Since 2013, our organization worked in concert with the Nevada Department of Agriculture (NDA) on a successful, community-based wild horse management program. It has been an incredible private-public partnership using zero taxpayer funds to humanely manage the Virginia Range horses using birth control (PZP).
In four short years, our program has effectively reduced the Virginia Range wild horse population (estimated at 3,000 horses) by 500 through humane birth control and rescue – without any horses going to the slaughter auction. We’ve spent over $400,000 to protect these cherished mustangs and our local coalition partners have contributed thousands of volunteer hours.
Last week, the NDA terminated this successful program. Out of the blue. And there’s no explanation other than politics. Without our program, more horses will be born, more horses will be removed from the range and horses will go to the slaughter auction.
Will help us fight back? We can’t let the forces that want to slaughter wild horses win!
Tell him: I’m calling to ask Governor Sandoval to restore the Virginia Range Horse Cooperative Agreements with the American Wild Horse Campaign. Governor Sandoval should not turn his back on this successful community partnership that’s bringing private dollars and volunteer resources to protect public safety and humanely manage these cherished mustangs. Nevada taxpayers and these historic mustangs deserve better.
Our local coalition partners and Nevada citizens have been calling. They’ll be visiting the Governors office and holding events. Will you stand with them by calling and signing the petition today?
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is taking aim at one of the most unique and popular wild horse populations in the nation. Visitors travel from all over the world to see and photograph the wild horses of the Onaqui Mountains in Utah, due to their accessibility (close to Salt Lake City), unique herd dynamics, and the sheer beauty of these colorful and historic mustangs. But now the BLM is proposing to roundup and remove nearly 75% of this herd — more than 325 horses — instead of fully implementing a humane birth control program to stabilize population growth rates. If Congress approves the BLM’s lethal budget request, every horse removed from the Onaqui range will be in danger of being killed or sold for slaughter. There’s not a moment to waste – please weigh in today for humane alternatives to this destructive roundup plan!
The Senate Appropriations hearings on the Fiscal Year 2018 Interior Appropriations bill have been delayed again, and are now tentatively scheduled for the week of October 30th. This gives us more time to keep the pressure on the Senate and fight back against the special interest lobbies that are pushing hard to destroy our iconic wild horses and burros. Click below for an update on our efforts and what you can do to make your voices heard in these last weeks before Congress must vote on legislation to keep the government running in 2018.
The BLM National Wild Horse Advisory Board met last week for the first time since making its outrageous recommendation last year to kill and sell for slaughter tens of thousands of wild horses and burros in holding facilities. At last week’s meeting, the stacked Advisory Board doubled down on its lethal recommendation, and added much more to the list. Click the link below to read our full report.
I have to say that this is probably the hardest update I have ever had to write. For over a year we have been working with a rescue in Naples Idaho. Everything was great for about a year, until it was not, and then it was beyond horrible and the devastation was heartbreaking. There is no worse feeling than knowing you have spent so much time and money and worked so hard to make sure a horse is safe and then you find out something like this. So we picked up all of ours who are not being held for evidence in the court case.
Matt and I had been to the rescue in question numerous times and the horses were all fat and happy. There was lush pasture and we wanted to live there. The horses were all doing well and we received updates via photos and videos. We also shared our visits and how awesome things were.
We visited the horses remaining in Idaho as “evidence”. Although it was beyond heartbreaking, they are under great veterinary care and the lady providing them with the care while the case gets under way is like a ferocious mama bear and I so relate to that. So now the healing starts… (immediately for the horses, and hopefully some day for our hearts.)
As I write this, we have 8 horses in our trailer (7 that we are bringing back to the rescue), 1 whose frantic Mom is on her way to get her, and Mel is babysitting the 9 “slaughter babies” we were in the middle of picking up.
So while we are waiting for the final paperwork to bring our horses home, Little Man Gypsum was enjoying all the attention. He is doing well and our vet is very hopeful is leg will heal well. He had been our newest “critical care orphan”.
As I went out to check the wild horses I noticed a miracle. The horses had been abnormally agitated last night, and the answer lay on the floor. There in the midst of 24 wild horse hooves lay a teeny tiny little foal. HOPE was perfectly formed and I couldn’t believe she was alive.
