrior’s vet bills, make a payment on the WA one, AND be able to say YES, to the horses I was called for today.
On Warrior, he now has a girlfriend. Misty was the other “head injury” we just had. They are inseparable, and I think it will help Warrior with his healing.
Here is a link to a video if you would like to see what we do every day.
THANK YOU, ALL OF YOU, FOR BEING SO AMAZING FOR THESE PRECIOUS SOULS! YOU are the reason so many lives are saved!
I will keep fighting the good fight as long as I can afford to. I so appreciate all of you and so do the critters.
We still have a balance at our vet in WA State, and she has now come out and helped assess Warrior as well. Please call Goldendale Veterinary at 509-773-0369, if you would like to help with this bill.
I appreciate every single one of our Chilly Pepper Family. God has truly blessed this rescue!
Have a safe, blessed and lifesaving 2023!
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO KEEP HELPING US SAVE MORE LIVES, YOU CAN GO TO:
WIN (WILD HORSES IN NEED) is a 501c3 IRS EIN 55-0882407_
If there are ever funds left over from the cost of the rescue itself, the monies are used to feed, vet, care for and provide shelter and proper fencing for the animals once they are saved.
Here at the American Wild Horse Campaign, we’re committed to reforming the federal government’s cruel and costly wild horse and burro roundup program and to ensuring wild horses and burros roam the American West for generations to come.
One of the driving factors behind helicopter roundups is that wild horses and burros are often scapegoated for the issues facing the western landscape. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and other federal agencies often use these outdated misconceptions about these animals to justify the current roundup, removal and stockpile cycle.
Even worse, industries that support the roundup of wild horses and burros, like ranchers and other commercial interests, push these false narratives in order to free up more of our public lands for extractive purposes.
That’s why combatting the myths that blame wild horses and burros is critical to our work. To that end, we’ve put together a list of answers to frequently asked questions that advocates often get so that you can be ready to push back against false narratives plaguing our wild herds!
Are wild horses and burros overpopulated?
NO! Wild horses and burros are not overpopulated. In reality, the only animals truly overtaking the West are the privately owned cattle and sheep permitted to overgraze our public lands. Wild horses are present on just 27 million acres of BLM land in the West, while ranchers have access to livestock grazing on over 155 million acres. Not only that, but 88% of the public lands that the BLM manages have no wild horses or burros present.
Are wild horses and burros responsible for overgrazing on public lands?
NO! The main cause of land degradation in the American West is livestock grazing. A recent study by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) found that not only do livestock outnumber wild horses and burros on public lands by more than 125:1, but livestock grazing is the reason why 72% of rangelands did not meet the required Land Health Standards. Further, a congressionally mandated study by the National Academy of Sciences found that, in one year, livestock consumed 70% of grazing resources on public lands, while wild horses and burros consumed less than 5%.
Are wild horses native?
Wild horses are a native re-introduced species. According to research out of the University of California Santa Cruz’s prestigious Paleogenomics Lab, fossil records and genetic results confirm that horses were part of the North American fauna for hundreds of thousands of years prior to their extinction on the continent around eleven thousand years ago. The genetic connection between extinct North American and present-day domestic horses means that the wild horses in the American West share much of their DNA and evolutionary history with their ancestors.
Why do roundups happen?
Roundups are a symptom of the federal government’s failure to humanely manage our nation’s wild horses and burros and its decision to maintain wild populations at low levels in order to allocate most of the resources on their habitat to commercial livestock.
Why do wild horses and burros have to be managed at all?
They live on land that is shared by multiple interests, including livestock grazing and other extractive uses. Often, natural predators like mountain lions are eradicated by hunters and a government program that kills predators for the benefit of ranchers. Under these man-made and artificial conditions, some form of management is necessary. With that being said, the BLM’s roundup and removal approach is not only inhumane, but also completely unsustainable and has brought the program to the brink of fiscal collapse.
Do wild horses and burros end up in the slaughter pipeline?
Yes. While the agency cannot sell wild horses or burros directly to slaughter auctions, countless wild horses and burros are being funneled into the slaughter pipeline thanks to the BLM’s disastrous Adoption Incentive Program (AIP).
Why don’t you sue to stop roundups?
We do! While we would like to be able to go to court to stop every roundup, litigation is far from certain. Many factors need to be considered with each new case we bring. If we rush into litigation without a strong foundation for our case and lose, we could end up setting a negative precedent that harms wild horses and burros for generations to come. That’s why we choose our battles wisely to ensure the best possible outcome for our wild herds. It’s important to note that we evaluate every roundup proposal during the public comment period for litigation, before a helicopter ever takes off. If we are able to sue, we do.
It’s vital that we fight back against the false narratives being pushed by the livestock industry and the federal government. Please forward this email to share these questions and answers with your friends and family so that we can get the truth out about our wild herds and end these myths once and for all!
Update.Yesterday, Doc came out again. And YET AGAIN!
Yesterday, we finally got an x-ray. Doc was also able to yank out some pieces of bone that were dying and coming to the surface. It didn’t hurt Warrior, but it did my heart, just a bit.
