A message from Chilly Pepper
First, let us say that we wholeheartedly and 100% support our advocates at Chilly Pepper Miracle Mustang for all the time and the tireless effort they put into rescuing as many horses as possible. They have our full backing and we will continue to support them in any way we can. There is a lot of misinformation about orphan foals, horse slaughter and the like, so we'd like to share a letter from Palomino. Please take a few moments to read this.
Hi,
I am writing this to clarify the misunderstanding that the orphans we are rescuing are BLM horses. These are NOT BLM horses. These are wild mustangs coming from SOVEREIGN LAND. We have spent years developing a relationship where we are able to save wild horses from the Yakima Indian Nation. (We have also worked with other Native Americans in AZ).
Due to the fact that the horses belong to the Native Americans and they are coming from Sovereign Land, these horses are NOT subject to any of our governing laws. There are too many horses, and as always, there are people who want the land for cattle. It is also a very poverty stricken area, and many of the trappers are using the horses as a way to feed their families. We work with different folks, and some of them bend over backwards to help us place and save as many horses as possible, where there are others who use barb wire to trap. I was horrified to find out that instead of building a pen out of barb wire which was horrible enough, that some of the trappers just string it through the trees and bushes, and you can imagine what happens. Broken necks, fatal barb wire injuries, and it is horrific.
We treated a multitude of barb wire injuries, some being fatal just this year. If you go to our Facebook page and look back there is endless documentation of our "journey".
Chilly Pepper is on the front line. We are called for emergencies constantly. We never go search out horses to rescue, but respond to as many calls as we can. It is definitely not convenient to be the only rescue doing the orphan foals in Toppenish, WA, where the majority of the trappers we get horses are located, (we live in NV), but together with our Chilly Pepper family we have been able to save hundreds and hundreds of lives.
There is a Yakima Orphan Foal Page on Facebook, run by the rescue that we used to "share the load" with. Sadly they terminated their "orphanage" this last year, so it is up to us to set up the new Urgent Care Nursery Facility. However, it does show the history and that this has been ongoing for a number of years.
For those who are skeptical, and I understand many of you only have heard about what the BLM does, every single baby and adult we save are documented. Every single one that Chilly Pepper saves has a Coggins and a Brand Inspection. My number is 530 339 1458 if anyone wants any more information. You can go to Lauri Elizabeth Armstrong on Facebook, (unfortunately I cannot accept new friends per Facebook) and we have a rather new Facebook page Chilly Pepper - Miracle Mustang.
We have been witness over and over to the slaughter trucks being loaded. We listen to the mares screaming for their babies and the babies calling desperately for their mothers. It is heartbreaking and horrible and all you can do is work your hardest to save every life you can. We were able to save over 100 adults last year, and have helped save many pregnant mares and mares with foals at their side this year, in addition to several stallions. We always try to save at least a few stallions, because most folks cannot handle, vet or transport wild stallions. We work with so many amazing folks who help us get them adopted out and we have others who help with the babies.
The pictures show one of the rescues this year. Between the other rescue (across the driveway) and ours, we had 70 orphaned babies at once. That was only one of multiple trips to WA this year. We had a Coggins scare (also documented), so we were stuck with all those milk babies and unable to move them to their new homes. We were making milk by the gallons.
So please feel free to call me if you have any questions. We were recommended to Bethany by our vet up there who has been doing the Coggins and helping with the injured for years. Sadly, this is not made up. The situation is dire for these horses and thanks to caring folks like you, we have been able to save hundreds and will continue to do our best to save as many lives as possible. Due to the fact that we rescue, rehab and re-home, our donors do not pay for the same horses over and over.
We do have several special needs kids that are lifetime, including a 20 year old (now gelded) blind stallion we brought home from the ISPMB rescue, and another blind mare we brought back to be his buddy. (My husband and I sorted EVERY SINGLE one of the 900+ horses from the ISPMB rescue. We were working in -40 degrees and blizzards, (also publicly documented.). So for the folks who were wondering if we were legitimate, we are, and it is all publicly documented. We appreciate all the love and support folks have for the horses, and Chilly Pepper is part of WIN - WILD HORSES IN NEED.
The United States Forest Service is also currently doing a backdoor operation. You can get information on that at the American Wild Horse Campaign website https://americanwildhorsecampaign.org/. They are planning on selling the ones over 10 years old in groups of 36. Guess what? That is a semi load. America's horses are NOT all protected.
Thank you for your time. These are a few of the kids from this year. The last group is taken from my hubby standing on top of the LQ I lived in that was parked in the driveway.
Palomino
aka Lauri Elizabeth Armstrong
