We lost our dear little Mulligan.

Amelia had a change of plans and has now been adopted by our vet!  Wahoo!

Delilah has gone off to her new family and they love her to bits already!

Buddy has some folks coming to meet him this weekend.

And, we have our last surrender here now...  Meet Trinket!



 

Well.  Things are going to change.

I will put my statement outlining our big change at the end of this entry.  The short version is this... we are going to be morphing from an active rescue into a safety net for the nearly 300 Minis already under our umbrella.  I am going to be spending my time checking up on all of our Minis and rehoming the handful that seem to make their way back to us each year for various reasons.

We aren't quite done yet though!  Our last surrender will be arriving in a couple of weeks.  Meanwhile, let's see what's been happening...

Petra left yesterday for her new adoptive home.  Sweet Delta had passed away, leaving Posy lonely, and so Petra has gone to be her new friend.

Amelia is going to hang out until April, as her new family is going on a big vacation for most of March.  Then she will join two other elderly Minis over on the Island.  They are really looking forward to having her there!

Chester and Peter Pan are both going to be adopted by their foster homes - who are both thrilled!  

Delilah's big buddy did not seem to appreciate the addition to the herd, so she has come back to us.  She has already got a new family eagerly awaiting her arrival though!

Buddy has also come back to us and we're sure it won't be long before he's got a new family to call his own.

Here is Peter Pan with his new big brother, our old pal Archer!  (Archer is not big at all... Peter Pan is just that small!  LOL)

Pipsqueak Paddocks Miniature Horse Haven Society is going to be shifting gears.  We will remain a Society and Charity, but our mandate is morphing.  We will now be focussing on ensuring that the nearly 300 Miniature Horses and small ponies under our umbrella remain safe, healthy and happy.  Seeing as our youngest Mini was just born, this will be our mandate for the next 30+ years.   

We will be here to welcome back any previously adopted Minis and any herd mates who need to come in with them.  We will also be here to honour agreements made with folks who have named the Society in their will as the place their Minis will go, if the worst should happen.   

We will be reformatting the website to help educate people on the safest way to re-home their own Minis, as well as providing information on Mini care in general.  We will also keep trying to connect folks who are looking for Minis with folks who are looking to re-home Minis in their region of the province.  With our vast network, built over the past 13 years, we also hope to be able to assist Minis in need of rescue to find new situations in their own regions.   

I am very proud of the rescue work we have done.  Everyone who has been a part of our team over the years should be as well.  We have made a real difference for Miniature Horses in BC.   

It has also been a privilege to assist hundreds of people who have had to make the heartbreaking decision to give up their Minis.  So many folks have been able to find peace with their decision once we discussed our process with them.  Life happens, and we have always been happy to help those folks who just wanted the best for their Minis.  In order to fulfill our promise to those folks and the hundreds of Minis already under our umbrella, we need to make this change.   

Why now?  There are many reasons, some have been slowly building and others are new.  There are some major changes happening on the property where our main facility is.  We will no longer to be able to house as many Minis at once here.  Yes, we have amazing foster homes, but having the Minis come in to the main facility first for assessment and vet care is essential.  I believe that this centralization was the key to our success for so long.  Also, though we are a Society, there is one person who does the bulk of the work in every department.  That person is me, and I am weary.  LOL  It has been an amazing 13 years.  You will never know what this Society and our work has meant for me personally.  What the teamwork and friendships built have meant to me.  I needed this as much as the Minis did... we rescued each other. 

Now though, the more stressful aspects of running a rescue are taking their toll on heart, mind, and soul.  However, I feel excited about touching base with all of our adopters and even visiting as many of our Minis as I can.  I am looking forward to making charts and graphs with the data we have gathered about Mini rescue.  I am totally stoked about adding new photos and stories to each Mini's page on our website!  I will also be very happy to welcome back any of our adopted Minis who need us again.  Life happens, to us all.  It is my job to ensure that it is a good life all around.

First off - thank you all SO SO SO much for your support in 2016.  It was a bit of a "slow" year with a mere 50 Miniature Horses in our care throughout the year.  Once again - we could not do it without our supporter, donors, foster homes, volunteers and adopters!

Sam and Delilah have both been adopted!

The pair of Minis on the Island were taken in by the gal who was supposed to transport them here!  LOL  Love at first sight I suppose!  The 4 up in Armstrong also found homes nearby, which is wonderful as they won't have to go for a long haul in the middle of winter now!

The rest of Peter Pan's herd have all found homes.  Only Petra had to come off Island as the others all found homes over there, including the old gal Butterfly who was adopted by our emergency foster home.  I love that!  Petra already has a home lined up with our old pal Posy!

Our dear girl, Amelia, has come back to us to find a new home.  Her big buddy was leased out - so she needs to go somewhere with new horse friends.  She's just getting some vet work done and will meet a new potential family this week.

We have a new boy in, Chester.  He is a bundle of energy and a very fun guy.  However, he has been alone for 15 years and so is going out for socialization and manners training before we find an active home for him.  

Here he is, all bright eyed and bushy tailed!


 

Hi!  

So, many, many, many things have been going on.  I'll start with the old crew...

Timothy was adopted!  YAY!  He went to a fabulous home where they say he's doing just great!

Cinder was indeed adopted to go be Whisper's pal.  She came down here to meet him, and then he stuck to her like glue when they went home.  He will love roaming the hillside acreage with her!