The good news is that is skull was not caved in. Some of the bad news is that he has a pocket of pus above his eye, just in front of his brain. Could that be the reason he went all goofy on me? Pressure on the brain can easily cause that.
For those of you that don’t know, I had a situation where he kind of had me pinned in a corner. I was calm, but absolutely aware that any action on his part could have killed me. I screwed up and thought just because we did the same thing every single day since he got here, that something couldn’t change. I was trapped in the corner and dealing with a completely different horse. It was like he wasn’t even there. His eyes were empty and something was definitely wrong.
Thankfully, God was protecting me and I got out of the situation. Never in my life have I seen a horse do exactly that, but it was a lesson well learned. By the end of treatment he was relaxed and we were back in a good space.
So many things could happen here. We don’t know if his bone will heal completely. If his bone dies, so does he. Will the infection spread to his brain? We hope not, but that spot seemed to be putting pressure on his brain. (We are treating that with the clay and the infection is slowly draining, which alleviates the swelling and pressure). As swelling goes down, I keep finding new areas of injury. He has a spot on the side of his face, close to his teeth that is swollen, feels very broken and is extremely painful to the touch. Will all his dead pieces of bone come to the surface, or will they get locked inside, building up infection? Will he spook and hit is head, smashing it open? He is so compromised from his injury, his head will always be so vulnerable. The scenarios are endless, and I’m pretty sure that is why Doc said he still has about a 50/50 chance of making it, maybe a tiny bit more? He said the fact that he is still eating is big. He said he didn’t want to give him less than 50/50 because he has made it so far. “Just keep doing what you are doing”, is what he told me.
So right now it’s just “today”. I take care of him, spend lots of time with him and we go through our routine. He definitely has some healing going on. Will he live? We have absolutely no idea. I will fight with him until he says no. But he is AMAZING, and I am so in love with him. The vet bill is $1400 prior to the ranch call and the x-rays yesterday. All Warrior wants me to do is hang out and scratch him and talk to him. That is when he is the most relaxed. It’s funny, but loose in the chute is where he is the most confident, and that’s where we hang out.
Thank you to everyone who has stepped up to help him. We need lots of prayers, as well as funds for the everyday costs of doing what we do.
THANK YOU for saving him and giving him a chance. I know for sure, no matter what happens, he is getting so much love and is so obviously enjoying being loved.
If you want to see a beautiful video, depicting his normal state of mind, go to:
WIN (WILD HORSES IN NEED) is a 501c3 IRS EIN 55-0882407_
If there are ever funds left over from the cost of the rescue itself, the monies are used to feed, vet, care for and provide shelter and proper fencing for the animals once they are saved.
Jennings came to AAE from a distressed mustang sanctuary with several of his friends. He was thin and had a rapidly growing mass on his sheath that was suspected to be squamous cell carcinoma.
Shortly after his arrival at AAE, the mass was removed and a biopsy revealed that it was metastatic melanoma. Thankfully, margins were clean, and there was no vascular invasion. No additional recurrent or new growths have been found since!
Jennings is really sweet. He likes to hang out with volunteers, enjoys grooming, and he’s a cool guy. He’s good with the farrier, no big issues loading, and he trailers well. He’s been ridden in the past, but he should have a refresher before hitting the trails again.
Somehow this special boy hasn’t been adopted yet! Jennings is looking for an experienced home to build his confidence and continue his training.
If your mamma is okay with you growing up to be a cowboy (or cowgirl!), then read more about Jennings and see if you’re a good fit for him!
Your donations, volunteering, adopting, and social media shares & likes really do make a difference and make all of this work possible!
Thank YOU!
Boots & Bling is nearly sold out! We hope you’ll join us! Get your tickets before it’s too late!
The event features a catered BBQ dinner by Devil Dawgs Smoked Meats, DJ music and entertainment by The Sundance Kid, live and silent auctions, dancing, and more.
You’ll need to be in attendance to bid on the dessert and live auction items, but f you’re not able to make the event, you can still support Boots and Bling and AAE by registering for the silent auction. More information will be available in a few days.
These lil’ gentlemen were born in late June, and they have been fostered at AAE for Sacramento County Animal Services. During the heat of summer, they relocated to one of our volunteers homes so they could enjoy some air conditioning.
Aren’t they adorable?! They have been vaccinated, dewormed, and neutered, but they haven’t been spoken for. They just need a family to love them fur-ever!
It would be paw-sitively amazing if they could be adopted together. Kittens are happier and have more fun when they have a friend.
To learn more or start the adoption process, please email our adoption team.
“There is nothing so American as our national parks….The fundamental idea behind the parks…is that the country belongs to the people, that it is in process of making for the enrichment of the lives of all of us.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt
Today is National Public Lands Day, a day celebrating the magnificent landscape that our nation’s beloved wild horses and burros call home.
Photo by Kimerlee Curyl
The conservation of our public lands — and the wildlife that inhabit them — is a proud statement of what Americans value. It’s a testament to our nation’s innate desire to protect what’s wild and free.
Currently, there are 640 million acres of federally protected land across the United States where elk trek the plains, eagles soar across the large western sky, and where wild horses and burros roam the rugged landscape.
