It was a rainy day, so I decided to have Chasity and Wrangler’s workout take place in the indoor arena Round Pen. I had not planned to film this workout, but since the Round Pen was a lot further from the Tack Barn than my outdoor Round Pen, I decided to take my chances and try to lead Chasity and Wrangler together! I thought that would be film-worthy for sure. Those of you that have tried to lead ONE donkey around puddles in the road and other such “scary things” know that you cannot count on their compliance. All you can do is HOPE for it! As it turned out, Chasity and Wrangler were very good all the way to the Round Pen, but there were still surprises to come!
They both stood quietly while I unlatched the gate as they had done dozens of times before, then waited patiently as I opened it.
They executed the gate perfectly together. This is a testament to my belief that when these kinds of movements are consistently done exactly the same way, it eliminates confusion and promotes compliance. They happily received their rewards of crimped oats from my fanny pack.
I then tied Wrangler to the fence with the “Elbow Pull” where he would wait while I adjusted Chasity’s “Elbow Pull.” Chasity checked out the new work space.
First I adjusted Chasity’s “Elbow Pull” and then I adjusted Wrangler’s to keep them from raising their heads too high and inverting their neck and back.
They both walked casually with no pressure from the “Elbow Pull” at all. When asked to trot, Chasity was “up against” the “Elbow Pull” at first, but was still stepping well underneath her body and striking her hind feet directly under the center of balance.
It was after the reverse that I discovered that Chasity was in heat and Wrangler decided he would like to mount her! So, I deliberately and quietly took him from the Round Pen and tied him up outside the fence. Chasity resumed her workout alone. She did lovely at the walk and kept the “Elbow Pull” loose, even throughout the reverse!
When I finally asked for trot, she was hot to trot! Chasity was definitely improving her ability to maintain her self-carriage and good posture. When the “Elbow Pull” is properly adjusted, it will encourage each individual equine’s BEST posture. It should NOT force their head down.
When asked to “Whoa,” Chasity happily complied and then turned to me for her next command. I asked for the “Reverse” and she was prompt in her response.
Then Chasity resumed her calm forward motion at the working walk, maintaining a loose “Elbow Pull.”She has made marked improvement in just 4 short weeks of Round Pen work after 3 months of leading for core strength and balance in the “Hourglass Pattern.”
When I asked for trot, she showed me she was a bit tired and was back up against the “Elbow Pull,” but she was still tracking well underneath her body and holding an acceptable posture.
When my female equines are in heat, I lighten the pressure on them and quit when I see they are tiring. This keeps them from getting “grumpy” and helps them to maintain a happy attitude toward me and the training.
Chasity and I exited the Round Pen in perfect form and then went to get Wrangler. Building a good relationship with your equine makes EVERYTHING easier!
Wrangler was standing sideways to the fence, but moved over promptly upon command. I wanted him on my right. He was still mesmerized by Chasity in heat, but he was still a gentleman and complied with my wishes! I love it when they behave so well!
Chasity flirted with Wrangler and he reciprocated while I untied his “Elbow Pull” and released him. Then we all marched together to the Tack Barn where they were untacked, then returned to the barn yard for turnout and more intense flirtation! Love was in the air!
Chasity is now regularly coming to her stall door and is always anxious to see what the next challenge will be. The one thing she HAS learned is that she will never be hurt by anyone here. Cleaning her ears was a necessary evil at first, but she now enjoys the gentle cleaning as I wipe the rag with the grain of the hair to get the dirt from her ears. And she loves having clean ears! We are ALWAYS consistent and stay with the routine about everything we do with all of our equines. They appreciate knowing what comes next. Ours is a NO ANXIETY zone, but that doesn’t mean we do not challenge them and set boundaries for good behavior. Chasity is about to be tested to the max with her next new challenge!
Chasity really enjoyed the brisk brushing with the multi-bristled human hair brush. It is the only brush that I have found the really expedites shedding and leaves the coat soft and shiny. It reaches deep in the coat and aerates the hair shafts. After the brushing, it is followed with either the shedding blade to remove the loosened hair laying on top, or….there is an introduction to the VACUUM CLEANER!!! Chasity was not too sure about this BIG BLUE THING that rolled!
We always take the introduction of new things slowly. I gently coaxed Chasity toward the vacuum cleaner. This was an approach that she recognized from her obstacle training and moved furtively toward me to receive her reward of crimped oats.
She watched the cameras while I went to plug it in. The loud sucking noise startled her! I acknowledged her concern and calmed her with a soothing voice.
But then it was time for the business of vacuuming HER! I use the cotton lead rope for control, but she is prevented from going backwards with the second hitch rail tie made of a stout braided nylon rope with bull snaps on each end. The last thing you want is for the rope to break! I talked to Chasity and ask her if she would rather calm down and step forward to receive her reward…she thought about it…I waited patiently…
…and she decided that was a pretty good idea! She tentatively accepted the vacuum on her forehead. This is a spot where they generally like to be vacuumed first.
I laughed as she made a plea for help from the camera people! Then I had to straighten out the hose and she was certain that big black coiled “snake” was going to get her!
She wasn’t exactly pleased, but she allowed me to begin to vacuum her neck…and then her shoulder. I kept a hand on her so she could feel my caring support.
It didn’t take long for her to calm down and allow me to vacuum the rest of her body. She discovered that it actually felt pretty good!
Then I looped the “BIG BLACK SNAKE” over the hitch rail to prepare to do the other side. She sat back on the rope again, but was easily coaxed forward again.