We had a couple of really quick in-an-outs because they were just too adorable for their foster families to bear.  LOL  Buddy and Toblerone were experts at batting their eyelashes and so ended up adopted immediately.

We have two new arrivals, Sam and Delilah who are just delightful.  They will soon be ready to go.

THEN, I have 8 Minis on the Island that I've been juggling.  Peter Pan has made it over here to our main facility... a darling lad who is about a 1 on the body scale.  27 years old and a real dear.  The other 5 from his herd are at a foster home on the Island until we can arrange transport - or until they are adopted... which 3, and maybe 4 as of this minute have been!  Another pair being picked up next week will make their way here.  

NOW, I have just gotten word of 4 up in Armstrong who need to make their way down here ASAP.  Always something happening!

I think that is all there is... ALL there is... hahaha.  If you guys only knew how much paperwork and physical work, heck - AND mental work each Mini generates... LOL  They are lucky they are cute!  :D

Here is a shot of the ever-sweet pair, Sam and Delilah...



  

So yes, it's been a while!  Life has been rather busy... or rather, I actually have a life!  LOL  Luckily this has happened in a record-breaking slow period for us!  We have not had this few Minis since we were starting up.  I am hoping beyond hope that this means we have perhaps actually made a difference in this province after 12 years of educating the public and gelding well over 100 stallions!  Fingers crossed!

So, let's see what's been happening...

TJ is adopted!
Merrilee is adopted!
Paddington is adopted!

Our old pals Whisper, Tuffi and Blizzard had to come back and try again for new homes when their families broke up.  They are now set up again for great futures!

We had a very cute little pregnant mare named Minnow come in.  She was adopted out and should be having her foal pretty quick!  

Timothy is still just hanging out here.  We are hoping that his perfect match will happen soon since he is now gelded and all healed up.

We picked up a very sweet little dude this past weekend.  He was all alone after his big horse pal passed away and his family wanted him to have a new home with buddies.  I am thinking that he'll be a nice match for Whisper, who has been waiting for a pal of her own!  One of our Mini-Heroes, Sierra, has named him "Cinder".



 

Welladay!  Here we go!

Tempest is adopted!
Stormy is adopted!
Ginger and Roman are both adopted!

Everypony went to amazing homes where they are thriving!

TJ is now back with us at our overflow barn, hanging out with Jupiter.  It was time to bring him out of his foster home to test how he now deals with life.  He is doing great!  You can really tell that he wants to be a good horse.  No more overt aggression issues - phewf!  Now he just needs to learn about space and manners.

Timothy is still waiting for his surgery, but it won't be long now.  The good thing about the long wait is that he is now fit as a fiddle after having lost an amazing amount of weight!  That is only to the good when facing a surgery such as this.

Now, it has been longer than normal between blog entries (my apologies!) and so we have had a few Minis come in, get all fixed up, and find homes in record times!

We had a handsome fellow named Bandit come through.  He was a senior stallion who is now a terrific gelding and is settling in well as a babysitter for a retired TB.  We had a very sweet mare named Faline who was snapped up too.  Then there was baby Marquis - too adorable for words and perfect for a family on our waiting list!  Sadly, we also had a very sweet mare named Emma come in, but she was beyond our help.  We made the tough call to euthanize her.

We also currently have a fun pair named Merrilee and Paddington.  They are quite nervous about being caught, but really seem to know their stuff once you have them in hand.  It's going to be fun working with them.  We love to see them finally realize that humans can be trusted.

So, we are still just rolling along, as you can see.  I've got a couple on my radar who should be arriving within a week or so I think... on we go.  If you enjoy reading about our work with the Minis and would like to help us keep going, please check out our TEAM page.  This is the absolute best way to have a little go a long way.  We just received word that our main supporting Foundation is shutting down and so we need to develop alternative support.  If all of our fans gave $5/month - there would be no stopping us!  Go TEAM!  

Thanks!

Here's a photo of Jupiter and TJ hanging out.  We couldn't resist making them a pair!  LOL

Heeeeeeey!  Long time no blog!  We've still been here, just truckin' along!  Let's see...

Tempest has been having a lovely time at her foster home.  She is really doing super and is much more outgoing now.  TJ is doing great too, at the same place.  He is much more comfortable with humans, even in groups, and seems to really enjoy obstacle work.

Zephyr is adopted!  Tolmie is adopted!  Savvy is adopted!  HappyGoLucky is adopted!  Breeze is adopted!  Ginny is adopted!  Opal is adopted!  Wow - it's been a good run!  They all went to fabulous homes that completely suited their personalities and skills.  Really wonderful matches!  Zephyr is driving, Tolmie is in a neighbourhood children's program, Savvy has a little girl to call his own, Hap gets to go on adventures, Breeze is in a children's therapy program, Ginny has a twin to drive with and Opal is a pampered princess in Southlands!  LOL

Stormy is on the verge of being adopted as well!

Timothy is back here at our main facility.  He is looking fantastic!  His foster family did a great job getting him into better shape for his surgery.  That should happen in May hopefully as our vet's hand is healing well.

Ginger and Roman are so utterly adorable and have wonderful personalities.  They are a pleasure to have around.

We also have a little guy currently en route, who should arrive this evening.  We are looking forward to meeting him and helping him out, starting with gelding surgery on Thursday.

Here's a lovely shot we got from Hap's adopters... it's him and his new big buddy.  They hit it off right away and are best friends.