But Meredith, our public lands, and our wild herds who inhabit them, are in danger. A century and a half ago, the U.S. supported almost two billion acres of public lands – nearly three times what it is today.
And alongside this dwindling public landscape has been the systematic elimination of America’s wild horses and burros’ habitat. These federally protected animals now live on just 27 million acres of public lands in ten Western states.
Worse, the federal government is determined to continue shrinking wild horse and burro populations even further as inhumane helicopter roundups continue, all while giving 97% of those lands — your lands — to the commercial livestock industry that has been lobbying for the removal of these innocent animals for decades and that wants to replace them with cattle and sheep grazing that we, the taxpayers, subsidize.
We know that there is a better way to manage our nation’s wild horses and burros on public lands where they belong. That’s why we’ve been fighting day in and day out in the field, in the courts, and on the Hill to conserve wild horses and burros for generations to come and protect the lands they call home. If you’re with us, please share this graphic on social media and join our fight.
As you can see in the photo, Daphnee is really struggling. Being the amazing Mama that she is, ALL she has is going to her baby. Delilah is doing much better, because she is nursing like crazy and sucking out all of Mama’s nutrition. Since Mama was starving while preggers, Delilah needs to catch up. However, this means Mama needs special groceries and lots of them. This is why we need to purchase the Alfalfa and also special grain for Mama and Baby!!
Shayla was letting Delilah nurse off of her as well, and this may very well be why Delilah was able to survive when Mama was so emaciated.
However, she is now in the pen next to Mama and baby so Delilah can no longer nurse on her as she is quite heavily pregnant. She is once again bagging up for her own baby, and the girls say she is definitely pregnant in a big way.
She also needs extra feed and lots of it. Once again this is why we really need to get the Alfalfa and grain for our beautiful Mama’s. We want Shayla to have a healthy baby and be able to provide the necessary milk for her own little one.
Our permanent kids don’t require rich feed.Our oldies are all fat and happy and Doc said you can’t even tell they are old. The hay we have works perfectly for them but is not great for nursing Mama’s
I will be heading down as soon as I can to get them vetted and their Coggins drawn.That of course will be another vet bill.
I appreciate all you do, and so do the horses.
I want to thank the folks who sent some help for the kittens. Although it is definitely not our main focus, when God puts lives in front of me, I need to step up. All lives matter and No Matter How Big or How Small, we Save Them All! (Or at least as many as we can.).
WE NEED to purchase hay for the girls in NV. We found a great deal on Alfalfa, and it’s $800 for 8 big bales. At that price, it will be gone quick!
Butterscotch, the pregnant Donkey, and Cocoa, the yearling Jenny, are happy and ready for their new homes.
We are also due for a load of hay in WA this week, ($1500).
As always, the need is great, but so are the lives y’all save.
Thank you for helping us get these kids home safe.
Now the real work starts!
THANK YOU, ALL OF YOU, FOR BEING SO AMAZING FOR THESE PRECIOUS SOULS! YOU are the reason so many lives are saved!
I will keep fighting the good fight as long as I can afford to. I so appreciate all of you and so do the critters.
If you want to help with the Vet Bill, call Goldendale Veterinary at 509-773-0369.
I appreciate every single one of our Chilly Pepper Family. God has truly blessed this rescue!
Have a safe, blessed and life saving 2023!
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO KEEP HELPING US SAVE MORE LIVES, YOU CAN GO TO:
WIN (WILD HORSES IN NEED) is a 501c3 IRS EIN 55-0882407_
If there are ever funds left over from the cost of the rescue itself, the monies are used to feed, vet, care for and provide shelter and proper fencing for the animals once they are saved.
In December 2016, Chilly Pepper brought home Anika and Midnight Onyx, two blind horses from the ISPMB rescue. This rescue was where I personally sorted 907 wild horses in -40 degree, blizzards.
Thankfully with some amazing folks on my team helping to make this happen.
Our good friend Terri Recknor Elliott stepped up and has been sponsoring them both since 2017. (She has been a long term supporter and great friend for the last 10 years as well.) In addition to showing nonstop love and support for Chilly Pepper, she is always trying to help raise funds for the rescue, as well as helping me try to manage my chronic pain.
Terri recently launched a pet wellness company and she sent me a sample of “Essential OMEGAS and Cellular BOOST”, two products to improve your pet’s health. As always, I needed to test them myself before I give them to any of my critters. These formulas are the same for humans, so I had nothing to lose.
If you are struggling with inflammation, joint health, movement and other pain causing issues, I would recommend trying these products. I use both products and have noticed “feeling better”. I started noticing a bit more energy and just “feeling better”. I have had about 50 surgeries, chronic pain for over 45 years, fibromyalgia, a spinal cord stimulator, shoulder replacement and am pretty much a train wreck. So, if something makes any type of difference in my life, it is worth checking out.
These are not only great products, but Terri is donating 10% of the sale price of these products to Chilly Pepper. It’s a win/win for the horses. (If I stay mobile I can keep rescuing longer, and we have a great product to help the critters as well.)
Here is our link https://www.spencerbella.com/champions/chillypepper/
Have a safe, blessed and life saving 2023!
