Latest Instagram Photos
       
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
Monday, August 22, 2016
FINGER-PAINTING WILD HORSES Equine therapy can counter the trauma of being over-poweredI've read that, but I've never watched average children become more comfortable and confident in such a short time. The fusion of art and horses, concentration and joy is something that should be shared over and over again -- Terri
I'm at the Wild Horse Sanctuary Open House, setting up to sign my book WILD AT HEART: MUSTANGS AND THE YOUNG PEOPLE
FIGHTING TO SAVE THEM. I’m surrounded by mustangs and young people who
love them. Watch as they page through the
book, I can see their imaginations ignite with what they could do to help. It was a
magical day + 100% of the book sales went to support wild horses.
 When Flora senses her pinto friend Fancy nearby, her hooves stay still, but her head – bigger than a child’s torso – whips around and her body vibrates with a neigh. Even then, the children just back away. Their confidence in Flora, her minders, and themselves has grown to the point where they’re back to work in seconds. 
Labels: art, art therapy, books, California, children, equine therapy, fingerpainting, Palomino, rescue, Shingletown, Wild at Heart, Wild Horse Sanctuary, wild horses Permalink to this blog post Posted by Terri Farley @ 7:16 PM 0 comments  
Monday, June 17, 2013 Palomino's Miracle Mustangs & Other Friends Dear Readers,  For lots of us, it's the center of wild horse rescue. First, I visited Palomino Armstrong's Miracle Mustang rescue and became reacquainted with: Romeo and Collins, rescued mustang orphans HONEY BANDIT -- after his tough start, it's hard to believe this beautiful, glossy, friendly 3 year old was heartbeats away from death many times Donk, burro head of cougar control Bear and Soldier, rescued Dobermans Magic, rescued black Arabian A piggy whose name I missed (but I did snap his photo) Snickers, sweet Aussie TRAVIS -- Palomino's son! One of the coolest things at the rescue is the wild horse nursery. I thought I was walking into a bedroom -- and there is comfy bed, but there's also a cozy corral in one corner and a wall opens so that threatened foals that need food and care through the night can be "inside" where Palomino leaps from bed to tend them with round-the-clock care. Talk about dedication! More later, Terri Labels: Honeybandit, orphan foal, Palomino, Romeo Permalink to this blog post Posted by Terri Farley @ 7:55 AM 0 comments
Monday, March 11, 2013 Hearts Wide Open: Patches & Palomino  It takes a special heart to love and let go.Palomino Armstrong, rescuer of all things 4-footed, has allowed her pinto mini-horse, to leave for a new home.Patches has been a love-and-therapy helper to both people and animals, even teaching mustang orphans -- like Honey Bandit, below -- how to be a horse, when he was without his "real" family.  Now, Patches will share his affection with scads of foster children. "I can only imagine the heartbreak they go through," Palomino said of the parents who welcome kids into their lives, "I am broken-hearted every timed we place one of the foals that we help, and they are all going to wonderful homes. " Patches has no misgivings about his new life. After a "last minute mani/pedi," the plucky pinto walked up a ramp into the back of an SUV, happy and relaxed to begin his next adventure.  Happy trails, Terri Labels: foster children, Honeybandit, Palomino, Patches, therapy horse Permalink to this blog post Posted by Terri Farley @ 1:02 PM 0 comments
Tuesday, April 10, 2012 Rocky Gets Sassy
Dear Readers -- Wow, are we lucky! Another update from Palomino & her four-footeds. Enjoy! Terri
HI ya'll
Here
are a couple of pix of our little Terror. Just kidding - he is
definitely one who is happy with himself and knows what he wants, when
he wants it and how he wants it.
He scared me
to death today though. He was outside and some friends were over and
he started screeching. Sounded like he was dying. But he just wanted
to let us know that HE IS WHAT WE SHOULD BE PAYING ATTENTION TO. I was
truly scared though = cuz it sounded awful. But he was fine and just
making sure we knew he was there.
Now that he
has passed the 3 week mark we are deciding who to put in with him. I
would love to put HB in, but he is simply not fast enough if Rocky
starts to let fly. HB is very happy, but kind of like an old man. So
we will either put DaBubbles or Patches in with him. Even though it is
extremely important, it is always a little bit nerve racking to put
babies with others. Rocky is quite a bit bigger than the mini's, and i
know kicking and playing is an inherent part of what they do, but I
still worry..... Oh well - guess all the mommies do.