 

Hiya!  

So, what's been happening?  Let's see.....

Tempest is ready to head off to a foster home tomorrow.  It has been a really long road with this beautiful girl, but she is making great strides.  Now she is ready for some one on one to hopefully take her to the next level.  I have never had a Mini in with so much fear.  Luckily, Tempest honestly is interested in being around us and is willing to work with us.

Zephyr was sent for driving training.  This big boy really needed a job!  He is apparently turning some heads and there is talk of an adoption in the works there!

TJ is continuing his life as a metaphorical onion at his foster home.  He is making progress, one layer at a time.

Tolmie will be returning from his foster home tomorrow.  His gut issues (from ulcers) appear to be under control and so it's time to test his ability to handle a change.

Savvy is now at our overflow barn.  He is best buds with the host Mini there, Jupiter.  Savvy has just blossomed into a very fun little Mini.  No more major fear issues and he is in great shape!  I'll throw a great photo of him in here from the other day...


HappyGoLucky has also just been brought to the overflow barn.  He is really loving going for walks on all the trails there.  I would love to see him start driving perhaps.

Chipper is adopted!  Aurora is adopted!  Lark and Wren are both adopted!  Jack and Ani are adopted!

Timothy is still at his foster home awaiting surgery.  Our surgical vet has a broken hand, so he is just hanging out for a while until we can do his crypt surgery.  He is doing great and gets to go for lots of walks there!

Breeze is the current star of our main facility.  She is such a hilarious little thing!  

So, that brings us to new arrivals...

We were happy to welcome Stormy and Ginny, who were seized by the SPCA last year.  They are both doing well now and we are very happy to assist in continuing their rehabilitation process.

We also welcomed back our darling girl, Opal.  She had to return to us yet once again when her adopter faced some life changes.  I jokingly refer to Opal as "Boomerang" now.  She holds the record for most times returned (3) but it is never the fault of this sweet girl... just circumstances.  We are always happy to take our Minis back.  Of course we would prefer that all placements were permanent, but we fully understand that things can happen that impact the ability to have and care for horses.  We just want what is best for everybody.

I guess that brings us up to yesterday.  We went for a bit of a drive and picked up the tiniest little pair of Minis.  Very friendly and very cute!  Ginger and Roman needed a place to go as their family is breaking up.  They are settling in well and next week will be a busy one for them as they meet our vet, among other things.  :)

Well.  It's been a bit of a year, hey?  

We had our slowest spring on record... and yet we still had 60 Minis in our care throughout the year.  (Which makes it our second busiest year ever.)  Crazy!

So, let's have our final re-cap of 2015!

Tempest and Zephyr are paddock-mates here and make quite a cute pair!  They are doing well.

TJ and Tolmie are doing great in their foster home.

Savvy has returned to the main facility from his foster home and is mingling with HappyGoLucky and Chipper. 

Levi was adopted by his foster family!

Aurora has been moved to my house and she is absolutely loving walking out on the trails!  I think she'll make a great little driving horse!

Lark and Wren are headed off to a great foster home tomorrow.  They will be up for adoption separately in February, once Wren is weaned.

Jack is still waiting to go to his adoptive home.  He and Ani are hanging out at my house and doing good here.  

Timothy is in a foster home down the street and doing well.  He gets to go for lots of walks!

Other than that, we have one new arrival.  Little Breeze made quite the entrance with a horribly overgrown hoof.  She is doing much better already though and will be up for adoption in January.  She is a total doll!

I would just like to say thank you so much to all of our adopters, volunteers and supporters for a terrific year!  60 Minis helped and all costs covered!  Success!

Thank you all and have a Happy New Year!






 

Okay, I have been putting off writing this entry as we have had 10 adoptions pending!  But, they are trickling through so I thought I had better just do it.  I just don't usually say that horses are adopted before they actually leave.  PLUS - There are a couple here who I can't say at all that they are leaving, because they are surprise Christmas presents for some members of the families.  LOL

What I can tell you is...  

Hannah and Ariel were adopted today by their foster home!  They get to stay together and are already much loved there!

Summer, Juneau and Echo (who came back to us again) are all headed to their homes tomorrow!

Tempest, I am sure, is about to become a new and more relaxed horse once Juneau and Summer leave - as they are her kids.  She will now be able to just chill and focus on herself.

TJ and Savvy are still doing well in foster care, as is Levi.

Sprocket and Jaunty did indeed hit it off and were adopted as a pair!

Aurora and Tolmie are still hanging out.  Tolmie has a home waiting for him as soon as his gut issues heal up.  He is much perkier these days!

Rainbow Dash and Sky Wishes both have adoption pending!  They are hanging out at my house until they can go to their homes.

Chipper and HappyGoLucky are still at our main facility.  Chip is doing so much better now that his feet are trimmed and he's used to them.  Hap is healing well from his cryptorchid surgery.

Lark and Wren will be with us until February when Wren can be weaned.  They are not well matched as a permanent pair.

So then we have some new arrivals as well since I last blogged.  Jack and Ani are the sweetest little ones.  Jack has a home waiting in January once he's healed up from his gelding surgery and Ani is now up for adoption since we have determined that she is not pregnant.

Timothy is yet another cryptorchid stallion who made his way to us after being dumped post-season by a petting zoo.  Our vet has broken her hand, so he is going to hang out and lose weight until February when he'll get his big surgery.

