MERRY CHRISTMAS!

It's Thursday, and Matt and I are finally headed home for a break. We are hoping to celebrate Christmas with our family. We have precious cargo with us once again, and Circle Bear, Princess and Leeanna are all special needs babies.

Circle Bear, shown above, was severely underweight and barely hanging on. The severe weather is extremely hard on these little ones and he was by himself. We don't know where Mom is, but it was life and death for him so we brought him in. He has pneumonia, so please send lots of prayers.

Princess is on the left, and she is recovering from a coyote attack. I know all of us with horse kids have to worry about those beautiful little hunters. It is so hard as the coyotes are doing what comes naturally, but they do not mix well with baby horses. Princess is lucky, as her injuries could have been much worse, and she is hanging in there. She also has a cold and is feeling quite poorly.

Leeanna also has pneumonia. This winter has been brutal, and she also is severely underweight. Due to the severity of the weather, we made a temporary nursery inside the mobile home we were staying in.

The vet is hopeful they will recover, and they have been on meds and we are doing everything we can. I am so excited to get them home and into our nursery. These babies need lots and lots of prayers.

We are heading back to South Dakota after the New Year. As of now we are at the limit of 270 horses allowed to be adopted out per the court order. Matt and I still have to pick up ones that we have adopted but not yet brought home.

On a sad note, Princess Big Girl passed away. She was in labor, (yes she was pregnant and I cannot believe anyone would have bred her. arghhh). She was doing well, all her tests were good and the vet was giving her a bit of peace and quiet. He returned and she was gone. Later that night Lee had a dream she said was the best and saddest ever. Princess and her baby came to Lee and told her how sorry they were to leave, but because Lee loved her so much she could go, and that they would be waiting for her and see her again.

Due to the severity of Lee's burns, there is a need for another therapy horse asap. Elaine Nash and Fleet of Angels have come up with several options, and I told Lee that Big Girl was sending her a new horse to do her stretches with so she wouldn't feel guilty about loving a new horse.

Matt took the last load of horses to NV and on his way back the front end of the truck had some serious issues. Another $5,000 repair bill, but she is running perfectly and once again, God made sure we were in a safe place. :)

It's been an intense year and I want to thank each and every one of you for being part of Chilly Pepper - Miracle Mustang. Thank you and God bless!

If you want to help You can go to You Caring - to help us keep saving lives and to give Shadow the life she deserves. (And to make the pen bigger for all her new blind friends.)

You can go to Paypal - [email protected] or go to www.chillypepper.org
if you would like to help these horses.

You can donate via check at Chilly Pepper - Miracle Mustang, P.O. Box 190 Golconda, NV 89414

You can also donate via credit card by calling Palomino at 530-339-1458.

** NO MATTER HOW BIG OR HOW SMALL
WE SAVE THEM ALL!
SAVING GOD'S CRITTERS - FOUR FEET AT A TIME

Shadow is doing very well over all. Unfortunately she blew out her stitches. We don't know if she hit her head or more likely was itching her eye due to the healing. However, the vet is all over it and we are watching her closely and it is healing nicely (again). I do notice it is very itchy for her though. But that is a sign of healing so we will take it.

It is sad to me that so many thought we should put her down, but then there were so many who wanted us to save her. "Saving Shadow" came with not only a lot of heart ache as we prayed we were doing the best thing for her, but a lot of other challenges. These challenges were not only financial, but logistical as well. But she wants to live and run and play and we will do our best to give her every chance she deserves.

She is struggling quite a bit when her friends run off to play. She so wants to "boot scoot", but until we get more fencing and can build her a barn that is safe and fits her new "play pen", she needs to stay put. She knows her area perfectly and will run and buck, but unfortunately she can't really get going, and could easily get hurt if she doesn't get a bigger and safer place.

(I can hear her out there calling for her sisters. Kind of like bratty kids in at school, sadly they are ignoring her cries.) But they need to run and play also. We will be bringing "Little Burrito", one of the Donkeys we rescued in CA over to hopefully bond up with Shadow. She is very loving and affectionate and will help Shadow to become more confident. Her family is expanding.

The first video is a cute one of her "sisters" running and playing, but you can hear her in the back ground. You will notice her kick the fence, and although she was not injured this time, it is simply a reminder that she needs more space. She has been through too much hardship in her short life and we want her to just go "be a horse". Exercise will also help prevent colic, and she does not need anything else to go wrong. Horses were not meant to stand in small spaces.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vF7PSUJ3SA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOQuzOfpwPE

Our trip to WA to pick up babies was cut short. About half way there we had issues with the truck. We ended up turning around and limping back home. Luckily Kari, (who picks up the babies for us) was able to home all hers, and in a twist of fate, the horses at Mel's also ended up being adopted shortly thereafter. We were supposed to pick up a gorgeous little paint and at the last minute they decided to post him instead. Well he did his job and raised so much interest the rest of the babies got adopted. PTL! We managed to get home safely and Matt worked on the truck. It appears to be ok, but we can always use prayers.