Things are always different from one side of an equine to the next. So, when I approached from the other side, she again sat back on the rope, but came forward again quickly to receive her reward.
I did her forehead again while she fixated her gaze to the camera people. When I got to her body, she was fixated on the BIG BLUE BOX, but not bothered at all by the suction, or the hose.
After I finished her right side, I knelt by the BIG BLUE BOX and asked her to come and investigate which Chasity did willingly. She had conquered the challenge of the MONSTER VAC!!!
When Chasity first arrived, her hooves were inordinately long in front with Borium shoes and her back feet were worn unevenly and at the wrong angles. Because her body was in such bad posture and her hooves so out of balance, we knew it would take quite a while and lots of frequent trims to get her hooves balanced and aligned properly. This would have to be done in conjunction with getting her body into good posture with the core strength to support that good equine posture. This would be Chasity’s challenges!
Chasity is now standing quietly and picking up her feet easily, but she still wasn’t sure about standing still without being tied up. A small challenge for her would be to learn to stand quietly in the alleyway of the barn while our farrier, Dean Geesen works on her instead of being at her work station in the Tack Barn. Because she stood still, she was rewarded with her favorite crimped oats. The misshapen hoof is beginning to rotate into a more balanced position, but we still have a lot of work ahead before the hoof will be correct.
Dean is a therapeutic corrective farrier that is familiar with Longears. This is a critical element in your Longears’ welfare. Longears have angles and hoof construction that is quite different from a horse and it takes a knowledgeable farrier to keep from doing them harm. Chasity feels the difference in the balance of her feet, however slight, and it affects her whole body!
Chasity’s hind feet appear as if they have been done like a farrier would do a horse. Her rear hooves are not as upright as they should be with insufficient heels. Dean leaves the heels, rasps the front feet and rolls the toes a bit to promote more proper action and healthy growth. As long as I have had donkeys, I have never had to put shoes on them. It is my experience that when they are in good postural balance in their body, they generally wear their feet evenly and vice versa. When fed properly, the hooves remain hard and balanced. They don’t even need to be trimmed all that often if they are not consistently standing on soft ground, or in mud. We use pea gravel in our runs and driveways. In the runs, we put about four inches down. It drains well, is hard enough to promote hard hooves, is rounded and does not chip the feet and is soft enough for the equines to lie down comfortably.
Chasity is tolerates yielding her back feet much better after having a chiropractic adjustment in her pelvis and hip joints yesterday. This is a dramatic beginning for her toward MUCH better balance and posture. She had to be a very sore and uncomfortable animal when she first arrived. She is now feeling some relief and is much more cooperative.
The front hoof on the opposite side reveals the compromised imbalance that she had when she came to us. However, the first trim put her on the road to recovery and her feet are beginning to grow in the correct direction. She has gained a lot more heel in the rear in the past eight weeks.
Chasity has learned to be sent into her stall and then to turn and square up for her reward! Her gait has improved substantially in the past two days with chiropractic work and another trim!
Although we were working on uneven ground in Chasity’s last lesson which made getting in sync very difficult, it was clear that it was time for a chiropractic adjustment of her skeletal system. Doing chiropractic adjustments can put the practitioner in very precarious positions, so it is wise to build trust with the animal before attempting to do these kinds of adjustments to their body. After more than a month of intensive care, Chasity has learned that we have her best interest at heart and is more than willing to cooperate with anything we want to do with her. Even though she is perfect about walking in sync, it is clear that her left hip is locked up, highly immobile and chiropractic adjustment is in now desperately needed!
Chasity walked out in the driveway so our equine chiropractor, Dave McClain, could assess her condition. She had better range of motion in the right hind leg than she did with the left. She was getting better in her spine, but her abdominal muscles still needed more work. Once the left hind leg and the rest of her body is put back in alignment, there will be more of an effect on the abdominal muscles at the walk in her lessons.
Dave agreed that the fallen crest could be straightened out, but it would take some time and serious therapy. Bailey showed Dave the progress in Chasity’s Diary that had been made already since she came to us on March 29th 2020. He was pleasantly surprised at the progress we had made considering we could not use his services during the COVID-19 shutdown. But before we could go any further successfully, we really needed to have her skeleton professionally aligned!
Dave carefully palpated both hip joints…
… and the pelvic area. She was exceptionally stiff and locked up on the left side! He rocked her pelvis to the right…
…and then rocked it to the left. Chasity yielded her hind leg and he adjusted the locked up hip joint! Chasity’s eyes lit up in pleasure immediately! It must have felt REALLY good!
Dave demonstrated to me how her hip joint was not only locked up, but completely misaligned and stuck at an upward angle. Chasity gladly leaned forward to aid in her spinal adjustment!
We then asked Chasity to engage her abdominal muscles, raise her back and then hold for sixty seconds. We will do this once per day, every day. Then it was time to adjust her neck, first on the left side…
…and then on the right side. She was stiff on that side, so I asked her to stretch her neck around my body.
Then Dave did a second adjustment on that side…it was much better! Dave watched her back up. There was marked improvement in her hind quarters and she was finally able to walk easily straight backwards. She had previously been very stiff through the back-through “L” obstacle during her workouts. She will no doubt do much better the next time!
We checked Chasity’s neck again and found that it, too, was much looser and not as hard and immobile as it was before the adjustments. As she left the Tack Barn, it was evident that she was moving much more freely and smiling to herself all the way back to the barn!
