We hope you had a great holiday, spent with family and friends.
This time of year is a time to reflect on all we are thankful for and how we can give thanks to those around us.
As the giving season begins we want to encourage you to think of all the horses in need and how your support can assure AAE can help more horses! There are so many ways to give! On #GivingTuesday, AAE invites you to join a global movement of giving back.
Make a Difference!
This #GivingTuesday AAE has a goal of $5000 to support our costs for veterinary care throughout the year. Click here to Donate!
Another 911 call. Literally just got off the phone a minute ago. We have 15 MORE Yakama foals who need help RIGHT NOW.
I so wish it would snow about 20 feet so all the catchers would stop catching horses.But wishes won’t save lives, so once again we are asking YOU to help us save these innocent babies. Their families have already shipped to slaughter, so time is of the essence.
Let’s make it a Merry Christmas for these babies! They have already lost their families, and they deserve every happiness there is. If you have that special someone who has everything, why not donate to save one of these foals and do it in their name? Give them the best Christmas ever, give them the gift of saving a life!
As always, we will need to get to WA, purchase and pick up the foals, get them vetted, their health certs and then transport them to where they are going.With so much heartbreak out there, we know that folks have been donating like crazy to the fire victims. But we still have to ask for the babies. Will you save them? We simply cannot do it without funding. These babies need your help!
As far as I know there are 15 for sure?, and maybe 16. We will save as many as we can, but we have to base that on the funds we can raise for this effort. We simply cannot save babies that we cannot care for and find homes for.
So PLEASE, help these foals today! ALL OF THEIR LIVES MATTER!
An update on BELLA’S LEGACY – GOT HAY. Thanks to your beautiful hearts, we were able to raise ($3219.62 via paypal, $30 check, $430 via gofundme) for a total of $3669.62 for purchasing hay and getting it to CA. We will be delivering half of the hay to the Camp Fire victims in the next week or so, (but will have to work around these new babies and the weather). We are still working on getting the most bang for your buck and getting the most hay possible to the critters that survived the fire. The horses that are still here with us at Chilly Pepper, also send their thanks and appreciation for their hay.
The photo’s shown are some of the lives y’all have already saved. The new babies are a bit bigger, and often not as quickly adopted out. But they are anxiously awaiting their new homes. LET’S MAKE THIS HAPPEN!
THANK YOU as always for making sure these babies have a chance. God bless!
Photo of a full trap……….
if you would like to help these horses.
->You can donate via check at:
Chilly Pepper – Miracle Mustang,
PO Box # 190
Golconda, NV 89414
You can also donate via credit card by calling Palomino at 530-339-1458.
NO MATTER HOW BIG OR HOW SMALL – WE SAVE THEM ALL!
We hope you are spending this week with friends and family for this Thanksgiving holiday. This is a time that we all get together and give thanks!
We are thankful for your continuing support, community and growing friendships. We really could not do what we do without you!
Thank you from the all of us at AAE.
Tuesday, November 27, 2018 is #GivingTuesday. #GivingTuesday is a global day of giving that harnesses the collective power of individuals, communities and organizations to encourage philanthropy and to celebrate generosity worldwide. Following Thanksgiving and the widely recognized shopping events Black Friday and Cyber Monday, this year’s #GivingTuesday will take place on November 27th and will kick off the giving season by inspiring people to give back. This #GivingTuesday AAE has a goal of $5000 to support our costs for veterinary care throughout the year. We hope you will save the date and help us make a difference!
Another AAE angel earned his wings last night. Well, if horses could be angels and saints, Marshy-man was as an absolute angel, and an absolute saint. There was a glow about this little guy, and if you ever met him, pretty sure you would know what I mean.
If you haven’t heard his story, Marshy came to AAE from another rescue back in March of 2014, but it seems he’s been here forever. He was quite ill. They didn’t have the ability help him and asked for help. After considerable evaluation, diagnostics, and re-evaluating, the conclusion was that he likely had some form of intestinal cancer or irritable bowel disease. He was started on steroids and showed steady improvement.
Marshy quickly became a favorite at AAE. He introduced kids to horses in summer camps and pony pals programs.
He loved kids, and he loved adults just the same.
Marshy was the dress-up master. He loved helping celebrate holidays, and he did it well.
Steroids can be wonder drugs, but unfortunately, they come with many risks. Sadly, in 2016, Marshy experienced an acute onset of cataracts in both eyes. Suddenly, he couldn’t see. However, thanks to all of Marshy’s friends, your kindness made such a difference for him. He got the gift of site (cataract surgery in one eye).
You are the cutest, the most handsome, the funniest, the sweetest, the lovey-est, the one there aren’t enough words to describe!
PLEASE join us, in our “BELLA’S LEGACY – Got Hay”? fund raiser for the displaced horses and critters from the Camp Fire in CA & CPMM. The fire is about an hour from our place in CA, and is hitting close to home. There is so much heartbreak and sadness it is truly unimaginable, and the number of lost lives goes up every day.
