As I lay in bed, listening to the sounds of the babies moving about, I could not stop the tears from falling.  In the morning, for the very last time, we would be loading Annie & Lil Bit into the trailer to start their journey to their new home in Lompoc, at Return to Freedom.  Slowly, I drifted into an uneasy sleep.

At about 2:00 a.m. I awoke with a vengeance.  The sound of thundering hooves radiated all around us.  In the front, where the babies were, and in the other two areas where the big guys were, you could hear them flying around.  Every once in awhile you would hear them blowing and snorting.  "Matt, something is out there".  All of a sudden I heard a blood curdling scream.  It was clearly an animal in the horrible throes of death.   It was out on the highway side of the road and I raced out as fast as my knee would allow (which is not very fast at all).  I had grabbed the huge spotlight and I was calling desperately for DaBubbles.  I couldn't find him anywhere.  All of a sudden the light went out, (of course - lol) and I could hear Matt calling me telling me not to be out there without a weapon.  But I couldn't go back, I had to know he was ok.  I finally heard him running around, and breathing a big sigh of relief, realized that the kill had been outside of our gate.  Most likely the cat had taken down one of the deer that used to hang around.  My adrenalin was up and my heart was racing.  By then, realizing the danger was no longer, the horses and dogs had all settled down and were quiet, and we knew the danger was over.  I kept hearing that scream over and over in my head, and my heart was aching for the little deer that was now dinner.

Matt and I went back to bed for a few minutes and then we decided, let's just load 'em up and head out.  We had brought the babies into the inside nursery and they were all over the place.  There was no way we would get any sleep,  So for the last time ever,  I walked Lil Bit and Lil Orphan Annie into the trailer that they had come to know so well.  They just hopped in as if to say, where we goin' this time?  We got them settled, rechecked everything on the trailer and off we went.

The drive down was uneventful for the most part.  The babies traveled beautifully, and thoroughly enjoyed their little breaks and "milk stops".  They ride standing up part of the time but like to just lay down and chill much of the time when we travel.  We were about an hour from Return to Freedom when we noticed a large semi with a flatbed trailer who was all over the place.  He would go from 35 - 65, and would often be completely on the side of the road and other times be about 3 feet into the oncoming traffic lane.  Now I am pretty protective when we are pulling our little ones, and I sure didn't want to be in front of him.  After 3 separate calls and a great deal of time, most of which we were having mini heart attacks as he came within inches of wiping folks out, including a large fuel tanker, the CHP finally showed up.  He flashed on his lights and began to follow the truck.  Seems like it took 10 - 15 minutes literally for the guy to finally pull over.  We stopped in case they needed a statement, but the officer told us that they had seen enough.  Once again, the angels were with all of us on that highway.

We pulled in to Neda's place, and were met by a bunch of beautiful women.  However, when we opened the trailer door, the babies who could definitely tell that momma was being weird, decided that they would rather stay in the trailer.  So we took a bit of time to let them figure it out.   We had added a piece of wood just inside the back door so no little hoofers could get caught, and this was only the 2nd time they had seen it.  I think that with that piece of wood, coupled with so many folks waiting to meet them and them knowing that "mommy was different", they had decided why not stay in our cozy little trailer that is like our second home.  So we gave them a few minutes to settle in.

After they were unloaded, they went into a beautiful arena.  Both of these babies are secure, confident and ready to take on life.  They pranced around, showed off a bit and literally just soaked up the love.  That night when we came back from dinner, both of them ran up whinnying when they heard "their" truck.  It was really nice to be invited to stay there overnight.  We got to wake up to some of the most beautiful scenery there is, and I think it was easier for the babies to settle in when we were there for breakfast like normal.  I do have to say though, dropping off two babies that have bonded so well is so much less dramatic than dropping off one.  These guys have each other and are so secure that this will be an easy transition for them, although not so much for mom.

