An Emergency

Hickory is currently in the vet clinic with colic. He is being treated with IV fluids, but has a badly distended Colon and a possible Colon displacement. So far his Belly Tap is good, so there has not been a rupture, but he is being watched very closely and will remain in the clinic.

Hickory is the gelding who had the skull fracture, so he has really been through alot lately!

There is a distinct possibility that he may need colic surgery. We are keeping our fingers crossed that he recovers without surgery, but, at his age (4 years) we have to give him every chance to survive.

I will update his condition in the morning. Thanks to The Hickey Family and Sharil who helped Sally get him into the clinic. (Jill is out of town.)

Please hold a good thought for sweet Hickory tonight!

Thursday

It was beautiful out at Shiloh today, it was warm and sunny and everyone was feeling good.

We are going to be building a Parelli "Horse Playground" out at Shiloh this weekend. Dave and Parelli Instructor, Marc Rea will be setting up an area for horses to enjoy and be challenged. This is really going to be great for people and horses alike!

Sabine was working hard with the horses, and lots of chores got attended to.

Inspirada is doing great and she enjoyed some grooming and shedding out. Any day now there will be a new foal! We are all excited!

Sally and Jill had to leave early today, Jill's dog Peanut (below) was stung by a bee in her mouth at the ranch. Her nose began to swell up and we needed to get her into the vet quickly just in case. Peanut spent the afternoon in the clinic, but is home now and doing fine. Much of the swelling has gone down.

Another busy day. You just never know where the day will lead you!

Yesterday was "Vet Day"!

Yesterday was Vet Day! Echo Echo and Pistol were gelded, Godspeed was checked out, Inspirada was re-checked, Journey's leg was worked on, Chatty's cancer was removed, Gato had a skin biopsy done, and Hitch's old wound was looked at. Another very busy day at the rescue!

Click here to see pictures from the day!

Thought you all might enjoy this cute picture of Una and Freedom!

Remember, Visitors and volunteers are always welcome out at Shiloh! The horses LOVE carrots!

Godspeed on the Local News tonight!

UPDATE: 8pm See the Channel 8 News video here! Godspeed was a Star!

3pm: Shiloh was contacted by Channel 8 News here in Las Vegas this morning. They had received an email telling of the story of Godspeed and Godwilling, the two emaciated horses who arrived two days ago. They had heard that Godwilling had passed on, but wanted to know how Godspeed is doing and tell his story. Thank you to the person who sent the email about these special horses!

The segment will air on the 5pm and 6pm News on channel 8 tonight. They will be broadcasting live from Shiloh at these times, but will show the taped segment during the news.

Make sure to tune in and see Godspeed! I will post a link to the story online tonight!

Godspeed gets ready for his close-up!

A sad weekend

3:30pm Sunday UPDATE

Sad news as sweet Godwilling had to be peacefully euthanised this afternoon. Her condition had just gone downhill and it was time to let her go with dignity. This has been a heartbreaking weekend for us, for everyone. Thank you to everyone who helped with Godwilling and sent their prayers and thoughts. Please take a moment to read her Shiloh story here.

10:30am Sunday UPDATE

Sad news as Stubby, an older Sanctuary horse, was put to sleep Saturday morning at Shiloh. A sad loss for us, he was a special horse.

Breaking news as Godwilling, the starved mare, is brought into the vet clinic! Please click here to read her story!

I will keep this blog updated throughout the day as her condtion progresses. Please hold a good thought for her, she needs our help and support!

Friday's New Arrivals

Thanks to a caring and concerned horse lover who heard their story, two emaciated horses arrived at Shiloh. Godspeed and Godwilling were starved almost to the point of death, abandoned, and locked in a horse trailer for days without food or water. They are in horrible shape, but still have appetites which is a very good sign. We ask visitors and volunteers to spend some extra time with these sweet old horses, they need all the love they can get!

Godspeed's hind end.

Godwilling's hindend.

Please read more about these special horses in our New Arrivals section.

Thursday

A great day out at the rescue. It was sunny and we were hot in our long sleeves shirts.

Volunteers worked on Shadow's wound and did some grooming, as well as feeding everyone carrots. It's always so great to have caring people pitching in and helping. Whether it's just filling water buckets or feeding carrots, it's a huge help to us and the extra attention is wonderful for the rescue horses. The extra hands and eyes really do make a big difference to us! A big THANK YOU to ALL our visitors and volunteers!

Sabine rode and worked with some of the horses, she helps us get them evaluated for adoption. Sabine is also going to be teaching lessons, both basic riding and basic horsemanship classes will be offered. Great for those hoping to adopt a horse. Get more info here!

