Will you help us save “Grandma Gladys”?Look at that beautiful face and those sweet eyes. The pictures do not show how skinny she really is under all that hair.
Gladys has been suffering in single digit temperatures and going without food for days at a time. She stands shaking and trembling through the cold nights,SHIVERING violently to try and stay warm. If we don’t do something now, it is going to be too late.
She is literally starving to death before our eyes. Enough is enough, she has been suffering far too long! Will you PLEASE help us give her the love and care that she deserves?
Starving is a horrible and extremely painful way to die. She is probably close to Sparkles’ condition under all that hair. Her head looks enormous because her body is so depleted and she is so emaciated.
PLEASE HELP ME HELP HER BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE! I can’t take another heartbreak like Sparkles, and Grandma Gladys is in extremely critical condition. No horse deserves to starve/freeze to death.
Thank you for everyone for your love and support. Y’all are amazing and together we are changing the world, one life at a time.Let’s change Grandma Gladys’ life too! Let’s be her Thanksgiving miracle.
Please call 509-773-0369 if you would like to help with the vet bill.
THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HAS BEEN HELPING SAVE THESE PRECIOUS LIVES
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.
Many of us New Englanders are already feeling the effects of the cooler temperatures, the shortening of days and the frost on the pastures in the morning before the sun comes up.
There’s been quite a bit of debate online about whether or not donkey and mule owners should blanket or not blanket their long eared family members. So we wanted to share our two cents on the topic to hopefully shed some insight to donkey owners.
The short answer to a complicated question is, it depends. It depends on where you live, how cold it is, how wet it is, the age of your donkey, if they have cushings disease or any other types of illnesses, etc.
What we normally hear is, “But my donkey gets so fluffy why would he need a blanket?” But the truth is your donkeys fluffy fur does not have the density or insulating properties that a horses natural coat provides. Not only that but donkeys lack the oil horses have in their coats that act as a natural water repellent, which in turn keeps their skin dry. This is also why horses have that sweet horse smell that we all know and love, and donkeys do not. (Sorry donkeys.)
Donkeys descend from desert species, they use dust and sand as a way to “bathe” themselves. Since it doesn’t rain often in the desert, donkeys have not evolved to have oil in their coats to protect them from our freezing rain, sleet and snow that our northern winters bring. Mixing a lack of a waterproofed coat, plus a lot of extra winter hair without insulating properties and wet weather- is a combination for a very unhappy donkey, and can sometimes even be a death sentence for an immune compromised or older donkey.
Some may say “but my donkey never acts cold!” Donkeys have evolved to freeze (no pun intended) instead of having a flight or fight response like most mammals. Donkeys stop and think through problems or how to respond to a stressful situation. Which is why they’ve unfortunately gotten the notorious title of being “stubborn.” Most donkeys will not show when they are sick or not feeling well until they are in the later stages of their illness. Which is why it is so hard to tell when they are having a bout of colic or are injured. It’s their instincts way of protecting them from being eaten by predators. Pretty fascinating, but not great for the people who love them and want to know when they’re not well.
The bottom line is, just because they survive the winters or always have without being blanketed, doesn’t mean they are thriving and comfortable. This goes especially for the ones who are getting long in the tooth, are sick, injured, have cushings disease or thyroid issues. These donkeys are more vulnerable than a younger, healthier donkey and need an extra layer or two to give them a hoof up this winter to keep them cozy, safe and comfortable.
The bare minimum they should have is a 3 sided shelter that is deeply bedded with pine shavings, and cleaned daily. I would go a step further to say that warm mash soup made up of a handful of timothy pellets with their loose mineral supplement would also go a long way.
Please don’t take what we’ve said here today and use it as a blanket statement! 😁 Use your discernment and go based on the weather and your donkey. Each donkey should have a few different coats, a rain sheet, and a few coats from 200g- 800g insulation.
Other Blanketing Tips
-Blankets should be checked daily to make sure there are no rips, tears or dampness under them.
-Clips should always be clip side facing in toward the donkeys body.
-Donkeys should be groomed at minimum once a week with a ‘slicker brush’ to ensure their skin is still getting some air, so dead skin is being removed and to check their body condition.
-Blankets need to be washed and re-waterproofed every year. You can find waterproofing spray online or at any tack shop that sells horse blankets. (We like scotch guard)
-When putting on a blanket start fastening buckles and clips from the front to the back.
Have trouble fitting your donkeys for blankets? Bray Hollow Farm in NY makes blankets specifically for ponies and donkeys. If you’d like to check them out you can click the link below to check out their website!
This year we have taken on more senior animals than we ever have before in a single year. We are always happy to take on the equines who are at the last stages of their life and require a little extra TLC. Ann and I are both suckers for a grey faced sad eyed long ear. However so deserving these animals are they almost always require extensive care, vet work, and farrier work to make sure that they are able to be kept comfortable. We’ve had to let go of two friends at the end of October. As hard as the decisions were, we are honored to be able to give them that last gift of letting them go with peace and dignity.
As many of you are aware Whichahpi our Medicine hat paint horse had X-rays done of his spine. We found out that he had some more serious complications going on than met the eye. We decided the kindest thing to do was to let him go. We said goodbye to our friend on October 24th.
Harley
Harley came to us just a few short months ago underweight, confused and sore. Harley gained a significant amount of weight while he was with us and made three other friends who were his herd companions.
Harley was loved by every single person who met him, and he loved all of them back. He started to have trouble getting up from his naps the last few days until one morning when he could not get up no matter how much he tried. We called our vet and gave him some pain meds while we waited. He did finally get up but we still had our vet out because something was still very off with him and I just did not have a good gut feeling.