Chasity is continuing to gain core strength, balance and even has a little “prance” in her step these days. The bacterial infection is almost gone and she is eagerly waiting at the stall door for her lessons each week. She gets structured leading exercises in her proper postural “gear” and in between, she has other things happening on other days like daily “soaking” of her infection, vet appointments and the farrier. Today, we will add circles at every cone to increase the intensity of her workout. Stretching is done more frequently now.
Chasity carefully walks in sync with me, no more pulling on the lead rope or charging ahead like she did in the beginning. She is happy on her way to the outdoor dressage exercise arena. Varying the location of her postural core strength leading training keeps her fresh and engaged.
On the way to the dressage arena, we stop to visit with Augie and Spuds, our delightful little mini donkeys. Chasity is intrigued. Where she is stabled, she can only hear them. Then it’s on to the dressage arena.
Since the arena is also used as a turnout area, it is a bit bumpy and the sand is deeper than the other places where Chasity has worked. It will increase the intensity of her work. Still, she is bending nicely through her rib cage while remaining erect in her body and doing her four-square stretches very well indeed!
Chasity is bending her joints well while walking in sync with me, however, I am noticing she is a bit stiff in her left hind leg, especially around the turns to the left. We added circles at every cone in the Hourglass Pattern to help to enhance her bending technique.
She steps out nicely with her right front, but as she brings the left hip forward, her gait is stilted and limited in it’s range of motion. The abdominal muscles are only moderately engaged and she stops short of reaching underneath her body to her center of gravity.
The right hind leg moves forward into it’s correct position, but she is just lifting and swinging her left hind leg forward instead of bending adequately through her joints, particularly in her hip joint.
As she steps forward with the right hind foot, the left hind has an abnormal look to the extension of the leg. It appears stuck in the hip joint and pelvic area, and is not swinging freely. Still, she is bending fairly nicely through her spine.
Another good stretch while standing four-square was in order and Chasity let me know that it felt VERY GOOD!
On straight lines with no rails, Chasity is able to reach underneath her body to the center of gravity, but going around the turns reveals some stiffness in her pelvic area while the rest of her spine bends easily.
Chasity really enjoys her stretches and does them with no problem at all. Then we begin to track in the other direction and it is clear that bending to the right is particularly difficult for her.
As we proceed around the cones to the right, her bending gets a little better and the right leg moves easily under her center of gravity. But when she approaches the rails, her pelvis appears to stiffen and inhibit her movement again.
There is plenty of “reach” in her front legs, but the rear legs do not seem to be able to consistently follow her forward movement. Her abdominal muscles are engaged and she is attempting to round her back, but her stiff pelvic area is inhibiting the ability to reach well underneath her body.
Traversing the rails is making it apparent that she should probably have a visit from our proficient equine chiropractor. Since she just arrived a short time ago, I did not think it would be prudent to expose her to chiropractic until I could loosen her stiff body a little bit and gain her trust first.
We finished traversing the rails and she had to “lean” on the “Elbow Pull” to keep her balance. She did pretty well circling to the right for the last time, but it was now clear that she would need to be adjusted with chiropractic before any further lessons could take place and be beneficial to her.
We ended the lesson with one more four-square downward stretch, then a stretch to the right…
…then she did a stretch to the left and left the arena in perfect synchonization with each other. Still, she didn’t have the “reach” behind that I thought that she should.
Just to make things a bit more interesting, we opted to investigate the lane to the small park to look at this new area. Chasity thought the steps looked particularly strange, but she was not fearful.
She navigated the steps like a champ and stood quietly while we took in the sights. She saw Robin Laws’ “Donkey Talk” to her left and J. Payne Lara’s “Love Me Tender to her right.This was a major accomplishment for Chasity since standing still was NOT something she wanted to do when she first arrived.
Then we went back up the steps, left the area and went to see the pack mules, “A Friend to Lean On” by Robin Laws. Chasity played “cute” for the camera. Then we went to see Bonnie Shields’ “Friends,” a bronze statue of Kylie, Moxie and Jasper from our children’s series. As you can see, her posture is greatly improved…the “Elbow Pull” is staying LOOSE most of the time now!
After 14 days on antibiotics, our veterinarian Greg Farrand came out to see how Chasity’s bacterial infection was doing. He was pleasantly surprised to find that the old, incredibly swollen infection in her udder and teats had gone down a significant 70%! We knew it would take quite some time to deal with something that had been wrong with her for so very long. When we first began treatment, it was as hard as a rock and as big as a grapefruit, but it was now softening into very smaller lumps and shrinking more rapidly than we had originally thought.
Greg asked me what I had been doing with her and I showed him her “diary” where I had documented in text and photographs all the workouts and everything else that we were doing with her.
He asked if we had kept up on the soaking with warm water and we showed him pictures of the rigging we had for her to hold a heated wet towel between her legs and up against her teats and udder.
We all discussed what the protocol would be going forward. I asked if we needed to change the antibiotics to another type, or if it would be okay to continue with what had been working. We decided that another 14 days of the same antibiotics would be okay.
Greg gave my Ranch Manager, Chad, and I another 14 days of EQUISOL-SOT and explained that we would give it once a day in her feed as we had been doing.
Chasity was given a handful of her favorite crimped oats for standing still and for waiting so patiently while we finished our conversation with Greg. She was very grateful!
I asked Chasity to stretch to the right and she did very well indeed…
Then I asked Chasity to stretch to the left and she did well that way, too!
Our final stretch was downward and she does this with ease, following my hand as low as I would like her to go… and she is always rewarded for her efforts!
