WE DID IT – One more miracle for the Chilly Pepper – Miracle Mustang Family, and that is – YOU! Each and Every Single Person who donated, shared and prayed for these amazing horses is part of Chilly Pepper.THANK YOU & GOD BLESS YOU!
We were extremely lucky that one of my friends stepped up and she and her husband took 14 of the stallions to their place for foster care. They will be helping us get them gelded and gentled so they can be placed in their forever homes.
So now I will only have 14 stallions at Chilly Pepper LOL.
I cannot begin to thank everyone for stepping up. We did not raise enough funds for the gelding, but for now they are safe, and that was definitely the most important aspect to worry about. We will just have to deal with that when we get them home.
Below is Kahlua. She is a 2 year old? filly who came off the range with a horrible injury. It appears as though she fought with a branch? She has a huge and oh so deep gash. Due to the fact it has been there for some time, the infection has spread to her chest and legs. However, she was seen by the vet and is on antibiotics and being treated.
When she came through the chute, I told the guys I wanted her loaded straight into my trailer. They laughed and said “Oh – you gonna just stick a halter on her?” She had a halter on the next day while standing at liberty. She is extremely intelligent, sweet and knew she needed help. She loves to play in the hose while I am hosing her injury off and we would appreciate prayers for her. If this treatment plan does not work, or even if it works but still needs help, we will take her to our vet when we get home.
THANK YOU – THANK YOU – THANK YOU for saving these 44 horses.
Together (just in the past month or so) we have saved the mare and foal, 49 last time and 44 this time. ALL BECAUSE OF YOUR BEAUTIFUL HEARTS AND LOVE AND SUPPORT.
Together, you are making miracles happen!
However, I have been “grounded”. We need to stay home and get these stallions gelded and the more of the horses at Chilly Pepper placed before we can bring more in. We have to be responsible. Once we get the 6 acres fenced it will allow for more horses to be saved.
There are more round ups going to happen. So we will work as quickly and diligently as we can to get these kids placed.
Thank you for continuing to help us save these lives. It takes a village…
If you want to help You can go to You Caring – to help us keep saving lives..
We are on scene in Yakama WA. ALL of this group can be saved, but we need a bit more help.
There are 18 stallions, (instead of the 6 we were told about). So we need to raise more funds so we will be able to pull them and have funds for feeding and gelding them so we can find them homes.
The vet will be here at 10:45 a.m. this morning, so we need to know who needs their Coggins (blood work) done. I have to let the vet know who we are saving. Even if we don’t get enough to cover all of the gelding, if we can raise $3,000 more thousand dollars, – we will have a total of 44 horses and WE CAN SAVE EVERY SINGLE ONE.
Unfortunately we were not planning for and do not have the budget for this many stallions. But with a bit more help we CAN DO THIS.
LET’S MAKE ANOTHER MIRACLE!
(This is it for Chilly Pepper until we have these big kids placed.) We will be able to get babies, but we need to get these homed before bringing in more large groups. So let’s make this trip count!)
If you want to help You can go to You Caring – to help us keep saving lives..
NO HORSE LEFT BEHIND! – 49 Mustangs Saved from Slaughter!
Yes 49…. WE DID IT!!! Thanks to everyone who stepped up we were able to save the lives of ALL 49 mustangs we were called to help.After these mustangs are rounded up, we get a courtesy phone call and we are the only chance they have to avoid being shipped directly to slaughter.
Initially we were not supposed to bring any horses back to Chilly Pepper – Miracle Mustang. But how do you look deep into the eyes of the stallions and simply walk away. CPMM is one of the few places who can take on wild stallions, and no one else was going to step up. As they stood there patiently staring at me, the decision was made.
How can you walk away from horses you CAN save, and look in the mirror? Yes, it makes things extremely difficult at times, and is much more expensive as we incur the gelding costs before we can place them, not to mention stallions can be a lot of work. However, the only alternative was to look at them and say “nope – you are too much trouble – die a horrible death”, and it was not an option as we did have the capability of saving them.
So not one horse was left behind – this time…. Unfortunately I have already been warned the phone will be ringing again in a week or two.
But right now we need to concentrate on our orphans, and getting our boys gelded. We cannot place them without them being gelded which means none of the next group of stallions have any chance to be saved.
We now have 3 babies who are on Foal Lac Powder ($149 per bag if we drive 3 hours to pick it up.) They are also on Foal Lac Pellets, ($99 per bag) and we are supplementing with Baby Goat’s milk as it is less expensive and easy to digest and has lots of fat. Add to that their hay, grain and medical care and it eats up the budget quickly.
I am really praying hard that some of the monies that were “promised” for this last rescue come through. We had some folks pledge enough money to make this possible without total devastation to our entire budget.
Unfortunately those funds have not yet arrived, which means our budget is nearly depleted. So until these funds are replaced, we won’t be able to save the next group. The cost of this rescue averaged about $250 (per horse) x 49, which is pretty good when you consider that covers saving them, vetting them, delivering them safely to their new homes and all fuel costs.
Unfortunately, this does not include feeding and caring for the stallions or getting them vetted. We need to buy hay asap. The horses came in pretty thin and beat up and they need extra groceries.
What makes things even harder is that Chilly Pepper – Miracle Mustang, (and all of YOU who helped save the 900+), spent thousands to save the horses at ISPMB. All the funds were supposed to be reimbursed when we went the second time, but we all know how expensive rescue is. It simply did not happen. So our funds were already depleted immeasurably.