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO KEEP HELPING US SAVE MORE LIVES, YOU CAN GO TO:
WIN (WILD HORSES IN NEED) is a 501c3 IRS EIN 55-0882407_
If there are ever funds left over from the cost of the rescue itself, the monies are used to feed, vet, care for and provide shelter and proper fencing for the animals once they are saved.
We’ve got a lot to share with you in this week’s edition of eNews, including the story of a beautiful mustang named Selena, our exciting new collaboration with CALLIDAE to drive progress in safeguarding wild horses, and an opportunity to hear AWHC’s Investigations Manager address the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) disastrous Adoption Incentive Program (AIP) during a meeting of the BLM Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board.
Did you know you can help wild horses while shopping? From a fully sustainable blanket featuring wild mustangs, to equestrian inspired apparel, to a candle that wafts the scents of the West into your home,our generous partners have what the wild horse advocate needs.
It’s hard to sit through a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board meeting for a variety of reasons, but when it comes to the discussions on the Adoption Incentive Program (AIP), it becomes almost unbearable. Despite irrefutable evidence, the agency continues to publicly claim that no horses or burros are being sent into the slaughter pipeline as a result of this program. Take a moment to listen to AWHC’s Investigations Manager, Amelia Perrin address this in her comments to the Advisory Board this week.
This cute little guys is Diesel. He came to AAE with two of his buddies way back in 2016. Of all of our adoptable horses, Diesel has been here the longest waiting for his person to arrive. He’s about 10 now, and he’s such a cute lil’ guy. His situation is challenging as he has some baggage. First, some history.
The trio was originally part of a herd in the Carson National Forest in New Mexico, and they were rounded up and moved around by the US Forest Service. Some of the gathered horses were adopted and a small group who weren’t adopted in NM were transported to Solvang, CA for a wild horse gentling program at Monty Roberts International Learning Center (MRILC). They group was rather sickly when they arrived. After the program and much improved, some of the horses were adopted but Diesel and his two buddies were not. The USFS considered their stay at MRILC their third adoption attempt and third strike. They found their way to AAE, instead of being listed on Craigslist for $25 (as was requested by the USFS).
Diesel returned to MRILC in 2017 to participate in another program. Unfortunately, he became lame in the hind end, so his stay was cut short. He returned to AAE, and he was put on stall rest for a few weeks. Sadly, on his follow-up vet visit, Diesel was diagnosed with Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis or EPM.
Diesel was treated, but the EPM caused irreparable damage, and he has residual neurologic deficits that make him unsafe as a riding horse. That said, he’s still a spunky yet kind young man. Sadly, he’s still untrusting of humans, but he has quite the playful and curious personality that makes him a fun liberty horse! He’s terrified of ropes and 1st touches. We joke lightheartedly about his 5,940,392 first dates. When he’s in a small area, he’s halterable with a slow approach. When he’s worked with consistently, he improves. He’s been living in a herd situation, and he regresses quickly when turned out. That said, he’s always one of the first to show up when someone’s in his pasture. He wants interaction, but fears it. Given ample time, patience, and persistence, he’ll come around. Once he does, his sweet personality will shine ever so bright!
Diesel is current with vaccines, deworming, and hoof and dental care and he has a microchip. He’s so ready for a person of his own.
Diesel is a wonderful horse. As a non-riding horse with special needs, Diesel has had a more difficult time finding the perfect home. He needs someone who is patient and willing to give him lots of love and daily interaction. Consistency and continuity are key. A mustang experienced person is a must.
If you think you and Diesel would go together like peanut butter and jelly, please visit his page to learn more, and submit an “Adoption Inquiry”.
Can’t adopt? Sharing his story is so helpful, too! Maybe your family member, friend, or co-worker would be his perfect match!
You can also sponsor him to help cover his care costs until he is adopted. Sponsorships help give us the stability and flexibility we need to make sure we can take our time finding the right home for each of our adoptable horses.
Thank you for your support helping horses each and every day!
Your donations, volunteering, adopting, and social media shares & likes allow us to make this work possible!
We’ve got a lot to share with you in this week’s eNews, including: an inside look at a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) adoption event, an opportunity to take action against the diastrous Adoption Incentive Program (AIP), and the latest update on our groundbreaking fertility control program on Nevada’s Virginia Range.
Read on to learn more and speak up for our cherished wild herds! >>
AWHC’s investigative team is continuing to monitor and track the consequences of the BLM’s Adoption Incentive Program (AIP), which pays individuals $1,000 to adopt a wild, unhandled horse or burro.
Last weekend, AWHC volunteer Gail Clifton traveled to Okeechobee, Florida to attend and document a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) adoption event. As part of our ongoing investigation into the agency’s Adoption Incentive Program (AIP) that is sending droves of mustangs and burros into the slaughter pipeline, we are ensuring the documentation of these events. Read more here →
The collaborative effort on Nevada’s Virginia Range for a cherished herd of mustangs is making headlines! At the beginning of the month, AWHC held a press conference to unveil the latest data from our volunteer-run fertility control program that is helping to stabilize the horses’ population as their habitat continues to be swallowed by development. Read about those results below!