We worked on Inspirada's foaling stall in the Bungalows. We made sure it was safe and secure and bedded with deep straw. We groomed her and wrapped her tail. She spent alot of time inside the stall this morning and did not eat alot. She is looking uncomfortable. She is bagged up, but no waxing, although we have learned the hard way that not all mares show the classic signs of upcoming birth. Since we do not know when she was bred, we have to be ready. She is huge!

This morning, Jill's Friesian, Tanis, escaped from his stall and joined the Wanderer's herd. It was quite a Rodeo! Little Charlie lead a galloping Tanis all over the back acreage- it was just too funny, little pony Charlie, in a flat out gallop with huge Tanis following! Unfortunately, I just could not get the camara out fast enough!

Guess who came back to Shiloh today? Tripod Francis Kevin Bacon! He stopped by for a visit, last seen wandering toward Inspirada's stall... He comes and goes at will.

We have two New Arrivals coming in tomorrow morning. Two abandonded horses who have been starved, and for a time, kept in a horse trailer without food or water. We will have more info and pics of tomorrow.

Weds

Some wind and rain today out at Shiloh. The clouds were ominious, but beautiful.


Inspirada looks to be due to foal anytime now, she is huge and showing signs of impending birth! So, very soon, a new little baby will be born at Shiloh! Inspirada was rescued off of the Fallon feedlot last year, we did not know she was pregnant until she began to grow bigger and bigger. Another pregnant mare who was to be shipped to slaughter. We do not know what she was bred to, so it will really be a big surprise! As with all the Shiloh pregnant mares, Inspirada will give birth in the Bungalows where she will have plenty of protection and privacy.


Next tuesday is another full vet day out at the rescue. Echo Echo and Tattoo will be gelded. Oscar Meyer, the pig, will also be castrated and his teeth fixed. We will have Apache rechecked for a pregnancy, Chatty's cancer will be cut off of his sheath, Hitch (one of the new Thoroughbred geldings) will have his wounded hind leg checked, rabbit's teeth will be checked and probably floated, and whatever other routine things that need to be done will be attended to as well.


Shadow, who deeply cut his hindend last weekend, was treated. He is doing well and the wound is looking better. He is still on antibiodics for a few more days, but there is no infection. Below, Sally flushes the wound.

Business as usual today!

This Weekend's Parelli Clinic!

What a great weekend! The weather was perfect, sunny and warm.


Marc Rea, a Parelli Three Star instructor, taught us how to communicate better with our horses. The result was happier horses but exhausted people! Everyone worked hard and learned alot. A big thanks to everyone who came and participated! It was great to see other Shiloh adopters, both in the clinic and auditing, learning how to better their relationships with their horses.


See pictures of the weekend here!


We were able to raise $680.00 for Shiloh with the raffle, lunch sales, auditing fees, and a generous $100 donation by Renae (Waco's owner)! This money will go toward buying protective UV sheets for Gato, The Skin Horse, and Tioga. These are badly needed and we are ecstatic that we were able to raise all of this money for them! THANK YOU!


Even though we were all concentrating on the clinic, the Shiloh work goes on. Kestrel was adopted to Amber and Bill, where she joins Shiloh Horse, Traveller in her new family, and Ditto, the pony, now has an adoption pending!

A Super Windy Weds!

Today started out beautiful, we actually had tank tops on, but by noon the wind was whipping! There was so much dust and sand in the air that you could hardly see at times!


Still, we were busy. We had three new arrivals last night.





Three Thoroughbreds arrived from the Fallon, Nevada feedlot. These three horses were scheduled to ship to slaughter, but we said we would take them. They were saved with donated funds from the Fans of Barbaro, a group of people who help needy horses in the name of racehorse, Barbaro. The two geldings and one mare are all very friendly, a bit thin, but very nice horses. See all three new arrivals here!

Echo Echo update: He is doing so much better, looking and feeling great! He is starting to show more stallion behavior, which is a good siogn. Visit his page to see how much better he is looking!

Gold Strike, one of the foals born at Shiloh last year, went on to his new home today. He is such a cutie! Geoff trimmed lots of horses, including some of the babies, and all three new horses. Some of the babies and the little ponies have been moved into the Mare Motel where they will get more attention, as they will be right in the middle of all the daily action.

We had some new boarders check out the ranch, their two horses will come to Shiloh this coming Friday. They are two pregnant mares who will have their foals at Shiloh.


We are working hard to get everything in order for the clinic, but with the wind, today it was a losing battle! Buckets, blankets, chairs, etc were blowing all over the place!


NOTE: If you are AUDITING the Parelli Clinic- PLEASE BRING A CHAIR TO SIT ON!