However, that was a successful life saving rescue for over 700 horses. There are still horses left, and we offered to place more through Chilly Pepper. However, due to things beyond our control, that did not happen. So although together we helped save over 700, as many as 100+ may face a “merciful end to their lives”. This sounds horrible, and breaks my heart, but at least none of them will face slaughter like the ones we are rescuing at this time.
There is no choice of where to concentrate at this point. A quick painless end to life or a devastating trip through slaughter, where they are often butchered while still alive – the answer is clear – save as many of the Yakama ponies as we can.
Kim Clark took 25 of the mares and foals at “A Little Piece of Heaven” in Idaho. She is a huge part of our success as she is part of the team that finds homes for these horses.
Wendy & Mike Hanson at Mountain Ranch Equine Rehab took 8 to gentle and match up with “their person”. They work with troubled youth and are using some of the wild ones for therapy for some of our amazing heroes (our beloved veterans).
Kayleen and Clint, out of Oregon, took on 5 fillies and young mares to train and re-home, and we have 10 stallions and a mare at Chilly Pepper.
(We like folks to know that they are actually safe!)
Below, meet the newest orphan “My Heart in the Sky” aka SKY for short, with Rocky and no-name in the background (My niece is picking “no-name” out a very special name. lol) Sky is named after our beloved friend Les Stedronsky, may she rest in all God’s glory. We love you and we miss you so, Les!
THANK YOU FOR MAKING THIS HAPPEN! We so appreciate the love and support and I am working on Thank You’s as quickly as I can. We still need your help. So please let’s keep saving lives. Together we are making a difference!
If you want to help You can go to You Caring – to help us keep saving lives..
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) recently requested that the 2018 budget lift the ban on destroying healthy mustangs and burros. If the ban is lifted, all horses and burros in holding facilities will be killed or sold for slaughter. And most of the remaining wild horse population will be slaughtered, possibly even through aerial gunning in the wild.
Here’s the bottom line: 92,000 healthy horses will die if this ban is lifted.
It’s time to fight back against this senseless slaughter. Thousands of you have already made your voices heard. Now, we’re launching a new campaign: #NoHorseSlaughter. But we need your help to spread the word.
We’re going to take our message to every member of Congress and make sure they know what’s at stake. We can’t let the BLM undertake an unprecedented mass slaughter of our nation’s healthy wild horses and burros.
Congress is likely to decide the future of our nation’s iconic wild horse population in the next two weeks, which means these next few days will be critical. We’re going to take the fight to them — both in their districts when their on recess and back on Capitol Hill. With your help, we’re going to make sure they know that America is standing up for #NoHorseSlaughter.
* Pictured above – 14 Alpacas saved by Chilly Pepper – Miracle Mustang, Equine Rescue & MORE
ANOTHER CALL FOR HELP –
18 MORE wild mustang lives on the line – do we save them, or walk away?? We want to save them, but WE NEED YOUR HELP ASAP! We only have a couple of days.
So many times folks ask us “Why didn’t you save the mares?”. “Why did they go to slaughter?”
The answer has always been “because we DID NOT have a choice”.But today, OUR CHOICE IS YOUR CHOICE !
THIS TIME we have the power….As long as we can raise enough funds, we can save ALL 18, and pick up mares and foals, instead of orphans.
If we do not pick them up, they will ship directly (except for the babies that are too small, and if they are lucky and survive, they will come home alone and heart broken). Let’s keep them safe!!
I am hoping that folks will want to help us save the mares, so we don’t have to pick up more orphans. No horse deserves to go to slaughter, but it is twice as bad when not only do the mares die a horrific death, but their babies are stripped off their mothers.
These horses do not go to auction. The ONLY chance they have for life is if we pick them up and find them homes. God put this in front of us again, so here we go.
(Honestly, I was hoping to not do the Yakama horses this year, but I simply cannot just walk away when we can make a difference.)
One of the really great things is that although our rescue incurs the costs up front, we have been very blessed with the folks we work with in placing these horses. We pay to “save them”, get their Coggins, Health Certificates and Brand Inspections. We incur the costs of picking them up and moving them where they need to be so they can get the training they need for a successful and happy future. This saves so much money as they are no longer on our books.
Many times they come to our rescue for a short time, but most of them are not here long term. This saves a huge amount of expenses by not “hoarding them” and placing them as soon as we can. We normally only offer sanctuary to special needs cases, and even then we place them as often as we can.
These 18 horses ALL have a place to go. NONE of these will be coming back to Chilly Pepper. Of course there may be others in the trailer lol, you just never know.
So PLEASE help us save these beautiful souls. As always, Matt and I are willing to do whatever we can, but we need your help!
Thank you for all you do. Our name is Chilly Pepper – Miracle Mustang, Equine Rescue & More, and this last week we did “MORE”. We received a call from a lady who lost her husband and had no place for her 14 Alpacas to go. We placed 11 of them in Idaho and we have the “special needs”, blind one and his two buddies here at Chilly Pepper. For now, we will be sharing them as part of our “petting zoo” when kids, (of all ages lol) come to visit.
Snowball is blind and needs his lil hoofers done quite badly. But now it is time to focus on the wild mustangs that need our help once again.