We were asked to offer assistance, but due to one of our babies having substantial injuries, and also having so many special needs kids right now, we are hoping to offer assistance by helping provide some much needed hay. We were told that as the animals come out of the mountains in the coming weeks we might be needed to help with critical care at that time. But right now, feed and hay is desperately needed, and that is something we hope to help with.
So any donations made in the next 5 days, starting today, 11-15-18 and ending 11-20-18, at midnight, will be used equally for the horses at Chilly Pepper and the horses and critters that are being cared for from the Camp Fire. We will post the total amount raised and we will use half of the funds to purchase and deliver the “gold” to California.
As of this morning, we are sitting on 41 horses at Chilly Pepper. Y’all have come through and made it possible to save so many lives this year. We simply cannot express our appreciation and gratitude for your love and support. We have been playing catch up on paperwork, tax stuff etc. and been swamped with all of our special needs kids and taking care of 41+ horses. Hopefully I will catch up and be able to get all your personal “thank you’s” out. We so appreciate all you do!
On an extremely sad note, we had to set Bella free from her pain. As always, it is devastating to get a horse “too late” to save it. She was only 4 and knew nothing but pain, starvation and abuse prior to y’all making it possible to rescue her. We had those horrible lil hoofers fixed, but she was in so much pain, clear through her body, that even with large doses of pain meds the fight became too much. The more weight she gained, the harder it was. I stayed with her as always, and through the tears streaming down my face, I could see her relax for the first time, as the pain gradually subsided.
So to honor our beautiful Bella, let’s help those horses who are hungry, in pain, scared and suffering from the Camp Fire. Please support “BELLA’S LEGACY – GOT HAY?”
THANK YOU FOR SAVING THE KIDS SHOWN BELOW! They are precious and every single one of their lives matter!
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO KEEP HELPING US SAVE MORE LIVES, YOU CAN GO TO:
Yesterday was a somber day at AAE, to say the least. We said our last goodbye to one of the greatest ol’ guys that ever graced the barn at AAE. Kasey was one of the most kind, gentle, brave, and stoic souls you could ever know.
Sadly, he reminded us how quickly things can change. This past year was a long one as we battled an enormous hoof abscess. He was winning! Though the abscess invaded a huge amount of his hoof, he remained comfortable and sound once the abscess broke through his coronary band. Unfortunately, the integrity of his hoof was compromised. Enormous shoes to support his enormous weight and a hospital plate did the trick, until recently.
He was sound one day, and very uncomfortable the next. Initially thinking another recurrence, we tried pain meds, but even at a high dose, we couldn’t manage the pain. New radiographs showed his coffin bone had rotated severely.
…and he was truly a big goofball. He thoroughly entertained us playing right along with all of our antics and dress up games for the holidays.
He was a man of all seasons…
He defined “gentle giant” and calmed the fears of so many people, and he loved attention and royal treatment.
He lost his buddy, Angus last year. Angus lost some of his vision, and Kasey became his sight.
They were two peas in pod.
When Angus was gone, a new gal came a knockin’. They met…and I wouldn’t say it was “love at first sight”, but they ended up gettin’ hitched. It was a really formal affair.
His hoof care management was an enormous task, as you might imagine. Kasey and everyone at AAE is forever grateful for the love and dedication of his pal, Michelle. She was diligent in caring for his hoof….picking, flushing, wrapping, rewrapping, and making sure he got everything he needed.
Kase…as you and Angus, together again, are running over those green pastures, remember how much everyone loved you!
Be sure to check back with us now and then, there’s always a place for you here in the barn.
We all want one more hug, big guy.
Love ya’ and miss ya forever, all of you’re friends at AAE
What a difference a day makes….waking up to snow on the ground was a surprise. The donkeys and mules were lined up so their bodies were like solar panels; all soaking in the warmth as the sun rose in the sky.
I am happy to say that in the twelve years I’ve been placing animals through the rescue, only twice have I had to reclaim animals from the home in which I had placed them. Since close to 400 animals have been placed in homes in that time frame I am able to take it in stride, though I cannot say it does not bother me greatly. Upon doing a site visit to a home which agreed to make changes necessary to provide what two draft mules would need recently, we sadly found that not only had the changes not been made, but the animals condition was not acceptable, so the decision was made to take them back. This is not a pleasant experience for either side. Although unpleasant I will do what needs to be done as I am first and foremost an advocate for the animals in my care. I will work with potential adopters by offering advice, suggestions, and even hands on help if needed, but if adopters are not going to abide by the rules and regulations stipulated in the adoption contract they sign, I will do whatever is necessary for the wellbeing of the animals. Thankfully this does not happen often as it very stressful for all involved. I am happy to say the two we brought back are doing well and are ready to be adopted.