He was
pretty mad because he didn't get to decide when playtime was over and I
made him play outside for a little bit longer than he wanted. He stood
outside the door and gave me the "what for".
It's funny,
because he wants to eat everything that exists, or at the very least
chew on it. And he can reach further and further. Pretty soon I will
have everything so high I won't be able to reach it either. But I give
him an apple and he does great. He gets to chew and I don't have to
worry about what he is chewing.
Hopefully these pix are all the correct size for easy viewing.
He is getting lots of visitors and we welcome ya'll.
hugs
--
THANK YOU FROM ALL OF US!
Palomino & The Gang Labels: orphan foal, Palomino, Rocky Permalink to this blog post Posted by Terri Farley @ 3:08 PM 1 comments
Wednesday, October 19, 2011 Palomino's Amigos  HoneyBandit with Palomino's husband Matt Palomino's love-stable keeps growing and HoneyBandit's world does, too! Besides the dogs and cats and mini horses, he's sharing his four-leggeds with some big horses. The other two "large horses" want to smash the mini's, so it is awesome that Honey Bandit not only gets to hang out with a full size horse, he still gets to keep his brothers. It is so important that he learns, gently and in a manner that wont' hurt him, how to be a "horse". He still carries those scars inside though. Pete apparently did something that made him flashback, and Honey Bandit panicked and missed me by a hair as he bolted away. I am thinking though, that he missed me on purpose! But in all reality, I am much less scary than Pete. ha ha. so running over me would be merely survival to him. We put up some temporary (?) perimeter fencing so the guys have more room. Although moving was definitely not the first choice, I think that it will be wonderful once we get everything set up for the rescue. The animals are all happy and I think they enjoy being farther away from the noise of the highway. Seth, Manager at Home Depot, in Red Bluff, California, is one of our heroes. He started out our "WINTER, WARM AND DRY - DRIVE" off in a wonderful way. We have a list of items we are looking for and he was the first to donate. He donated 12 2x6's and some cement. This takes care of one of the "steps" we have to take for winter. We are extremely grateful for his help and the way his store supports the community. After all, Honey Bandit is a huge part of our community, as has been proven time and time again. If you are in the Red Bluff Area, stop by and say hi to Seth and thank him from you and Honey Bandit. Whoever said the "box stores" are not personable and community oriented have obviously not been to the Home Depot in Red Bluff. God bless you Seth, and your awesome crew. You guys rock!! It looks like one of the two main foal "angels" in Nevada is finally going to retire. After many years and thousands of babies lives' saved, she and her hubby are calling it quits. She took in 21 (approx) orphan, critical foals this year and my friend Shirley had about 19. So it looks like we need to "git er done" and be ready to pick up the slack. That is the focal point of our rescue, although we have dogs, cats, etc. So it is even more urgent that we are prepared with the rolling foal hospital and some "hospital rooms/pens" etc. God Bless and come and visit Honey Bandit in his new digs and meet the new guy. We truly enjoy all the visitors. We will be putting the "WINTER, WARM AND DRY - DRIVE" on the website (as soon as possible) and you will be able to see all the stores that are stepping up and helping to keep HONEY BANDIT, AMERICA'S POSTER BOY TO STOP THE ROUNDUPS! alive and well so he can continue the fight against the roundups and the inhumane treatment of our beloved wild horses. We hope to continue visiting schools and educating our youngsters about what is going on. They are the next leaders! Visit us at www.chillypepper.weebly.com, and if you'd like to buy raffle tickets for our fabulous 2 night stay at the BAILEY CREEK LODGE, send your checks to Chilly Pepper - Miracle Mustang, 34694 Sidebottom Rd., Shingletown, CA 96088 or call 530 474 5197 or 530 339 1458 to come and visit. Palomino & the gang!  Labels: Honeybandit, Palomino Permalink to this blog post Posted by Terri Farley @ 2:04 AM 2 comments
Monday, August 29, 2011 Honeybandit & friends wish you'd been there! 