Shown below are Anika and Midnight Onyx, our Blind ISPMB horses who are now inseparable. They are very happy and enjoying their lives. Midnightno longer is stressed and wanting to fight. It brings joy every time I see them.
If you want to help You can go to You Caring – to help us keep saving lives..
Quick update. – As usual, the information we received when we get a call usually changes by the time we actually pick up. This time was no different. We were able to save Double-J n Trailer, thanks to the awesome folks at the actual DOUBLE-J TRAILERS in Woodland WA.
We also have 7 orphans in the trailer. We thought we would be picking up more adults but this time we were not offered that choice.
We purchased all the horse kids and spent just short of $900 to get them all vetted. So we are just shy of $2000 to save these kids just to get them in the trailer.
Thank you to all if you who donated to help with this rescue. Covering even part of the costs helps tremendously.
The horses (and I) so appreciate it!
We just wanted to make sure y’all knew what horses we actually picked up, and that your money goes to save real horses LOL.
Please help us continue to make a difference in these critters lives, and THANK YOU for all the love and support!
If you want to help You can go to You Caring – to help us keep saving lives..
It is with extreme sorrow I share the news that June 1, Colt slipped quietly away with his head in my lap. The vet had been to see him just that afternoon, and was extremely pleased with the way his wounds were healing and his progress in general. We knew he was weak, but was eating, drinking, pooping and peeing. Unfortunately, the trauma was too much and about an hour before he passed he let me know he was done. So we sat quietly together until he slipped away. As the tears streamed down I reminded him of how many folks loved him and had prayed for him.
So I am hoping that we can honor his memory by saving the mare and foal that are waiting for us to pick them up, as well as the ones who are being rounded up this weekend.
We received the call this morning while we were on the way to get the Rolling Foal Hospital repaired. The -40 degree weather really caused a lot of damage, in spite of our efforts to weatherproof it.
There is a mare and foal in the feedlot and we can save BOTH of them.Prior to saving the band of adults last year, we were not able to save the big horses, only the babies under 6 months of age.
BUT TODAY – we got a call and have the chance to save not only the Foal AND her Mama, but ALL the horses in the next batch that are rounded up, mares, babies and the stallions.
But we NEED YOUR HELP! Saving these horses is not easy nor is it inexpensive. For a batch of 10 adults, the cost for bail would be $1500 – $2,000 with younger ones being a bit less. (The mare and foal will be $275). Then we need to get the Coggins tests, and Health certs so we can transport them home. We need to raise at $5,000, as this is just the beginning. So we really really need your help to make this a success story. At this point we are waiting to find out the number of horses they are bringing in, but at the very least we are bringing the mare and foal home this trip and coming back for more.
The loss of Colt was devastating at the very least, and it has been a really tough year. Out of the 12 babies so far, 3 of them were in such bad shape we didn’t even get to try and help them, and the rest of them (with the exception of Colt), have been placed in their loving, forever homes. So although we have all been through a tremendous amount of loss already this year, we have also saved many lives.
We have also been called in for an emergency rescue of 14 Alpacas.The owner lost her husband and has to be off the property in 3 weeks. So as usual, it is going to be non stop crazy.
Please help us continue to make a difference in these critters lives, and THANK YOU for all the love and support!
If you want to help You can go to You Caring – to help us keep saving lives..
Meet “COLT”, the newest orphan at Chilly Pepper. Colt was born in the wild and was severely injured by coyotes. After getting permission from the proper authorities he was brought in. That’s when life became even more “interesting”.
As usual, there is never a dull moment at CPMM. Matt and I had just gotten home from an event in Carson City with Lacy J Dalton to fund raise for the wild ones. We had taken Sapphire, Diesel and Stormy, the resident orphans, for a “meet and greet” at Lacy’s request. The even was amazing and so many folks got to “touch” a wild horse in the proper way. The babies did awesome and it was a great evening for all.
Matt and I spent the night with the babies in Gardnerville as we had to pick up Buddy, a sweet 4 year old mustang that we helped place in a new home up in Idaho. The next day we went home to meet the vet and brand inspector to get the 6 ready for their trip to Idaho.
Early Monday we loaded up Diesel and the other 5 and Matt set off to Northern Idaho. Once again the rescue truck needed repairs so my son took me and we dropped off that truck. About that time we got an emergency phone call. The horse Matt was supposed to pick up upon his return from BLM in Utah needed to be picked up ASAP. So as usual, God was giggling and Matt turned around, came home, unloaded all 6 and headed to Utah to do the pick up.
All went well and he returned with a gorgeous mustang. Once again we loaded up the 6 and he headed on out. While Matt was delivering in Idaho, and the rescue truck was sitting in the shop, we received notice about Colt. He was in extremely critical, life threatening condition and we had to get him asap. I was shocked and so proud when my son offered to pick him up in his little race car lol. He has a Golf GTI and he doesn’t even let anyone eat in it. He loves that car, but was putting it out there to pick up a stinky, injured orphan who was oozing puss to try and save it’s life.
It took nearly 7 hours to get to Reno, pick him up and get back home. We immediately started treating him and have been round the clock ever since. His injuries are severe and his whole right side is extremely swollen with edema from the trauma. He can barely walk and is unable to get up and down by himself except for a rare occasion or two. The vet is happy with the wounds and how they are draining, and is hopeful we will be able to pull him through.