We have quite a few animals available for adoption right now. The two draft mules who came back are a sweet bonded pair. We have several donkey pairs as well as two single mules. All of them would be very happy with a family to dote on them. I love having them here but know they will be so much happier with their own people.
I am looking forward to attending my sixth annual Donkey Welfare Symposium at UC Davis Vet School next weekend. I love the opportunity to be around like minded people who want to learn how to best care for their animals. The chance to learn from veterinarians, equine dentists, farriers, behaviorists many of whom work in third world countries on the donkeys there is an amazing experience. It’s a blast to hook up with friends whom I see only at this venue, once a year. I will get home and have a couple of weeks to prepare for Equine Affaire which is another fun gig to look forward to and at which I hope to see a lot of you.
The water heaters have been pulled out of storage and electric tea pots at the ready for preparing hot mashes as the weather changes. I hope all of you and your long eared buddies are having a wonderful fall and that the winter will be kind to us all.
THE GROUP SHOWN ABOVE ARE MY NEW “DEADLINE” FOR TOMORROW – DO YOU WANT TO SAVE THEM AS WELL?
YOU DID IT! We SAVED 11 lives in the last two days with your love and support. We have enough to vet these kids, but now the above lives are at stake.
I am sure you already know the next line. ANOTHER PHONE CALL – I have til tomorrow to raise the funds for 7 MORE HORSES!
We ended up with 2 emaciated mares, one so bad that she went down right after stepping into the trailer. She is an older mare, and we named her “Gramama” as she has a raggedy little foal at her side. She is an excellent mama, and has given every single ounce of strength she has to her little boy “Buster Brown”.
The other mare named “Cassie”, has been horribly abused and is skin and bones at best. She has injuries all over her body from being used as a “tripping horse” and for roping practice.
I could not leave these two mares behind, so the total yesterday was 10, and we picked up a gorgeous guy “Blacktop” the day before. (My first view of him he was running down the road, happily boot scooting all over the black top.)
Unbelievably, as I was cooking dinner in the horse trailer, Mel walked in and handed me the phone. It was another one of the catchers, and he was telling me about the babies. He asked me if color matters to me, and I told him no. We pay the same and we handle every horse the same, no matter what they look like. Then he asked if we wanted the mares. So let’s save them too, because we can.
So IF WE CAN RAISE ENOUGH TO PURCHASE AND VET 7 MORE KIDS, they will be arriving tomorrow just in time to get their bloodwork drawn. Then we can come back when the paperwork is clear and pick them up. We have a chance to save the moms, so I cannot in good faith, not at least give everyone the opportunity to save their lives. At this point the trailers will both be full, so thankfully, we will be able to focus on getting these horses home and placed.
Below are some of the ones we (YOU) just saved, that are currently at Mama Mel’s Urgent Care Nursery.
Thank you as always, and please know that although we appreciate each and every dollar, we NEVER want anyone to feel pressure or do more than is right or comfortable for them. But we can never get enough prayers.
Thank you for saving the kids below!!
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO KEEP HELPING US SAVE MORE LIVES, YOU CAN GO TO:
Beau is an elder Arabian gent about 28, and he came to AAE after his elder owner could no longer provide care, and his family caregiver was relocating out of state. Beau had been with his family almost all of his life. He was much loved, but his family may not have understood the need for continued dental care, even when horses are old and have only a few teeth. We know they only wanted to best for him and we are glad we were able to help. With so many horses in need, that is not always the case.
After much needed dental, hoof care, sheath cleaning, vaccines, deworming, and a lot of love from volunteers, look at him now….
Beau is at the tail end of his refeeding program, and he is available for adoption. Beau is a lovely ol’ guy. He loves attention and really enjoys a long grooming session. He was ridden a lot in his younger days. His last riding relationship was a couple years ago with a 12 year old girl in a lease situation. We were told it was a great relationship, but not much more about his girl’s experience or what activities they did, only that he rode very well for his age.
In his younger years, Beau was part of a three horse team that rode across the US on the Pony Express Trail. He rode about 800 of the 2000 miles. About seven years ago, he had a bout of laminitis/founder, but thankfully, he recovered very well. Dr. Stolba provided care for this guy back then, but unfortunately, she hadn’t seen him for about three years when he arrived at AAE. He didn’t appear to have been trimmed in a while, but updated radiographs showed no obvious changes in his hooves since his episode seven years ago. He was a tad tender footed with thin soles, so we had shoes placed on his fronts for now.
Beau is current with vaccines, deworming, and hoof and dental care. He has very good ground manners, he ties and stands for the farrier. With a long history of riding, he should load and trailer fine, but hasn’t yet been tested since he arrived. He was tested for Cushing’s and results were negative. Because he has only a few teeth left, he needs a strictly pelleted diet and with feed that is appropriate for a horse that has foundered. His future housing should not be in a green, grassy pasture.