Her mama had “done her job”, and had nothing left to give. She showed no interest in her beautiful baby, although by some miracle she had kept her from getting squashed on the trailer floor. She watched as Matt picked up Hope and brought her to me. (there was an amazing amount of stress and work to make that happen lol). Her mama is emaciated and has no bag. It is absolutely amazing that she had a healthy baby. SO Far, Hope seems very healthy and has had her Colostrum and is receiving critical care. She is feisty and bouncy and hanging out with Gypsum.
What happened to this rescue really made me stop and think. It is terrifying how everything could be so “good”, and then someone just stops caring or even feeding the critters. I don’t understand how you can hurt any animal. It is beyond heartbreaking. It really makes you want to hang up the towel and walk away.
Then comes HOPE. God gave us a huge blessing in the midst of despair and chaos. So we have something even more to fight for.
But the reality is that we are bringing 7 more horses to the rescue that need special feed and care and some of the slaughter babies. We are needing funds to do Coggins and Health Certs so we can bring the 9 babies, and now we have 2 additional orphan foals, ages a week plus and 8 or 9 hours old who are really enjoying their milk.
At this point we are beyond grateful that it appears that the “weanlings” we were standing by to pick up, are going to be held (to my understanding) through the winter so they can be adopted. Thanking God for that one.
Some of the 9 babies will be placed on the way home, thanks to folks having prepped to help the weanlings.
Thank you for ALL THE LOVE AND SUPPORT – Especially during hard times like these. As always, we will do everything we can to make sure the horses have good homes. Although it doesn’t change anything for the horses, there were lots of folks who believed in that rescue, and we are all shocked and horrified. When I found out about the situation, Ted Bundy flashed in my mind. We lived in fear for many a year as he poached women at our lake. He is a perfect example. Someone everyone trusted; well liked and oh so personable. Who knew a monster hid inside.
But there is never a rest. This teeny tiny little one needs the critical care we specialize in, so back to work we go. She is the start of the healing and of looking forward to better times. As of now we are waiting on paperwork so we can get back to Yakima and get the babies ready. Thank you for making this happen.
Oh yeah – and a great big thank you to Willis Lamm for helping us plan our approach to safely getting this baby out of a trailer filled with so many anxious hooves. So many times in what we do the Large Animal Rescue training comes in to play. The chances of getting a baby out of a trailer filled with stressed out wild horses without her getting stepped on are not really high. But with God’s grace and the training we have had (and the luxury of having Willis to help us come up with a viable plan), it all worked out in the parking lot. (Not always my favorite place to move wild horses about.)
“CAM” feeding Gypsum his bottle.
If you want to help You can go to You Caring – to help us keep saving lives..
Meet “Nya”, our latest “critical” orphan. We picked her up on Tuesday in Fernley, NV. I have to say she might win the contest for “worst physical condition” since Honeybandit. She is an absolute love, but starved to the point where she could have organ damage.
However, she is improving a teeny tiny bit every day. She did not leave the nursery or her air conditioner for the first several days, and is fighting some sort of internal issue. She has a cough and is here fighting for a chance to survive, thanks to Anne Hall and Anna Orchard, who pulled her in the nick of time.
Her temperature was all over the place, including a fever of 103+ when she came in to a low temp of 97. But we are watching her like a hawk and what we are seeing so far is positive. She needs lots of prayers and special groceries obviously.
We placed 9 of the 15 orphans we had, and then received an emergency call to pick up up 2 4-year old mares, prior to picking up Nya.
The wonderful news is that we have a place for ALL 14 of the stallions at a friend’s in Idaho who helps us adopt out these precious kids. She is ready and waiting for the 14, after they are gelded.
We are going through about $1000 worth of hay every week and a half, so unfortunately the boys are trying to eat all of the gelding funds.(Could they have a master plan? lol). But we have an appointment with the vet on Tuesday and we will geld as many as we have funds for. The minimum charge will be $200 per horse, (and a few of them are pretty big so they may take more meds.) So if we were fortunate and had enough funds to fully cover all 14, it would be a minimum of $2800, just for the gelding.
But the great part about that is once they are gelded we get to take them to their new place. This will be a huge and very much needed reduction in our hay bill. It is also imperative that we get these boys where they are going as I am already on standby for another group of mustangs who will be headed straight to slaughter.
I will keep y’all posted when I know more, but right now we do not have enough funds to save more while we feed these kids. So once again (as always), the decision will be out of my hands as far as how many we can save.
So far, y’all have pulled a miracle every time and we have not lost one. But again, these boys need to get gelded and off of our books so we have space to put additional rescued kids in.