Zephyr is our latest boy to arrive.  He is very handsome and though a bit shy, he is very interested in us.

Other than that, I just want to remind ya'll about our Gift-of-Giving Certificates.  They make terrific stocking stuffers, or presents for your friends and family.  Available in cute/funny or classic designs in a range of dollar amounts - you can't go wrong helping out the Minis!

Here's Zephyr!


 

Okay... so obviously October has been and gone.  What the heck?  Things have been crazy around here and now we are heading into what has traditionally been our "busy time of the year"!  The Minis have been flying off the shelves, luckily, and we have a really nice batch in right now.  So, even though they are many - they are lovely to work with.

So let's get caught up, hey?

Lark and Wren are doing fabulous!  Wren's back is all healed up (she came with a large injury), and Lark is finally putting on some decent weight.  I think that Lark will always have to be on soaked hay cubes due to a gap in her molars.  Luckily she loves them!

Wonderful news - River is adopted!  It took us a year to tame down this wild mountain pony, but she is now happily learning how to get along in her new herd!

Beau also found his perfect home and his new family is totally smitten!  

Hannah, Ariel, Tempest, Summer and Juneau are all still up for adoption.  Summer will be weaned at the beginning of December and I have a feeling she's going to go quickly after that.  Tempest and Juneau are really coming around now.  They still each need a special kind of home, but I know that they are capable of becoming very nice little horses.

TJ is still fostered out and learning how to just be a horse.  Another new guy, Savvy, is sharing his foster herd and doing well there too.

Pepper found herself a very wonderful home where she is absolutely adored!

Sprocket is still hanging out at my place, but he's going back to the Paddocks soon to meet a new friend, Jaunty, to see if they get along.  If all goes well then the pair of them may soon be going to a great home for new adventures!

Our darling old gal Glory has a home now too!  She is the apple of her new big buddy's eye!

Goldie and Checkers were adopted by a swarm of little blonde children.  The ponies absolutely adore the kids and Checkers will let them handle him with none of the reservations that he displays with adults.  It was truly magical to witness!

Dublin was adopted and is now living on a lovely ranch with our old pal Jet!

Cash and AJ have each been adopted as well.  AJ just lives across our back field, so we still get to see him from afar every day.  Cash has gone to be half of an appy driving team!

So, who am I forgetting?  Ah, Wizard and Snickers came and went.  A lovely pair of fellows, they were gelded and then each found fantastic homes!  

Aurora and Tolmie came to us as well.  They were dumped at the auction and so made their way here.  Tolmie was gelded and we checked Aurora to be sure that she was not in foal.  They are total cutie-pies!

Rainbow Dash and Sky Wishes have returned to us yet again.  I absolutely LOVE these two girls and fate just keeps tempting me by bringing them back.  I must resist though, so someone is going to be very lucky to get these girls!  Once again, it is not their fault that they were returned, just human stuff.  I brought them to my house so I can pretend for a little while that I have the best Minis in the world.  LOL

Along with Jaunty came Chipper and HappyGoLucky.  Chipper needs to put some weight on and recover from some very overgrown hooves.  HappyGoLucky has the misfortune of being a cryptorchid stallion, so we are fundraising for his very expensive operation, scheduled for November 11th.

And, last but not least, darling Levi arrived a couple of days ago.  This old man is so very sweet, we love him already.  His teeth were atrocious, so he is now going to be so much more comfortable since the vet took care of them this morning.  He is utterly emaciated and so gets to have some good grass time at the neighbour's along with his new pal, everybody's best friend, Mulligan.

We are now gathering art pieces for our annual Online Art Auction fundraiser.  Mulligan taught baby Wren and baby Summer how to paint yesterday.  If you are, or know an artist, we happily accept pieces in any medium!  






 

Okay wow, August was swift.  We are well into September and still hovering around 20 Minis in our care.  Two arrived today and I've got three more on the way this weekend!

With three stallions scheduled to arrive this weekend, next week will bring us to our 100th gelding surgery!  We are having a special online fundraiser this week to replenish our Gelding Fund.  You can find that here:  https://www.canadahelps.org/en/pages/100th-gelding-surgery/

However today's arrivals, though girls, are related to stallion issues as well.  It is a mare and her three week old filly... the last daughter of Elvis, which makes her Beau's little half-sister.  This is the last of that herd now all here, safe and sound. 

So, let's recap the month, shall we?

Peaches' and Georgia's fates took a little turn and they have now been adopted, together, by the folks who adopted Georgia's sire (now gelded) Paladin!  So the whole family gets to stay together and live happily ever after!  We couldn't be more thrilled!

River is back here at the main facility now and she is doing really, really well.  Such a difference in our little wild-child!

Beau is weaned, gelded and ready for a new home!  Hannah and Ariel are up for adoption together, as are Tempest and Summer.  Juneau is now up for adoption too.  

TJ and Pepper are still learning all about the good life at their foster home.  Sprocket is now fostered at my house, since I've acquired permission to use a corner of the farm here where I've moved to!  It's pretty fun having Minis outside my window again!

Ollie and Amelia (not pregnant) were both adopted to lovely homes.  Puzzle too hit the jackpot and now has her very own girl!

Glory is thriving with her foster family just adoring her.

Morocco was gelded and adopted swift as a wink!  He's loving it at his new ranch!