Beau is looking for a new home where he will be doted on and pampered like the good ol’ guy that he is. He might have some light riding in his future, but priority should be a solid companion home, and the riding should be a bonus (not a requirement). Beau should NOT be an only horse. During his time with AAE, he has bonded tightly to his buddies, at least a couple other horses might be best. He gets anxious when he is in his paddocks and his buddies leave, are taken out/away or wander away from him. He does fine when he is taken out and away from his paddock.
Interested in giving this gorgeous guy a soft landing in a forever home to live out his years? For more info about our adoption process, please visit our website or
Wow, the phone calls just keep coming. We had some heartbreak last week as I was called for 5 weanlings. I knew we would have a deadline, but was given no idea how short it would be. Sadly, I didn’t have enough time to find a place where we could keep them or even begin to put out a fundraiser, before it was too late. I sent the text as soon as I found a place, but received one back saying “I already got rid of them”. I do not know for sure what that means, but we were pretty close to, if not the “last resort”. These “deadlines” are serious as far as being able to commit so we can have a chance to save them.
My understanding is that the babies have to be 400# to be loaded onto the truck. I believe most shippers do not want babies that small on board, due to injuries and babies being trampled or squished during transport, but I can honestly not say what happened to those 5 babies.
We are in Yakima working on Mama Mel’s Urgent Care Nursery, as it is imperative that it is ready for winter babies. My phone rang and my heart sank. It was one of the catchers, and he told me he has orphaned babies (ages unspecified) in his trap right now. I NEED TO KNOW WITHIN A FEW HOURS IF THERE IS A CHANCE WE CAN PULL THIS OFF. WE NEED FUNDS FOR PURCHASE, VETTING AND TRANSPORT. We do not have a number, it could be 5 or many more. I was told there are 100 horses where they are trapping and they thought they might get a third. They could get more or less and so there is no way to know how many babies we could end up with. If there are a lot, how do you decide who lives and dies? That is why we need to make sure we have the funds ready to go when it is time.
Thankfully some of the folks we work with on a regular basis have been building their out reach, so these kids will not have to come back to Chilly Pepper.
PLEASE let’s NOT miss another deadline. I had no idea the time was so short when we got the last call. But I do know I have to have the answer by tomorrow so we can say yes and save these babies.
I know it is a regular thing for us to ask for urgent help. We certainly did not choose to be on the front lines.However, God has put us here for a reason and y’all are part of this amazing journey. The number of lives YOU have made it possible to save is absolutely astonishing. But as most of you know, the horses are in crisis, so instead of having the winter off to “re-group” like we are supposed to (haha), the emergencies just keep coming.
So I hope y’all understand that we have to ask, because without funding these babies could die. We are still trying to raise enough funds to pick up the miniatures and make sure they are all properly vetted with Health certs etc. Vetting is scheduled for the 22nd if we have the funds.
On a good note, we are making great progress on the “Nursery”, considering how many horses we are involved in rescuing at this time.
AGAIN, THANK YOU AS ALWAYS for the love and support. As soon as we get a spare minute I will be back on our “thank you’s”.
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO KEEP HELPING US SAVE MORE LIVES, YOU CAN GO TO:
The above are some of the lives you just saved. As you can see, some are barely alive and others are looking ok.
ANOTHER PHONE CALL – The mini’s we have been on standby for, since a couple of months ago, will be ready for us in the coming weeks. However, we need funds as always to get these kids to safety and vetted etc. Do you want to save these little cuties? See photos below.
In the meantime, Matt picked up a 20+ mare yesterday. It seems like they are coming out of the woodwork. She is beautiful, but definitely a grandma, and needs TLC and her lil hoofers done.
The other days was a really rough day. In the midst of all that is going on, we lost one of our most recently rescued donkeys. So now as we get ready to head to WA to pick up the babies, we are filled with so many emotions. Two days ago we lost our beautiful “Long Ears”. He had been adopted and was about to be loaded for his new home, when Matt told me he “was not feeling it – as far as driving that day”. We have both learned to listen to that little voice because over and over God has kept us safe when we listen.
Hours later I would be calling the vet to come out. Long Ears had went down and . did not get up. At first he was not concerned. He was in good spirits and just lay there reaching out and grabbing bites of hay. We spent most of the day with him, giving him a chance to rest and trying to help him when he wanted to get up. I spoke with the vet and even before she arrived, Long Ears let me know without a doubt that he was done. Thankfully it was a quick change, and he did not lay suffering for hours. The vet said he was a very old man, and due to the starvation he went through, who knows what damage was done internally.
Long Ears came in skin and bones, with basically no muscle in his back end. From the second Matt picked him up to the last few minutes we spent with him, this wonderful and amazing donkey was surrounded by love. He was happy and very vocal when it was time for dinner, and just LOVED to be loved on.