We spent a good part of the day with Neda as she showed us around and explained what they do.  Return to Freedom is an amazing place and a great one to support if y'all need a good tax write-off.  Their operating costs are about $6,000 a day, and they have done studies with the PZP that prove you can manage the wild ones with it.  As is the case with humans, not all mares respond to the PZP, so that core group of mares is with a stallion that has had a vasectomy.   The other mares who respond positively to the treatment are banded up with the stallions.  Life at Return to Freedom is very close to "nature" and the horses are living in their family bands.   I cannot begin to imagine the kind of responsibility and stress that could come with taking such excellent care of so many horses.  As she says, "these horses are yesterday's emergencies".  We were talking about how everyone wants to "save" the horses during the emergency, but as soon as it is over, the day to day costs of feeding, veterinary care, hoof care and all the other expenses seem to fall on the rescues.  We need folks to support these horses the rest of their lives.

You can sponsor one of their beautiful mustangs, and even if you cannot do a full sponsorship, anything helps.  Shirley Allen at Lucky Horse Rescue & Rehab in Dayton, NV also has some babies and big horses that could use a sponsor.  Honey Bandit & Donkey are also available for sponsorship at our place.  There is no end to the amazing places that need sponsors for the "saved horses".  Even $5 to any organization out there can make a huge difference for these animals and allow folks to provide the awesome care they deserve.

So Annie and Lil Bit are happily munching away at their new home.  They are surrounded by awesome folks and I heard a little secret that the staff run out on their breaks and visit with them, so we know they are still getting that special treatment they love.

Remember, please visit the websites and help if you can.  http://www.whmentors.org/lhp/orphan01.html  (Shirley's foal rescue) & Return to Freedom, where Lil Bit & Annie live  http://www.returntofreedom.org/about-us/   and of course www.chillypepper.weebly.com to see our latest.

During the year 2014, we had 10 babies here, Precious, Mikey & Ikey, Texas, Janie, Baby Boo McClellan & Luna, Lil Bit & Annie and Running Bucket.  Running Bucket is still on a nurse mare, (whom has done pretty much all the work) and has a potential, but not for sure adopter.  All of the others have found wonderful homes, with the exception of our beloved Janie, who is now in the arms of the angels.  THANK YOU EVERYONE who made these babies' lives possible.  Y'all are amazing and so very much appreciated.

On Friday, May 2, which just happened to be Matt and my 6th anniversary, we had headed out to take Precious home.  The next day I got a call from Shirley, who had gotten the meds that were needed for Texas' scours.  So Texas and I drove to Susanville to meet her and get his meds.  I have to say PTL!, after 5 weeks of scours, we are actually seeing improvement.   Tex is thriving and growing up strong and healthy.  We have been going a bit nuts trying different things to get rid of his tum tum bug, but we are happy to say that Doc finally found the magic, or so it seems.  The next day we were just getting ready to load up for a very long overdue shopping expedition when the phone rang.

It was our friends Tom and Susan from Whispering Winds in OR.  Susan had rescued a beautiful pony named Little Joe from imminent death, and needed to get it to Oregon.  The poor thing had foundered and his feet were hideous.  He was in quite a bit of pain, and we could not delay his transport to his new home, where he would receive the appropriate care to alleviate his discomfort and get him back on track.  They had driven down with the woman who was going to care for him, when of course, their truck broke down.  It's almost funny how many tails of sadness and woe there are when you are trying to transport a rescued animal.  So we loaded up Tex and jumped in the truck. Once we arrived there, Matt and Tom started working on the truck and we three ladies loaded this beautiful pony "Little Joe" in the back of my trailer, with Texas in the front and headed up past Medford.  Now I will tell you that my lead foot seems to disappear when I am hauling my babies, or any other equine.  I have to say that I am not normally a person that even has to worry about getting into any issues when driving.  If someone is tailgating and needs to get by me in a hurry, I will always let them.  (I cannot tell you how many times Matt had to rush me to the emergency room, and you simply never know if someone truly does have an emergency, so we just let them go by.  It makes things so much simpler.)  However, when I am hauling my babies, it is amazing how fast you can go from calm to not calm.  I absolutely hate it when folks tail gate the horse trailer.  Maybe they don't realize that if I have to slow down quickly to avoid a deer or whatever else jumps out in my lane, that they are going to drive right through the back of my trailer.  They obviously do not know how important our "precious cargo" truly is to us.  Anyway, I turn into Grandma driver, pulling over anytime a couple of cars get stacked up behind me.  But folks do have to realize, when someone wants to pull over to let you by, there has to be enough space between the back of your horse trailer and the front of their car.  You cannot slam on the brakes without sending your critters flying.  They are not seat belted in!!!  So off we went on our newest adventure.  It was a long and slow trip, as I wanted to make sure it was as easy as possible for Little Joe and Texas.  We stopped and let them rest and it was a very successful and happy trip, with neither equine being too stressed out, although at that point any travel was hard for Little Joe.  Of course Texas is already a champion traveler, and he will just lay down when he is tired.  He happily hops right in when we need to go somewhere. :)