Then we walked in sync back to the barn, quietly and obediently! Chasity knows we have her best interest at heart and is happy to comply! She is beginning to really trust us!
Chasity was very stiff and compromised through her whole body when she first arrived. She was extremely rigid over the top line and could not flex from the poll at all, much less through her entire spine. The “Elbow Pull” self-correcting restraint and work in the Hourglass pattern has helped her to be more flexible in her head and neck, and has produced some flexion through her back. Now we are going to ask her to extend that flexion the whole length of her spine. She has been learning how to stay erect around turns while bending through her rib cage, and easily flexes her neck and back when squared up at the halt. These subtle actions have reshaped the body fat evenly over her body and reduced the size of her enlarged neck by 50% in just one month! Her posture is already greatly improved!
Chasity began by leaning on the “Elbow Pull” to keep her reasonable good equine posture. After a month of work, she is now able to sustain her own self-carriage a good part of the time. When she leans on the “Elbow Pull,” it is taut and when she is in self-carriage with good postural balance, it is loose. She started over the first pole and it was loose, then caught her balance on the second pole and it tightened…
On the third pole, she regained her balance and the “Elbow Pull” became loose again, but stepping over the last pole she allowed her balance to be too elongated and had to lean on it again.
As Chasity walked away, she again resumed her good equine balance and self-carriage and the “Elbow Pull” was loose again. We repeated the poles a little later in the Hourglass Pattern and she was then able to sustain her balance and self-carriage over the first pole…
…over the second and third poles, in good equine posture and not leaning on the “Elbow Pull”…
…and finished over the fourth pole with no loss of balance at all! As she is strengthened in good posture, her core muscles, ligaments and tendons will gain strength with symmetrical development and her time in self-carriage will increase. Ultimately, the “Elbow Pull” will remain loose at all times. She now walks in a rhythmic and cadenced fashion, matching every step that I take and halts easily upon request with no anxiety, or excess movement.
I asked her to square up and this time, instead of just flexing at the poll, I asked her to lower her head and stretch her entire spine from head to tail. Then we proceeded with more work in the Hourglass Pattern in the opposite direction and she practiced bending through her rib cage while staying erect around the corner cones.
Next, we negotiated the gate into the obstacles area, halted and squared up. I gave her a reward and asked her to stretch down again.
Chasity has been doing very well with breaking the bridge down into small steps. She halts easily, squares up and holds her balance in several new positions, with the front feet up, back feet down…
…with all four feet on the bridge and with front feet down and back feet up. She did very well at stretching her spine in all of these odd postions that added to her symmetrical core development.
Then she squared up again off the bridge and did one more deep stretch. Chasity was surprised to see the tarp where the tractor tire used to be and took exception to this “new” obstacle. The silly thing was that she side-passed the rail with her front feet on the tarp and her back feet in the sand. I thought, “Okay, now I know how to get her to side pass when I am ready! Silly Girl!” LOL!
We went back and tried again. She was hesitant, but realized what it was this time. I have to remember, Chasity has cataracts in both eyes and cannot see very well…trust is everything! There was no problem at all with the familiar smaller tires!
We reinforced her bending with the barrel exercises and practiced backing through the Back-Through “L.” She is still a bit “stuck” in reverse, but it will loosen up in time. She needs to learn to manipulate her body in a good postural balance and it is awkward for her now. It will just take patience and moving slowly. Speed will come with practice.
A nice deep spinal stretch relaxed and prepared her for the final obstacle! Chasity had been doing “Evasion Therapy” on me when I placed the tractor tire obstacle with too much open space around it. Boy, was she surprised to find out it was right there in front of her with no where to go but forward!
Chasity only put one foot inside the tire as she danced along the edge with her other three feet, so I opted to do it again the other way. This time, she put two feet into the center of the tractor tire… PROGRESS! Coming back through, she finally agreed to step through it with all four feet!
Finally, SUCCESS! My patience had paid off and our relationship was still intact! We finished with another REALLY DEEP stretch. Chasity’s flexibilty and elasticity were improving rapidly! Doing obstacles in confined spaces in the beginning promotes success and I am all about setting up your equine for SUCCESS!
Chasity did not enjoy the soaking of her teats with the hose, so I opted to change my approach to make her more comfortable. Her posture has improved considerably with her postural core strength exercises in the “Hourglass Pattern” and with negotiating some of the obstacles to add coordination. She is now coming to the stall door to be haltered. She’s a very quick learner!
The infection is still draining and that is good. Each soaking, I groom her and scrape the discharge from her hind legs while she stands quietly.
I thought I might be able to make a “diaper” out of an old sheet to hold a wet towel wrapped around a hot pack instead of running a warm water hose underneath. First things first…I politely introduced her to the sheet, then began to wrap it around her!
This would solve two issues for me. She would not be aggravated with the water running down her legs and I wouldn’t be wasting water for ten minutes! She stood like a trooper while Chad and I wrapped the sheet into a useable position while Chasity looked on with a certain curiosity. “What do you think you are doing? Very odd things these people do!”
Once in place with the hot pack held in the sheet, we realized it was heavy and was pulling the sheet down, so I still had to stand there and hold up both sides to bring it up to her udder. At least I didn’t have to bend over! Chasity received her oats once again for being a trooper!
After ten minutes of soaking, Chad and I released the “diaper” carefully so as not to startle Chasity. We now knew what we would have to do to modify the “diaper” for future use.
Chasity had her first lesson in neck stretches after her soaking. This would be another aid in shrinking the fat roll over her neck…first to the left…and then to the right.