Although once again, my heart was in pieces, I was thanking God for not letting that little girl lose her new donkey. Sadly for me, but luckily for the little girl waiting for her forever donkey, I had one other little mini donk that we were planning on using for the Sunshine & Smiles program. So unbeknownst to that little girl, we sent him instead. Today, they are together and it is a match made in heaven.
So now we are getting ready to pick up the babies in Yakima. Matt delivered 3 of the kids to their new homes yesterday and our friend in Idaho took 3 of the babies from the last rescue, to help us place them.
The good news is that out of 9 horses y’all just saved, 5 have been adopted, and 3 are staying here for some much needed TLC! As always, we have been running non-stop and want to THANK Y’ALL from the bottom of our hearts for helping save these beautiful souls. Obviously several of them would have not even had a chance at survival if y’all had not stepped up!
We appreciate the love and support and are confident that we can once again “git ‘er done”, and save the 10 minis that we are once again on stand by for.
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO KEEP HELPING US SAVE MORE LIVES, YOU CAN GO TO:
More babies are coming in. IN ADDITION to the 4 that we just saved, there are SIX MORE, including Lil Cash (shown above) who is only a month or two old. Due to the loss of life last winter, many of the mares are foaling out of the normal foal season. So we will need LOTS of Foal Lac and milk pellets etc.
The new nursery is NOT set up, and there are only a few panels and no shelteras the other rescue took everything when they shut down the “orphanage”. The normal trapping season is beyond over, but much like last year they just continue to round up these beautiful souls, non-stop. The new nursery was not supposed to be open, but babies do not come at our convenience, and this is an emergency situation.(There are times when I wish we were not always on the front line having to deal with immediate life saving issues. Thankfully y’all are amazing!)
Right now the winds are blowing 40 miles an hour and we need to get up there, save the rest of the babies and start setting up the nursery NOW!!These babies have been through more horror than any horse should see in it’s entire life, and some of them are only a month or two old. We had hoped to be able to slowly raise funds and get it set up before trapping started again next spring. However, as always, that is obviously not happening.
This is so overwhelming. It sounds whiny, but I just had surgery 2 weeks ago and Matt is not even home yet with the 9 y’all just saved. So we are a tiny bit exhausted but once again, I need to ask folks to step up! (ok – crying over.)
I have been told “you can just say no”. Well, I cannot look at a baby who is not only innocent, but terrified, hungry and most often in very poor shape and say let it die because it is inconvenient , especially knowing that their moms are literally on the truck on the way to a horrific and painful death.
CAN YOU SAY NO to a tiny innocent orphan? I hope not. We can purchase, insulate and prepare a smaller nursery building similar to the ones we use in NV for our nursery and critical care units for about $3000. That would enable us to set it up exactly how it should be. The weather is changing fast and it is critical that we have the proper facilities so we can provide the care they truly deserve.
I couldn’t believe it when I got called for 2 more today. We have had the vet out twice and it was roughly $445 BOTH TIMES. Now we have to call her to come out again, and it will be about $350 for the 2 new kids. But we have to do things the right way, so I am hoping and praying we can raise enough funds to pay the vet for the last 2 times, the upcoming visit and be able to get a shelter up in the next week. (So for these 10 foals, the vet bill is roughly $1200 – $1300, and this does NOT include the cost of saving them, bringing them home or taking care of them.)
SO WE ARE ASKING FOR YOUR HELP FROM THE FRONT LINES ONCE AGAIN.You are the difference for these innocent souls, and we thank each and every one of you who donate, send prayers, share the information and are part of our Chilly Pepper Family. Once again we will do the work if we have the funding.
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO KEEP HELPING US SAVE MORE LIVES, YOU CAN GO TO:
AAE support of DreamCatcher herd reduction efforts:
During 2017 and 2018, AAE has supported the herd reduction efforts of DreamCatcher Wild Horse and Burro Sanctuary after the long illness and passing of their Executive Director, Barbara Clarke in November of 2016. Though preservation of genetic lines were part of DC’s mission, none of the boys were castrated, the horses lived in a free range environment, and overpopulation became an issue. In May and July 2017, with a new director in place, over 90 colts and stallions were gelded. Though tremendous efforts were made to keep mares and stallions separate, sadly, some mares were impregnated for 2018 foals.
For AAE, it all started with an orphan foal, that little Rascal, in April 2017! We continued to support and adopt. We had another orphan colt, Cowboy, arrive in May, and June brought three young geldings, Waylon, Whitley and Walker. Then came the first three burros, followed by Ford, Gentry and her colt, Foley. Two more burros topped off the year.
The following horses/burros were ADOPTED in 2017 and 2018:
COWBOY
WAYLON, WHITLEY, & WALKER
BURRO ZAC,
BURRO ZAC, &
BURRO JOE
BURRO BROWN &
BURRO GRAY
GENTRY &
FORD (ADOPTION PENDING)
The new year brought five young girls the end of February: June, Kitty, Dixie, Dolly, and Patsy. An unexpected delivery the beginning of March brought mom, Martina, and wee little filly, Valentine. More babies and more urgency to get them out of the winter weather brought Tegan and colt, Austin, Gypsy and filly, Calico Girl, and Kelsea and days old colt, Rucker.