We were heading back home around 10 p.m. when I finally got the message for an orphan on my cell phone.  (This is why I ask folks to leave messages on both numbers if we get an emergency baby call, as I actually lost a baby due to the folks only calling my cell and it didn't come through in time.  Was so very sad and heartbreaking.  Am working on getting a better phone next time.)  So I jumped on the phone and called Matt, and we headed back towards California.  Luckily, it made more sense to go straight to pick up the baby, so Matt met me part way there and he took over driving PTL!!   We arrived just before day break to pick up the beautiful "Little Orphan Annie".  She is so small, actually tiny, and Barbara was not sure if she had been "stolen" by another mare or rejected.  Of course there were a few mares that were kicking at her, and so once again, one of our human "horsey angels" risked life and limb to pull out a tiny one in need.  For those of you who have never experienced something like that, it is not only dangerous, but scary.  With a large number of horses it is easy to get trampled if one spooks or drives another one towards you.  Especially if they do not want to give up the little one, and she was in with a bunch of wild mares.  So once again, my hat is off to Barbara who saved this little one's life.  You also have to spend an amazing amount of your time to always be watching so you can spot a newborn born in the midst of a large bunch of wild horses right away.  She was born the day after we dropped off Precious. 

So we loaded her up and headed back home.  She is doing very well, and is learning to buck and kick.  Her legs are still quite wobbly but she is already showing lots of spunk.  Sometimes I think God blesses these little orphans with extra amounts of heart and spunk to help them have the will to live.

We have been lucky with Lil Orphan Annie so far.  Not too many extra expenses as so far she seems to be doing very well.  PTL!!  We appreciate anyone who wants to help get these two little ones on their feet so they can grow up and find their forever homes.  We are going through about 45-50 pounds of milk powder between the two of them each week.  Both are doing so well, and we are also extremely grateful and appreciative for the prayers that keep these little ones alive.  If y'all want to help, you can go to www.chillypepper.weebly.com and use the donation button, or you can go to Paypal and go to [email protected].  Our address is  Chilly Pepper - Miracle Mustang, at 34694 Sidebottom Rd., Shingletown, CA  96088.  We have already had tons of visitors and if anyone else is interested in meeting all the critters and having some R & R, please contact us at 530 474 5197.  This is your rescue and we are so grateful for all of you!

God bless and thank you from all the critters at Chilly Pepper - Miracle Mustang!

THANK YOU FROM ALL OF US!
Matt, Palomino & The Gang

It was feeding time, and the wind was actually raging.  (Woohoo)  As I took hay to the horses, the wind whipping my hair in my face, I looked up and smiled.  Living in California, it seems like if it rains, it is considered a storm.  I have to say I miss Washington State and Pennsylvania, where the storms truly rage and the thunder and lightning rock your world.  (I do have to admit that those types of thunder and lightning storms would not be a good idea in dry California, so again, God's plans are best.)   But there is nothing like a rockin' thunder storm as long as it is not starting fires :).  It is like God's power is so big and we are so small, and when the thunder shakes the mountains it makes me want to dance, the wolves get excited and the horses will run like the wind if you are riding in it.  Yet it is like a falling eyelash from heaven.  There is so much power out there and no human can ever truly harness it.  Kind of like a wild stallion tearing across the plains, hooves pounding, mane and tail flying and their hearts pounding as can only happen when you are truly wild. 