So we went from 39 horses down to 30, but had the emergency call for Nya and the other two 4 year olds, so back up to 34 :( As usual, we are trying to make sure we place the horses as safely and quickly as we can. It is so much work feeding and taking care of nearly 40 horses with just myself and my hubby when he is here. So I can promise you we will never ever “hoard horses” lol.
If you can help us get these kids gelded and safely transported to their new homes, it will give us a chance to save some or all of the next batch that we are currently standing by for.
Chilly Pepper – Miracle Mustang has now joined forces with WIN (Wild Horses in Need). We will be operating under their 501c3 (ein number shown below) while we continue our rescue efforts.
We still work with LRTC, but per Willis Lamm, “You guys have really outgrown our operation and hopefully by reorganizing under WIN, you will be able to perform at the next higher level.”. So although logistically it worked out better for all involved for us to join up with WIN, we didn’t grow that much on purpose lol. This started out with us just providing critical care for orphan foals. But God has sent us all over the place and apparently His plan was bigger than mine. (Mine involved time off, but apparently I don’t really need that.)
The only difference this change brings is that any donations made from Sept 1, 2017 onward will be filed under our new tax id number. All donations are still tax deductible and so very much appreciated.
Below are two of our orphans who are now 4 years old. Due to a death in the family and the loss of the family home, we went and picked them up. Pistol has an injury to her leg from a roll of fencing that a worker inadvertently left in the field, but we are hopeful everything will turn out well.
So as always, there is never a dull moment. Thank you everyone who is part of our Chilly Pepper family. You are so appreciated and you make this happen. We truly appreciate each and every penny donated as they all add up to provide life saving feed and medicine for these kids.
God bless and thank you for helping us help these beautiful souls. Please share and if you cannot help with the gelding please spread the word. the sooner they are placed, the sooner we save on our hay bill and will be ready to save more lives.
If you want to help You can go to You Caring – to help us keep saving lives..
Meet Walker, a Yakama stallion saved from slaughter. As you can see, he is in desperate need of groceries.He is in the worst shape of the 7 we picked up, but they are all in extremely poor condition. However, when you think of his alternate destination, slaughter would have been his destiny.
We have some great news on the baby front. We have 5 scheduled adoptions for babies heading to their new homes in California. This will help our “milk load” tremendously, and leave only 10 orphans vs. the 15 we have now.
We also have potential homes for 7 of the younger stallions, AFTER they are gelded. Right now we really need to raise funds to accomplish that. Then they will be off the Chilly Pepper books for good. :)
Until we geld and place more horses, I have to say “no”, to anything but babies, and that is a horrific thought. We also had a lady who was trying to sponsor the gelding of these 14 stallions, but her funding fell through.
So we have been taking some serious hits in the financial area, but I know that God will provide as this is His rescue.
Our little man Sky seems to be heading towards darkness, as he is losing much of his vision. We are not sure how much he has lost so far, but he is obviously having severe problems. We suspected as much weeks ago, but he has unfortunately proven it to be a certainty. We just don’t know if he will keep any of his sight. But he is a sweetheart.
When we picked up the last batch of horses, we had some pledges for substantial donations. Of course you never count the money before you have it, but you cannot help but consider the possibility of what can be done with it. We have amazing and very reliable folks who donate, but life does happen. Whether it is a change of heart, financial situation, or other life emergency, plans do change. Unfortunately some of the donations promised in regards to the stallions and the orphans did not arrive.
I received a note stating something to the effect of living in an “emergency” all the time is not good. I have to say I totally agree. However, that being said, Chilly Pepper is not a “normal” rescue. We DO NOT ever search out horses to save. By that I mean we do not attend auctions, go to kill pens etc. to try and save horses. Every single horse we save comes via an emergency phone call, and yes, the highest percentages are true emergencies.
When I get the call for the Yakama horses, I am the ONLY one getting that call. If I say no, I cannot get them, they go straight to slaughter. They do not go to auction and have a chance to get bid on. They are considered “organic” and are in great demand due to the lack of drugs. So that is always an emergency as I have hours at the most to say yes or no to saving them, and then have to be on the road, usually in a matter of hours.
The first 3 months of this year that we spent in South Dakota were part of one of those “emergencies”. I was the only one who was available and qualified to safely sort the 800+ horses at ISPMB. In reality, there are very few folks with those skills, and I had to step up for those horses. One of the rescues who were thinking about getting involved told Elaine “we need more than just a girl to sort those horses”. But the old, crippled girl “got ‘er done”, with the help of her half crippled hubby and some other folks. So we pretty much do what God puts in front of us, and it is usually always at the last minute and somewhat crazy.