Let’s give some love to the rescues this Valentine’s Day! All the long ears at SYA are looking for you to be their date on Valentines Day!
It costs $20 a day to shelter and feed one rescue donkey. With a $20 donation you can take one long ear of your choosing on a donkey date day! Thank you for being their date on a day where they don’t have their own home yet. Because of you and your support they will soon!
Thank you for your help and support to get the long ears this far, we couldn’t do it without you! We hope your day is filled with love and donkey hugs. ❤️
Love,
The SYA Crew and all the animals! Paloma, Bunny, Apollo, Athena, Benjamin, Finley, Fern and Stephen.
2023 Calendars are 20% off now through the end of February.
Dakota is a tribal mustang originally from the Dakotas. We first met him in the fall of 2021 when we picked him up from a distressed sanctuary.
He’s a little guy, mid-teens, and we were told he’d been ridden in the past. This handsome gelding was fearful of humans in general, but he really did not like it when anyone approached him from the side or behind too quickly. He also had painful heel cracks that closely approached his coronet bands. Dakota’s basic care had been neglected for some time.
Once at AAE, his hoof and dental care needs were met, and he received vaccines, deworming, and a microchip. During an exam, his concerns for people approaching from the left side and behind were discovered. He cannot see out of his left eye because the lens is detached.
Dakota is a very sweet, social guy. He seeks attention and enjoys grooming and interaction. He’s good with the vet and farrier. He loads fairly well, and travels fine. Dakota was introduced to a saddle, and he handled it well. He thoroughly enjoys his time in the pasture with his herdmates. However, he has a pull back issue when trying to remove him from his herd. When he’s brought in with one of his herdmates, he does very well. When handled and once removed from herd, he does well. Removing him alone is still a work in progress.
While we’ve loved spending time with the darling Dakota, we’d love it even more if he could find his forever person! If you think Dakota sounds like a match made in heaven, please visit his bio to learn more and submit an adoption inquiry.
Can’t adopt but want to help Dakota? Tell your friends, family, co-workers, and other horse people in your life about him!
Thank you for your support helping horses each and every day!
Your donations, volunteering, adopting, and social media shares & likes allow us to make this work possible!
UPDATE – There are still more horses to pull. (7 or 8, I believe).
We are working on getting the last ones, but still haven’t even begun to raise enough for the 1st group.
This is when I have to run on Faith Alone. We raised about $3000, and that just about covers yesterday’s vet bill which will easily be over $1500 for Coggins and some blood tests, and transportation for the youngsters to our sister rescue in Idaho.
We haven’t even begun to raise enough funds to feed and care for the 1st group, yet I need to grab the last ones.Luckily Dustin’ Time Rescue is taking on the youngsters, They will need help with rehabbing, feeding and gelding them..
Rescue is expensive. Hay costs are exorbitant, these kids obviously need lots of extra care, and we still have to feed our permanent residents.
Please help now if you want to save this last group of horses. As you can clearly see, they are in horrific shape. They ARE getting fed (PTL!) while we figure this out, as long as we “git ‘er done quickly.
I know we have lots of emergencies, BUT IT IS TRULY LIFE AND DEATH for these horses.It is not just grabbing the cute ones, or the easy ones, or creating orphans so you can fundraise. It is stepping up and figuring out how to do the impossible. YOU, MY CHILLY PEPPER FAMILY, are the ones who do that. YOU are doing the real rescue for the horses with no other options. Let’s do it again. These horses are absolutely precious and deserve every good thing for the rest of their lives.
Let’s start 2023 by saving EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THESE PRECIOUS SOULS.
If you want to help with the Vet Bill, call Goldendale Veterinary at 509-773-0369.
I appreciate every single one of our Chilly Pepper Family. God has truly blessed this rescue!
Have a safe, blessed and life saving 2023!
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO KEEP HELPING US SAVE MORE LIVES, YOU CAN GO TO:
WIN (WILD HORSES IN NEED) is a 501c3 IRS EIN 55-0882407_
If there are ever funds left over from the cost of the rescue itself, the monies are used to feed, vet, care for and provide shelter and proper fencing for the animals once they are saved.
It’s that time of year we share with you the work we’ve all been doing throughout the year. We missed last year while we were in the middle of our Big Move, so we have some catching up to do. The stories you’ll read this month are your donations, volunteering, likes, shares, and other support at work. We hope you enjoy!
AMIGO
Amigo came to AAE with two of his buddies in mid-January 2018 from a neglect situation. He weighed about 850 pounds. As thin as he looks in photos, he was much thinner. His coat was thick with dead undercoat that felt like an old rug hiding his bony skeleton beneath.
Amigo was started on a slow refeeding program consistent with UC Davis’ protocol for rehabilitating starved horses. After about a week at AAE, he had a minor bout of colic. He battled through it like the survivor he is! He was also covered with hundreds of ticks.
We were told he was 29. We were told he was a riding horse, but bucks after a couple hours (at his age, I’m sure he’s saying, enough already!). Other than that, the rest is a mystery. Amigo is very easy to handle, he is very patient with handling his hooves, he thoroughly enjoys grooming and attention, and water/bathing are not an issue.