All around me the trees were swaying to the point where surely they would snap; instead they whipped back up tall and straight, as though they were doing a rapid dance.  The horses were jacked up, snorting and pawing and prancing around, their ears alert and their eyes wide.  Hmmmmmmmm I wondered, what amazing or scary smells does the wind bring to their world.  Living here makes you so aware of how much we humans miss.  Hundreds of smells, some of predators, some merely skunks and squirrels come flying through their world when the winds blow like this.  I wish I knew who and what surrounded us, as they surely do.  So many nights the dogs go crazy, barking at some wild animals in the woods.   We know the neighbors have seen the bears, (I only got to witness the log that was torn apart by those long claws as he/she grubbed for worms.  We know that although the cats stay away from our property PTL! and thank you Donkey, they are still in the woods surrounding us.  Several weeks ago a large bull elk was spotted near our road.  How many times are you riding in an area like this and the horses are spooking like crazy?  How do you know when they are being silly and how many times is their heightened awareness based on a true predator following us through the trees?

I continued feeding the horses, on one hand tired of all the flooding and standing water and mud; while so grateful for any bit of moisture on the other hand.  After being evacuated for 5 days a couple of years ago, and having the fire so close that it was a roaring freight train of orange and red, dropping embers over the house and buildings, one can never be appreciative enough of the life saving water we are given with each precious drop of rain.  It's kind of funny how Magic can walk through 6 to 8 inches of muddy water just fine when he comes to ask for his dinner, but on the trail, each and every drop of water wants to kill him.

We were doing some desensitization with Precious the other day.  She has had very little training due to the fact that she is supposed to run free and Mikey and Ikey needed to be adopted out.  I had some very large-bubbled, bubble wrap.  So I put it out in front of their feeder.  DaBubbles, of course, walked right on it and then he stopped, put his head down and started pawing, popping bubble after bubble.  This of course freaked out Precious to no end, but after a couple of days she was not nearly as startled when she heard the pops.   We also put out a bright blue tarp for them to eat on and she figured that out in a jiffy.   (And yes, I always have an alternative spot so if she is too nervous she still gets her munchies.) 

It will be very hard to load her up and take her back to her forever home, especially because the nursery is absolutely empty.  It is so hard knowing that there are babies out there and only some of them will be found in time to help them.  Every time the phone rings, I wonder, is it a baby call.   The first thing I do now every single day is check the computer, because that is where I found out about Precious and Mikey and Ikey.  We are getting lots done with no one in the nursery, but how my heart breaks at what could have been if Angel hadn't been hit so badly by that car.  She would most likely have been rehabbing here right now.  So please say your prayers that if there are babies out there and need us, they are found in time.

Shirley, (my mentor and "sister"), recently went and picked up an orphan who was standing alone by some big rocks.  The ladies that found him were on a ride and did everything perfectly.  They did not approach him, or touch him, but simply rode off and came back about an hour later.  This gives the foal time for his momma and the band to come back if they are going to, and he won't smell like a human.  Luckily for the little guy who is now named "Chance", the girls called Shirley and she went out and brought him in.  He is thriving in her nursery, although he still is under 24/7 observation and care, as he is still not for sure out of the woods.  Again, we do not know why he was left behind.  The band could have been scared off or the discharge in his eyes could have meant he would not survived without meds.  Only God knows, and I am so grateful it was His plan for this little one to be found in time.  The next day would have been too late, most likely.

We will keep you updated on the "baby status".  The rest of the critters are doing well and enjoying their romps in the mud.  Please contact us at [email protected] to come and visit or if you know of an orphan in need.

coming up on foal season, and we are definitely set up and ready for the next little one who needs us.  But it is always nice to know the ones that are healthy and rehabbed have found their perfect home, as the new ones always need most of our attention.  I get happier each day with all the improvements we have been making here.  Whether it is cleaning up slash or putting the finishing touches on the fencing and gates, it is just awesome to know that we are finally pretty well set up.  We still need to build a couple of shelters and another little place for hay, but after 2 1/2 years of working on the property, we are well on the way to having things set up the in best way possible to provide the best possible care for our critters and to share all of them with y'all.