Unfortunately last night he stopped drinking for the most part. So I am using a syringe and per the vet’s instructions making sure he gets alternating milk and water. We are trying to avoid having to do IV fluids. He is on pain meds and we are doing everything we can to keep him comfortable and give him time to heal and survive.
Folks were asking what supplies we need. _This is what we use on a daily basis for Colt. _
Paper towels Gloves (type to keep sanitary lol) Probios Banamine Paste Uniprim Foal Lac Powder Powdered goats milk Foal Lac Pellets Shavings Soft grass hay Betadine Garbage bags
Please keep him in your prayers.
So we placed 6 horses, including Donkey, but already picked up another baby (“Colt”), and Matt is picking up 3 miniatures in need of help and bringing them home from California. It never stops and God keeps putting these beautiful souls in front of us.
We also got the dreaded “yakama call”. I was honestly hoping to not need to help so much with that this year, but there is only one place up there who can help so far and they can only do the babies. So it looks like there will once again be no rest, but I know God only gives us what we can handle. (That’s what I keep telling myself lol).
So we continue non-stop and want to say Thank You to everyone who is in this with us. It can be very overwhelming to everyone, but the best we can do is keep plugging along. I just try to get through one day at a time, celebrate the victories, mourn the losses and keep trying to “git ‘er done”. Y’all are amazing and we so appreciate you and all the love and support.
Picture below: Top left – injury to his back upper leg. Bottom left – severe swelling and injury to his leg.
If you want to help You can go to You Caring – to help us keep saving lives..
It’s go time again at Chilly Pepper. (Although it seems like that is the norm nowadays.) But we are moving forward and y’all have helped save alot of horses.
YOU are the reason this is all possible and we so appreciate the love and support.
A quick summary of some of the purchases y’all made :)
$ 2,800 for hay $ 2,500 Foal Lac Powder & Pellets $ 400 bedding $ 3,200+ vet bills $ 250 farrier expenses $ 750 Colostrum & misc
Those are just some of the major expenses. There are lots of other miscellaneous costs for these kids, but you have made it all possible with your love and support, so Thank You! (At least you know we are not wasting a penny of your much needed donations.)
BRAVEHEART had a very successful, (although expensive) surgery. His bill (not including his gelding) was $950, with the total bill that day for Chilly Pepper coming out to $1250.00 We had his teeth done, his eye removed, he was gelded, had his vaccines and was wormed again, and he is a new man. Both vets concurred with his age only being around 11 when they looked at his teeth. Glad I listened to that little voice in my head that said NO – do not euthanize him. Braveheart made it very clear he was not ready to go anywhere. There was simply no legitimate reason to kill him. He is a very happy and friendly guy and heading to his new home on Wednesdaymorning.
Although it breaks my heart, we have found the perfect home for not only Braveheart, but my beloved Frosty. The vets were amazed when I guided Frosty down the runway. He is extremely smart and would follow voice commands so he avoided hitting his head. (He is completely blind and a wild stallion.) I am so in love with him but can’t keep a horse “just because” when it has a wonderful home available. So I cry like a baby as usual. He was also gelded and had his lil hoofers done, as well as had his vaccines.
Chester, our – hours away from being loaded onto the slaughter truck guy was also gelded, vaccinated and had hoofers done.
But the highlight of that day was having our huge, blind, black stallion safely gelded. Midnight Onyx is ginormous, and nearly jumped out of the 6 foot panels. His back hoofers were about a foot from clearing it. That would have been devastating. He needed a great deal of sedation due to his size, and often times they wake up thrashing and crashing around. Our vet gave him fluids and when he woke up he simply popped to his feet. We definitely had our angels around that day.
We transported 18 horses (mares & foals) for Return to Freedom and Neda was kind enough to make sure we received some compensation for that trip. Woohoo. We so appreciate that.
We want to say THANK YOU to Neda DeMayo and Return to Freedom for sharing their grant from the Coalition for Unwanted Horses. They covered ALL the gelding which came to $1000, leaving the $1250 that Chilly Pepper covered. She is also providing us with some vaccinations for some of the rescued horses. I love working together. It makes us so much more successful.
We seriously need to buy panels for the blind horses to have more room. Our beloved Shadow is also leaving on Wednesday, so we will “only” have 2 blind horses left.
Love’s Legacy is gaining weight and feeling much better. She still cannot eat hay and we need to find her a place where someone has time to give her the special care she needs. She will make a wonderful riding horse, although I wouldn’t put her in a bit. But she is sweet and happy and looking for a new place to land.
STORMY, SAPPHIRE & DIESEL are hanging in there and getting stronger every day. They are still having issues with their tums, but compared to where they were they are doing much better. Please send prayers for their continued improvement. Their is definitely a reason they were not kept by their mama’s.
As always, we appreciate any help with the costs of saving these kids. Unfortunately the type of work we do is the most expensive type as far as the special needs and orphans. But this is where God wants us, so we will rock it the best we can with your help.
Photo below, babies from the Gila Herd from the ISPMB rescue. Matt took the babies and I took the mama’s.
If you want to help You can go to You Caring – to help us keep saving lives..
Big Day of Giving ends at midnight! We are about half way to our goal, but there is still time to donate. Help us meet our goal in the last 4 hours!
This year, our goal is to engage 200 donors and raise $10,000 to help us FILL THE BARN to help support our feed and care costs!
