Chilly Pepper - Miracle Mustang, Equine Rescue & More, WIN Rescue & Rehab Project
  • Home
    • Mission Statement >
      • What and Why
      • Palomino's Open Letter
      • Honey Bandit Time Line/Fact Sheet
      • How it should be
      • New Born Foal Health & Care
      • Anatomy of a Horse
  • Palomino's Ramble
  • Latest Updates
    • Archives
  • Rescues
    • Available for Adoption
    • Adopted
    • Permanent Residents/Special Needs
    • Gone But Not Forgotten
  • Donate & Support
  • Links
  • Contact Us

Honey Bandit - Time for school

1/15/2011

0 Comments

 
Softly, almost shyly, Honey Bandit walks up and lays his head against my chest.  He is such a love bug.  All he knows right now  (once I stopped poking him all the time and sticking things into him, is that I love him and I am his "safe" place.  He is slowly learning that he can no longer lean on me, and that he cannot play "rough horse play" with his human family.  It can be a very hard lesson for them.
 
One of the hard or dangerous things about raising a baby that starts out so critically ill or traumatized, is that although staying close, loving on them, cuddling them, being "one" with them is necessary to help them survive, it can cause nightmares later.   When your two day old, (or in Honey Bandit's case I think he was 3 months old before he could voluntarily "come to me") comes running up to see you and crashes into you it is just "way cute".  But picture 1000 or more pounds of that same loving little horse flying up to see you and bumping into you.  That can be deadly.  But in critical cases, it is not an option whether you share your space with them.  It can be the difference be tween losing your baby or "pulling them back to life".  You also need to monitor the temperature for them as they are extremely susceptible to temperature changes and cannot regulate their body heat for several weeks or longer.
 
I know there are people who don't think you need to be so physically close to,  and keep such a vigilant eye on these babies.  However, I have seen a day old, exquisitely beautiful, perfectly healthy, little filly die, simply because she was left alone.  Although there were people "trying to feed her round the clock" she was left alone, outside in the hot sun.  The sad part is that the ones who were actually feeding her didn't understand that you cannot use a calf nipple to feed a foal.  They called and told me she wasn't getting enough to eat, but by that time it was too late.  So she ended up dying from lack of food and dehydration.  Also, she was alone, hungry and frightened with no one to turn to.  When you watch the wild horses, the babies may bounce around and run and play, but they sure check in often with their mamas.  Depending on the age of the foal you are trying to save,  they may not all need "babying"; but newborns and/or critically ill foals need that closeness.  They are herd animals and it is completely unnatural for them to be alone.  Imagine how frightening and sad you would be if you were all alone, hungry, hot and didn't have anyone to love you.  This little filly died after 3 days lying in the hot sun.  It was a horrible death for her and totally unnecessary.   Unfortunately my hands were tied and I didn't find out about her in time to help save her.  Instead I got a phone call from a young girl who held the convulsing filly in her arms while she died.
 
When Honey Bandit was lying on the blue mat at the veterinary hospital, he was in a deep, deep coma.  So deep that the Dr. Indicated she thought we would lose him before she could get the iv in.  I kept reaching in his mouth and messing with his tongue.  I simply wanted to reach through that fog and let him know someone was there and reaching out to him.  My dearly loved friend Shirley, who is the "horse angel of Nevada", has a foal room in her house.  Her babies wear "pullups" when they are inside, and they go outside to play when the weather is safe for them.  She is one of my dearest mentors and a lady whom I love and respect probably far more than she knows.  She and Susan, another of my beloved mentors, are always there for me if I have questions or need anything.  I know that when "success ratios" were being discussed, they both have some of the highest success rates when it comes to saving the critical, injured or newborns.  They also realize and will explain how much these babies need that extra love.   (I know there also scores of others who are very successful in this field PTL).  But I have the pleasure of being part of Susan and Shirley's world.
 