Unexpectedly, we learned June was pregnant, and along came Johnny in April. One more call for help came in early May when travel plans were complicated by a mom that wouldn’t let little one nurse. Tae and days old filly, Maddie, came and thankfully worked through their challenges. That filled our barn and paddocks for most of the year, and we are happy to be able to support DC’s efforts.
Because of your support, AAE has been able to continue to support horses in need.
The following horses are (or will soon be) AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION. Click their name to visit their page for more information.
Interested in any of these horses? Click on their name to visit their pages or visit our horse page, and you can learn more about our adoption process here.
If you can’t adopt, SPONSOR a horse and
help support AAE’s efforts while homes are found.
There are many more older mustangs at DreamCatcher that are in need of soft landings at sanctuary-type homes, ideally keeping family bands together. Do you have space where older mustangs can live out their lives?? If so, contact us or visit the DreamCatcher website:http://www.dreamcatcherhorsesanctuary.org/
TheraPlate & All About Equine Work Together To Improve Equine Lives:
Since its inception, TheraPlate has been committed to helping our equine friends live their best lives. Now the lucky horses at AAE are getting to live their best lives courtesy of the caretakers and time on the TheraPlate. Click here to read more!
Thanks to YOU we did it!!!
AAE has been honored with one of the first Top-Rated Awards of 2018 from GreatNonprofits!!
GreatNonprofits is the #1 source of nonprofit stories and feedback, and it honors highly regarded nonprofits each year with their Top-Rated List.
We’ve earned this year’s award, but that doesn’t mean we want to stop hearing your stories! If you love our work, then tell the world! Stories about us from people like you will help us make an even bigger impact in our community in the future.
Won’t you help us raise visibility for our work by posting a brief story of your experience with us? All content will be visible to potential donors and volunteers.
ONE MORE LIFE TO SAVE – A YOUNG STALLION WHO IS BLIND IN ONE EYE. HE NEEDS YOUR HELP TONIGHT!, and then our trailer will be full.
We (YOU) SAVED ALL 4 of the Yakima foals. One of them already has a potential adopter and thankfully the other 3 will be heading to one of our favorite “partners”, whom we work with every year and who is not only an angel, but an excellent “foal mama”.So ALL these are safe and will shortly be off of our feed bill as well.(We will be helping out with a small care package, but Dannielle will be saving the rescue a great deal of time and money and find the WA babies their perfect forever home.)
We were able to commit to save 3 horses, 2 donkey stallions, a mini and 1 heavily pregnant donkey mama. (The other 2 we were orginally trying to save were lucky and found other homes.
However, we have ONE MORE we NEED TO SAVE ASAP! He is a stallion, who is blind in one eye and needs to stay out of the slaughter pipeline. We always try to pull a few stallions no matter where we are as they often have so little chance to be saved.
We have most of the kids paid for, but sadly my truck is in the shop to the tune of about $1500. (We have already put over 30,000?? miles on her this year, and she is running strong but needed some new seals and a couple of repairs to avoid a major one). We just paid $443 to the vet in WA to get the health certificates and Coggins test so the 4 can go to their new homes, and we need a bit more funding to pull off saving the stallion and to keep the rescues, new saves and deliveries on the road.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SAVING ALL THESE LIVES. LET’S MAKE SURE WE CAN ADD THIS YOUNG, PARTIALLY BLIND STALLION TO THE HAPPY LIST!
BELOW:
THANK YOU FOR SAVING US!!! OUR LIVES MATTER!
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO KEEP HELPING US SAVE MORE LIVES, YOU CAN GO TO:
911 ANOTHER URGENT CALL… As Matt was driving me home from surgery, we received an emergency call from the Shipper in WA. 4 babies need your help!
Aswe are the ONLY rescue he works with, it is up to us to save their lives. They literally have NO WHERE ELSE to go. They are possibly 5 or 6 months old, and it only takes 400 pounds to get them on the slaughter truck (or at least that is what I have been told).
So instead of staying home taking care of me for the next 5 days or so, Matt will be dropping me off tomorrow, picking up his truck from the shop and heading to WA to save these babies, (IF we can raise funds to bail, vet and bring them home to safety).
We so appreciate the donations y’all have sent to save the horses we were already working on, and thanks to your generosity we were able to secure the safety of 4 of them. Thankfully the palomino and the heavily bred mare were saved by someone else, so we were able to save a gelding ready to ship, the badly beat up horse, one of the donkeys and the branded mustang mare. We are hoping to save more, but it will depend on funding.