So we are down to 5 babies out of roughly a lot (?), 4 out of the 11 adults from the Yakama rescue (two of them extremely pregnant but doing very well), and our permanent kids coming from CA. 2 mustangs, 2 donkeys, our "make a smile - miniature", and our rescued Percheron Big Girl.

All in all, coming back home worked out very well as the weather is changing fast. We need to get Shadow's new "play pen" set up with a special barn for her. We have the perfect area and it is quite large, but until it is set up properly we cannot move her.

We are working on getting the rest of the "residents" of the rescue to NV, and need to move all the fencing, set up shelters/barns and start getting the Foal Room ready. It is about 7 hours driving each way, so it is making things a bit trickier.

The nursery has to be ready asap because if we get a critically ill or injured baby in, we need to keep it in a warm, temperature controlled environment. So that is one of our biggest priorities along with getting Shadow in her new area.

This season has been intense, with lots of success and some heartbreak. But we so appreciate everyone who has become part of what we do. You are the ones who make this possible, so Thank You!

As this season is winding down, Matt and I have to start the scramble to be ready for what is up ahead. We were so well set up in CA, but could not save anywhere near the number of lives we can by living here - so once again, we are starting from scratch. But their lives are worth it. We have a lot to accomplish before colder weather gets here, but are thankful that Shadow is doing as well as she is and that so many babies and horses have found such wonderful homes.

As always, we appreciate the love and support and Thank You for being part of Chilly Pepper - Miracle Mustang, Equine Rescue & More!

If you want to help You can go to You Caring - to help us keep saving lives and to give Shadow the life she deserves.

You can go to Paypal - [email protected] or go to our Donate & Support page
if you would like to help these horses.

You can donate via check at Chilly Pepper - Miracle Mustang, 34694 Sidebottom Rd., Shingletown, CA 96088 or mail a check to Chilly Pepper - Miracle Mustang, P.O. Box 190 Golconda, NV 89414

You can also donate via credit card by calling Palomino at 530-339-1458.

God Bless & Rescue On!

After placing the first 7 babies, we picked up Shimmer (little gray girl) & Cocoa Puff, the chocolate colored baby mustang. The next Monday, along came Cupcake and her mama. Cupcake is a miniature horse and is about 6 months old. She is wild and untouched at this moment, but we will take the time we need to gentle her. :) She, as well as her mama, will be available for adoption, along with Shimmer and Cocoa Puff at a later date.

We placed Phantom in a wonderful home, (son of the Phantom Stallion), and watched him drive away as the tears flowed down. Loved him so, but it is the best thing for him to have a life where he will get all the attention he deserves :)

Tomorrow we take Velma and Cowboy to their new home. They will be staying together which is nice for them.

Big Girl had her x-rays today. She is in tough shape all around :( . She has very little sole between her coffin bone and the ground, and has extensive "ring bone" (arthritis) on both front feet, although more so on one side. She has very little hoof growth so far, but is on some really good supplements so hopefully that will change soon. Her heartbeat is elevated and irregular, and she will never be able to be ridden or worked again. It is painful for her to move, but Doc prescribed some new meds so we will see if that keeps her comfortable.

She needs lots of prayers for healing, but in the meantime we will give her as much time as she needs to get better, and she can spend her remaining time on this earth being a spoiled and much loved gentle giant. We want to give her all the love, time and happiness she deserves, and are hoping that with pain meds she will be comfortable enough to enjoy a few more years. She is the biggest sweetheart there is and so deserves some love and appreciation. (I still can't believe the people think I bought her for a riding horse. arghhhh). But she needed to be saved and that is why God sent her to us.

We got a call about 6 babies today. Getting ready to load up and head out early, when we received another update that the folks changed their minds and are going to try and keep them. You are on a never ending emotional roller coaster ride when you do this. The day we placed Phantom was a day when I questioned if I could keep doing this. It is so very hard to let them go after you have rehabbed them and put so much time into their healing. But if we don't move horse kids to good homes, we won't be able to keep saving more.

But it is hard when you see babies in situations where folks have not had training for critical care and you know the babies need it. It sounds crazy, but I know many of you will understand. The minute you get that message, text or phone call about babies that need help, your heart is invested. It doesn't matter that you haven't laid eyes upon them yet, or touched them or spent time with them. In that instance they become "your babies". That is what makes it possible to keep going through the craziness, the heart break and the non-stop never ending insanity that comes with this type of rescue. God hooks you up emotionally so you have what it takes to do whatever it takes. Then when you get that other call, it is a huge letdown. Especially knowing they need special care, but we can only do what we are allowed to do.

We want to thank everyone for being part of saving all of these lives. It means the whole world to each and every horse that we save, and although we can't save them all, we are grateful for all the lives we do save because of folks like you and your love and support.