Do you know what your donation could do?
Last year it cost over $50,000 for feed, supplements and care for the horses at AAE! Your donation of any amount will help feed a horse, assist with the cost of veterinary care, or provide for other needs such as hoof or dental care.
Help us care for these majestic animals and donate today!
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) is preparing to conduct its 2017 USDA Census of Agriculture. Horses will be included in the Census. Every five years, USDA-NASS conducts an agriculture census to determine the number of U.S. farms and ranches and gather vital information about U.S agriculture, including the horse community. The census is a valuable tool to help the USDA determine land use and ownership, livestock populations, operator characteristics, production practices, farm income as well as other important information.
The announcement of the USDA-NASS census comes as the American Horse Council has initiated their 2017 Equine Industry Economic Impact Study. The AHC economic study questionnaire will be finalized this month and begin collecting data in the following weeks. These two separate, yet concurrent studies will provide both the industry and the public with a strong image of the state of the industry in 2017. The AHC strongly encourages everyone who is offered the opportunity to participate in either, or both, of these studies to do so. The economic impact and the census are critical to promoting the horse industry.
The AHC continues to promote the USDA-NASS census due to the critical need for the horse community to be properly accounted for in the federal governments agricultural findings. The information collected by the Census will be used to develop federal and state agricultural policy for the next five years. It’s vital all farms and ranches with horses participate in the census so the USDA, and the nation at large, has accurate information regarding the size and scope of the horse community.
Farm or ranch owners who participated in the last Census in 2012 will automatically be mailed a survey that can be filled in and mailed back. If a farm or ranch was not part of the 2012 Census or has not received a form in the mail, the owner can go to the USDA’s census website http://www.agcensus.usda.gov and clicking on the ‘Make Sure You Are Counted’ button through June.
According to the USDA guidelines for the Census, a farm is any place from which $1,000 or more of agricultural products, including horses, were produced and sold, or normally would have been sold, during the year.
Further information on the 2017 Census of Agriculture can be found on the USDA’s websitehttp://www.agcensus.usda.gov.
In the hustle and bustle of our busiest time of year, we have a critical case, an orphan filly that was not only rejected by mom, but reeling from the effects of mom’s rejection, malnourishment and selenium deficiency, topped of by stress of transport and dehydration. She needs your help!
We go the call yesterday (4/5), a plea for assistance with an orphaned foal who was just a few hours old. She had been rejected by mom and needed help.
So transport was arranged and off we went. She was about 4.5 hours away, but we met in the middle. Gosh, what a precious lil’ filly we met, but it’s been a really rough start! Unfortunately, she was very weak, and definitely in a fragile state. She plopped down on the ground to rest, so we layed her down in the back seat and hightailed it back to Loomis Basin Equine Medical Center (LBEMC) to check her out.
Turns out she looked better than she was. Her blood values were not good, and she was hospitalized.
Lots of attention and supportive measures were taken. A catheter was placed, blood drawn, and meds administered.
We left her looking fairly good and feeling hopeful.
But with foals, things can change quickly. A call at midnight informed us her blood values moving in wrong direction, and we were being prepared for not so good news by morning. HOWEVER, she was up and drinking milk replacer on her own, so that was good!
This morning, she was holding her own, but still quite sick. She was still getting up on her own and drinking her milk replacer with a good appetite. That offered some optimism to keep pushing forward. This afternoon, she was up, she was eating, and her blood levels were finally trending in the right direction, and the 9p update is things are still moving in the right direction.
She wants to live! She’s a FIGHTER and AAE wants to support her as she continues her battle.
Although she’s not out of the woods, the docs think she’s moving in the right direction. It likely she’s dealing with the results of being rejected by mom, and secondary effects resulting from mom’s malnourishment and selenium deficiency, as well as stressors from long transport and dehydration. It’s a lot for any young, new life to endure. Docs are hopeful that with 5 +/- days of hospitalization and supportive care, she has a good shot at a relatively normal life. However, there is a chance there will be some long lasting effects, but it’s too early to know. We need a few more days to have a better picture, but so far, the trend is good.
A BIG THANK YOU to the docs at LBEMC for their quick actions and the outstanding care provided for this little filly. We are all hoping for continued progress.
Without hospitalization, she has little chance of survival at this point. The unfortunate reality is that we are looking at a big expense for this one little life, well over $5,000 to get there. She needs your help.
If our big community can help in little bits, the hit isn’t so hard to any one, and for those that need, AAE is a 501(c)(3), so donations are tax deductible.
No donation is too small. If everyone that can will help just a little, we can give this precious girl a chance to live a full life.
Some folks may think because of the costs that euthanasia is the better choice. Fair enough, and if you feel that way, you are under no obligation to donate. But if you are like many others and believe every life counts as long as there’s a good chance for a good quality of life, please help if you can. Because this little girl has a good chance for a good quality of life, we think she deserves the opportunity. This girl wants to live!
This little girl thanks YOU for caring enough to help her live.
“By saving the life of one horse, we may not be changing the world, but we are changing the world for that one horse.” – Author Unknown
Please note, should there be excess funds, they will apply to future AAE veterinary needs.
The UHC welcomes two new members, the Retired Racehorse Project and Palmetto Carriage Works. Each will be featured in future editions of the UHC Roundup. Member organizations help make programmatic decisions in the areas of education, programs, funding, and visibility.