She was hesitant to do another stretch to the left, so I put her up against the hitch rail and tried again. She was still uncomfortable about doing a really good stretch, so I asked her to wrap her head around my waist. She complied and was amply rewarded for her efforts.
4-20-20
The next soaking on 4-20-20, I had the diaper modified and left the job to Steve and Bailey to execute to make sure that Chasity would accept help from everyone and not just me. Steve led her from the barn and cleaned the crust from her eyes.
Bailey began work scraping off the dried pus on her back legs with the shedding blade while Chasity stood quietly.
I had told Bailey that she might try giving Chasity a massage on her neck to see how she would tolerate it. She loved it!
I also asked Bailey to try using the massager on the infected area with only the hot pack (without the wet towel) to see if it would break up the infection in the hardened teats. The new “diaper” design worked like a charm! Unfortunately, the massager really didn’t make much of a difference on the hardened teats, so we will just use it on her neck and body going forward.
After the soaking, Greg Farrand, our vet called and told us the lab work was back. Chasity has a bacterial infection and not mastitis. She will be on antibiotics and daily soaking for quite some time. When she is done with the Uniprim, she will go on a second antibiotic regimen. As always, Chasity was generously rewarded for her compliance! She is such a dear donkey!
Chasity continues to improve, however, the drainage from her teats was not receding and began to look suspicious to me so I called our veterinarian out to take a look at her. It has been two weeks since she arrived and had it been the result of a weaned foal, she would have been drying up by now. When he arrived, I told Greg Farrand that I suspected an infection of some sort and then I went to get Chasity.
Greg took a look at the discharge and agreed that is was not as we had originally thought, This was not milk, but a small amount of pus and some very hard teats.
Chasity was a star while we poked and prodded to get a sufficient sample to test. Greg and my Ranch Manager, Chad, finally got a large enough sample to be a viable test sample.
In the light, one could see that it was clearly pus and not milk. Greg put the sample in the holding receptacle and took it with him to be tested. He would call with results.
Not all my jennets from past experience were so cooperative and we truly appreciated Chasity’s quiet demeanor! Greg commented how much better she was looking after only two short weeks!
I mentioned to Greg that I had found some spots on her chest that could have been an old bot-hatching ground. I told him that I had scraped off the crusty scabs and applied Neosporin to the affected area. Most of the scabs were gone, but he said that she probably aggravated the area by scratching her chest on the fence. Donkeys will do that! I showed him her diary. He said that doing the core exercises would also help get rid of the infection.
Greg prescribed a regimen of Uniprim for the next 14 days along with daily hot water soaking.
Chasity tolerated the water, but was not thrilled with the water continuously running down her legs.
I decided if it was going to be a prolonged therapy, I would need to modify my future soaking approach to make her more comfortable during the process. This time, despite her displeasure, Chasity had cooperated and was happy to obtain her reward of crimped oats when it was all over!
Grooming is an important activity in your equine’s life and it need not be a struggle if it is done regularly. Chasity was not real sure of us, or what to expect when she first arrived, but she is gaining confidence and calmness with each grooming session that precedes her workouts. Right off, she is rewarded for going to her designated work station. This familiarity sets the stage for the tasks to come.
I begin with a wet towel to clean her eyes, then her nose and finally her ears. When cleaning the ears, I stroke upwards with the hair and try not to go against the way it grows. Most Longears enjoy having their ears rubbed anyway, but HOW you do it can make a huge difference in their willingness to comply.
Then I begin on her forehead and along her neck with a human, multi-bristled plastic hairbrush. If she had mud on her, I would have scraped that off with the shedding blade first. The human hairbrush is much more effective in getting deep into thick donkey and mule hair and will “aerate” the coat nicely where the shedding blade will only skim the top and often break the hair.
Chasity’s teats were as hard as a rock, but were draining a milky-looking substance. At first we thought she had just weaned a foal, but we found out later, that was not the case. At any rate, during grooming, I scraped the sticky drainage from her back legs. Then I discovered some crusty spots across her chest that resembled an old bot-hatching site that had not been addressed.
I used the shedding blade to scrape off the scabs and applied Neosporin to the area. Over several days now, the scabs are beginning to go away. Chasity enjoyed the scratching! They must have been itchy!
Chasity has an enlarged, crested neck and fatty deposits over her body that will need some attention. The crest has fallen over quite a bit, but I do think it is salvagable. It will just take the right kind of feed and exercise, and some time to correct.
On her withers, Chasity has some scarring where the saddles previously used on her were rubbing and turned the hair white. She is also sporting a bit of Lordosis (sway-backed) which should not be seen in an animal of her young age of 13 years. This will undoubtedly result in irregular movement when seeing how out of alignment her spine is with these issues. Equines are not designed to carry weight on top. Rather, their structure supports carrying their weight below the spine. This is why is is so important to pay attention to core exercises to strengthen the top line and abs to prepare to support the rider’s weight. Just because they are big animals doesn’t mean they can automatically carry our weight without undue stress on their bodies.
The crusty discharge on her legs is very sticky, so I sharpen my shedding blade before going after it. It is going to pull the hairs hard enough as it is. I want the shedding blade sharp so it will come off quickly and with as little pain as possible. Chasity appreciates my consideration for her!
Last, but certainly not least, I sprinkle Johnson’s Baby oil in her mane and tail. This protects the hair from drying out during inclement weather, will promote growth and keep other animals from chewing on it. Then I square Chasity up one more time in preparation for either tacking up or for leaving the work station. Although this all seems simple enough, keeping this routine weekly will keep things from getting out of hand and grooming will remain easy each time. A reward of crimped oats from the fanny pack around my waist is always in order for standing quietly in good posture!