Folks talk about our “organization” and it always makes me smile. We are part of LRTC, our parent 501c3, but when it comes to raising money and doing what we do, “Matt and I” are it. Chilly Pepper is myself, and my hubby along side of me. What makes it great is the extended family, who are you, the folks reading this email. So again, THANK YOU for helping.
I am hoping we can raise funds asap to get these stallions gelded and moved out of here. Right now we are going through hay like water and once they are gelded we have potential homes for at least 7 of them.
So please help if you can. It will cost roughly $300 +/- for gelding, vaccinations and prepping them for their new homes. We really would like to get them settled soon, so any help you can give is much appreciated.
The babies are all improving (except for Sky’s vision), so once again YOU DID IT! You have made it possible to save so many lives, but the mission isn’t finished until they are safely placed and transported to their new homes.
Thank you for helping us rehab and re-home these stallions. As you can see from Walker’s picture, he has been through more than any horse should go through.
Thank you for being part of the Chilly Pepper family and saving so many lives!
If you want to help You can go to You Caring – to help us keep saving lives..
ABOVE – one of our newest critical kids, “Little Riata”, who is in extremely rough shape.
She is another starvation case with a severe injury to her back leg. She and Tesla’s Full Moon (another orphan from NV) were delivered to CPMM two days ago. Little Riata will also need veterinary care as well as special feed to give her a chance at survival.
Travis (my son) and I are back on the road and picking up the stock trailer, 7 stallions and 4 orphans.We are driving the “back up”, a 2003 Ford who has also been living at the shop. The good news is that she has another year under her “used truck” warranty, so hopefully she will be a reliable “band aid”. We will also be needing 6 new tires for her today, prior to hooking up the trailer and loading our precious cargo. (Approx estimate $1500).
Matt is busy working on other projects so everyone is busy as usual.
Princess Felina is hanging in there, but having issues gaining weight. At one point it appeared she was just “too tired”, and I was afraid we would lose her than night, but with lots of prayers she pulled through. The vet said her blood work is ok, she is just a starvation case. It is going to take lots of time and money to get her healthy.
We had to have Doc out to lance a huge abscess on Kahlua that just “showed up”. Doc thought maybe there are pieces of whatever caused her injury that are moving about. It was extremely gross but a life saving procedure. She is hanging in there and also on medication.
Unfortunately circumstances dictated that Trav and I run up here asap to get the trailer and the 11 horses, but we have a wonderful “horsey” family who is staying at the ranch caring for the kids until we get back. It kills me to leave the babies even for a couple of days but we simply have to do what is necessary and the babies should be fine until we get back.
At this point we will have a total of 15 orphans (including the 4 we are picking up), the injured yearling, 14 stallions who need to be gelded asap so we can find them homes and 15 others, including the blind, special needs and others soon to be ready for adoption.
We need to purchase about $5,000 worth of hay for the next couple of months and we are going through milk pellets and “baby feed” at an amazing rate. Each baby is a minimum of $300 per month just for the basic milk needs. Luckily some of them are bigger and will be leaving the “milk zone” within the next couple of months. But we are looking at about $5000 for milk pellets, grain, hay etc. This does not include the vet bills.
Doc will be coming out as soon as we get home to evaluate our newest little girl. We are looking at a purchase of about $3000 – $4000 + as we will be bringing home a special chute for the wild horses.
Gelding is more expensive with wild horses, especially when you have less than professional equipment. It is extremely dangerous for your Veterinarian and it also creates undue stress for the stallions. We are looking at about $250 just for the gelding per stallion and at 14, that comes out to about$3500, plus vaccines and worming.
The stallions have to be gelded in order to place them, so that is an urgent matter.
Ideally every rescue handling wild horses has a tilt squeeze (and the bigger, well financed rescues all have them). The horses are squeezed in a very well padded chute where they become calm and it is much less stressful to do vet work etc.
Having a squeeze means it is much safer for your Doc and the horses need less drugs. They are much calmer and about a 100 times less likely to break a leg or rear up and hit their heads or break their necks.