After an examination and a few tests it was determined that he was in heart failure. We decided to let Harley go.. our vet estimated Harley was at least in his late 30’s.
We are absolutely gutted over these losses.. The rescue feels so empty without him and Whichahpi. I don’t think a day will go bye where I won’t think about the animals we’ve had to let go.
Thank you to all of you who donated towards his arthritis medication, grain bill and care. It truly made a difference in his time with us and he was able to be comfortable and pain free in the end.
Rest easy buddy you are sorely, sorely missed.
Due to fundraising being so low, and having spent a very large amount of money on so many seniors this year. We are going to be more careful of the ages of animals we take in. It is not sustainable for us to take on so many seniors who are not adoptable. If we continue to do so, we will cease to exist as a rescue.
Sometimes folks are in denial about how old their animals are, sometimes they are not truthful with us when surrendering, and sometimes it is passing the buck. We LOVE the seniors but are not set up as a sanctuary. It’s not fair to us or our supporters to keep enduring one heartbreak after another. Some day in the future I would like to have a set up for the older donkeys with special needs. But that is quite a ways down the road.
Thank you all for reading this far and for your feedback every newsletter, it and you are so appreciated and valued by all of us at SYA.
After so many heartbreaks, there is finally a tiny bit of justice for Sparkles and Peanut. This is the news I promised was coming.
OUR VET BILL is EVEN HIGHER because we fought so hard for JUSTICE for her. After she passed, Chilly Pepper had to pay for her Necropsy and to have a piece of her Femur removed and shipped to Michigan State for Bone Marrow Testing. We also had to run additional bloodwork for her case. This was CRUCIAL EVIDENCE to allow her case to be fully prosecuted.
Please donate for this and know you are actually HELPING HONOR SPARKLES by letting her death mean more horses will not suffer from this man. By helping get this “gentleman” charged & prosecuted for 1st and 2nd degree Felony Animal Cruelty/Abuse charges, we can show the world we will not tolerate this type of cruelty.
I also need funds to pay the 1st Vet bill. The exams for Peanut and Sparkles and for the 1st blood draw, labs etc. was also a crucial part of the documentation for the case. I have not received the initial vet bill from the Doctor who first drew blood and did the initial reports on both her and Peanut, but need to pay it upon receipt..
As you can see by the above pictures, we are flooding and I need to get the barn fixed asap. Apparently when the buildings were moved, the roof was damaged. I need to hire someone asap to fix it. Mercedes and her (unborn) baby will need it to stay dry and warm until we can head home. The nursery building is insulated and it has to be fixed asap to avoid mold etc.
PLEASE help if you can as diesel is off the charts and I need to get this wrapped up and get everyone home safely before winter really kicks in.
As you can also tell, Mercedes is finally looking very healthy, along with being pregnant, and she is definitely eating for 2?. Tarzan, Kaitlyn, Brad, Sundancer, and Peanut have all been adopted.
YOU have helped save 82 horses this year. THANK YOU!
Please call 509-773-0369 if you would like to help with the vet bill.
THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HAS BEEN HELPING SAVE THESE PRECIOUS LIVES
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.
SPARKLES Update – As I write this, the tears are streaming once again. My heart is literally shattered and I am wondering if I can really keep doing this.
I was firing up the truck to go pick up Sparkles, and heard “Doc needs to talk to you 1st”. My heart felt like it was exploding. I knew it was not good news. Sparkles had crashed again and this time it was too much.
I rushed down to the vet and my heart broke. Her eyes were covered in a blue film and were almost vacant. She whinnied once, but then almost seemed catatonic. I wrapped my arms around her sobbing like a child. I was so angry, and I am still so angry. I prayed so hard and I still don’t know why God didn’t let me keep her. Sometimes it is just too much and I don’t know how to keep breathing. There is no justification for her condition. It is beyond comprehension.
All I know is our beautiful girl now knows no pain. She is not suffering and she died wrapped in love. The hurt is beyond words.
I do have some news regarding her that I will share later. It is important and no one will want to miss it.
Peanut is doing well,PTL! but my big concern at this moment is the vet bill. (Thank you everyone who donated for sparkles. She was buried with love and respect thanks to y’all).. It is at $3000 including all the donations but NOT her euthanasia or burial or tests that were needed.
As you can see, Mercedes is a whale, and she is showing small signs that she might actually deliver???? My concern is that the baby seems to be huge, and IF I NEED TO CALL DOC, The vet bill has to be paid down asap.
I don’t know anything else to do but ask folks to step up and help. I don’t want Mercedes to suffer because we tried so hard to help Sparkles.
I am praying she has an easy delivery, but I NEED to have access to emergency vet care if it is needed. Time will be of the essence. Hopefully she will be fine, but we need to be prepared.
THANK YOU EVERYONE WHO has been helping save these lives, and for helping Sparkles know love and have a full tummy for a few weeks before passing on. She was a Mama’s girl and followed me everywhere. Her loss is devastating.
Please call 509-773-0369 if you would like to help with the vet bill.
THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HAS BEEN HELPING SAVE THESE PRECIOUS LIVES
Our gratitude for our donors, volunteers, and supporters is immense. Your contributions make a difference in the lives of horses each and every day!
Thank you for making possible the work we each day.
Gabby Update!