Back to the hard part,  it is time to teach Honey Bandit about the "space" issue.  He doesn't get to come into my space unless he is invited.  Chilly Pepper also did not like her "Lessons in appropriate behavior in regards to space etiquette 101".  But she did survive.  You will probably see what I am talking about when Jennifer puts up some of the recent videos of Honey Bandit in the front yard.  He is simply "growing up" and needs to become a well behaved "toddler".  He actually does very well, but he has a tendency to forget that I am not Patches or DaBubbles and that he has to "play" with mommy in a more respectable manner.  I have a feeling he is going to be huge someday and I need him to have exemplary manners.  With my leg it doesn't take much to knock me down, and America's Poster Boy to Stop the Round Ups need to represent our beloved mustangs in a manner befitting of  their level of intelligence.
 
Hopefully we will be attending CAL EXPO in Sacramento in June, and he will also need his manners there.  BLM has a booth there and will be answering questions for about 70,000 + people.  I would also like to be there with Honey Bandit to answer questions as well.  I believe that Honey Bandit is the perfect example of why things need to be changed in the way our beloved wild horses are handled.  We need to work together and make sure no more foals end up the way Honey Bandit did.  We can change this, and with so many wonderful people working together our horses will have a chance.
 
Honey Bandit sends his love to all.  X o
 
www.chillypepper.weebly.com
Chilly Pepper - Miracle Mustang
30027 State Hwy 44 East
Shingletown, CA  96088    
530 474 5197
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    OUR MAILING ADDRESS

    CHILLY PEPPER
    PO BOX 233
    GOLCONDA, NV 89414

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010

    Tags

    All
    AJ
    Alpacas
    Anika
    Anna Orchard
    Anne Hall
    Baby Blue
    Baby Boo McClellan
    Bellafonte
    Big Girl
    Braveheart
    Bucket
    Cayenne
    Chester
    Chilly Pepper
    Circle Bear
    Cocoa Puff
    Collins Mitchell
    Colt
    Cowboy
    Cupcake
    Dabubbles
    Dakota
    Dee
    Denny
    Diamond Dancer
    Diesel
    Donate
    Donkey
    Double J
    Fabulous Five
    Fleur
    Frosty
    Ghost
    Gila Herd
    Gypsum
    Honey Bandit
    Hope
    Janie
    Jax
    Jolene (Racoon)
    Justein
    KK
    Lacy
    Lacy & Cowboy
    Leaf
    Leeanna
    Lil Bit
    Lil Jo
    Little Mister
    Little Orphan Annie
    Love's Legacy
    LRTC
    Luckee
    Lucky
    Luna
    Mica
    Midnight Onyx
    Mika
    Mikey
    Mikey & Ikey
    Mountain Lions/Big Cats
    My Heart In The Sky
    My Heart's Desire
    Nuttah
    Nya
    Patches
    Paxton
    Pee Wee
    Phantom Jr
    Pictures
    Pistol
    Precious
    Princess
    Princess Felina
    Racoon
    Raffle
    Red Heat
    Return To Freedom
    Rocky
    Romeo
    Samoset
    Sapphire
    Sarjha
    Sasha
    Shadow
    Shimmer
    Skipper
    Sky
    Slipper
    Snowball
    Soldier
    Spartan
    Stormy
    Superman
    Suri
    Tana
    Tawny
    Texas
    Thunder Mountain
    Tia (aka Trailer)
    Timothy
    Tomahawk Crow
    Trailer
    Velma
    Walker
    Wild Horses In Need
    WIN
    Yakama
    YouCaring

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Home
    • Mission Statement >
      • What and Why
      • Palomino's Open Letter
      • Honey Bandit Time Line/Fact Sheet
      • How it should be
      • New Born Foal Health & Care
      • Anatomy of a Horse
  • Palomino's Ramble
  • Latest Updates
    • Archives
  • Rescues
    • Available for Adoption
    • Adopted
    • Permanent Residents/Special Needs
    • Gone But Not Forgotten
  • Donate & Support
  • Links
  • Contact Us