You can also tilt them and do the hoofers of the wild kids in a safe environment. However, the price for the “good equipment” lol is about $35,000, so being able to get a set up that is still about 70% safer than what we are currently using for the horses (and safer for the folks handling them) for $3,000 – $ 4,000 is definitely a win/win for everyone.
So this is what is happening at Chilly Pepper right now and what we need help with.
Again, we cannot thank you enough for all the lives you are saving. None of this would be possible if it wasn’t for everyone in our “Chilly Pepper Family”. Together we are saving lots of lives, and for each and every horse, it is literally their whole world. As always, I am behind on individual thank you’s, but they are slowly coming. Thank you for your patience on this issue.
I am praying the phone stops ringing, and we have a chance to breathe. But for now we need to get these kids ready for their new homes.
THANK YOU AGAIN! for saving these lives. Y’all rock!
As you can see below, Tia and Princess Felina are very relaxed and both are improving thanks to y’all.
If you want to help You can go to You Caring – to help us keep saving lives..
Hi ya’ll, We have a little emergency at Chilly Pepper.
Matt is up delivering the 5 mares in Northern Idaho, and the transmission in the Chevy just froze. He nearly wrecked, but thanks to our Angels was able to keep enough control not to. There have been absolutely no issues with the transmission, so I guess this was an all or nothing, and now we have nothing.
However, we are looking at a minimum of $7,000+ for a new transmission. You always have to wonder – do I put more money into an old truck?
Well, we have zero money in the budget to purchase a new one, and she is running perfectly. The transmission has over 270,000 miles on her which isn’t too bad. So when you compare $7000 – $8000 vs $30,000+ for an unknown vehicle it seems to make sense to go with what you know.
__
So unfortunately I have to throw this out there and see if anyone wants to help us stay on the road and keep getting these horses where they need to go.
This was my personal truck that I paid for out of my pocket, but she has been dedicated 100% for rescue use for years now. Nearly 200,000 of those miles are rescue, so she has worked really hard.
Please SHARE far and wide if you can. Thank You! *
Please SHARE far and wide if you can. Thank You! *
The reason I am thanking God is that no one was injured and Matt and the horses are ok. Once again a less than optimal incident and yet no injuries to us or anyone else.
▪ I can say that I am truly sorry that I need to put out this update. * But he is literally stuck once again. Thanking God for US Rider insurance :)
I can say that I am truly sorry that I need to put out this update. * But he is literally stuck once again. Thanking God for US Rider insurance :)
THANK YOU for being part of this amazing journey and for saving so many horses lives. We so appreciate you and THANK YOU for being part of the Chilly Pepper – Miracle Mustang Family.
GOD BLESS!
If you want to help You can go to You Caring – to help us keep saving lives..
What started out as a 30 something rescue, turned into a total of 51 mustangs, due to the 18 stallions and the 7 orphans – (Not 5 lol) . By the time we arrived to pick up the last minute orphans, there were 7 instead of the 5 we were called for. But that seems to be the norm.
We have several babies with some injuries to their legs, which will need some pretty intensive care. All of them should be fine hopefully.
Upon arriving back in NV, we also picked up another orphan from our “foal partner – Anna Orchard”, who is in pretty rough shape. Thankfully she was able to get her (of course with proper authority) and care for her while we were out of town. She is shown below with her buddy Tia (aka Trailer).
Upon getting back from WA we noticed that “Tia” was not thriving and needed to be pulled immediately. Tia was with Double J whom everyone assumed was her mama. (Our Double J & Trailer duo) However, once DJ started getting her groceries it was very obvious that she was extremely pregnant and way too far along to have a baby this young. Sadly, DJ seemed not to care whatsoever when we pulled the baby, and both of them are doing much better with receiving the appropriate groceries. I was actually really upset with the condition Tia was in. Poor DJ simply could not supply the milk that Tia needed and have a chance to grow a healthy baby.
So now “Princess Felina” has a new best friend and everyone is getting the much needed groceries so they can thrive and be happy.
Matt is out delivering 5 of the mares to their new homes, and bringing back another of the 8 young stallions for our gelding party.
I have to say I cannot believe how amazing y’all were in coming up with the money to save the extra stallions and then the 7 orphans on top of that. So we were able to get everyone vetted and bring them home.Now comes the fun part, ie. gelding, feeding and vetting them all so they can get to their new homes. We need to get this done asap as we are expecting another phone call in the next week or so. Hopefully it doesn’t come sooner.