If you have multiple animals, just take your grooming tools in a bucket and your fanny pack full of oats with you to their stalls and do them there. If they are all in one pen in a herd situation, do not wear your fanny pack until they can all be rewarded at the same time, at the end of grooming. Body clipping is not a healthy solution and should only be done when showing. During shedding season, it is impossible to get it all done at once and still keep the hair coat healthy. It is easier if you do it weekly and take off the excess hair gradually. When grooming is done regularly and goes easily, it greatly reduces anxiety and bad behaviors.
It was the end of March when Chasity first arrived and the weather was much too cold to even think about giving her a bath, even with our indoor facility. Even though the equines come in to us with Health Certificates and a Coggins Test, we are still very careful about keeping them in quarantine for 30 days and bathing them for hygiene purposes. Chasity would be no exception.
Finally on April 10, it was warm enough to bath her. The water at the outside hitch rail would be too cold, so I opted to bath her in the Tack Barn where there was warm water. Chasity was about to experience her first bath at the Lucky Three Ranch! I began with the lower part of her front legs, then moved to her forehead and worked my way down her neck after spreading a line of shampoo across the full length of her body. I did not use the shampoo on her face.
Ordinarily, I do not use soap during the yearly bathing, but since she had come from another location, I used my Tres Semme Breakage Defense shampoo. It is not as drying as some shampoos and does not require any conditioning. As I sprayed her with water, the suds came up and I followed the sudsy water with my shedding blade to eradicate the dirt from her body as she was rinsed.
As I scraped her with the shedding blade, I just kept the water flowing until no more dirt and suds came from each area. Chasity was not exactly thrilled and moved into me and up against the hitch rail where I could not reach her. I just adjusted the spray to more power and aimed it at her flanks until she moved over. Then I adjusted the spray to be lighter and less penetrating again.
Once she was willing to stand still, I was able to check some questionable spots on her body. He chest had completely healed from the old bug bites, but I did notice a bald spot on her right hind leg. It didn’t look like much and I thought it would probably fill in with hair as her good hygiene was maintained. If need be, I would treat that with Neosporin, too. It works well on most things like this that donkeys seem to get quite often, including “jack sores.”
After the right side was all done, she was rewarded for being a good girl! After chewing her reward of crimped oats, we resumed first with her forehead on the left side.
I worked my way down the left side the same way as I had done on the right side…covered the length of her body with shampoo, followed by water and scraping the suds and dirt from her body with the shedding blade.
She was much better on this side! I sprayed her teats clean and she stood like a trooper!
She now knew what to expect and was amply rewarded for her efforts!
I had prepared to dry her with a hair dryer, but it was so warm, I decided to try her on the hotwalker. I wasn’t sure about how she would take it, but I took it slow, tied her with the chain looped through the ring on her halter and not under her chin. She walked right off as if she had done it all her life!
She dried much more quickly than she would have had I used the hair dryer! I was so proud of Chasity! I think she is finally beginning to trust us!!!
Today, Chasity did much better after two days of rest over the weekend. Her hair coat is much softer and her color is becoming more brilliant. She was moving around quite a bit while being groomed and had to be corrected. After being corrected and rewarded, she stood still.
4-8-20:
Today she was much better during grooming after being corrected the last time, although she was still a bit impatient. She wanted to continue forward before she finished chewing during her lesson in the Hourglass Pattern. I expect that will change in time.
She stood still while I wiped the dried milk-like drainage from her teats and scraped off her legs.
I also found dried bug bites of some sort on her chest that I thought could be old scars from hatched bots. I scraped them off with the shedding blade and treated them with Neosporin. It worked well.
It has only been a week of lessons, but we have made some progress with her neck. It is difficult to tell much from looking at the left side of her body. But now, when you look at her neck from the right side, you can see her mane sticking up across the top. We could not see it at all before.
The neck sweat Velcro is overlapping a bit more and I am able to tighten the adjustment on the “Elbow Pull” since she is now more flexible in her neck.
Her back is beginning to look better even from the start of the lesson. Although she still leans on it, she is randomly submitting to the “Elbow Pull” and matching my steps more easily.
Chasity continues to improve. She is happy to stand quietly, is more balanced over the ground rails and squares up much more easily with only slight indications from the lead rope.
4-10-20:
With each new lesson, Chasity continues to improve. It is only necessary to do the Hourglass Pattern once in one direction and then cross the diagonal and do it in the other direction, at least once per week and no more often than once every other day. She is now learning to bend through her rib cage while remaining erect around the turns in both directions.
Again, she is balanced over the ground rails, squares up nicely and maintains her good posture. She resumes the pattern and goes over the ground rails again for a balanced finish! There was no need for pulling on the lead rope at all, just slight indications!
Chasity’s overall balance and core strength is progressing faster than I would have thought. This is the reason I tell people that these lessons on the flat ground will need to be done for 3-6 months to gain ultimate postural balance and core strength before moving on to obstacles for the addition of coordination. Some equines do progress faster than others. Chasity appears to be one of the faster ones!
Our farrier, Dean Geesen came out to take care of Chasity’s feet. The first order of business was to introduce himself with an offer of oats! She did not want my veterinarian, Greg Farrand, to pick up her feet on Tuesday, but during grooming on Wednesday, Ranch Manager, Chad and I cleaned her feet, so she was much more compliant today. Getting her hooves in balance will greatly improve her overall body balance. And, getting the shoes off her overgrown front feet will enable the frog to do its circulation job!