Though Gabby looks like a completely different horse than the emaciated, sickly mare that came in earlier this year, this beautiful red head has had challenge after challenge. If you aren’t familiar, Gabby came to AAE through law enforcement. She arrived with chronic eye and sinus infections. She had a space (diastema) between two teeth and an opening in her gums that extended into her sinus. When she chewed, food packed into the space and ultimately pushed into the sinus. She went in for surgery to extract a tooth to prevent ongoing food packing and to allow the fistula to close. Once sedated and preparing to extract the first tooth, the fistula was much larger than anticipated, and the tooth on the opposite side of the fistula needed to be removed, as well. As a result, she had an extended hospitalization so her sinus could be flushed regularly to eliminate food collecting again in her sinus while the fistula healed/closed.
Since surgery, Gabby has continued to battle the chronic eye infection which was likely a result of the chronic sinus infection. Ultimately, the long term infection caused a dry eye and recurrent ulcers despite ongoing treatment and various medications. Thankfully, the fistula closed, and the sinus infection has resolved, but the eye irritation/infection continues, though it is slowly improving.
Gabby initially tested negative for Cushing’s disease at intake. With the chronic infection, she was tested again. This time, she was positive and started daily medication. She has also experienced multiple hoof abscesses, the worst coming during the Mosquito fire evacuation. Radiographs of her front hooves identified not one, but two old fractures. One at the tip of her left coffin bone, the other at a wing of her right front coffin bone. Corrective shoes were placed to support her. Needless to say, this sweet girl is having a heck of a time overcoming all of her issues.
Please send some healing energies her way.
Of course, Gabby’s extended hospital stay and ongoing issues have been a big hit to our vet budget. If you are able to help Gabby’s costs, we’d greatly appreciate it.
Elliot is doing well, healing and growing! In case you don’t know, Elliott is a ~19 month old captive bred mustang. He came to AAE because he couldn’t urinate normally and needed surgery to reconfigure his sheath. His prior family didn’t know he had congenital issues causing his sheath and penis to develop abnormally. He also has no palpable testicles.
Elliott had a condition called preputial stenosis, which caused his penis to be trapped inside his sheath. When he urinated, urine was also trapped in his sheath so he would dribble urine causing scalding of his sheath, belly, and legs. Sadly, his breeder could have had this easily repaired when he was a foal. Instead, he passed him on to an unsuspecting family that wanted to help him. Another vet suggested he was possibly a hermaphrodite and there was no penis.
Fast forward, AAE was contacted for help, and Elliott had surgery to reconfigure his sheath and free Willy. Turns out, Elliott’s penis is about half the size of a normal horse, and it is partially attached inside his sheath. However, surgery went well, and Elliott is healing now. Because AAE evacuated during the Mosquito Fire (just to be safe), Elliott had an extended stay at the hospital to minimize stress (his and our) and to assure he got needed care and treatment. Ell is back in Pilot Hill and starting to act like a young, playful colt (good and bad, lol). Once his sheath heals, we need to go searching for the jewels, bloodwork indicates there is still some hiding going on…at least one undescended testicle. A follow up surgery will be scheduled once he’s healed and ready to go.
Due to Elliott’s extended hospital stay, we’re just a little bit short on his fundraising for his initial surgery, and he has a follow up surgery in the near future. We’ll update costs as soon as we schedule.
Sadly, our Danny-boy left us last month. We’ve all got empty spots in our hearts from missing this sweet ol’ man. Danny came to AAE in 2017 when his family was experiencing a health crisis. He was 27 and had been with his human mom his entire life. Unfortunately, she was unable to continue providing care for him and had to make a painful decision in his best interest. Fortunately for AAE, we got to spend the next five years enjoying this guy’s big heart. Danny was a favorite to many volunteers and visitors. He wooed them all with his shoulder hug. Danny would greet everyone at every opportunity by putting his head upon their shoulder. It was the warmest, fuzziest feeling. He didn’t have a mean bone in his body, and he could stand at anyone’s shoulder 24-hours. Danny’s hugs were endless, and as was everyone’s love for him.
Danny had more than his share of ups and downs the last couple years. He battled with an unknown intestinal issue. None of the many diagnostics and vet visits we utilized were able to pinpoint the issue, but it was akin to IBS or maybe some type of cancer. He overcame a few bouts of laminitis, and he had several skin infections. Regardless, Danny has been a valiant fighter, and he always rebounded with great spirit. Never did we question his will to live, and thankfully, his time here in Pilot Hill has been very good. Most recently, Danny’s appetite was waning, and he lost considerable weight the past few months. That said, he was happy, full of energy, and full of life. He loved his turnouts in the corner pasture with the “special” herd. He frolicked, he ran, he raced. Though his 32 years were catching up to him, nothing suggested he was ready to go. Maybe he knew. My last check in with him was only hours before he passed. He was his normal full of pep Danny. He smiled, he gave me a little “what for”, and we said good night. I never imagined that would be the last time. He left us in the night; he chose the time and way he would go. All indications suggest he passed quick and easy. For all of that, I am beyond grateful. At 32 and his body weight waning, we all knew the time was coming, but his life was good through the very end. Thank you, Danny, you made this world very special for all you touched and you will be missed greatly. Run free ol’ boy, run free.
Like many of our resident horses, Danny was cremated so we could bring him home to rest with AAE and all of our volunteers. If you’d like to help with Danny’s cremation costs or make a donation in memory of his hugs, we always appreciate the love.