In addition, now we need to cover the costs of feeding a total of 12 orphaned babies. Thankfully the bigger ones only need the pellets and the special feed. As you can see in the picture, Tia and Princess Felina are seriously in need of some extra groceries.
So once again, TOGETHER and by the Grace of God, we have achieved another true miracle.
We will try to get more pictures of these kids on the website, but I have simply not had time to get the info to my amazing Emily so she can get it up there.
If you can help make up the budget for the care of the extra horses or want to help with gelding, feeding the kids or taking care of the babies, it is very much appreciated. I have to say I dread hearing my phone ring lol. Because that next call will come in soon. I so do not want to have to say “no, send the big kids to slaughter and we will take the babies”. But it again will all depend on the space available and the funds we have to work with. I was actually ill on the way to WA last time fearing I would fail our hope to “LEAVE NO HORSE BEHIND”. But y’all saved every last one!!
THANK YOU for being part of this amazing journey and for saving so many horses lives. We so appreciate you and THANK YOU for being part of the Chilly Pepper – Miracle Mustang Family.
GOD BLESS!
If you want to help You can go to You Caring – to help us keep saving lives..
This morning I received an urgent call. There are 5 orphaned foals waiting for us to pick them up. Of course I had a few hours to say yes or no, and a few hours after that to actually get them. We were not given any opportunity to save any of the others.
So, once again plans are changed at the last minute. Luckily Matt has delivered all the 44 that were not going home with us. Mel is sharing her place with us and babysitting our stallions and other kids waiting to go to NV.
We have the rolling foal hospital with us today, (with the orphan SKY and the injured filly Kahlua with us for 24/7 care.) Matt was doing his pre-trip check when he noticed one of the tires starting to fail. They have good tread, but we have been running on them non stop for the last three years since we got the trailer.
So once again, lots of unexpected expenses. New tires, saving and vetting the foals and milk powder and pellets etc. etc. for the new kids.
But when God puts it in front of you, all you can do is say yes and do your best. So we are back in emergency mode.
Thank you to all of our CHILLY PEPPER FAMILY! Without you, none of this would be possible. Again, I have to say this was a bit overwhelming, but with your prayers, love and support we will “git ‘er done”.
God bless and thank you so much for sticking by us and saving these lives. Pictures will follow.
Please send lots of prayers for safe travel, the support we need and for Kahlua to feel better!
Below, Sky enjoying a break at one of our “free” campsites close to Yakama. :) Sometimes being frugal is just plain beautiful. lol
If you want to help You can go to You Caring – to help us keep saving lives..
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..
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..
We need to get on the air. In the last 48 hours, thousands of you shared our web video helping to get our message out. We’re starting to be heard — we must prevent the slaughter of nearly 100,000 wild horses and burros.
The Bureau of Land Management does not have the power to overturn the ban on horse slaughter. Only Congress can do that. So we’re making it crystal clear: with their votes, Congress will be deciding to:
support science and protect these iconic animals
OR
side with the special interests and slaughter nearly 100,000 wild horses and burros
It’s the truth. And the choice Congress has to make. The initial text of the Interior Appropriations bill maintains the ban on slaughter, but we are told an amendment will be voted on next week to add BLM’s proposed language allowing slaughter. With your help, we’re going to make sure they understand exactly what’s at stake.
It’s #WildWednesdays – a unified call-in day for wild horses! Supporters all around the country are making their voices heard for wild horses, and we need you to join them!
In less than a week, a key House committee will decide whether the ban on slaughtering wild horses is removed from the 2018 budget bill. The lives of nearly 100,000 wild horses and burros are on the line.
Please make a quick, polite phone call to your Representative at 202-225-3121 right now. You can say:
“I’m (your name), calling from (your town). As your constituent, I ask Rep. (rep’s name) to reject the BLM’s 2018 budget request to slaughter thousands of America’s wild horses and burros. Please vote to maintain the current ban on slaughtering these iconic animals.”
Please make a quick call right now – it will only take a minute and it can make a big difference!
Tens of thousands of innocent, federally protected wild horses and burros are in danger of being killed or sold for slaughter if Congress approves the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) 2018 budget request. The BLM is asking Congress to lift the ban on destroying healthy mustangs and burros and selling those in holding facilities for slaughter. If Congress approves this request, the mass killing of the 46,000 wild horses and burros in holding facilities and the 46,000 “excess” animals on the range would begin.