Carrot cake, anyone? Dear readers, Most of you had to miss the wild horse birthday party in Shingletown, California. Thanks to Palomino, though, you can pretend. Hi Ya'll, We just wanted to say thank you to everyone who came and shared our day. It was absolutely fabulous, and although Honey Bandit wasn't too sure about his birthday cake, he posed for pictures like a pro as usual. Chilly Pepper, on the other hand, loved her cake, and scarfed it up as fast as she could. She didn't even wait for the pictures. We were truly touched by the wonderful turnout of guests, and Honey Bandit & Chilly Pepper truly appreciated their birthday presents. When I saw the tears in the eyes of the people looking at photos of Honeybandit's first rocky days, and then looking at him today, it reminds me again why we do this. Take care and God Bless! Palomino & the critters. Labels: birthday party, Chilly Pepper, Honeybandit, Palomino Permalink to this blog post Posted by Terri Farley @ 7:52 PM 1 comments
Thursday, June 23, 2011 Suri & HoneyBandit: growing like weeds :)  Here's the newest update from Palomino: Suri is doing fabulous. She is getting more energy, growing like a weed and becoming fast friends with DaBubbles. Had a scare the other day when DaBubbles grabbed her hernia in his mouth. Not sure whether it is instinct that told him not to bite hard or just angels from above. Suri has gotten stuck in the panels twice. She simply rolls over when she is getting her "sun bath". She was so good though. She had her top and bottom hind legs quite a ways under and through the panel, (she was on her side) but she just hung out quietly for a couple of minutes while she waited for us to get there. Shows what a smart little girl she is. Her cough is getting much less noticeable and she is doing better and better letting us lift her feet with very little fuss. For those of you who are not too familiar with horses and why this is a big deal, the reason is this. When a horse doesn't "have it's feet" (all four on the ground) they cannot choose their option of flight. Horses have two options when their lives are threatened or they are scared. "Flight or Fight". If they can't leave, their instinct is to fight. It is not as much in the forefront of the domestic horse's mind, but the mustangs live by being smart and their survival skills, which means "keeping their feet" on the ground. The mustangs survival skills are obviously much more honed and quickly acted upon. This is one reason why people should not turn their domestic horses out to survive on their own when they cannot afford to feed them, as they are not equipped. Their survival skills are buried under years of coddling. Another difference that I have been told about and have witnessed, is that while a domestic horse might give you a "little warning kick" if they are irritated or frightened, a mustang kicks for real the first time. This is why they survive. In the wild, it is the first kick that will save their life. (Just a tid bit of info that I find interesting and painfully true). (long time ago) Honey Bandit is doing very well, although I think he misses all the time we spent together. (Or maybe that is just me hoping that he misses it as much as i do - ha ha). He is a very healthy guy, although his brain is still finishing up the rewiring process. He & Patches are hanging out together. As soon as he can kick a bit better and is a little more sure footed, he will get to start hanging out with Chilly Pepper and Dakota. After talking to the vet, we decided to let him get a little more surefooted and the ability to "let fly" before we put him in with the big guys. That way he can boot scoot out of the way if he needs to. Labels: Honeybandit, Palomino, Suri Permalink to this blog post Posted by Terri Farley @ 3:26 AM 1 comments
Sunday, May 29, 2011 Baby Suri update from Palomino  Dear Readers, Yesterday I introduced you to Suri, a filly born and orphaned on the Virginia Range. Here's my most recent note from Palomino: Suri is hanging in there. She is still exhausted, and completely without energy, but she reminds me of HB because she LOVES TO EAT. She still has temperature issues. Today she was out in the sun, warm as can be, and all of a sudden her temperature dropped to 96. So we took her back to the stall and she was in her blanky and enjoying the heat lamps. Her little legs have been like ice cubes, which is very dangerous, so we put her in leg warmers. But, finally I used my brain and put a light strip of vet wrap at the top of her leg warmers, which helped to hold them on. She was very chic, matching leg warmers and pretty red vet wrap at the top. Suri is still having trouble getting up and down, but we are pretty sure it is just from exhaustion and we're expecting her to eat her way to lots of energy. She whinnies every time you go near her, and for a couple of seconds showed that she is a wild foal and can be quite feisty. She is learning to lead a little bit. Normally I wouldn't start with a halter on their head, as pulling on it can remind them of a mountain lion that would pull down their head to kill them. But we had to improvise with her, and she is doing well. Like all the rest of the mustangs, she is extremely smart. Readers, I'll keep you updated with photos & notes! Best, Terri Permalink to this blog post Posted by Terri Farley @ 9:30 AM 4 comments