We asked for a caption for this photo, and Red Hot Filly Peppers was the best caption ever! These three lucky girls, Chesney, Clare, and Teea, were adopted as a trio last month. This might well be one of the best adoptions ever! These three captive born mustangs came to AAE from a distressed mustang sanctuary back in summer/fall 2020. They had been living in small paddocks for years, and hadn’t had much handling in years. Their hooves were overgrown, and they had various issues. Shortly after intake, the work began. Handling, haltering, and hoof care, then deworming, dentals, vaccines, and microchips. In time, all were done, and they were learning to trust humans again. It didn’t take long before all three were turned out together. After moving to Pilot Hill, it became very clear the bond among these three was very tight, and we realized we needed to find them a home together. That was no easy task. It’s hard enough to find a home for two bonded horses, let alone three middle-aged mustangs that haven’t been saddle trained! The best we can do is plant the seed, and hope it grows. It did!!! These girls now share five acres on a larger vineyard property. They are a dream come true for their new mom. They will be trained to their potential, and they will help with vegetation management on the vineyard. These three amigas got so lucky!!
First we would like to thank you all for your outpouring of kind responses to our last email in regards to our non profit status being lost. We have met some of the best people through the donkeys and mules and it is definitely one of the biggest perks of what we do. So from the bottoms of our hearts, thank you!
Its a.. GELDING!
Some of you may remember the little intact Jack, Apollo that came to us July of this year. The end of September was the big day he’s been waiting for…ok ok that we have been waiting for.
We brought Apollo to a gelding clinic at that was hosted at Gerdas Equine Rescue Inc. The procedure went smoothly. It will take between one and two months for his hormones to settle down and for him to be safe to be in with other donkeys. After that Apollo can finally have donkey friends! It was quite an adventure of a day and we are very grateful to GER for hosting and to the vets, vet students and vet techs from Tufts University who did all the castrations today and took such great care of our spunky little boy! Congrats Apollo, onto a better happier life with many donkey friends in your future!
Athena
Athena came to the rescue as Apollo’s companion. She was in need of some groceries in addition to vet and farrier care. She is feeling like a new mare now thanks to all of you. We do not usually take in horses, however sometimes they do come with donkey friends. We try to take them in with their ‘ear challenged friends’ to ease everyone’s stress, the owners and the animals peace of mind are what is most important to us. We also took a blood test to make sure there was not a mule baby brewing in her belly, and thankfully there was not.
Galdalf and Wichahpi
Gandalf and Whichahpi are part of the 4 equines we took in from a neglect case in NJ. They went from an auction to a sanctuary that was supposed to give them refuge. But instead they were yet again neglected and watched more of their friends die of neglect. We are very thankful they are with us now and will never know mistreatment like that ever again.
Wichahpi had started becoming progressively more lame as his time went on with us. He’s been gaining weight but loosing muscle mass and was increasingly sore and stiff on one of his back legs.
Wichahpi was seen by our vet to have radiographs done of his leg and back. The consensus is not the good news we were all hoping for unfortunately. Wichahpi has an old injury on his spine that now resembles kissing spine. In addition to this there is severe arthritis in his leg, and an eye issue that is most likely cancer. These are most likely the ‘reasons’ he was originally dumped into the slaughter auction pipeline years ago.
Right now our boy is on some heavy pain killers to help him to stay comfortable. But there are also two other major factors that need to be taken into consideration. His other leg has been bearing all/ most of his weight to compensate for the other injured leg. His “good” leg is breaking down and failing now as well. In addition to that a New England winter would not be kind to put him through with these kind of injuries.
It is only a matter of time before he will not have the chance for a peaceful goodbye, that we beleive all animals deserve.
We will be letting sweet Wichahpi go at the end of October, he will be surrounded by people who love him very much.
Thank you all so much for donating to my Birthday fundraiser last week for Wichahpi. You all made it possible to get the X-rays and blood work done that he needed and a few rounds of his pain meds.
I called Doc this morning as Sparkles was crashing. She could hardly walk as her back legs were buckling, and her head was down and her eyes were dull. She was exhausted!
I was so scared it was over. Doc said to give her a Vitamin Shot and bring her in. She literally couldn’t step up into the trailer and kept trying to drop her back end. We had to find/make a ramp to get her in.
She seemed much more alert and active when we arrived at the vet. The shot was kicking in. Doc and I both want to give her every chance, so we are running blood and hoping for another miracle.
Doc said she looks so much better and they do have bad days.
Our vet bill is huge and we need help asap. I want to be able to give her whatever treatment might help her. She is admitted right now, but I need to get the bill down substantially. Doc has been out here numerous times checking Mercedes, gelding Tarzan and drawing blood for Coggins.
We need SPECIAL HAY and feed for Sparkles and Peanut and I simply am running short on funds.
THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HAS BEEN HELPING SAVE THESE PRECIOUS LIVES!
The evacuation warning was lifted for our area on Sunday, and we moved all of the horses back to Pilot Hill on Tuesday, what a marathon! Since Wednesday, we’ve been reorganizing feed, supplies and equipment in Pilot Hill to get us back in order. We have a bit more equipment to dismantle and supplies to load in El Dorado Hills and return to Pilot Hill. Thankfully, we’re closing the gap to done.
Thank you to everyone for your support and assistance over the past few weeks, and a big shout-out to all of the volunteers that came to the rescue to transport horses, gather and transport feed, equipment and supplies, those who picked up extra feed, everyone that cared for horses in both locations, and those that helped with all the other details! It was definitely a team effort that made this happen.
Our hearts go out to those in our community that lost home and structures, and those that were impacted in other ways. We also have immense gratitude for our firefighters, law enforcement, and their teams that have been working so hard battling this fire and keeping everyone safe! Recent information from Watch Duty indicates the Mosquito Fire is 60% contained, and all evacuation orders and warnings have been lifted, thank goodness. Praying for complete containment and extinguishing the rest of the fire goes quickly and smoothly!
ANOTHER ELL UPDATE!