That brings us to new arrivals... we now have Goldie and Checkers, the cutest pair of Mini-Haflingers you've ever seen!  LOL  They are fostered out in a lovely corner of the neighbourhood.

Dublin is a young stallion-now-gelded.  He's very handsome and quite sweet.

Cash and AJ are a pair of tiny little gentlemen.  Cash has an adoption pending and AJ won't be hanging around for long I'm sure - he is just too cute!


 

Well, we hit the ground running and haven't stopped yet!  July was pretty crazy around here!

Peaches and Georgia are doing just fine and dandy.  Just hanging out until they can go their separate ways.

River is still fostered out, though we want to bring her home as soon as we can in order to get to know her again.  She is apparently a whole different horse!

Maybelline was adopted, as well as Holly and Sitka.  We also had two boys come in and go out with adoptions in a flash... Breaker and Elvis.

Other new arrivals were Hannah, Ariel and Beau.  Little Beau was rejected by his dam, and Ariel is his surrogate mom.  Hannah is Ariel's best friend.  They are doing terrific and will soon be heading to a lovely foster home until Beau can be weaned.

Sadly, we had to make the decision to put little Denali down.  The x-rays showed that she had some hefty structural issues due to her dwarfism that were just going to get worse quickly.  There are some things that you just can't fix.

Juneau is really starting to come around, and has been reunited with Tempest and baby Summer who have made their way here to our main facility.  

TJ and Pepper are in the hands of a terrific foster home where they are working on their fear issues.

Sprocket is back here at our main facility after spending a few weeks out getting some one on one attention.  He is doing great and is ready for a home!

Ollie and Amelia are doing wonderful as well.  Ollie is fostered with one of our vets and Amelia is hanging out here in the camera paddock.  We are still trying to determine if she is indeed pregnant.

Puzzle and Glory are in separate foster homes and doing terrific.  I had initially wanted them to go together, but Puzzle has some adoption interest and so I sent Glory off to get some one on one attention and she is thriving!

So, that sketchy overview brings me to today.  Morocco arrived in the wee hours of the morning yesterday and he had his surgery and dental work done this afternoon.  He is super friendly and will make a terrific gelding!

So, everything was calm.  Georgia was eating hay and acting like a normal foal.  Peaches was happy.  River was doing well at her training facility.  Maybelline was just hanging out until her July adoption date.  The new ones (TJ, Sprocket, Pepper and Holly) were settling in well, with Holly on the verge of being adopted already.  It was the quietest spring on record.  I thought... sure, I can have a holiday, sure.  Sure.  LOL

The day before I was to catch my ship, the phone rang.  5 Minis needed our help.  A mare with a three day old foal, a possibly pregnant two year old, a dwarf yearling and another yearling.  Sure, let's do it!  I can pack till the wee hours if I have to.  Team Pipsqueak pulled together and we got them all transported either to our facility or an awesome foster home.

Then I get a text.  A stallion and a likely pregnant mare.  Can we help?  Sure, let's do it!  Arrangements were made for one of my awesome team members to pick them up and hold them until I returned.

Meanwhile, I had got another call.  Puzzle and Glory needed to be rehomed.  More arrangements for them to arrive just after my return.

So, thanks to my amazing team, I did indeed have a wonderful holiday... just in the nick of time.  Now it's pedal to the metal, processing these nine and word of another possibly on the way next week.

Tempest and Summer (the mare and foal) are doing well at their foster home.  The foal, Summer, is a little dear.  Tempest is untouchable, but about to start sessions with the amazing Liz Duncan, so we are confident that she'll be halter broke and able to safely come here to our main facility by the end of the month.

Juneau, Sitka and Denali are settling in well here at our main facility.  These three are also untouchable, but are very friendly and curious - which is a great start. 

Puzzle and Glory arrived yesterday and look fabulous.  Puzzle is so friendly now - it is surreal!  I remember when she came to us as a wild little mountain pony!

The new stallion and mare arrive any minute.  Ollie and Amelia are apparently friendly.  We'll geld Ollie tomorrow and see if he's left a final legacy with Amelia as well.  If so, then she'll be hanging out with us until the spring.

I'll be busy catching up with things and getting the "Available" page up to date with photos and information on this new batch.  

Thank you to everyone who supports us in any kind of way.  I was heavily reminded again this month that I am in no way in this alone.  

Here is a pic that brings home why we do what we do... it's an exhausted little Summer, just days old, safe and sound after a traumatic day.

Well.  When Georgia was 10 days old, she had a Choke.  I found her in the morning, laying in a puddle of froth and struggling to breathe.  I immediately called the vet and we spent all day with her.  There was not much we could do though.  This little horse was 30 pounds and about the size of a Cocker Spaniel, so we needed specialized equipment!  Finally, we found a mobile canine endoscope specialist who was willing to come out at 7 o'clock at night.  Miracle #1.  This persistent vet spent two more hours working on her, figured out how to thread things to her esophagus via her mouth, rather than nose, and proposed that we just ram the blockage through to her stomach.  She was dead if we didn't try this, but it was very risky too.  A very stressful situation, to say the least.  

So, we went for it.  There was nothing to lose at that point.  He used a plastic dowel and basically rammed a plug of shavings, pine needles and whatnot from just past her pharynx all the way to her stomach.  Georgia was knocked out - don't worry.  And, it worked.  The Choke was done.  She woke up and started nursing immediately.  Miracle #2.