Tuesday, February 22, 2011 A Tough Little Life  photo by Cat Kindsfather Dear Readers, Each week, America's mustangs are killed with our tax dollars. They're run to exhaustion by helicopters. They crash into metal fences and trucks. They contort their bodies into leaps they can'tmake, trying to reach their families and freedom. Some of us can't stand to see the photo or hear the terrible true stories. Some of us grit our teeth, take those photos to our legislators and tell them real-life horror stories that must stop. Last week, Palomino Armstrong took Honeybandit's story to Washington, D.C. Her testimony -- and that of other wild horse advocates -- helped spur a vote to take $2 million dollars from BLM's mustang round-up fund. But we want to make sure BLM takes the hint. So, many mustang advocates will attend the March 10-11 BLM advisory board meeting in Phoenix, AZ and speak out for wild horses. Palomino wants to attend and tell BLM to STOP THE ROUND-UPS until a scientific investigation is done. She wants to make sure there are no more HoneyBandits -- foals taken from their mothers and left to starve in BLM custody. I've helped Palomino document HoneyBandit's tough little life so that BLM cannot deny their mistakes, can't dismiss her as the equine equivalent of a crazy cat lady .Palomino's photos and journal entries have shown us a foal's life of BLM-inflicted pain and confusion. Honeybandit was rescued, but most babies in his situation are shot. Almost every day, people ask me how they can help the mustangs. If you want to stand up for wild horses, but can't be in Phoenix next month, consider donating a dollar or two to Palomino's Miracle Mustang foundation so that she can afford to feed the horses at home, and travel to the meeting. Donations are tax-deductible and you can check out the Miracle Mustang Rescue here. Happy trails, Terri Labels: Honeybandit, Honeybandit'S MOM, Palomino Permalink to this blog post Posted by Terri Farley @ 4:52 PM 1 comments
Tuesday, February 15, 2011 Palomino Rocks the House -- of REPRESENTATIVES  from Palomino: Today we had meetings at the offices of Calvert, Young, Serrano, and Garamendi, in the House of Representatives. All the reps that we met with were very open to our ideas and the meetings were a great success. HONEY BANDIT ROCKED THE HOUSE! of representatives. Honey Bandit's story had quite an impact, bringing tears to the eyes of more than one person. It is amazing how many people do not realize where their tax dollars are going. You can see Ginger Kathren's video on you tube; it also had a huge impact on the people who saw it. "Many Thanks to Ginger Kathren". It is so hard to be away from the guys, but I am so glad that I have the privilege of sharing Honey Bandit's story. I sure miss hearing him whinny at me when I go to bed, and drifting off to sleep while he munches away. I know Matt is taking good care of him, and the rest of the gang, but I will be very glad to be back home again. Tomorrow is another big day. Will keep you posted. Thanks for all the support and prayers. God bless! Labels: Honeybandit, Palomino, Washington DC Permalink to this blog post Posted by Terri Farley @ 3:55 PM 0 comments
Monday, February 07, 2011 HONEYBANDIT update Hi ya'll It's been a couple of days since the last update. Honey Bandit is starting to get more energy. Not all of the time, but definitely more than before. :) He runs and prances and makes it very clear that he is something special. With his head up high and his tail flowing behind him, dancing over that cute little butt, he is stepping out and making waves. He still manages to get cast nearly every day/night. However, in spite of banking the walls and trying all sorts of different situations,the only thing we have found out for sure is this. PAYBACK CAN BE A REAL BUMMER....... DaBubbles has decided to send a message loud and clear. However, we are not sure which message he is sending. DaBubbles was trapped several times between HB and the wall. He was quite frightened, and rightfully so. His position was precarious to say the least. He is also the one that gets pushed around the most, being he is about a third of the other's size. So, the last time HB was cast, DaBubbles stepped right up to the plate. He very gently (ha ha) leaned over and bit Honey Bandit over and over in various places. Was he encouraging HB to get up, trying to "help him", OR Was he getting his payback. I have to say that at one point it was very clear that HB was physically unable to get up. That would be about the time that DaBubbles took a rather large mouthful of HB's skin right around his groin area. I have no doubt that HB would have jumped up in a flash if he could. It was cute though, because DaBubbles really didn't bite very hard. That is what makes you wonder, which is it really, payback or "assistance" to help him get up. Once again the horses can teach us a lesson. No matter what the inspiration for all the "bites', there was really no real malice involved. Too bad we all couldn't play so nicely together, even when we are "getting back at someone". HB is growing like crazy. Not too long ago, we had measured him for a new blanket. He was 51 inches from the middle of his chest back to his tail. Only a little over a month has passed and his measurements are more like 55/56. He outgrew his beautiful blanket. (I am sure