Her front hooves were exceptionally long with Borium shoes (non-slip) on them and her back feet were long and uneven. All four feet had been trimmed out of balance.
Dean showed us how the shoes had been abnormally and unevenly worn.
Dean removed the shoes and trimmed her hooves in the best balance that he could for now. Her hooves had been pressured to one side and would need several trims to get them properly symmetrical in alignment.
Dean is a correctional farrier and knew just what to do to get her started off on the right ‘foot’ so to speak. It was a definite improvement from where she was!
She will need to be checked periodically to keep her feet in good shape as she moves forward in her therapy. Sometimes these kinds of things just take time!
She was rewarded with oats in appreciation for her cooperation! Chasity seemed thankful for her newly balanced hooves.
Roll has been off for quite some time during this crazy winter weather that we have been having and due to the extra office work that I have taken on. Today we had an opportunity with warm temperatures, but avoided the mud from the snow by working indoors. First, I groomed Roll with a curry and then the vacuum cleaner. The vacuum cleaner is a great tool to promote circulation to the muscles over the body.
Johnson’s Baby Oil in the mane and tail help to protect the hair from the harsh winter weather, drying mud and prevents other equines from chewing on them.
Today we used my Kieffer dressage saddle that seems to fit most of my mules and Roll included with a girth extender. Then I put on the “Elbow Pull” and adjust it so that it helps him to keep his good posture throughout his lesson.
The “Elbow Pull” only prevents him from raising his head so high that he inverts his neck and hollows his back. Otherwise, it affords him full range of motion upward (to that point), downward to the ground and as far as he can stretch his head and neck to both sides.
We went to the indoor arena and he stood like a soldier while I closed the gate and prepped for our lesson in the hourglass pattern. It is extraordinary how core strength stays with these guys even when they are off work for long periods of time.
This is not true with bulk muscle or an animal that has not had the benefit of core strength postural development. The core strength that we develop in good posture is sustained by the equines themselves in their daily routines even when they do not receive forced exercise as long as they continue to move in good posture and rest four-square. Equines that rest with uneven foot placement, or cock a hind foot and drop a hip are not balanced in good posture with a strong core.
When saddling, we do it from the left side (near side) as done normally, but to keep things balanced, we unsaddle from the right side (off side) and pull the saddle back onto the rear end to loosen the crupper and make it easy to remove. When the equine is routinely handled like this, they learn to relax and stand quietly because they know what to expect.
It is amazing to see how much Roll’s attitude has changed in the eight years he has been with us. When he first arrived, he would snort at everything and hide behind Rock. He is now a happy, confident and affectionate 26 year old, 18 hand draft mule. He enjoys his lessons and never forgets a thing!
Trying new things is now done with much less effort and thus, much less drama! Yes, Roll is a bit obese with atrophied bulk muscle right now, but with routine lessons, he will be back to peak condition in no time. An equine that possesses a good foundation built with core strength in mind will be in a position to excel in all kinds of equine activities…because they are never over-whelmed.
10/26/17: It is MULE APPRECIATION DAY today and the perfect time for an update on Roll! Roll has recovered nicely from his bout with White Line Disease in 2016. He had no workouts during that year, but surprisingly, he retained his core strength and balance throughout 2016 and came into 2017 still in good posture and balance. This leads me to believe that core strength does not necessarily deteriorate as rapidly as does bulk muscle.
Roll had his most recent “leading for core strength postural workout” on May 23rd this year. However since then, I have been unable to pursue any more lessons during the entire summer due to business obligations.
He was scheduled for his regular farrier visits on May 18th, July 14th and on September 21st. During that time, he also had two chiropractic visits and was doing very well with only minor adjustments needed.
On October 17th, Roll had a short ride with Brandy in the Lucky Three Ranch North Pasture after being off all summer. He was rather disgusted with Brandy after she unseated her rider, Bailey, at the beginning of the ride by spooking at a shadow on the ground. Roll did great although I could tell he was a bit stiff from the onset, but loosened up and gained impulsion by the end of the ride.
Roll had his last massage on July 13 and continues to thrive at the age of 26 years old. On October 25, we discovered a sarcoid-like tumor on his right jaw, x-rayed it and will do a removal following next week’s vaccinations.
After being off all summer, I thought he did very well and this only reinforced my belief that core muscle really does sustain itself once the animal has spent at least two years doing very specific core muscle, postural exercises.
We cannot thank you enough for all of your support and generosity throughout the year. Thanks to you, we are making a difference for horses and humans every day!
AAE thanks YOU, and all of the horses thank YOU!!
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Be sure to read to the end.
You will see photos of a lot of adoptables needing homes.
You will read about some big news, horse updates, AAE needs to share, some important upcoming dates to add to your calendars, and more.
As some of you know, we have been trying to identify a new location for AAE for quite some time. We have long outgrown our current location in terms of our capacity to expand our horse-human programs. We had a location that fell through at the 11th hour, and a subsequent location did not materialize.
Now, the situation is critical.
Our property owners are planning to sell the property as part of their retirement plan. We need your help in identifying a new location in El Dorado County, not too far from our current location (within about 30 minutes), as our volunteer base is centered here.
We need fenced acreage with ample flat areas functional for a variety of activities. In a perfect world, the property would be an existing horse facility with substantial acreage, fencing and cross-fencing, shelters, a covered arena, a barn, housing, and plenty of water. We know we’re not living in the perfect world, so we will humbly consider any combination with potential for our needs.