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 were both looking 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.
I first saw Rock and Roll at the National Western Stock Show in January of 2010. The two Belgian draft mules looked enormous in the 12′ X 12′ stalls in the holding area. They had been rescued from slaughter at an auction in Kiowa by my two friends, Fran and Larry Howe, owners of the Bitterroot Mule Company in Bennett, Colorado. My friends explained why they couldn’t resist trying to help the two draft mules. They were the largest mules any of us had ever seen. Roll was supposedly 16 years old at 17 1/2 hands and Rock supposedly 17 years old at 18 hands. Both mules were severely underweight. Rock had recently been treated for abscesses, which required the removal of two molars. The two draft mules stood quietly, seemingly unaffected, as we stared in total amazement. A rescue attempt was certainly worth trying.
In August of 2010, I saw Roll again at the Larimer County Fair. Larry drove him in the single hitch classes and, when I was able to speak to him, he and Fran told me Rock could not come to the show. He had come up lame. Roll had put on weight and was looking better than he had looked in January; however, he still appeared to be stressed. Longears have been known to die from depression, so one of my main concerns was if Rock died, Roll could become depressed and might not live very long. Fran and Larry decided that this rescue was more than they could handle and asked if I would be interested in taking the pair. I agreed, and after we had quickly made a suitable space for them, Rock and Roll were delivered to the Lucky Three Ranch on December 5th, 2010. One look at the way Rock was moving and we knew this was going to be difficult at best.
Rock and Roll were obedient, but suspicious animals. Their eyes lacked expression and were cloudy in spots, and their coats were oily and dull, something that is not apparent in photographs. Their hooves looked irregularly trimmed and out of balance, with prevalent stress rings on all four feet of each mule. They had clearly been foundered more than once and their bodies were riddled with scar tissue. Roll listed to the right and walked with a twist to the right hind foot. Rock had to lift and swing his right hind leg to the side in order to walk forward. The leg appeared calcified and restricted in every joint. Neither mule could freely reach forward through the shoulders and hips, nor place each foot in a regular rhythmic fashion. There was muscle atrophy throughout their bodies, and their bellies hung from the spine, with no apparent musculature in the abdomen or over the top line. There was hope for some recovery with Roll, but when my well-respected equine masseuse, Joanne Lang, C.M.T. and I assessed Rock, we knew there would be limitations as to what could be done for him. We both knew we might be setting ourselves up for a broken heart, but for Roll’s sake, we agreed to try to make Rock comfortable for as long as we could.
Before beginning therapy, Joanne and I gathered all the information we could on Rock and Roll. This was not an easy task, as there were no registration or health papers, only the information that Bitterroot Mule Company could provide. The pair was not eating very well, and by the way he was turning his nose up at the feed, I suspected Rock might even have ulcers. Fran and Larry told me what they had fed the mules. I promptly took them both off the feed that would clearly be, in my experience, too rich for them and put them on our standard equine diet. Because both mules were branded, we were able to identify the brands as coming from the Hunt Limousine Cattle Ranch in Elizabeth, Colorado. We later discovered that the Hunt Limousine Cattle Ranch had obtained Rock and Roll when they were just three years old from an Amish Family in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Both Rock and Roll were out of sister Belgian mares, and by the same jack. Rock and Roll mostly pulled a wagon for birthday parties for 6 yr olds at the ranch. They also pulled the wagon for a nearby church so they could sing Christmas carols in the towns of Elizabeth and Kiowa, Colorado, and were also used to pull Grand Marshalls and other dignitaries in local parades. Rock and Roll, along with two other teams were well taken care of and loved deeply by the family who cared for the ranch. A ranch wife to one of the hands took the responsibility of scheduling routine farrier appointment s and vaccinations for them and ten other ranch horses. Unfortunately the ranch was eventually in a position in 2002 when they had to be sold. The family who cared for them was “heart broke and sad.” At that point, they were healthy and weighed 2500 pounds each. What happened after is still a mystery, but one thing was tragically clear—they were overworked out of good posture and not properly fed. Many people just don’t realize that even big draft mules need the benefit of a healthy diet and a specialized exercise program, especially before starting work in harness.
Within days after changing their feed to our crimped oats mix with Sho Glo, Mazola corn oil and grass hay only, the two mules’ appetites improved. There was a drastic change in their coats and their eyes began to come alive. We gave them a small turnout area just off their runs and along the county road, so they could watch the people going by and the cattle grazing on the other side. Rock would go into the corner of the pasture and just stand and stare for hours, not moving until he was called back in.
I noticed that Rock did not lie down or roll, but considering how neglected they had been, this didn’t really surprise me. Because of the muscle atrophy in his right hip, we decided that we should get started with Rock immediately. So, the very afternoon they were delivered, Rock got his first massage. He was tolerant of the massage, but we soon discovered that touching his face was out of the question. Both mules would shy away if anyone so much as raised a hand or made any small abrupt movement in their presence. We also noticed that Rock had a perpetual and distinctive worried “V” in his eyebrows over both eyes. A health check with our veterinarian was scheduled and we continued equine chiropractic, using the same equine chiropractor that was used when Fran and Larry first got Rock and Roll. After a couple of months of chiropractics, regular farrier and vet visits with massage and physical therapy done on a weekly basis, Rock was finally able to get down on his left side and roll. He and Roll then began to play!