Though emaciated and starving, this ol’ guy has a heart of gold. He craves attention and simply enjoys being in the presence of humans. He’s a great reminder of how fragile yet resilient horses are, and he holds no grudges for humans, even though he wasn’t treated so kind. Once he gained some weight and stabilize, his teeth were floated, hooves were trimmed, vaccines were updated. he was dewormed, and he got a microchip. He slowly came back to health.
Amigo returned to good health, and he’s in great condition. There could not be a more sweet, kind, lovable old fella! This guy is an absolute gem, and a volunteer favorite. We LOVE this ol’ guy and everything about him.
Amigo is such a great ambassador for horses with AAE’s new volunteers. He’s just a big love! He couldn’t be more easy to handle. He is patient, he’s kind, and he’s one of the most dependable horses at AAE. At 34, this ol’ guy calls AAE home, his last stop.
If you’d like to make a year end donation in honor of Amigo to support AAE’s ongoing operations into 2023, you can click the donate button to give a gift that counts.
In Part 1 of Rock and Roll: Diary of a Rescue, we learned about the discovery and rescue of Belgian draft mules, Rock and Roll, by Meredith Hodges and her team of experts. As the pair’s rehabilitation continues, the road to recovery gets tougher. But for every health setback, there is a personality breakthrough with these courageous and now-trusting gentle giants—and always a reason to hope.
By May of 2011, both mules were beginning to bond well with me and I was able to separate them during workouts. I knew I would have to develop a strong bond with Roll in case Rock didn’t make it, and we all knew the odds were not in Rock’s favor. Being alone with me in the round pen helped Roll to concentrate on the tasks at hand. His way of going was markedly improving with each new lesson.
Both mules could now square up properly and move in a much more balanced frame, although holding that balance was intermittent. The personality of each mule began to emerge and they became more willing to play games and to be touched and kissed about their heads. Rock was much more overt about his pleasure during the massages, and we could finally tell that they were beginning to trust us.
By mid-June, we were able to take the pads off Rock’s back feet and reset the shoes without the pads. He had grown three-eighths of an inch of sole on both hind feet and the rotation began to improve in one back foot. Both mules were feeling much better and were actually engaging in play during turnout. Next, we discovered that due to the concussion to his rear feet from improper use during driving in the past, Roll had side bones in his right hind foot. This caused him to twist that foot as it grew out between trims, so we put shoes on his back feet as well.
Rock loved our newly acquired mini donkeys and, during turnout, he would stand by their pen for the better part of the day. Here they all are on the Fourth of July, 2011.
By that time, Rock and Roll both looked magnificent! Considering the extent of Rock’s past neglect and injuries, he had gained incredible muscle tone and balance. His eyes were bright and alert, his coat was shiny and his feet were much improved (although they still exhibited a hint of chronic founder).
Roll’s fat and lumpy body had changed dramatically. Now his body was more symmetrical and balanced, and he also sported a shiny coat and balanced feet. His eyes were alert and his appearance of laziness had completely vanished.
However, by the end of July, Rock once again began to lose muscle tone over his right hip and his front feet became very sore. We thought he and Roll may have been playing too hard, which could have caused Rock to injure himself again, so we separated them into adjoining pastures during daily turnout. At night they remained in their respective stalls and runs, side by side. Custom-made boots were ordered for Rock’s front feet to help alleviate the pressure, but unfortunately we had to wait until the first of November for delivery of the boots. By the time they arrived, they were of use for only about two weeks before the weather changed. The wet snow and mud became packed in the boots, causing Rock too much pain on the dropped soles of his feet.
While Rock was on three weeks of rest during August, he developed swelling in his sheath. He was treated with an anti-inflammatory for two weeks, but the swelling didn’t go down. Since his front feet seemed better, I decided to resume his physical therapy. Although the structured movement helped the swelling go down, it migrated to the midline of his abdomen. After two weeks of hot packing the abdomen twice a day, the swelling finally disappeared. Because Rock was becoming stronger and getting up and down more often, he was beginning to develop sores on his knees, fetlocks and hocks, and “shoe boils” on his underbelly (pressure sores caused by his hooves when lying down), all of which needed to be frequently tended to.
In September, once again there was swelling on Rock’s underside midline, which also seemed to cause him to get weaker musculature in the hips. The swelling was hot-packed, and it disappeared fairly quickly this time. By mid-October, Rock was lying down for prolonged periods of time—unhealthy for an equine—so his support team of three veterinarians, two equine chiropractors, his equine masseuse and I got together to assess his condition. All 2000 plus pounds of his weight was being shifted off his three bad feet and onto his left hind leg, causing it to track behind the right front when he walked. We decided on a regimen of phenylbutazone (a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug), minimal exercise, plenty of rest and icing of his feet for 15-20 minutes twice daily. Things were not looking good.