Affordability is another need.
Do you know of anyone with an unused ranch, facility, acreage or something in the middle.
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THE STORE IS COMING, THE STORE IS COMING
OPENING SOON: AAE’s USED TACK STORE
It’s been a long time in planning, and it’s almost here.
AAE’s Used Tack Store is opening soon in Shingle Springs.
Please be patient as we get things ready for our Grand Opening!
We have a huge selection of tack. We are working diligently to organize, clean and prepare. We can’t wait to open!
Your tack donations are welcome and much needed to keep us going. We hope you can hold off until November for future tack donations, so we can prepare our current inventory for our Grand Opening the end of October.
Your patience is appreciated!
Stay tuned for more info!
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It’s All About EqWINE
As it turns out, 2017 has been a super busy year and our event team needed a time out. We have had a lot on our plates, and we decided to take a break from the EqWINE event this year to focus our efforts on REHOMING AAE.
We would love to resume our EqWINE event in Fall of 2018. We two grow our event team to support two events. Ideally, a team for EqWINE and a team for Boots. We need fresh ideas to expand and improve the EqWINE event. Interested? Send an email to EqWINE@allaboutequine.org.
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SPARKIE UPDATE!!
Adopted!
Do you remember Sparkie, the emaciated mare that came to us the beginning of July?
She was “just an old mare the owner didn’t have time or concern for any more”. Sparkie had been living on a drylot with nothing more than dry weeds to eat. Lucky for her, her neighbors made some noise. They were given the mare with an offer to breed her if they wanted a “baby”. The former owner also provided a bag of grain and instructed the neighbor to give her “a can a day”. Fortunately, her rescuers knew she needed more than they could provide, so they contacted AAE for assistance.
Upon vet exam, Sparkie’s age was guestimated well into her 20s. She was missing many teeth, and looked like she had probably never had any dental care. She was undernourished, anemic, and in dire need of dental treatment. Thank you, Dr. Stolba, Loomis Basin Equine Medical Center and Melissa Shurr, Certified Equine Dental Practitioner for such great care.
After veterinary and dental care, Sparkie made tremendous progress in her first month at AAE….
And within two months, she looked like an entirely different horse. A beautiful girl!
And here she is, not quite three months after rescue, looking good as new after a brief introduction to her new companion, a 29-year old Arab-cross that recently lost her 31-year old buddy.
Next time you see an underweight or emaciated horse and someone tries to tell you he or she is underweight because she is old, ask more questions. And, don’t assume because she is old and skinny, she cannot be rehabilitated to enjoy a good quality of life. More often than not, the horse is not fed enough or has a need that is not being met such as starvation due to inadequate amounts of feed or type of feed, dental problems, or other health issues. Politely ask questions, don’t be an ostrich. When you do not get a reasonable answer, seek assistance.
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Please submit a review of AAE!!
Great NonProfits – Top Rated Awards
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. GreatNonprofits is the #1 source of nonprofit stories and feedback, and it is honoring highly regarded nonprofits with their 2017 Top-Rated List.
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.
Blue is a Nevada mustang that came to AAE after a plea for help with a mass on his leg and no one had been able to get help for him.
Here is Blue at intake in early 2017.
Blue was feral upon arrival. He had been haltered in the past, but he had substantial trust/fear issues and wanted nothing to do with humans.
It took many months to earn Blue’s trust, and he had some challenges along the way, including two occurrences of an immune reaction that affected his skin. He also had to be trustworthy to assure we could handle him for long term bandage changes after surgery. By August, we were finally ready for surgery.
The BLOB is gone, and thankfully, it was just a big (nearly 7 pound) mass of proud flesh. We did not find any underlying issues. Now the healing continues, be he is much relieved to not be lugging around that big “brain” on his leg.
Healing will take time, and we will not likely end up with a “normal” looking leg, but it should be a normal feeling leg. He is make great progress! This shot is between recent bandage changes. Mass-ive improvement!
Thank you to everyone that made Blue’s surgery and treatment possible. We know Blue is beyond grateful for helping him feel better.
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Save the Dates!
AAE’s Quarterly All Volunteer Meeting 10/14/17
Want to know the happenings at AAE?
Come to our quarterly meeting on October 14, 2017 at 6:00pm.
You don’t want to miss our exciting announcement!
Please bring an appetizer or dessert to share before the meeting starts at 6:30pm.
El Dorado Hills Fire Department
Station 85
1050 Wilson Bl.
El Dorado Hills, CA 95762
If you would like to attend, please RSVP by signing up on our
Are you interested in one of our horses or burros?
Visit our adoption page for information about our adoption process, and send an email to adopt@allaboutequine.org
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VOLUNTEER with AAE
Highlighted Volunteer Need at AAE
Sierra School Field Trip Support
Sierra School is an educational setting where students with disabilities go to experience a positive and enriching academic curriculum and life skills education. Students at Sierra have been removed or taken out of their home school programs due to emotional and behavioral outbursts. Sierra school offers a safe place for students to learn new coping skills and appropriate behavior.
At AAE, students get to experience the joy of an animal and meet new caring staff members. Together students get to learn through hands on modalities and get new opportunities to connect with animals in need. Students must step out of themselves and focus on the task at hand, helping an animal.
Field trips to visit AAE are every other Thursday morning during the school year. AAE needs volunteer help from 9a to 12:30p on these days to facilitate activities for the students. With additional help, AAE can potentially accommodate weekly trips from Sierra School students.
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.
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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..