Georgia was far from out of the woods though.  After aspirating foam for many hours, she was at a very high risk for pneumonia.  Then, if she got through that, there was also a very high risk of esophageal stricture.  This would mean that scar tissue would form and constrict her esophagus and she would not be able to eat.  She was immediately placed on antibiotics for the inevitable pneumonia, and all we could do was wait the two weeks to see how her esophagus would heal.  She was a trooper for her twice daily shots and did NOT get ill.  Miracle #3.

Then, exactly two weeks after the Choke, she had a repeat.  I was there to witness it and my heart plummeted.  She cleared the blockage herself this time though.  Phewf.  She Choked off an on for a few days, but always managed to clear them herself.  I had taken EVERYTHING out of her paddock that I could, but of course she still managed to find things to try to eat.  The wonderful endoscope specialist heard that she wasn't doing so great and offered a free re-check to view the esophagus and see exactly what was going on.  Georgia seemed to stop getting blocked by the time that appointment rolled around and he was quite happy to announce that he could see NO stricture at all!  Miracle #4!

So, now after letting her heal from the re-check, I am slowly introducing mushy foods to Georgia and she has not had a Choke yet... not even a cough.  We will take this VERY slow, but I am cautiously optimistic that this crazy little foal has done it again!  She certainly likes to keep me on my toes!  Peaches was a star through it all.  We are so lucky that she is such a mellow mom.  As long as she knew where Georgia was, she did not care at all what we were doing to her.  Such a sweet mare!
 

We knew that Peaches would foal out in April. We had the camera on her for weeks ahead of time and were watching her closely. We had all of the MareStare world on the job, plus we were doing scheduled "rollover checks" all night, on the hour, for all of April.

I was working at the back of the property and had a look at the webcam feed on my phone at 3:00pm. Peaches and Mulligan were just eating hay. Then, at 3:15 my phone rang. I took a look at the display and the number had a strange area code. I didn't even answer the phone, I just started towards the barn, calling up the webcam stream as I went. As soon as I saw what was happening - I ran as fast as I could - Peaches was in full labour!

I shut Peaches and myself into the birthing stall, much to Mulligan's dismay. He was quite put out that he couldn't be a part of whatever excitement was happening. Right away though, I knew that something was wrong because Peaches was throwing herself down and rolling. That means that they are trying to reposition the foal. The next time she went down, I had a feel... it was NOT legs! So, the choices were breech or "red bag". I had a look in and could just see that it was indeed a "red bag" delivery. That meant that the placenta had detached and Peaches was delivering the whole kit and caboodle at once. This is extremely dangerous because once the placenta detaches, the foal gets zero oxygen. You have only minutes to get the foal out and breathing.

As soon as I saw that it was a "red bag", I leaped over to the counter where my foaling kit was and whipped out the sharpened popsicle stick that was there for just this scenario. Luckily, I had read a very descriptive article and did not even have to think of what to do - I just did it. The next time Peaches went down, I reached in with the stick, sliced the placenta open, grabbed the foal's legs and pulled her right outta there. I then broke the regular sac and squeezed down her nose with a towel to expel any liquid. She immediately started to breathe and move - success! What a relief! I then noticed that my hands were shaking quite badly! LOL

I knew we were not out of the woods yet though. The vet arrived shortly after and checked out the mom and baby. We gave Peaches some painkiller and tied off, cut and dipped the foal's umbilical cord. Now it was the nail-biting waiting game! Did the foal get oxygen in time or would she have "dummy foal syndrome", which would mean she would not be able to nurse. The vet left us to it after ensuring that all was as well as it could be for the time being. So it turned into a balancing act of letting the mare and foal bond, but keeping the foal alert and trying. I interfered more than I usually do, but luckily Peaches is such a mellow girl, she didn't mind my presence. It was three hours instead of the desired one hour, but the foal finally latched! Phewf again!

We kept a close eye on them overnight, to be sure she kept nursing, but all was well. The next day she had a blood test and her antibody level was above and beyond what is required. She was a-okay and totally in the clear! So it was a rough start, but she came through it with flying colours.

We called back the number of the person who phoned in and saved the foal's life. It was a lovely gal way over in Georgia. And so that's what we named our lucky little filly.

Okay!  I've spent the past few days giving the website a fresh new look (content wise) and have added some fun new ways to help the Minis!  Go ahead and check out the "Donate" section if you'd like to see!

As for the Minis, let's see........

Peaches is still pregnant.  I don't think we'll have to wait too long to meet the foal though!  Very exciting!  Remember that you can watch her live online!  Just click the webcam link near the top of the page!

River is still off in training.  She is settling down quite nicely I've heard.

Gallant was adopted by his foster family - YAY!

Dart is making great leaps and bounds in his handling and healing progress.  He'll be more than ready for his new home in May.  They are eagerly awaiting his arrival there.

Royal was adopted and Rook went to his new home yesterday too!

We had a new little fuzzy face arrive.  Maybelline is a weanling Mini-Mule filly.  She is already spoken for and Liz Duncan is helping to tame down this wild little thing before she goes to her new home.  She was untouched until I had to wrangle her from the trailer to the Paddocks!  That was an interesting day!  LOL

Okay, okay... my bad.  It's March... I kind of missed February altogether!  (I do post a photo almost daily on our Facebook page though, so be sure to follow us there!)