But that rescue is on hold, as this is truly a “now” emergency and we have to make sure we do what we can to keep these guys safe.
These babies desperately need your help to save them, and that requires funding, as WE ARE THE ONLY THING BETWEEN THEM AND THE DEADLY TRUCK. Once again, we will be running on faith, as I know that God put them in front of us and it certainly was not to let them die.
So please help us once again, and let’s bring these kids to safety.
Thank you as always, for your love and support for these horses.
BELOW:
Three of the kids safe and waiting to be picked up. Luckily the Palomino and the heavily bred mare were saved by others.
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We are very happy and grateful to once again be the recipients of a matching donation challenge. This could not have come at a better time for us. I think due to the fact that winter will not be far away, we have started to get a lot of calls about animals needing to be surrendered. This means we will need more resources to ensure having enough hay on hand. We have every animal that comes in seen by a veterinarian which can and does quickly turn in to a large bill. We will need all the help we can get!
Every donation made between now and November 1, 2018 will be matched dollar for dollar up to $5,000.00!
By taking advantage of this incredibly generous offer you can double the impact of your donation. Doing so will help every donkey, mule, and hinny we care for.
We are so blown away by this act of incredible generosity by donors who wish to remain anonymous.
Thank you for saving the last group of Texas kids. At the bottom of the page you will see a bit of what we are facing with their rehab.
HOWEVER, once again we received a call asking for help. The above kids are some of the ones we were asked to save. (We won’t know for sure which ones we will be able to save until we have the funds to secure them. But if one is already safe, we will save another one)
As Matt is going to be a third of the way there when he delivers the next group of horses to their new homes, this would be the time to save some more lives.
We wanted to give everyone a chance to save these beautiful souls from the slaughterhouse floor and to help save more lives. We are more than willing to “git ‘er done” as long as we can raise enough funds to make it happen.
There is a heavily bred mare, a beautiful branded mustang mare, donkeys, injured kids etc.They all need our help and as always, time is of the essence.
I am heading for surgery on Monday, but it should be an outpatient type of thing, (just replacing my generator), and Matt is ready and willing to go get these kids when he delivers the other 6 to their new homes.
As always, it all depends on you. We will keep doing the work if we have the funds to do so. Out of the last 9, 6 are heading to their forever homes. As you can see by the pictures below, there are 3 who need intensive care and they will remain at Chilly Pepper for the time being. BOTH of the mare’s front hooves are in horrific shape, and she will need major care. Our beautiful Princess Sahreena was emaciated and she will need lots of love and care. She also came in with some pretty gnarly injuries, but they are healing well.
Please help us save the “new kids”. We are looking at about $6000 plus to hopefully save 9? more lives, including transportation, rescue and vetting to get them home.
Again, this is not our “normal rescue”, but since Matt is already headed that way, we got the call, and the timing is perfect to combine the two, we are definitely willing to go the extra mile if you want to save these kids and keep them off the slaughter truck.
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This beautiful mama and her baby are scheduled to ship in 3 days. WE CAN SAVE THEM WITH YOUR HELP! But once again it is up to you.
(I apologize for the quality of the photos, but they are all I have.)
Matt is still in Texas, as complications have arisen with 7 horses y’all just saved. All of the mares have clear Coggins (the blood test required for transport). However, only 2 of the mares received their Health certificates, so now we have to put the others in quarantine until we can get a Health certificate to bring them safely home.
It will cost up to $1500 to quarantine up to 30 days. Hopefully it won’t take that long to get them healthy enough to get the necessary paperwork. However, once we establish this “quarantine” we will be able to use it in the future at a fraction of the cost.
To complicate matters further, when Matt was heading back to “wait” for the vet to come out again, there were issues with the truck and off to the shop it went. That is the issue with having 16 year old vehicles and working them as hard as we do.Luckily, the truck is being repaired and will be ready to go today. We work really hard to keep them road worthy but they are old and never stop working.
Sadly, we are stuck at this point. We cannot bring the horses home who do not have the proper paperwork.Luckily we have a safe place to quarantine them, but we obviously did not figure for the additional expenses involved.
So once again we are asking our Chilly Pepper Family to not only SAVE ANOTHER MOM AND BABY!, but to help us get the funds to cover these unexpected costs, so we can quarantine these mama’s and their babies and get them home to safety as soon as we can.
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MINUTES LEFT – Shipper is holding the truck. These 3 mares and foals are loading within the next half hour if we can’t raise funds.
We are going on Faith, as Always, and have an extraordinary Angel who is helping save these. But we can’t save all of them without your help!!!
This is an unusual situation for us, but for some reason God put these in front of us and made it clear we need to save them.
PLEASE HELP! Matt will have to drive to Texas and pick them up, and he is willing. So, please help asap if you can, and if you get this a bit later, please help because we are going on Faith!
The bail is approximately $2600 with bail, health and coggins certificates. Then we need to get them home.
Thank you!!