We recently had the honor of taking Dabubbles for a "meet and greet" at One Safe Place, in Redding, California.   (One Safe Place is where people can stay or find help due to domestic violence or other situations that make it impossible for them to be safe at home.)  What an awesome day.  DaBubbles, our miniature therapy horse, (who looks kind of like a wooly mammoth right now) shone like the star he is.  The kids and adults had big smiles on their faces and you could see the joy that DaBubbles seems to bring about.  The kids brushed him, walked him, trotted him and fed him.  It was so nice to see their cares melt away, even if only for a few hours.  One young man was quite impressed that we drove "that far - just so DaBubbles could come visit". 

We have been doing a lot of work as far as perimeter fencing that will hopefully keep out the coyotes.  Our war veteran, and my service dog, "Soldier", is beyond happy as now he gets to patrol the front part of the property.  Even when he lays down in the front, it looks as though he is bursting with pride.  He just seems to radiate pride and happiness, as he sits out front with his chest all pumped up.  I guess after being an active soldier, not being able to have free run of the property was an insult to his dignity.

So we are very happy and thankful for all the blessings we have received this last year.  Our next biggest goals at this time is finding Mikey & Ikey a home, as well as the stray dog that we have been fostering.  These are some wonderful animals that will bring a lot of joy to whomever adopts them.  If you have any interest in adopting, please call me at 530 474 5197 or go to our webste at www.chillypepper.weebly.com or contact me at [email protected].  We look forward to hearing from folks and to our visitors.  We have had quite a few this last year and it brings joy to our hearts to share first hand this wonderful experience.

Hi all,

It has been a very busy year here at Chilly Pepper - Miracle Mustang.  Collins was adopted out in October, just in time to make space for Baby Blue to spend some time here.  Ikey & Mikey were just starting to get on their feet and getting their weight closer to where it should be when we got Precious.  Thanksgiving was a time filled with so many thanks that Precious had not only survived the trailer ride home, but that she was still with us the next day.  We truly did not think we would be able to keep her alive long enough to even get her home.  She is definitely another "miracle mustang" and was truly blessed as God sent angels to help us.  Her core temperature was way too low, although we couldn't get an accurate temperature as she was suffering from complications caused by her body shutting down.  Her condition was very similar to Honey Bandit's as she literally couldn't even move her head when she was laying in the trailer.  Every time we stopped our hearts were filled with dread.  Would we find a dead baby in the back, or would she still be with us?

In the wild, when foals are left behind, it is often because their moms instinctively know that something is wrong.  Those babies are left alone to die, they give up the fight and nature takes its course.   I truly believe, and it has been proven scientifically many times with numerous types of animals, that any baby that is left alone without nurturing has much less chance of survival.   We have seen it many times, when someone takes a foal off of the range and feeds it and leaves it in the barn over night.  These babies often die, and not only do they need to be fed as much as every hour, depending on their condition, (not all need to be fed that often) but they are easily depressed and lose the will to live or to fight that hard fight to survive.  Also, a compromised foal can crash in minutes.  So they must be monitored continuously.

The first few weeks with Precious were filled with those "will she make it" moments.   She would get so cold and lethargic, and then she would have better times.  We would pick her up and once she was standing, we would go for short walks down the driveway.  She really seemed to enjoy her walks, and although it was extremely cold out, the fresh air and exercise were critical to her road to survival.  Without the daily exercise and physical therapy, she would have no chance of ever getting enough muscle strength back so she could stand up on her own. 

We rigged up a device where we could use an electric hoist to help lift her up, as she was too heavy for us to lift without it.  She was simply dead weight and did not even try to help get up.  Her back end was so emaciated that she had no muscle strength what soever, and we had to be consistent with her physical therapy so she would get strong once again.

It is dangerous for a baby, or even a full grown horse to lay too long on one side, as they will end up squishing their own organs.  Their blood pools and it can be  a deadly situation.  So every couple of hours I would wake up Matt to help lift her up.  Once she was on her feet she was able to stand for longer and longer periods.  I would come to her stall and ask her if she wanted to get up an she would start "swimming".  Her little legs were moving and she was squealing and she was trying to lift her head.  She had heart and she wanted to live.  That is one of the most crucial things in these rescues.  Their will to live is the deciding factor every time.