I am currently struggling with, and cursing at, our camera setup.  I am trying to get Peaches online so ya'll can stare at her to your heart's content!  Shouldn't be too long now, I just need one last piece to the wiring puzzle... some sort of adapter that I'll hopefully track down tomorrow!  Peaches is doing well, the baby is bouncing around quite a bit these days and she started to bag up about a week ago now.  Should definitely see a baby in April, if not sooner!

River has headed off for driving training.  Liz Duncan and some of my other volunteers spent quite a bit of time with her and she has come a long way from the feral beast who arrived here last year.  Now, she needs a job to engage that super-brain of hers!

ZigZag and Archer were both adopted, as were Moose and Mouse and Poundcake too!

Gallant and Dart are doing well at foster homes.  Dart's adoption is still pending, he just needs to finish healing still.  It's been a long haul for the poor little guy, but he is doing so, so well now!  He plays and runs now and it is just wonderful to see him acting like a regular foal!



Oh, instant update!  As I was writing this entry, I got an email from Gallant's foster family and they have decided to adopt him!  YAY!

Royal is doing very well and has an adoption pending now.  I took him for a big walk through town and he did just fabulous!

We have had a couple of returnees as well.  Jigsaw came back to us and it didn't take long for him to be re-adopted, being the handsome fellow he is!  Rook has also just returned about a week ago.  He is a cutie too, so I'm sure he won't be hanging out here for long.

We also had a little miss named Hope come in.  She was very special needs and was immediately adopted by the wonderful family who has Hero too!

Thank you to all of the wonderful adopters already this year who have made a little room in their lives and a lot of room in their hearts!

Well, well, well.  It's 2015.  Would you look at that.

In 2014 we had 62 very small equines in our care.  That is a record.
We gelded 23 of those very small equines.  28 were mares.  11 were geldings already.

Maybe that's why I was slacking in the writing department... too much doing!  ;)

Let's see where we're at today though, hey?

River is hanging out with a new guy with a great name: Poundcake.  They are so cute together!  I'll be making a video of them pretty quick I think - too hard to resist their fluffy antics!  LOL

ZigZag is doing well at his foster home as is Archer.

Bo, Chocolate, Paladin, Bolt have indeed been adopted.  

Dart has an adoption pending.  He is going to be taking Gallant's place in the herd of Banjo, Justice and True.  Gallant is just too rough on the other Minis, so he needs to find a new, more appropriate home.  Baby Dart should fit in well though, so we're happy about that.

We have two new ponies in, called Moose and Mouse.  They are real cuties!  Moose already has an adoption pending, and I'm sure it won't be long for Mouse.

Peaches is still busy gestating and is doing very well.  We expect to have the webcam up within a month, just have to finish building the new foaling stall.  Here's a photo of Peaches and baby Dart, they are good pals.


 

Well, it's time for a little update.  River is still making progress with her "taming".  LOL  She is lucky she's so darn cute!  ZigZag is doing very well, last I heard, at his foster home.  I do hope he'll be all healed up and ready to go early next year.  Bo and Chocolate, Paladin and Bolt all have adoptions pending!  Peaches and her foal also have adoptions pending, but she's still staying put to foal out.  Dart is turning out to be a savvy and fun little fellow!  I'm sure someone will fall in love with him very soon!  Epona is adopted and gone to her new home!

We also had two new arrivals last night.  Archer and Mindy.  Archer is doing alright, settling in, but Mindy has come to us too late.  Due to years of chronic founder and neglect, the decision was made with our vet, to let her go.  Even though we only knew her for a day, it is still so devastating to have to make that decision.  She really was a sweet, sweet mare.  

We're at the Mane Event this weekend and having a blast so far.  It's great to catch up with previous adopters and supporters and make some new connections as well.  Be sure to stop in and say HI if you're in the neighbourhood!

River is still doing well and progressing steadily.  ZigZag is still at his foster home, but Basil is now adopted!  Bo and Chocolate are back here at the main facility and are taking turns in our booth this weekend, being all adorable and such!

Hero and Arrow have both been adopted as well as Hijinx, the new guy!  

Peaches, Paladin, Bolt, Dart and Epona are still hanging out here and doing well.  Epona is now up for adoption.  Paladin, Dart and Bolt will soon be ready to go as well.

Ooooookay.  Here we go - it's catch up time again!  

River is doing very well.  She really does want to be friends and is responding well to the two handlers that are trying to get closer to her.  Today I needed to move her to a different pen and she came right up to me and let me rub her face.  I felt kind of bad when I had to cut that short and move her along, but the vet was waiting.  However, she moved calmly to the next pen in response to my clucking and body language, no panic whatsoever.  That was a lovely change.

Raven is adopted!  We had been planning to keep her here until she foaled out, but a great opportunity came up for her.  There was a family who had been waiting for over a year for a pregnant Mini to arrive here.  They really want to have a foal, but are responsible enough to not create one in their backyard.  They knew that the perfect Mini, who needed them, would show up eventually.  They are fully capable of foaling her out - so away she went.  They are just in love with her already.

Tutanka is adopted as well.  He's gone to a great home to be a little buddy for a lonely horse.

ZigZag, Bo and Chocolate, and Basil are doing well at their foster homes.  We had to move Bo and Chocolate out to help make room for our now eight new arrivals!

So - eight!  We picked up six in one day.  Hero, Paladin, Peaches, Arrow, Bolt and Dart.  Then, a week later we added Epona and then a week later came Hijinx.