No matter what was asked of him, Rock always gave it his all. We babied him through turnout, chiropractics, trims, and massage, but it finally got to the point where we could barely get his back feet off the ground to apply the hoof dressing. We decided to remove his shoes. That day, he was so weak in the hindquarters we could not replace them and couldn’t even trim the feet without running the risk of him falling down. We waited a couple of weeks before we trimmed his heels with the aid of a custom-made, six-inch equine jack stand. That seemed to help through November and part of December, but Rock still needed the Thrush Buster and Rainmaker for hoof health. He was able to tip his hind feet forward and let us have the bottoms of his feet for a few seconds at a time so the medication could be applied. Finally, he just couldn’t manage having his feet elevated at all—the pain was too great. Around this time, we noticed that the swelling had again cropped up in his midline abdomen, which led to another week of hot packing it twice a day.
After Christmas, I decided to resume a modified version of his physical therapy. Trooper that he was, he tried with all his might, but his hips were listing terribly to the left, and the first time he went over the three one-inch ground poles, he crashed into every one of them. His third time over, he grazed just one. When I put him back in his pen, he immediately laid down. I then noticed the bulging in the coronet band of his left hind foot. He was “sinking!” We immediately called the vet and he confirmed my fear. The lamina was pulling away from the hoof wall and allowing the bones to “sink” through the sole of Rock’s hoof. It wouldn’t be long before the other feet would quickly follow suit. It was clear that he was in agony and would have to be put down, so our vet came out the ranch, loaded Rock up with anti-inflammatory and pain medications and said he would be back the next afternoon.
Every day for a year, I prayed for a miracle for Rock and each time I prayed, he got better. I now wondered if God would give us yet another miracle and let him live—but it wasn’t meant to be. On December 27th, 2011, surrounded by his Lucky Three family, our beautiful Rock took his last steps. We all knew it was time for us to let him go. Rock was euthanized at home and died peacefully, with his head resting in my hands.
My vet Greg Farrand informed me that the president of Colorado State University had pulled together a team for Rock’s necropsy and the preservation of his skeleton as a teaching aid for the CSU Veterinary Sciences department.
When the necropsy came back, it showed not a single fracture of Rock’s pelvis, but rather multiple old fractures in the socket of the hip joint. The bottom of the socket was almost completely gone and there was a hole the size of a dime at the top of the socket. The head of the femur had no cartilage left and there was fibrosis and cysts full of fluid the entire length of the femur stem.
I have come to realize that our courageous and noble Rock gave us more than one miracle. He had been able to live one more year of life with a severely shattered hip joint and compromised femur. He proved that our balance and core muscle therapy can work wonders! And he lived long enough to give his half-brother, Roll, the chance to bond with people who will love and care for him for the rest of his life. Thank you and God bless you, Rock. We will miss you.
To learn more about Meredith Hodges and her comprehensive all-breed equine training program, visit LuckyThreeRanch.com or call 1-800-816-7566. Check out her children’s website at JasperTheMule.com. Also, find Meredith on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.
Our farrier, Dean Geesen came out to take care of Chasity’s feet. The first order of business was to introduce himself with an offer of oats! She did not want my veterinarian, Greg Farrand, to pick up her feet on Tuesday, but during grooming on Wednesday, Ranch Manager, Chad and I cleaned her feet, so she was much more compliant today. Getting her hooves in balance will greatly improve her overall body balance. And, getting the shoes off her overgrown front feet will enable the frog to do its circulation job!
Her front hooves were exceptionally long with Borium shoes (non-slip) on them and her back feet were long and uneven. All four feet had been trimmed out of balance.
Dean showed us how the shoes had been abnormally and unevenly worn.
Dean removed the shoes and trimmed her hooves in the best balance that he could for now. Her hooves had been pressured to one side and would need several trims to get them properly symmetrical in alignment.
Dean is a correctional farrier and knew just what to do to get her started off on the right ‘foot’ so to speak. It was a definite improvement from where she was!
She will need to be checked periodically to keep her feet in good shape as she moves forward in her therapy. Sometimes these kinds of things just take time!
She was rewarded with oats in appreciation for her cooperation! Chasity seemed thankful for her newly balanced hooves.
Chasity is eager to go to the Round Pen and continue her lessons. Being polite, considerate, respectful and consistent in one’s approach will create a happy and willing partner. Most resistant behaviors arise from anxiety in the animal as a result of an unpredictable approach. Equines love the company of their own kind during training whenever possible. It gives them confidence, and a more experienced animal can show them how things are done with a compliant attitude. Breaking training down into very small steps assures that your equine will NEVER be over-faced with any tasks. It is paramount that you train your equine how to lunge on a lunge line for the first few times in the Round Pen.
Lunging in the “Elbow Pull” is critical to helping Chasity maintain her good posture and balance throughout her workout. It allows full range of motion, but will prevent any hollowing of the back and neck, and give her something to lean on when she has weak moments and cannot sustain her own good posture and self-carriage for a few strides at a time. Consistent work in the “Elbow Pull” will actually change the equine’s habitual way of moving. Chasity is becoming more and more comfortable in her new and more correct equine posture! This is most evident when she is at rest with equal weight placed over all four feet underneath her body. This is true whether at work or in turnout.