Our farrier Dean Geesen came out to the Lucky Three and gave both mules their first official trims. Our support team agreed that it would be a long time before their feet would begin to look normal. During a farrier visit in March, we discovered that Rock had two old abscesses in his left front hoof. Dean was guarded about whether or not Rock’s hooves would ever be okay again. But Rock was a real trooper and although it was very difficult for him, he managed to yield all four feet when asked.
When our veterinarian Greg Farrand checked his eyes, he found cloudiness and thickening over the corneas. He was put on a regimen of eye drops three times a day to stave off chronic abrasion of the eye. Within days, Rock was chasing bunnies around the small turnout pasture—no more standing in the corner! Greg also did a walking palpation to see if he could determine what was causing the lameness in Rock’s right hip. He thought he felt a fracture on the face of the pelvis, but there was no way to really tell exactly what was going on. To find out for certain, Rock would have to be taken to Colorado State University, sedated and turned upside down in order for any necessary radiograms or ultrasound tests to be performed. We all agreed that this process would be far too traumatic for him. We opted to just be very careful and not to do any manual range-of-motion movements on that leg for fear of making it worse. Instead, I discovered a way to have Rock do range-of-motion exercises on his own during physical therapy and my adjustments worked well. Rock and Roll continued to improve. Roll even graduated from the leading core muscle exercises to the round pen core muscle exercises. Rock and Roll began to play and argue with each other. The pair seemed to be gaining strength and proprioception (body awareness), and both seemed to be feeling much better overall. After a very short time, both mules complied—on verbal commands alone—to correct their own balance and square up at every halt…because it felt good!
In mid-March, we had Rock’s feet x-rayed and it was found that there was 45 degrees of rotation in both hind feet. There was no rotation in front, although the front feet did have multiple stress rings, collapse of the hoof wall and were starting to exhibit seedy toes. Rock couldn’t stand on the four-inch blocks the vet used to x-ray him, so we made do with a couple of two-by–four boards. Even when the farrier worked on him, we would have to put Rock’s rear feet on an equine jack stand to trim him. After learning to successfully execute his balancing pattern during physical therapy, we noticed that the soles of Rock’s feet were beginning to wear away. When the x-rays came back, they showed that only a quarter of an inch of sole was left on the bottoms of each of his rotating hind feet. We then immediately got shoes on those back feet! We began a regimen of Thrush Buster and Rainmaker hoof dressing by Farnam on both mules’ hooves in order to help the hooves to begin to grow back in a healthy way. By April, Rock had grown three-eighths of an inch more sole on his hind feet and was actually trotting over his ground poles!
Now that Rock was feeling better, the worried “V” over his eyes began to disappear. He was actually getting up and lying down, but due to the difficulty he had, he began to get sores on his hocks that needed to be wrapped and tended with Panalog ointment. Although the sores were obviously very painful, Rock allowed me to wrap them and doctor them with little complaint. Once wrapped, he happily munched his oats reward for his stellar behavior and gently placed his forehead on my chest in a clear gesture of gratitude.
In part 2 of Rock and Roll: Diary of a Rescue, Rock’s roller-coaster progress of victories and set-backs continues, as Roll slowly comes out of his shell and learns to trust us and—even more importantly—himself. Our regimen of compassion, patience and therapy goes on as Rock n Roll touch everyone’s soul by proving that they are ready and willing to give it everything they’ve got, right from their hearts.
This is a tough one to write. Thank you! to everyone for the love, support and prayers you are sending. We have made real progress, but are still not even close to where we need to be. However, together we have saved about 25% of the horses so far. When you look at how many are still out there, your heart breaks. But, for the horses that have been saved, it is EVERYTHING.
The situation is fast coming to a close, and I can’t imagine it being a happy one. We officially have 7 days left, although Karen is in default of the court order. It is terribly painful to get to know these horses and realize that we won’t be able to save them all.
The stallions are fighting non stop as we break their hearts. Every time we steal their families, they fight more and it is obvious they are hurting. They run the fence line, screaming for their families. The number of stallions is staggering, as you have 16 years worth of colts who have grown up in the mix also. This creates highly dangerous conditions when sorting the horses.
Elaine Nash, of Fleet of Angels, has been spear heading the whole effort, and a wonderful lady named Barbara Rasmussen has literally been here for about 8 weeks, trying to sort through the adoptions. These two ladies have literally stopped their lives and given up everything to try and save these horses.
The stress of this is unbelievable. My heart is breaking and it makes you physically ill. Every night when your head hits the pillow, it all comes crashing down. Knowing how many of these horses will probably be slaughtered, the stallions especially, is too much to bear.
These horses never ever did anything to deserve this. There is too much pain here to cry away, but every morning you get back up and start over.
We pulled another 14 or so yesterday, and Matt and I have 2 babies in our “nursery”, hopefully in time.
We will keep fighting until the bitter end. But it is an amazing gift of life to each and every horse we pull for adoption. Please keep praying and know that we so appreciate the support that makes this possible. We have to pay someone to be at our place, and although he is getting a tiny portion of what he is worth, it still adds up.
We will bring as many horses home as we have funding for, and tomorrow when I think about what to be thankful for, it will be ALL OF YOU! and the lives we were able to save because of you. So thank you from the bottom of our hearts. I only wish you could lose weight from crying because I would be lookin’ good lol.