Hero and Paladin were gelded.  Peaches was confirmed in foal.  (She will definitely be staying with us until she foals out in the spring.)  Peaches and Paladin also had their teeth done and their shot.  Hero was too young to need his teeth done.  Arrow, Bolt and Dart (weanlings) were too sick to have anything done at first, but all six had their feet done.  Then Epona came.  Then we moved Hero to a foster home because then Hijinx came.  Today we gelded the three weanlings, who are feeling much better, as well as Hijinx.  They all four had their shot and Hijinx had his teeth done.  Epona is already up to date on everything!  Now the new two just need their feet done and we'll be all caught up.  Wow... a crazy couple of weeks squeezed into one paragraph!  LOL

Here's the one shot I have so far of Hijinx... he's been too busy in his first 24 hours to pose for a photoshoot!


 

Well... that was an interesting morning.  River has been here for over a month and is proving our most challenging Mini yet to tame.  We know nothing about her history, but she seems basically wild.  She is curious and interested in us, but will not suffer to be handled in any way, shape or form.  She is one of those 1 out of 100 that will run right through you if she's cornered.  Fight or flight to the max.  So - today was our second attempt at a vet visit for her.  I pre-drugged her prior to the vet's arrival this time, to take the edge off.  I offered her handfuls of grain, over the fence so that she'd be confident enough to take it, and managed to slip a tube of gel under her tongue.  That enabled me to corner her and halter her without too much fuss.  The vet then punched in some more sedative intra-muscularly, to bring her down another notch.  We could then get some IV drugs into her.  However - it was definitely a challenge still!  She had quite a variety of drugs in her, at rather high doses, by the time we could attempt to do the work that was needed.  

In the past, we've had a few Minis who required horse-sized doses and even up to three times a large horse dose.  The next step up for River would have been an actual wild animal tranq!  She should have been flat out, but was actually still nickering and keeping her head up.  She just felt that she had to take care of herself and could not let it go.  A very determined spirit!

Finally though, we talked her down and she allowed us to do the dental work she required as well as an ultrasound to check if she was pregnant.  Seeing as her buddy Raven was confirmed in foal today, it was important to know if River was as well.  Luckily - she is NOT in foal!  Now, she is up to date on teeth, vaccinations and worming - a morning well spent!

So, Raven will be staying with us through the winter and I'll be setting up the MareStare cam next year so that everyone can help us on foal watch again!  Though we will of course love having a foal around, it is still bittersweet.  There are so many Minis out there who need good homes.  It always boggles my mind when folks decide to breed a mare period, let alone breed a mare and then dump her.



In other news... Maggie and Twila were indeed both adopted.  As was Pistol!  All three are already much-loved!

Tutanka is now back here at our main facility, keeping River and Raven on their toes.  ZigZag has taken his place being fostered at Deb's.  She has a lot of experience dealing with digestive issues, so we are hoping that she can straighten him out.  She suspects ulcers at this point.

Bo and Chocolate are still here, just waiting for a great home that wants a sweet pair of boys.  Basil is hanging out at Horseplay Your Way and loving it.  I am so grateful to have these awesome foster homes to call on!

Wow!  Can you tell that I had a really busy summer?  LOL  

Let's get caught up, shall we?

Basil is still hanging out with Natalie and the gang at Horseplay Your Way.  He fits right in there, but would still like to have a home to call his own.

Sodapop and Jasper were quickly adopted after their surgeries.  Sodapop is now hanging out with Ranger.

Cinnamon found the perfect home as well, where he is much loved by a terrific family!

Thor was adopted along with Duke and Duchess who returned to us briefly.  They are all three doing great up country.

We had Salsa, the mini-mule arrive.  She was strange and wonderful and very swiftly adopted!

Then Toni and Moonshadow came to us.  They were just little dolls and Moon quickly found a little girl of her very own.  Toni was just adopted last week and now has her perfect set-up as well.

Maggie and Twila were next to arrive.  They are still with us, but have some strong interest.  Here's hopin'!

Oh, somewhere in there was Patches and Tutanka too!  Patches found a lovely home and Tutanka is up for adoption as of tonight!  He's over at Deb's, learning to be a real horse with the boys there.

A couple of weeks ago now we had a late-night rescue run and picked up River and Raven.  River is not halter-broke and still very nervous of us, but she is friendly and willing to give it a go.  Hopefully she'll come around nicely and swiftly as we need to get her feet trimmed up!  Raven is quite sweet and easy to handle.

Then yesterday we had a trio surrendered.  Pistol, Bo and Chocolate are all nice boys who just need a touch of TLC before they'll be ready to go!

There... that's the summer in a few sentences!  Phewf!  

Here's a photo of River and Raven.




 

We were down to three, can you believe it?  It didn't last long, but it was interesting.  LOL

Puzzle and Glory were adopted together and so we just had Basil, Thor and Mulligan here at our main facility and Cinnamon just across the river.  However, we knew that more would be on the way, so Basil is now back at his awesome foster home with the amazing folks at Horse Play Your Way.  Sure enough, we've now got two new faces and more in the works.

I've been waiting to name one Sodapop for a very long time!  I finally got to!  He is the cutest little silver dapple pinto colt!  It turns out a real "Ponyboy" was not far behind in the form of a pure black shetland colt named Jasper.  They are both very striking boys.  Surgeries are tomorrow!