Until she was brought in on the ranch she was wild, and the only hands on she had experienced was when they lifted her up with the tractor.  So we still had to deal with that factor also.  There were times after we helped her up when she would turn with her mouth open, as if to take a bite out of us, or she would whimper, showing her discomfort.  She never did actually try to take a bite, but was just letting us know that she was in pain and pretty much sore all over.  My heart would break when I heard her whimper like a child.  I have to say that this is the first baby that has ever vocalized her discomfort in such a way.  It is funny, because when they are so compromised and nearly comatose, they do not seem to remember much of the stuff you did "to" them.  Honey Bandit is such a good example of that.  We spent the first 3-4 months with electric blankets, leg warmers, and all sorts of other "unnatural" things (for a horse) on him, and if you brought out a big blanket today he would definitely tell you that he has never seen one of those.  They simply don't remember what they experienced during those times.  Precious is definitely showing more signs that she is still wild in many ways.  But slowly and surely, she is beginning to trust us and realize that she is safe, and the fact that she is not so sore to the touch is also a huge plus.

Today, (December 27, 2013) she is free from her "lifting straps", and although we are celebrating this monumental progress, we are getting ready to have a sling made for the future foals that might be a little bit easier to use and more comfortable for the babies.  If anyone would like to help us with this endeavor, please call us at 530 474 5197 or email us at [email protected].  We are always looking for good ideas to ensure the greatest comfort for these babies.

Precious is still seriously under weight, and continues to gain the much needed pounds slowly and steadily.  You cannot let them gain too much weight too quickly, or that will cause additional issues for them.  So our little Precious is well on her way to recovery.  Thank you to everyone who has been part of this, again whether it be prayers, financially or just getting the word out.  As always, y'all are the ones that make these miracles happen.

Mikey and Ikey are both doing very well.  Ikey is recovering from his surgery and Mikey is ready for his forever home.  God bless you all and please be safe in the New Year!

Hi y'all

It's been awhile since we sent out an update, as we have been busy with the newest baby, PRECIOUS.  She requires constant care and we have to lift her up.  She is able to walk after we stand her up, but literally has to be lifted on to her feet. 

She was dehydrated, starving and extremely cold when we picked her up.  We literally didn't think she would make it until we got home.  We spent hours tracking down i.v. fluids for her, which was extremely difficult and time consuming considering it was Thanksgiving Eve.  After waking up several of our dear friends in the middle of the night, we were able to get her safely settled in about 3:00 a.m. on Thanksgiving morning.  (Needless to say our turkey was a bit late as we were out picking up Precious instead of thawing the bird :) )

She is holding on and gaining weight, and we are doing P/T with her so she can regain strength in her back end.

MIKEY & IKEY are doing fabulously, once again thanks to all your support.  However Ikey has a hernia, (as you can see in the attached photo) that could be life threatening if it is not fixed in time.  We have to stuff the contents back inside him several times a day (very gently of course) and are saying our prayers that it will hold until we can get him his surgery.

We found a wonderful vet that will do it for us, and the total cost, (barring any complications of course) will be about $550.  This is $200-$500 less than our best price before that.  We are very fortunate (IKEY IS) to have had some wonderful folks donate a total of $275 towards the estimated cost of $550.  So we are half way there. 

However, IKEY still needs your help.  If anyone wants to help this wonderful little orphan to continue to have the best chance at a happy and healthy life, IKEY would so appreciate anything y'all can do to help him get past this.

We here at Chilly Pepper - Miracle Mustang cannot begin to express our gratitude for all that you do.  Without y'all and your loving support, there would be no miracle mustangs, and man have we had a few of those.  So please keep up your awesome support for these critical little orphans we get.  You are doing God's work, caring for His creatures and making such a difference not only in their lives, but for all the folks who are involved and come to visit.    We have been so blessed to become part of such a wonderful community who shares in all our rescues.