Again, THANK YOU for all you have saved, but we are in desperate need of more help to save more of these horses. If you are interested in adopting any of these beautiful horses, please contact ISPMB asap.
(Karen is actually still in control of the horses and the Sheriff did not take control of the adoptions.) The County will take the horses to auction December 1st under the current court order.
If you want to help You can go to You Caring – to help us keep saving lives and to give Shadow the life she deserves.
Several days ago we received a request for an emergency pick up in Idaho. We were told there were 2 stud colts who were well on their way to starvation. Their feet were horrible, they were “wild” (although they are domestic horses) and would strike if you tried to do anything with them, and they needed help asap.
Yesterday Matt drove about 12 hours and went and picked them up. They are in pretty horrific shape. Especially with the weather changing, we need to move quickly, (although we have to be extremely careful not to “overfeed” and make them sick). We have definitely seen and cared for worse cases, but under that hair they are very skinny and they have no muscle tone.
Luckily they have a pretty long coat which has helped them survive. It has also helped disguise their true condition. They have both been sick, and they are quarantined where the cannot have any contact with the other horses here.
They were both in a tiny pen in deep mud with absolutely no shelter or wind breaks. It has been pouring rain where they came from the last few days.
These babies are going to need lots of TLC and groceries, as well as some extra hoof care. This was an unexpected trip, but they definitely would not have survived if left in those conditions. They will also need vet care (ie. gelding) as soon as they are healthy enough.
SHADOW is doing awesome. She runs and plays in her tiny pen and we can’t wait to get her the space she needs. But I am so glad we chose life for her. She is a very happy little girl and absolutely gorgeous.
The folks over at Save Your Ass Long Ears Rescue have quite a few donkeys and mules up for adoption. Click here to get more information. Adoption fees may vary, based on any individuals level of training, (ie under saddle, driving, etc). All animals will be up to date on rabies, tetanus, and have a current Coggins if applicable.
An Albemarle County horse-riding center spent part of Sunday afternoon shining the spotlight on rescue horses.
North Garden Equestrian Center hosts several horse shows a year but for the first time, a new division was added that exclusively featured rescue horses.
Twelve-year-old Taylor Thomas was one of the riders.
She’s been riding horses for four years but it was only just last Christmas that she was united with Amber, a rescue from Hope’s Legacy Equine Rescue.
“She was skin and bones and covered in lice but she was a sweetheart and Taylor fell in love with her,” said Keena Thomas, Taylor’s mom.
“She’s a good girl,” said Taylor. “She does anything I ask, basically. I bathed her and got most of the lice off and then trained her basically again.”
Since her rescue, Amber has gained more than 100 pounds and is now winning ribbons along with the best of them.
“I am extremely pleased to be able to be the first one to judge it,” said equestrian judge, Davera Ackenbom. “I have goosebumps.”
This is an update from Chilly Pepper-Miracle Mustang Rescue.
The “Land & Life Support Challenge” is going very well. We are over half way there and have received donations of all sizes towards this amazing goal. We are so appreciative as we are going through over $1000 per week with Foal Lac Pellets, grain etc., not to mention hay. We still need a little over $2,000 so we can achieve success. SO PLEASE LET’S MAKE THIS HAPPEN!
So THANK YOU!!! to all the folks who have stepped up to help us accomplish this. We have received some amazing donations and are so grateful for each and every dollar. Again, I apologize for the slow “thank you’s”. We have literally been working every day ’til nearly dark as we try to achieve the best set up possible here.
Together, since we came here in June, and THIS WAS POSSIBLE ONLY BECAUSE OF Y’ALL, we have saved the lives of 25 babies and 12 adult horses. You guys are amazing. We are currently sitting at 2 babies in Shingletown, 11 here and two more arriving Friday. So every time we adopt some out, more come in.
It is overwhelming, but as long as we have the funds, we will continue to do everything we can. So again, Thank You! – because you have saved all these lives in the last 2 months.
Unfortunately, the round ups are continuing and Matt is on his way to pick up more babies. The foal above is in very poor shape, and was injured quite badly. She has a severe head injury and her eye is swelled shut. Her other eye is cloudy and she seems to have extremely limited eyesight.
(No matter how hard folks try and how careful they are, there is always a chance that a wild horse can be injured when “sorting” occurs. Folks see them standing calmly and can often forget that when they are scared, they can panic and easily hurt themselves. Unfortunately this little girl did panic and we are going to make sure she gets the best care possible.)
So in addition to the normal costs to pick up these babies, we have already incurred vet bills for the injured foal. We are praying she will have full vision, but no matter what we will figure out what she needs.
So please help us keep on saving lives. Together we have accomplished major things for these horses and instead of being slaughtered and dying a horrific death, they are munching away under clear blue skies.
GREAT NEWS – The 65 Wild Horses and 7 babies born to that group have ALL been placed. Matt is delivering the last load today as I write this. All those horses saved from slaughter and no longer our responsibility to feed and pay board on. This has been a long time coming. CONGRATULATIONS!to everyone who helped get this done.
We are working on finding homes for the horses we have now, and still need help feeding, providing veterinary care and picking up the new babies.
If you want to help You can go to You Caring – to help us save these horses.
The following is from 
The following is from 
Lots of attention and supportive measures were taken. A catheter was placed, blood drawn, and meds administered.
The following is from the 