We can stop this, but only if your elected representatives in Washington, DC hear from you! Our wild horses and burros don’t have a voice, so we must speak up on their behalf to save them from a horrific fate… It only takes a minute – please take action below – today!
We are thrilled to announce our partnership with Thanksgiving Coffee Company and the launch of Wild Grounds – a coffee for a cause (featuring the beautiful imagery of Kimerlee Curyl) that benefits the American Wild Horse Campaign, and our work to keep wild horses wild!
Not only can you feel good knowing that your morning coffee will be helping wild horses, but you are also supporting a fantastic company and a quality product. Thanksgiving Coffee is 2017’s Roaster of the Years from Roast Magazine. All the coffee is certified fair-trade from the farming co-ops they have known for years. It’s all organic and shade-grown, which is vital for preserving precious jungle forest and providing bird habitat. And, they are a B corporation, which certifies their commitment to environmental and social justice.
So what are you waiting for? Make helping wild horses the very first thing you do every day!
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..
We knew this was coming, and now our worst fears have been realized.
Yesterday, the Trump Administration released its budget request to Congress for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and it literally places the lives of over 90,000 wild horses and burros in jeopardy.
The Administration is asking Congress to lift the ban on killing healthy wild horses and burros or selling them for slaughter. The BLM wants permission to destroy “unadoptable” horses and burros as well as those it considers to be “excess” on the range. If Congress approves this request, the mass killing of the 46,000 wild horses and burros in holding facilities and the 46,000 “excess” animals on the range would begin.
We must make sure Congress stands firm against slaughtering our national icons!
This is going to be an intensive 4-6 month campaign to defeat this lethal budget proposal in Congress.
Right now, we need you to do these three things IMMEDIATELY!
1. Send a strong and unified message to Congress.
2. #JoinTheBand to send a tidal wave of public support for wild horses and burros on social media on May 30.
3. Donate so that we can elevate our grassroots and legislative campaigns to the seismic level necessary to save our national icons!
The fight is on to save our wild horses and burros! We’re ready, but we NEED your help. Let’s protect our wild horses and burros from this Administration’s lethal plans… Take action today!
On May 30, we want to send out a loud message calling on legislators to protect America’s wild horses, and we will do so using a platform called Thunderclap. It’s a tool that allows people to pledge a tweet or Facebook post that will be posted along with thousands of other supporters on the same day. Think of it as a massive flash mob on social media with a collective message calling on the world to Stand With America’s Wild Bands. It’s completely secure and will post a single, one-time message on your behalf. If all of our supporters take part, we can reach millions of people on May 30 when the message is blasted out. Only the power of the people can save our national heritage animals. Spreading the word is absolutely critical, and now it couldn’t be easier! If you’re With The Band, please sign up today!
Disaster is looming for America’s wild horses and burros. Congress just called for accelerated roundups and removal of tens of thousands of mustangs and burros from their homes on the range.
Beginning in July, helicopters will again descend our western public lands to terrorize and traumatize these peaceful animals.
Tiny foals will be stampeded for miles. Foals will be ripped from their mothers’ sides. Mares will be forcibly taken from their stallions… only to be separated forever and loaded onto trailers for their final ride.
In our lifetimes, more wild horses could disappear from on our public lands.
Contribute to the Wild Horse Crisis Fund to protect these innocent victims of government brutality.
Thank you for standing up for America’s wild horses and burros – only the power of the people can save them!
– Suzanne Roy, Executive Director
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The American Wild Horse Campaign is dedicated to preserving American wild horses and burros in viable free-roaming herds for generations to come, as part of our national heritage.
The American Wild Horse Campaign is 501(c)3 non-profit. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to support our work.
This is it: Your chance to stand with tens of thousands of citizens in defense of America’s iconic mustangs and burros. Sign up today to make your voice heard!
On May 30, our collective voices will rise up on social media to take a stand against mass roundups and slaughter of these cherished animals. As a champion for these national icons, you won’t want to miss the chance to join in this groundbreaking campaign.
Only the power of the people can save our national heritage animals,. Spreading the word is absolutely critical, and now it couldn’t be easier!. We’re using a platform called Thunderclap. It’s a tool that allows people to pledge a tweet or Facebook post that will be posted along with thousands of other supporters on May 30. Think of it as a massive flash mob on social media with a collective message calling on the world to Stand With America’s Wild Bands.
It’s completely secure and will post a single, one-time message on your behalf. If all of our supporters take part, we can reach millions of people on May 30 when the message is blasted out.
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