God bless and stay safe.

Hugs



Mikey & Ikey are doing fabulously.

November 28th
It is 3:09 a.m. and the newest member of our rescue is finally settled in. AMERICA - MEET AND FALL IN LOVE WITH "PRECIOUS". She is another "side-effect" of what happens from the stress of the roundups. Her mama was young, and ended up not having enough milk and "dumping" her baby. PTL the folks were paying attention and brought her in to help her out. We received the call this afternoon and brought her to Chilly Pepper - Miracle Mustang........... She cannot get up by herself, and although from a distance under all her long hair you cannot tell, she was severely dehydrated and underweight. She is weak, but a fighter. As usual - we need help, prayers, love, support and good energy. Matt and I were truly amazed and SO THANKFUL that she actually made it home alive. She is far away from being out of the woods, and under all that hair is actually much thinner than Mikey & Ikey were. So we are asking y'all to help us with another Miracle Mustang. THANK YOU TO THE FOLKS THAT TOOK CARE OF HER UNTIL WE COULD HELP! BIG HUGS! Let's have another miracle. HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Later...
Precious is still with us. Just have to figure out how to lift her - for all she is so skinny, she still is heavy to lift. She did well the rest of this morning, having fluids every hour. She is eating and actually drank some of her water on her own. Please keep sending prayers and have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Later...
Precious is fighting the beginning of a cold? Respiratory infection? So she had her first Vibra VM treatment. Was interesting since she is not even halter trained and from what I understand only had hands on pretty much when she was being lifted or helped to stand up. She did really well. Please say your prayers for her & the rest of the critters. Thanks

November 29th
Precious is hanging in there. It is such a roller coaster ride with these criticals. I was bouncing for joy (and with my knee that is really something - haha) yesterday because we got her eating her munchies, and then a few hours later she was completely lethargic, with her cold in evidence and looking like she was crashing big time. It really looked like we were gonna lose her. They can crash in minutes, and it is so emotional.

I am anxiously awaiting the point where she tries to help when we pick her up. She does whinny like crazy when she needs to get up and go potty, and she is just the sweetest little thing that ever walked the earth. Trying to get some of that gunk off her today. Although you cannot tell, I brushed her for about half an hour yesterday - but you simply cannot over do too much at once. I know she looks awful, but we brushed her until she got too tired.

Video of Precious: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7AOzGPwF6M&feature=youtu.be

Today is Collins 1 week birthday, as far as we know. haha.  He has passed 3 major hurdles as an orphan foal.   The first 24 hours, then the 72 hour mark, and then 1 week.  Woohooo.  He is still having a few tummy issues but seems to be feeling awesome.  He is playing and bucking and kicking and having fun.  Hopefully tomorrow we will be able to let him play in the baby yard and possibly meet DaBubbles.  DaBubbles will be on a line of course, so it isn't too scary for Collins.   Last night he reared up and flipped over, landing in an awkward position.  Scared me silly, but he was fine.  Just being a clumsy baby.  Little goofballs can scare you in a second.  He is "standing" for a little bit at a time and is no longer "smashing me" with his head.  He is not allowed to do that (even though he is just a little baby).  It is imperative that he keep getting better and better manners to keep us safe.  So thank you for all your prayers.  Please keep 'em coming.


On another note, Honey Bandit got branded today.   The folks from BLM came out and made him "official".  The gentleman (I apologize for not having his name) who did the branding was amazing.  Honey Bandit was nervous about the clippers, but it wasn't a situation where more than one person could hold him.  I was totally comfy letting him hold Honey Bandit, (and y'all know that doesn't happen).  He was so kind and patient and instead of getting frustrated or angry when HB was scared and acted up, he just waited until HB was ok.  Then he proceeded slowly.  So now Honey Bandit is wearing his "wild mustang brand".   Was a great day and HB was happy as could be when it was done.  They use a "freeze brand", and it doesn't appear to bother the animals whatsoever.  I have personally used one on a number of horses and not one of them even flinched.  Woohoo for cold.


Heading off for my 30 minute nap before feeding time again.


God bless and thank you for being part of this journey!