Due to the fire evacuation warning, Ell remained at Loomis Basin Equine Medical Center for about a week or so after his surgery.
We are happy to announce that Ell is back at AAE, and we are so happy this sweet guy is back home. He has a large surgical site, but he is healing well.
Best of all, when he urinates, urine flows freely and is no longer “trapped” in his sheath. He has at least a few weeks of healing ahead, and once the healing is done, we’ll revisit the search for a testicle or two. Until then, we’re all hoping for quick healing and a speedy recovery. Oh, and we’ve changed his name just a tad, he’s now Elliott! Thank you to everyone that assisted with these efforts for Ell. He is beyond grateful for your donations and support, and so are we!!
Due to his extended stay at LBEMC during the Mosquito Fire, Ell has additional care costs that we were not anticipating. If you’d like to help with those costs, please consider making a donation on his behalf if you can.
LIFE AND DEATH FOR THIS MARE and the ponies. I honestly don’t know if she will survive.
BEYOND STARVED, horribly abused with rotten, maggot infested injuries open to the bone.
I NEED YOUR HELP NOW!! She will obviously need to see Doc, and our funds are the lowest since I began.
We have saved so many, PLEASE HELP ME GIVE HER and the ponies a chance,
URGENT, URGENT, URGENT NEED FOR HELP!
I am here by myself and need to hire some help to get the horses moved home before winter and get things winterized here.
Mercedes has STILL NOT had her little baby. She is making us a bit crazy. Doc has been checking on her and is extremely happy with her over all health. She has improved so much since y’all saved her.
We have a big vet bill and still need to get Tarzan gelded and a couple more horses vetted for Coggins and health Certs.
Sadly Kayvee had to be euthanized by Doc when I was in NV. She came in with so many injuries and the septic joints were her death sentence.
Thank you to the Angel who paid a chunk of the old vet bill. You are amazing.! Sadly there have been more expenses since then, and more to come.
Her baby Kaitlyn is gorgeous and ready to be adopted. PLEASE HELP if you can. With so many lives saved, diesel prices still ridiculous and hay prices so high, it is imperative we cash in on this deal for hay before it goes away.
I so appreciate y’all. We saved these lives, now let’s take good care of them and get as many placed as possible.
THANK YOU! I am in a serious bind and cannot do this without you! I need to pay for the hay so we don’t lose this deal.
I know everyone is tired of the 911’s and emergencies. So am I! But they are not my emergencies. They belong to the life of each and every horse you help save!
THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HAS BEEN HELPING SAVE THESE PRECIOUS LIVES!
The BOD of SYA was shocked to learn that we have lost our non-profit status. This has happened due to the fact that our FORMER treasurer had not been filing paperwork properly or in a timely manner.
To say we are shocked as well as devastated does not come close to describing our feelings.
We are making this public because as always we want our business to remain transparent to all of our supporters.
We are in the process of having our status reinstated as an honorable and trustworthy 501-c 3.
We WILL regain our non-profit status. This temporary setback will not impact our donors who have donated or continue to donate to SYA.
We understand that we will probably lose some of our valued supporters due to this unfortunate business. This could not have come at a worse time as donations are at an all-time low and it is the time of year when many folks need to surrender their animals.
We will keep you informed as things progress, and will continue with our normal updates on the farm.
Thank you in advance for your understanding, and for sticking with us through thick and thin.
Ann Firestone
Our website will be out of date until further notice for our website to be updated and remodeled into the 21st century!
If you have any questions or would like to know who is available for adoption please visit our Instagram or our Facebook pages where we regularly post who is available. Or if you have any other questions please contact me (Hannah) by email: SYALER@icloud.com
or by phone Monday – Friday between 9am and 5pm at 603-762-2073 (call or text).
As most of you know the rescue is going through big changes. Ann is in the process of retiring after running and housing the rescue on her and her husbands property for close to 20 years, and Hannah Allen is continuing to take over and continue Ann’s amazing work of rescuing long ears after learning from Ann for the past 7 years.
In addition to this the rescue will be looking for a new location, and we have started a savings account to buy the rescue it’s own home. Ann and Jeff are staying on their current property, they are not moving.
The goal is for Hannah and her husband to buy a piece of property to live and house the rescue. You can still order merchandise through our merch page, if you have any problems doing so please reach out to the contact info listed above.
If you would like to follow us on social media, see our Amazon wish list or want to check out our website and testimonials, please click the link below that will take you to our Linktree.
Hi y’all, It is CRUNCH TIME! 40 Horses need feed and care!
I want to thank you for helping save so many lives. However, we are now sitting on 40 horses between Camp Chilly Pepper and at home.
We NEED to purchase hay immediately, and have an amazing opportunity to stock up for winter at a big discount. However, we need approximately $8500 to secure hay for the next few months and to get part of it hauled to NV.
It is so hard to get any kind of deals on hay, so I definitely do not want to lose this one!
We currently have 3 PREGNANT MARES, & 2 starvation cases and they need lots of good feed and groceries.
I am here by myself and need to hire some help to get the horses moved home before winter and get things winterized here.
Mercedes has STILL NOT had her little baby. She is making us a bit crazy. Doc has been checking on her and is extremely happy with her over all health. She has improved so much since y’all saved her.
We have a big vet bill and still need to get Tarzan gelded and a couple more horses vetted for Coggins and health Certs.
Sadly Kayvee had to be euthanized by Doc when I was in NV. She came in with so many injuries and the septic joints were her death sentence.
Thank you to the Angel who paid a chunk of the old vet bill. You are amazing.! Sadly there have been more expenses since then, and more to come.