that we will have another foal soon to wear it though, so it wo'n' ever "go to waste".) He is taller and gaining pounds quickly. He definitely has some more attitude. I forget he isn't like Chilly Pepper. She was only 3 days old when we rescued her, but Honey Bandit (according to BLM's best guess) was 6 weeks old. So he had 6 weeks of living in the wild, learning to be a wild horse. Sometimes it is surprising to me when that behavior sneaks out. But that is awesome, because that means more and more of his brain/memory is coming back. We are looking into "anti-cast rollers". Please contact me if you have any experience with these. I talked to the vet today and he said he has heard of them but is not sure if he would be comfortable with them or not, as he has never used them. So I would appreciate any info you might have. For those of you (like me) who don't know what an "anti-cast roller" is, it is a device that you strap around the horse's girth, and it has a big ring on the top which prevents the horses from rolling all the way over. I finally got my email addresses re-entered, and am hoping that I have all of Honey Bandit's friends back in his group. If you know anyone who is "missing" their email updates, please have them contact me at Palomino.honeybandit @gmail. God bless and thank you for all your help. Palomino & the Gang Labels: Honeybandit, Palomino Permalink to this blog post Posted by Terri Farley @ 9:03 AM 5 comments
Thursday, January 20, 2011 HoneyBandit: school boy  HoneyBandit & Auntie Terri/photo by P. ArmstrongDear Readers, Most of us have never thought about teaching manners to a rescue foal who's been treated (out of necessity!) more like a baby bird than a baby horse. That's what Palomino is working on right now and she's going to tell you about it Enjoy! Terri 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 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 when they're small; it can be the difference between losing your baby or "pulling them back to life". When Honey Bandit was lying on the blue mat at the veterinary hospital, he was in a coma so deep that the Dr. 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. But now it's time to teach Honey Bandit about the "space" issue. He doesn't get to come into my space unless he is invited. Chilly Pepper DID NOT like her "Lessons in appropriate space etiquette 101". But she did survive. HoneyBandit is simply "growing up" and needs to become a well behaved "toddler". He 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 respectful 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! Honey Bandit sends his love to all. X o Labels: Honey Bandit, Palomino Permalink to this blog post Posted by Terri Farley @ 5:57 PM 3 comments
Friday, January 14, 2011 Honeybandit Update  Look at those eyelashes!Dear Readers, Here's an update from Palomino & the Shingletown Miracle crew :) Enjoy, Terri It's Thursday night, and I am sitting here thinking about how far Honey Bandit has come. From that tiny little guy who could not stand up or lift his head for the first three weeks, to the amazing eating machine that he is today. We have been through so much, and sometimes it seemed hard to see anything better in the future. It is amazing how you can just put your mind in limbo when the outcome is too scary. I know probably most everyone out there knows what I am talking about. When the future looks too scary to acknowledge, you just focus on the now, the right now, and nothing else. When I look back at the pictures, and especially those wonderful videos that Sue made, I am truly amazed at the amount of heart this little guy has. I guess I have been especially lucky to have such fighters in my barn. Starting with Chilly Pepper, then Honey Bandit and then DaBubbles. I guess God sent them to me to remind me not to give up the fight, and to remind me that you should never give up, no matter how much pain you are in. (If I was a good horse, I would have been put out down a long time ago)  slumber partyAs most of you know, Honey Bandit still has some neurological issues. Tonight I came home from town, and the boys were inside getting dinner ready. Matt had been outside about 45 minutes earlier and everything was fine. I came into our "barn", (carport) and said hi to the cat. As soon as he heard my voice, Honey Bandit let out a cry for help. He kept calling me in a manner I have never heard from him. He was so stuck. He was actually in a position where it was physically impossible for him to flip over or get up. It is weird though, because I am here night after night when he gets cast, and he always stays quiet. It was so weird for him to be calling me like that. I went into his stall and he lifted his head and looked at me, kind of like, "mom - get me out of here". I called Matt and the boys came out to help. He was in a weird position, and I was afraid that when we flipped him he would be stuck again on the back door. But all is well. We got him "unstuck", helped him over and when he got up, had a good shake, and walked over and started to eat. On a good note though, we have been giving him lots of time to "figure things out on his own". Two out of the last 7 or 8 times, he has managed to "git ER done" and get himself out of his little pickle. So that in itself is a good thing. A little bit of progress at a time will eventually be a lot of progress, as he has show so well. We keep as much straw as we can around the edges of his stall, but can't put too much due to the size of the stall. Hugs and God Bless P & the gang Labels: Honeybandit, Palomino Permalink to this blog post Posted by Terri Farley @ 10:24 PM 3 comments