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Maya came to AAE when her owner was facing a terminal health condition and would no longer be able to care for Maya or work with her. Maya was initially rescued by her former owner from an extreme neglect and abuse case, and one of her former owner’s priorities was assuring Maya would never have to face abuse again. She knew AAE would work to find a safe and loving home.
Maya was transferred to AAE at the end of September 2016. She unloaded from the trailer after a marathon haul from near the Oregon border, and she was a tad lame. Maya had some challenging trust issues and physical limitations resulting from a past hip injury from her abuser. She also had DSLD, further limiting her adoption potential.
While at AAE, she was given time and space to settle in. She was showered with love and kindness by her many special volunteer friends, and she was housed on flat ground to minimize the stress on her body. Thankfully, her old hip injury and DSLD maintained very well, and she never showed any discomfort. With the help of her special friends at AAE, Maya learned that humans weren’t all bad. She started to really enjoy grooming and all the pampering showered upon her.
Cahill came to AAE in March 2018 when his family was unable to provide the care he needed. He had also been rescued from a previous neglect situation where he had been living alone in a pasture and not cared for for years. The family that rescued him was told he was a former sheriff’s horse. He was emaciated and in poor condition when they offered to take him in. They tried to provide the care he needed, but they were unable to help him. They had a family crisis of their own. They reached out to AAE and asked for help.
When Cahill arrived at AAE, he was very thin. He also had substantial skin issues, a thick coat that helped hide his bones. He needed dental work, and he was very depressed. After starting him on a refeeding program and his vet evaluation, he had a much needed spa-day. He had caked on dirt on his limbs, and he was given a medicated bath. He enjoyed the water and the relief that seemed to come from treating his skin and getting rid of all the dry, caked on dirt. There was hope in his eyes.
Cahill began to improve and put on much needed weight. His skin cleared, but not before he lost nearly every ounce of hair on his body. His head and trunk were practically bald in the cold of winter, but he was grateful for blankets and the hair that remained on his legs. His eyes brightened, and he started acting with more interest in the horses and world around him. He enjoyed his daily luvin’ from his volunteers, and day by day, he evolved into such a good ol’ boy.
We are happy to share that our long-timer, Maya, and our short-timer, Cahill, recently found their “golden pond” with their dream family in Nevada City. When Maya met her new mom, it was obvious they were both experiencing a “love at first sight” moment. Maya is not one to approach just anyone, but when she met her mom, there was no hesitation. She walked up to her and there was instant pleasure in their exchange. Cahill, on the other hand, took it all in and drew mom AND dad in as he relished in their attention.
These two lucky souls got their soft landing in the perfect forever home where they are lavished with daily love and attention, and in return, their new mom and dad are say their lives have been so enriched by these two, and they have been fulfilled in being able to make such a big difference in the lives of Maya and Cahill.
It’s so gratifying to see the transitions horses make when they’re given the love and care they need, not only the physical transition, but the new hope they share with humans. They hold no grudges, and they become such a reminder of foregiveness, resilience, and unconditional living. Rescue horses are such a gift.
Thank YOU for supporting AAE and making possible happy endings for horses like Maya and Cahill!!
If you are considering adoption, please visit our website to learn about our horses!
Featured Intake: Beau
Beau came to AAE in mid-July when his aging owner was no longer able to care for him, and his caretaker was moving out of state. Beau is a 28 year old Arabian gelding. He was a truly beloved companion to the family, he had been with them his entire life, and he had carried many a rider on his back. Still, his condition was saddening.
It was a bit eye-opening when Beau arrived. He was a bit on the emaciated side, and he was “empty”. Dr Stolba came to check him out and drew blood to evaluate his “systems”. His diet had been four scoops of senior pellets (AM and PM), about 20-25 pounds a day. You would think plenty for this lil guy, right? You could tell immediately simply eating was a challenge. He chewed very gingerly, and food fell all over around the trough.
Sadly, when Dr. Stolba opened his mouth, the exasperated sigh was palpable. Beau did not have many teeth, but the ones he had were much overgrown, some loose and one so long it was pressing into the roof of his mouth causing an ulcer. He could not close his mouth to chew. It’s no wonder the poor ol’ guy looked like he did; he couldn’t eat. Four larger teeth were extracted, one so sharp it could cut paper. The few remaining teeth were floated, and he was finally able to eat comfortably. Boy, did he enjoy it. Now it seems he’s eating for two.
Moving on to the end, Beau sheath got some much needed attention, and he was beyond relief when a rock sized bean was removed. It didn’t take long to see the brightness return to Beau’s eyes and a little pep in his step. For now, Beau is doing very well, and he is slowly redeveloping his svelte lil’ bod!
Beau needs a sponsor! Would you like to sponsor Beau or one of our other horses? Please click here to sponsor. To learn about our horse sponsor program visit our website.
YOUR support helps horses like Beau!
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