Her baby Kaitlyn is gorgeous and ready to be adopted. PLEASE HELP if you can. With so many lives saved, diesel prices still ridiculous and hay prices so high, it is imperative we cash in on this deal for hay before it goes away.
I so appreciate y’all. We saved these lives, now let’s take good care of them and get as many placed as possible.
THANK YOU! I am in a serious bind and cannot do this without you! I need to pay for the hay so we don’t lose this deal.
I know everyone is tired of the 911’s and emergencies. So am I! But they are not my emergencies. They belong to the life of each and every horse you help save!
THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HAS BEEN HELPING SAVE THESE PRECIOUS LIVES!
We wanted to give everyone an update on our situation with the Mosquito Fire. We would much rather be in a position to support our community right now, but instead, AAE’s Pilot Hill property is in the outer (southwesterly) edge of the evacuation warning area. When Cool went into Evacuation Warning late Thursday, that was our cue to go. Thanks to tremendous support from our volunteers and the community, we were able to quickly mobilize equipment, feed, and supplies to set-up an evacuation location at our old home in El Dorado Hills. We wrapped up about 2a Friday after setting up and transporting 18 horses. On Friday, we moved another 14 horses, along with some additional equipment and supplies. Our three minis are with our volunteer mini mom. We have 18 mustangs, three cows, two pigs, two cats, and our Speedy remaining in Pilot Hill. All are in confined areas and ready to go if there’s any shift in the fire in our direction.
We are a little bit below the blue dot in the photo above, about 13 miles from the edge of the fire and feel relatively safe, we made the decision to start moving horses on Thursday because of the time it would take to relocate 50+ animals in the event of a mandatory evacuation. We’d rather be safe than sorry!
The current challenge is staffing care shifts at two locations. If any of our experienced volunteers are able to help with feed and care of the horses, either at Pilot Hill or El Dorado Hills, we would appreciate the extra help. Please sign up here (VolunteerLocal).
If you do not have substantial experience volunteering with AAE yet or you have been out of the loop for an extended period, please send an email to volunteer@allaboutequine.org prior to signing up. Unfortunately, reality is that trying to train new volunteers, or re-train volunteers, with limited support can be more difficult than helpful.
Our thoughts and hearts go out to all of those impacted by the fire, as well as all of our firefighters, law enforcement, and their families, as they work hard to keep us safe.
A huge THANK YOU to LEES’ FEED for delivering a much needed feed order to us in El Dorado Hills on short notice yesterday. We were running low, and none of our volunteers were available to transfer from PH, but Lees’ came through for us, big time. Our horses are content and adapting well to all of the changes.
ELL UPDATE!!
Ell is doing well after his surgery. He was supposed to come home to AAE on Friday, but due to the fire situation, he is getting an extended stay at Loomis Basin Equine Medical Center until we are better able to support his post-op care in light of our short staffing.
Due to his prolonged stay, Ell will have additional care costs that we were not anticipating. If you’d like to help with those costs, please consider making a donation on his behalf.
Today is Ell’s surgery day. We have lab results, too, which showed testosterone and anti-mullerian hormone levels were consistent with the presence of functional testicular tissue. Sadly, this means he’ll likely need another surgery to remove a “hidden” testicle. Though he doesn’t have a penis (as far as we know now), considering a future adoption, this will help prevent stud-like behavior as he matures.
Please keep him in your thoughts today, and send some prayers his way for a successful procedure and recovery. We will share photos and updates on his progress on a special Ell webpage! (You can also read more about his story there, too.)
If you are able, please consider making a donation to help with Ell’s surgery and post-surgery care costs. We have haven’t quite hit the halfway point of his fundraising goal yet. Please help if you can.
If you received an email similar to this, I apologize. I have a glitch and only some information was update.
ANOTHER CALL in the middle of my update…… Can we save Mama & Baby?
YOU DID IT – We saved 15 more lives! But now I need to finish getting them vetted, gelded and ready for their new homes, as well as feed them.
As you can clearly see, Mercedes needs to be monitored from now until her birthing takes place.
Please notice how huge Mercedes is. Doc is extremely happy with how healthy she is overall, but we need help asap to make sure she stays happy and well.
Chilly Pepper was invited to the Cowboy Expo in Fallon, Nevada to share our Rescue and spread awareness of the plight of so many of our beloved horses. I committed to going months ago, so now I cannot break my promise. All I want to do is stay with Mercedes until I know the baby/babies are born and all are happy and healthy, but you are only as good as your word and I committed to going.
MERCEDES is a small horse, and could possibly be carrying a very large foal or twins. She needs to go to Goldendale Veterinary Clinic while I am gone.
I cannot risk her being here while I am gone if she goes into labor and has twins or the baby is too large. We have been through so much and the right thing for her is to be at the Vet’s until I get back.
Board itself is not a huge expense, but our current vet bill is $4500+ It has to be paid down substantially by this weekend for me to drop her off.
The alternative would be a 12 hour trailer ride, and that is obviously NOT ACCEPTABLE.
YOU made it possible to save 15 more lives AFTER Smokey.
Please help us secure feed, vetting, gelding & everything needed for the YOU SAVED, so they can be adopted.
3 of the Stallions and a mare were adopted out. 5 babies are adopted and at their new homes, one from here and 4 adopted out through Dustin Time Rescue in Idaho.
We still have way too many horses and there are ALREADY MORE WAITING TO BE SAVED We need to buy grain, and feed for the horses that are here. We did the easy part, saving them, but now I desperately need help feeding and to finish vetting them. We only have one more stallion to geld, and a few more Coggins to pull from this group..