Chasity is now holding her own self-carriage in good posture for more and more strides during each new lesson. It takes a lot of time to stretch and rebuild the elements that support the skeletal frame such that the body becomes strong and movement becomes more flexible and habitual.
At walk and trot, Chasity and Wrangler maintain an erect body carriage and bend through their rib cages to the arc of the Round Pen circle. Wrangler can be a bit lazy and will carry his head too low, so I add the bridle reins to prevent him from becoming a “peanut roller!” Chasity carries her head higher, so she won’t need them.
After being warmed up with her familiar lunging of five rotations in each direction, I add the lunge line. I always keep it loose, dragging on the ground. Then I give an occasional “squeeze-release” as the outside front foot comes forward. This is her cue to stay on the circle later in the open arena and not pull on the lunge line.
My end goal is always to keep Chasity as light in the bridle as possible to get the desired response. Using all this gear in the beginning allows me to do minimal pulling on the lines and later the reins. The animal is in control of the adjustment of the tension. They learn quickly what I am asking with the lightest cue from my fingers.
Chasity is now comfortable and relaxed, knows what my cues mean. With the slightest pressure on the lines, she executes a lovely reverse and continues on in a really nice posture.
Being cognizant of how you do certain moves, like going through gates, will assure that the equine responds at all times with very SLIGHT pressure on the reins or lines, or even on the lead rope…no more BOLTING! You will never need to PULL on a lunge line again in any open areas. Loss of balance is the number one reason for resistance and bad behaviors. Building this precise foundation will carry through to Chasity’s under saddle work. Building core strength that symmetrically supports the skeletal frame makes everything you want to do a lot easier for your equine. When he is strong, balanced and comfortable in his body, he is better ABLE to be a willing and compliant companion!
Chasity continues to improve. We have cut the size of her obese, cresty neck by 70%. Her back is finally elevated. The spinal and abdominal muscles are much better conditioned and support her good posture. She has come a long way. She is submissive to the “Elbow Pull” and ready to begin her combination exercises in Lunging and Ground Driving. Chasity is happy that she gets to do these exercises with her “boyfriend,” Wrangler! He is her inspiration. They are so funny together!
Chasity executes the gate perfectly and then stops to pose for a picture with me. Then we adjust her “Elbow Pull” and make sure she flexes at the poll to submit. This self-correcting restraint will provide resistance if she tries to carry her head too high which would result in hollowing her neck and back, and thus, compromising her good equine posture.
Once everything is adjusted on Chasity and Wrangler, we pose for a picture. Then they both go obediently to the rail and begin work at the walk. I have added the reins to Wrangler’s bridle to keep him from carrying his head too low. That is not an issue with Chasity. It is not usually a problem with with Wrangler either, but it is in the nineties today and very hot. Wrangler gets very lazy in the heat!
They are both stepping out nicely and exhibiting a pretty fair “working walk.” After five rotations at the walk, I ask for the trot. They are both stepping well underneath their centers of gravity and Chasity is submitting to the pressure from the “Elbow Pull.” This means she is in better equine posture with improving self-carriage.
After five rotations at the trot, I ask them for a halt and they are prompt in their response. They are rewarded and then proceed forward and after one rotation, I ask them to reverse. It is the best reverse yet!
I am so proud of Chasity! She is really holding her good posture nicely for prolonged periods of time now, even at the trot!
Chasity is gaining a lot of core strength and power to her gaits. The halts are mostly square on the landing and do not need to be corrected. Chasity is finally learning to use her hindquarters properly and she is no longer getting locked up in the right hip joint. It is now adequately supported symmetrically by the core elements: muscles, tendons, ligaments and soft tissue. Her joints operate correctly and will not wear irregularly.
After five rotations at walk and then trot in the opposite direction, Chasity was finally ready for her first Ground Driving lesson! When asked, she walked off nicely.
I had Ground Driven Wrangler first, so Chasity got to see what this was all about. She submitted softly to the lines and remained “on the bit” as we walked along. She turned easily when asked to do the “S” turn through the middle of the Round Pen.
But suddenly, we had a “Donkey Moment” when she abruptly bolted toward Wrangler! I let the lines slide through my hands, hoping she would slow down…but she didn’t! I dug my heels into the ground to try to stop her, holding the lines with just one hand so I wouldn’t lose my balance. Wrangler just dropped in behind her at the walk.
Chasity was at a fast trot around Wrangler when he decided to help me by leaning his body into the lines. This put more pressure on her bit and helped me to get her slowed down…Thanks, Wrangler!!!
Once she had slowed down, Wrangler moved away and allowed me to turn her into the rail and ask for a reverse to the right. Chasity calmed down immediately and decided to comply with my wishes… thankfully!
Chasity was still full of energy, but submitted to the pressure on the lines as I walked behind her in sync with her hind legs. I slowly crept back up the lines with my hands and got a bit closer to her hindquarters
Then I asked Chasity for the halt and a few steps of the reinback…not too many steps at first. I rewarded her efforts with a handful of crimped oats. Her first time on the drive lines had gone very well indeed… even WITH the “Donkey Moment!” It’s always good to keep your sense of humor when working with donkeys and be ready to be VERY patient! Donkeys need to process things THEIR WAY!