Tuesday

A gorgeous day today, it was actually hot! All the winter blankets have been removed off every horse (Boarders too) for a few days.

Some Boarders were out with their horses, horses were fed and checked over. Some horses in rehab were able to be moved out into pasture.

Sally and Cheri worked on Gato for a long time. Gato arrived with a liver condition that causes horrible photosensitivity (sensitivity to UV rays from the sun). She develops large painful, crusty, scabby sores. We have been trying to keep her covered and in a shadier corral, but we have to balance her "horse life" with her medical needs. We have moved her into the Mesquite Manor with her best friend, Meadow, where some of the trees will provide extra cover in the warmer sun. Her condition is progressing and we will have her evaluated by our vets next time they come out. Because it is caused by a liver problem, skin salves and medications just don't help too much. But, we keep trying! She is currently wearing a screen sheet and we are keeping her wounds clean.

Sally and Cheri and Gato...

Gato's affected areas- This is NOT Blood- we have a red colored medication on her skin! But you can see the pattern of her condition.

We are going to be holding a raffle at the Parelli Clinic this coming weekend to raise money to buy her a new UV sheet, she may need a UV neck piece as well. We are estimating the cost to be around $160.00 for a good sheet and neck piece, one that will last. We are hoping to raise enough at some point for Tioga and Angel, the Skin Horse, as well. The summer sun out here in Vegas is brutal. Tioga has the photosensitivity to a lesser degree and Angel gets horrible sunburn. We do not want to have to keep these horses in a covered corral, they should be able to enjoy their more natural life out in pasture with friends, so these sheets can help that.

Monday- a day off

Today, Jill and Sally took the day off to get errands done. This following week and weekend will be very busy out at the ranch!

Last year, Shiloh traveled to Washington, DC to meet at the first annual Homes for Horses Conference. A group of rescues dedicated to stopping slaughter, helping homeless horses, and setting standards for rescues to meet. With the internet now, there are many rescues out there who are not all that they portray online, thousands of dollars are being donated online, often with little or no accounting for these donations. Before donating to ANY rescue, please check it out, visit if you live close, ask questions. This Coalition will help create a set of standards for rescues to meet if they would like to participate. Check out the new Homes for Horses Coalition here!

Saturday at the Rescue

Saturday was one of those days! Busy and everyone running from one thing to the next!

First of all, Moses coliced that morning, so as soon as Jill and Sally arrived at Shiloh, Jill had to turn around and drive Moses all the way into the Vet Clinic. Being a weekend, the vet just could not travel all the way out to Shiloh. So in they went. See more of his clinic visit here!

Sabine held her first Basic Horsemanship class, it looked like a success! She had 14 people, so it did get a bit hectic, but everyone learned something and had a good time. We will be holding another one in the upcoming weeks, we will post the upcoming dates as soon as we set them. See pics of the class here!

Skittles went on to her new home in Pahrump, we are happy she has a family of her own now. Wind, Marquee, and Squirt are leaving Sunday for their new homes and lifes.

Next weekend is the Parelli Clinic, so it will be very busy! Please remember, Shiloh is not accepting Visitors or volunteers next saturday and sunday (Feb 16-17th) due to the clinic. Only clinic participants and auditors are allowed. We are sorry for the inconvience, but it is the Parelli rules!

Thursday

A very beautiful day at the rescue, actually sunny and quite warm in the sun.

Our new arrival, named Moses because he was found wandering in the desert, is settling in. He is very thin and looks wormy, but very sweet and gentle. He is in his mid to late 20's and is available for sponsorship. Shiloh volunteer, Cheri spent time with him, cleaning him up and starting the worming process on him. (Since we do not know his history and he appears to have worms, we worm him slowly over a period of time.)

Sally has almost gotten the Medical Dispensory set up, it's looking great! She has been spending all of her time in there organizing.

We now have one spot open for the upcoming Parelli Clinic on Feb 16-17th. We had a cancellation, so if you are an interested horse/person team, let us know! Auditing is still available. This is going to be a wonderful weekend, please join us! More info!

Shiloh's online store is growing, beaded horseshoes, t-shirts, calendars and, now, we have two Tony Curtis art prints available. All donations go to feeding and caring for the Shiloh Horses. Be sure to check out what we are offering!

A busy Weds

A busy day today, both in town and at the ranch.

Jill and Shiloh Volunteer, Cheri, brought Hickory into the vet clinic this morning to have his forehead checked by the vet. We had became concerned when his forehead started to swell yesterday. About two weeks ago, Hickory cracked his head on something and we could tell that he had fractured his bone. Usually, horses heal very well and quickly from this type of injury, but Hickory's injury got better, than worse, then better, and finally worse again yesterday.