Smokey, the starved Stallion who was thrown away on the reservation to die is doing well, but also needed to be gelded and we had to get his & other hoofers trimmed last week as well. With saving so many lives the expenses are huge.
Just so folks know – On one of the trailer loads of horses recently shipped to Slaughter, (NOT OUR HORSES), the LOWEST PRICE WAS $650 and the HIGHEST price was over $2000. Meat prices have SKYROCKETED along with everything else.
Another heartbreak – Doc had to euthanize one of our littles. In a freak incident, she was scared so badly, she ran headlong into the panels, causing devastating injury. She was treated for the external injuries but ended up in too much pain and unable to stand on her leg and stopped eating and drinking. Doc came back out to end her suffering.. These babies are so tough but oh so fragile. My heart is again shattered.
I know everyone is tired of the 911’s and emergencies. So am I! But they are not my emergencies. They belong to the life of each and every horse you help save!
THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HAS BEEN HELPING SAVE THESE PRECIOUS LIVES!
ANOTHER CALL in the middle of my update…… Can we save Mama & Baby?
YOU DID IT – We saved 15 more lives! But now I need to finish getting them vetted, gelded and ready for their new homes, as well as feed them.
As you can clearly see, Mercedes needs to be monitored from now until her birthing takes place.
Please notice how huge Mercedes is. Doc is extremely happy with how healthy she is overall, but we need help asap to make sure she stays happy and well.
Chilly Pepper was invited to the Cowboy Expo in Fallon, Nevada to share our Rescue and spread awareness of the plight of so many of our beloved horses. I committed to going months ago, so now I cannot break my promise. All I want to do is stay with Mercedes until I know the baby/babies are born and all are happy and healthy, but you are only as good as your word and I committed to going.
MERCEDES is a small horse, and could possibly be carrying a very large foal or twins. She needs to go to Goldendale Veterinary Clinic while I am gone.
I cannot risk her being here while I am gone if she goes into labor and has twins or the baby is too large. We have been through so much and the right thing for her is to be at the Vet’s until I get back.
Board itself is not a huge expense, but our current vet bill is $4500+ It has to be paid down substantially by this weekend for me to drop her off.
The alternative would be a 12 hour trailer ride, and that is obviously NOT ACCEPTABLE.
YOU made it possible to save 15 more lives AFTER Smokey.
Please help us secure feed, vetting, gelding & everything needed for the YOU SAVED, so they can be adopted.
3 of the Stallions and a mare were adopted out. 5 babies are adopted and at their new homes, one from here and 4 adopted out through Dustin Time Rescue in Idaho.
We still have way too many horses and there are ALREADY MORE WAITING TO BE SAVED We need to buy grain, and feed for the horses that are here. We did the easy part, saving them, but now I desperately need help feeding and to finish vetting them. We only have one more stallion to geld, and a few more Coggins to pull from this group..
Smokey, the starved Stallion who was thrown away on the reservation to die is doing well, but also needed to be gelded and we had to get his & other hoofers trimmed last week as well. With saving so many lives the expenses are huge.
Just so folks know – On one of the trailer loads of horses recently shipped to Slaughter, (NOT OUR HORSES), the LOWEST PRICE WAS $650 and the HIGHEST price was over $2000. Meat prices have SKYROCKETED along with everything else.
Another heartbreak – Doc had to euthanize one of our littles. In a freak incident, she was scared so badly, she ran headlong into the panels, causing devastating injury. She was treated for the external injuries but ended up in too much pain and unable to stand on her leg and stopped eating and drinking. Doc came back out to end her suffering.. These babies are so tough but oh so fragile. My heart is again shattered.
I know everyone is tired of the 911’s and emergencies. So am I! But they are not my emergencies. They belong to the life of each and every horse you help save!
THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HAS BEEN HELPING SAVE THESE PRECIOUS LIVES!
Don’t forgot to leave a note in the special instructions box that your gift is for Ell!
About Ell: Ell is a young, captive bred/born mustang, only about 18 months old. Ell has an entire life ahead. With everyone’s help, we can make sure Ell has the best chance at a pain free life. Initial surgery and care costs (e.g. hospitalization, diagnostics, meds, vaccines, exams, etc.) are in the $2500 to $3000 range, barring any complications. If another surgery is needed, we’ll keep you updated and revisit funding, if necessary.
Surgery is scheduled September 6, 2022, after Ell finishes a round of antibiotics.
Can you help Ell? This sweet lil’ mustang deserves it!
There are so many horses in need right now, if we can all do a little to help the ones we can, together, we will all be able to make a difference for that many more.
This video has a few new clips than the one in our original email so be sure to watch.
Meet Our Newest Herd Member-in-Need!
Ellie recently arrived at AAE after a local family reached out for help. They “rescued” young Ell when they got “the ugly colt” for free from a backyard breeder. They were told he needed “a little” cosmetic surgery. They felt really bad for the skinny little guy and wanted to get him out of there. Sadly, the breeder didn’t take responsibility for the “little” issue and passed it on to the unsuspecting family. They really wanted to help.
After meeting with two different vets right away and trying to help Ell, they realized this was more than a “little” surgery. There was concern Ell might be a hermaphrodite, and it could be more complicated than cosmetic. After several months of trying to meet Ell’s needs, they realized it was more than they could manage. They wanted the best chance for Ell and reached out to AAE for help.
You see, Ell was born with a congenital abnormality – Ell has a sheath, but it appears he doesn’t have a penis (though, there’s a chance it’s stuck inside him or it’s not where it belongs). For now, we assume Ell is a colt, but missing his part. We’re waiting for updated blood results to check testosterone levels. Could there be hidden testicles, too?
Ell is able to pass urine, but big surprise, without a penis, Ell can’t urinate normally. Urine dribbles from his sheath almost continuously. Sadly, the urine scalds Ell’s skin around his sheath, down his belly, and down his legs. Poor little thing, it’s so painful. Though we do what we can to minimize the scalding, it’s painful being treated, too.
Ell needs surgery to remove some of his sheath to allow urine to flow freely. Depending on blood results, a second surgery may be in store. For now, we’ll focus on fixing the sheath.
All things considered, Ell is the sweetest little thing. That said, Ell has some strong opinions about things and wasn’t very good with hoof handling. Considering sheath cleanings and scalding, it’s understandable. He’s learning to give his hooves, and we’re working on the basics, too, like trimming his hooves, vaccines, and a change in diet to help him put on a little weight. Ell’s already come a long way in a short time at AAE. Let’s give him a chance!
If you’re able to help Ell have a better life, please make a donation toward his surgery and care costs on his behalf.
Ellie recently arrived at AAE after a local family reached out for help. They “rescued” young Ell when they got “the ugly colt” for free from a backyard breeder. They were told he needed “a little” cosmetic surgery. They felt really bad for the skinny little guy and wanted to get him out of there. Sadly, the breeder didn’t take responsibility for the “little” issue and passed it on to the unsuspecting family. They really wanted to help.
After meeting with two different vets right away and trying to help Ell, they realized this was more than a “little” surgery. There was concern Ell might be a hermaphrodite, and it could be more complicated than cosmetic. After several months of trying to meet Ell’s needs, they realized it was more than they could manage. They wanted the best chance for Ell and reached out to AAE for help.
You see, Ell was born with a congenital abnormality – Ell has a sheath, but it appears he doesn’t have a penis (though, there’s a chance it’s stuck inside him or it’s not where it belongs). For now, we assume Ell is a colt, but missing his part. We’re waiting for updated blood results to check testosterone levels. Could there be hidden testicles, too?
Ell is able to pass urine, but big surprise, without a penis, Ell can’t urinate normally. Urine dribbles from his sheath almost continuously. Sadly, the urine scalds Ell’s skin around his sheath, down his belly, and down his legs. Poor little thing, it’s so painful. Though we do what we can to minimize the scalding, it’s painful being treated, too.
Ell needs surgery to remove some of his sheath to allow urine to flow freely. Depending on blood results, a second surgery may be in store. For now, we’ll focus on fixing the sheath.
All things considered, Ell is the sweetest little thing. That said, Ell has some strong opinions about things and wasn’t very good with hoof handling. Considering sheath cleanings and scalding, it’s understandable. He’s learning to give his hooves, and we’re working on the basics, too, like trimming his hooves, vaccines, and a change in diet to help him put on a little weight. Ell’s already come a long way in a short time at AAE. Let’s give him a chance!
If you’re able to help Ell have a better life, please make a donation toward his surgery and care costs on his behalf.
Yesterday was too much. I saw “Angel” who was another “DUMPED HORSE”. Starved, abused and thrown away to die a horrible death, alone and wondering what he did wrong . My contact went out to see if we could save Angel, but someone had already ended his suffering. What a HORRIBLE way to die, alone and thrown out. My heart is shattered into a billion pieces.
_MEANWHILE – Another urgent 911
Smokey was neglected, abused and starved. Who throws away a horse, LOOSE, on a MAJOR HIGHWAY?
Smokey was literally running down the middle of Hwy 97.
God timed it perfectly for Matt to arrive on scene and catch the horse, tie it to the State Trooper’s bumper and head back to get a trailer to pick him up.
The proper authorities were contacted. (It is ILLEGAL to take a horse off the reservation without permission) and he is now at Chilly Pepper.
Doc is heading out today. SMOKEY NEEDS YOUR HELP NOW!
We NEED more Hay, Grain and Supplements for these precious animals.
I know everyone is tired of the 911’s and emergencies. So am I! But they are not my emergencies. They belong to the life of each and every horse you help save!
THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HAS BEEN HELPING SAVE THESE PRECIOUS LIVES!
Last night when we arrived to pick up Tuesday’s Treasurers, I was told there are 5 new babies.
WILL YOU HELP US SAVE THEM TOO? I so need to buy more hay, grain etc., Right now I have 17 horses BEFORE we bring home this new group.
I have a wonderful Angel that has pledged to help save them, but I have to make sure we can care for them properly. One of them has boogered up his /her little face, and may need some vet care.
PLEASE HELP ME GET THESE BABIES. I am heading out as soon as I feed the kids here.
We NEED HAY & FEED, so before I can pick up more horses I need to make sure we can feed them all.
We had a flat tire last night, and the spare tire had some tiny cracks so we didn’t want to risk hauling so much weight. God works in mysterious ways as we now have a chance to save the additional 5 if we can raise funds for some feed and to get them home safely.
It’s up to you, YOU Choose – Life or Death for these horses??? PLEASE Help!
I know everyone is tired of the 911’s and emergencies. So am I! But they are not my emergencies. They belong to the life of each and every horse you help save. I can’t look at these faces and picture them being butchered alive. It’s too much to bear. So I am their voice as much as I can be, and y’all are their saviors!
THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HAS BEEN HELPING SAVE THESE PRECIOUS LIVES!
SPARKLES Update
LIFE AND DEATH FOR THIS MARE and the ponies. I honestly don’t know if she will survive.
You can still order merchandise through our merch page, if you have any problems doing so please reach out to the contact info listed above.
A huge THANK YOU to 
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