We decided it was better to be safe than sorry, so in he went. He was x-rayed and ultrasounded. The fracture was very obvious (below) and he was developing an abscess in the area. So, he will be put back on antibiodics and we will encourage his abscess to break open.

Sally worked at the rescue, helping the Shoer, and doing the chores.

A new horse arrived in the rescue today. Some caring people brought a thin Quarter horse gelding to Shiloh that they had found wandering out in the desert where he had been dumped by his owners. They caught him, brought him home, and contacted us about taking him. We will have photos and his story up on the website tomorrow.

A new ranch dog also arrived today. Logan, a black Lab cross, was also found in the desert, and the family that found him could not take in another dog, so they contacted us. He seems to like it out at the ranch and fits in with the other dogs and animals, so it looks like it will work! We will have pictures of him tomorrow as well.

The Weekend

Saturday was a beautiful day, Sunday was rainy. We had alot of activity at the rescue with lots of visitors, volunteers, boarders, and potential adopters. Saturday was crazy, Sunday quieter due to the weather.

Geoff, the Farrier, worked hard on the horses. We put Echo Echo into thick foam pads, duct taped to his feet. We are trying to keep him more comfortable as he goes through an acute stage of his Laminitis. With some pain meds and the pads, he was moving much easier and even showed some stallion behavior (for the first time since he arrived) when two mares, Gato and Meadow, were moved into a barn stall. He was doing even better on Sunday. See Echo's new comfy shoes below (he sure looks like a different horse from when he first arrived!).

The pig, Kevin bacon, stayed at the ranch, we think he has adopted us! Chris from across the street, came over, as she knew the pig and has been leaving feed out for him as he wandered the valley. After seeing how happy he seemed at the rescue, she said, let him stay. He likes the horses, but still fights a bit with Oscar Meyer. He spent all Sunday in Little Vacation Village, helping himself to Equine Senior and basically settling in. We sure hope he decides to stay with us, but he is free to leave if he would like. Chris had been calling him Tripod (because of his foot), so his official name is now "Tripod Francis Kevin Bacon", "Bacon" for short. (Below, he says hi to Pirate in the Mare Motel.)

The goat, Slew has been just loving his new house, look how cozy it is! He never comes out now!

Frost was put on an adoption pending, while little Skittles was officially adopted by the Lee Family of Pahrump. Dave worked with the mares, and other boarders pitched in to get the chores done. Charlie was in his usual form, greeting visitors and generally getting into trouble!

Next Saturday, Feb 9th, at 10am, Sabine (Shiloh's rider) will be conducting a basic horsemanship class. She will be teaching how to halter and lead a horse, how to remove it from it's corral safely, how to groom, and basic safety while working around horses. This is PERFECT class for new volunteers, and "rusty" horse lovers. The cost is $5.00 per person, just come on out and join in, but don't be late! A great way to get the most out of your visits to Shiloh.

Marianne and Jill are still updating the new website, we have some great ideas for it and it's coming along great. Thanks for bearing with us as we get the kinks out and transfer all the content from the old site.

Thursday and Friday

Two beautiful sunny days, but still cold at night.

Sally has been working hard these last few days to get our Medical Dispensory in the barn set up and organized. This is where we keep all our medications, wound care buckets, etc. It is starting to look great!

Today, we said good bye to Marianne and Galt, who are moving to a boarding facility in town so they can spend more time together. We will miss seeing them, although Marianne will be back to volunteer and she is now helping with the website design and updates.

All the horses are doing well, no emergencies. Everyone has been enjoying the warm sun. There was some excitement on Thursday as Cloud pulled down part of the Area 51 electric fence to get to his girlfriend in the Big Pasture. What a mess! All the horses spooked and galloped around, tee-post covers flying! No one was hurt though and Cloud made it to the other side.

Friday morning, we arrived to find most of the Isolation pens totally flooded. A water pipe had broke in the night. Fortitude (below), Spirit and the babies were standing in water. They all had to be moved to dry corrals and the guys fixed the pipe. It will take days for it to dry out. You never know what you will find when you arrive in the morning! It seems like it's always something...

Today, as we were all packing up to head home, Sabine noticed there was a lot of commotion in the pastures. She went out to check and found a strange pot bellied pig roaming through the herds. Some of the horses chased him out and we corraled him into the empty pig/goat area. He has a crippled leg and we are afraid a coyote might get him. We had heard that there was a loose pig that roamed out in our area. We want to check him out before we let him out and, hopefully, he will want to stay with our pigs at Shiloh. We are calling him Kevin Bacon! He's a cutie!