Thursday, December 30, 2010 End of the Year HONEY Update  Dear Readers, Here's a new update from Palomino and I think you'll enjoy the image of all of these Shingletowners cuddled up together. Palomino mentions HoneyBandit's Christmas photo and I got a copy in my Christmas card, but I'll have to locate it online so that I can share it with you! Have a wonderful New Year's Eve! Terri I'm sitting on the bed, looking out into Honey Bandit's stall. We just switched DaBubbles over to hang out with Patches. The other stall was too small for Honey Bandit and Patches, and it is easier to watch Honey Bandit with him right next to me. DaBubbles had been next to me prior to this. Since the three of them have been playing together, we thought that Patches and DaBubbles would be okay together. Honey Bandit needs special feed, and Patches has been gaining too much weight, so this will be easier. However, I feel bad because DaBubbles wants to be back closer to us. Honey Bandit is stoked though. He is thinking that he is the bomb and is really liking being inches away from us again. I have to brag a teeny tiny bit about our guy. When you pour his feed into his bucket, if you tell him to "wait", he will. He bobs his head up and down until you tell him "it is okay, good boy". He hates it, but is pretty good about waiting. Well, I have now spent the last half hour getting Patches settled in his little stall, away from DaBubbles. He was not playing nice, so he is on "time out" and sleeping where he cannot thrash on the little guy. Tomorrow he will be able to come back and play, but for now he has to learn better manners. On the way he got a little "pedicure" and got his feet trimmed. My son thought I was a little bit nuts to be trimming feet after 9 PM, but hey, you gotta "git ER done" when you get a chance. When you look at this picture, remember that we brought Honey Bandit home on September 2. As of January 2, we will have had him 4 months. I forget how tiny he was, but this picture shows what all of us have worked together to achieve. He went from about 120# to about 300#. We cannot ever thank everyone who is part of this miracle enough. Your generosity, donations, time and love make this possible. I will be posting some more photos. I have to say that Honey Bandit is ecstatic to be back next to us. He is laying down as close as he can possibly get to us. More photos should be on Chilly Pepper's website or on Facebook in the next few days. Sorry it took so long to "get back". Ha ha. Am still trying to get every thing set up on the computer. I do have to set the record straight, once again. I cannot take credit for Honey Bandit's Christmas photo. One of his wonderful Aunties, took the photos and printed them all for us to put in the remaining Christmas cards. Without all of the wonderful "aunties" that Honey Bandit has, we would not be getting much done except taking care of him. So I have to send out another thank you to his aunties that made the all the Christmas cheer happen. God Bless! Love Honey Bandit & the Gang! Labels: DaBubbles, Honeybandit, Palomino, Patches Permalink to this blog post Posted by Terri Farley @ 9:54 PM 0 comments
Monday, November 29, 2010 Thanksgiving letter from Palomino's herd, pack, etc.  Dear Readers, I'm stretching out your Thanksgiving weekend by sharing Palomino's update a little late! Palomino Enjoy! Terri Just wanted to say Happy Thanksgiving to all of you! We have so much to be grateful for this year. Although we didn't expect to bring home a horse the day we went to observe the round ups, we are eternally grateful that the staff at Litchfield had pulled Honey Bandit out to care for him and let us bring him home. He is doing well, thanks to all of you, and to them for letting us help him. He has grown about a foot taller and a foot lengthwise since we brought him home. He has gained probably 80-90 pounds since then also. That is definitely thanks to all of you! He (and we of course), so appreciate that. THANKS is something that cannot be said enough when people show kindness. We have met so many wonderful people through this whole thing. I have heard from so many people that wanted to make a difference, but couldn't do it "by themselves". But we have come together as a community and one big world to not only make a difference in this little horse's life, but at the same time to witness the generosity and love that is out there. His story has touched the hearts of people as far away as Finland, Australia, Alaska and throughout the United States and Canada. It truly warms my heart to know how many people can simply respect the "gift of life" that God has given us, even if it is one of his four legged creatures. We are also extremely grateful for your support and prayers for DaBubbles. He is doing better, but still has a long ways to go. It was very difficult to go out and treat him, knowing he was in pain. The little horse that jumped on my bed to see me, was running away. He was not happy with me. At all! However, he seems to be improving and I finally started using my head and we have "happy" times after the treatments, ie. I brush him and take more time just to love on him. So now he doesn't hate me anymore. Yeahhhhh!!!! Also, he had been pretty lethargic, and had very little interest in his surroundings. Now he seems to have passed that point and is starting to play, whinny and just getting into mischief again. Believe me, that is something I am extremely thankful for. I could not possibly begin to list all the wonderful things that have been done for our rescue and Honey Bandit. We have received food, $ donations, items to help winterize the carport we are living in, blankets, hay, love, prayers and the ongoing emotional support that was necessary to make this happen. I was just the one that was lucky enough (I think that 98% of the time ha ha) to be able to do the hands on care of Honey Bandit. It was ALL OF US together, that made it possible for this little guy to flourish and thrive. It was very cold here in Shingletown last night. The forecast was for zero degrees. We are a little bit lower so usually about 5 or so degrees warmer. Without everything ya'll have done to help, we wouldn't have made it safely through temperatures like that. While we are no where near finished making this warm enough, it is survivable and we will be eternally grateful. The best news I have right now though is this. Honey Bandit has gone a full 2 NIGHTS WITHOUT getting cast. So we are very thankful for that. It could mean that his wires are coming back and we won't have to keep dealing with that. The last time he did it, I got him unstuck and he rolled back over immediately 5 times. Then he got his foot stuck and panicked and I was afraid he was going to break his leg. So NOT getting stuck is huge. My husband and one son are on their way to Washington State for Thanksgiving. We were all supposed to go, but Honey Bandit and DaBubbles still need the 24/7 care and it is too cold to take them in the trailer that far. Also, there are too many crazy drivers out there - hee hee. So although I was pretty bummed when he drove away, I am still thankful we were given this opportunity to experience this. (He has to pick up supplies for HB and the rescue and there was also some family stuff they had to attend to). Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and I hope ya'll get to be with your families and loved ones, in spirit if not actually there. Labels: Chilly Pepper, Da Bubbles, Honeybandit, Palomino Permalink to this blog post Posted by Terri Farley @ 8:03 PM 0 comments
Monday, November 22, 2010 Palomino's Update on Creatures Great & Small Sitting here listening to the rain, it is quiet inside. Honey Bandit is finishing his milk pellets and DaBubbles is standing under the heat lamp. Patches is waiting to come back in when Honey Bandit is through. I have to watch it, because Patches needs to lose weight and Honey Bandit needs to gain it. So I have to make sure that HB gets all the food he needs. I am hoping that if we do get snow that sticks here, (we are in the sissy zone), I will get a chance to video tape Honey Bandit's first "snow fall". It will be interesting to see his reactions. He and Patches got to go outside for awhile today. I am not comfortable taking them in the back area to run around yet as we need to catch that cat. Even if we are armed, the cat could be upon the horses way before we got a shot off. I am praying that we will know when it is safe to let them back there again. Also, we are so close to the elementary school, and the cat (according to comments on a local newspaper blog) was spotted down the road from the school. I would hate to hear about one of our young children being attacked. It is interesting to read all the comments that people make regarding Honey Bandit and his experience. I have to say the one thing that gets me the most is when people say "the horses are not native". Well, I am sorry, but they are as native as you and I. The United States of America started with the Native Americans, the ONLY NATIVES, and the rest of our ancestors "CAME' to America, just like the horses. Do the people that say they are "not native" think that we should all be rounded up by helicopter and put in jail? Aren't we kind of like the mustangs? The weak and sick settlers did not survive. The strong and healthy survived the journey to America and the harsh winters as they foraged in a wild America. As time went on sickness ravaged the weak and only the strong prevailed, surviving the rough conditions. It was the same with the horses. Only the strong and healthiest survived over time. The weak ones died. They foraged for food and to survive in harsh conditions. For years they have survived in the wild, cohabitating with other wild animals. I have never said that there is not a need for "management of the wild horses". It is possible that in some cases we need to step in and do something to "manage" the wild horses. Giving more land and higher percentages of the grazing to ranchers is not one of the reasons though. Neither is making it easier for new pipe lines to be added or new minerals to be mined. However, until there is a safe and humane plan that actually works and makes sense, ALL of the roundups should be stopped. Until that time, if someone in the public observes a sick, or injured, foal or horse, if they can provide medical attention of contact someone who can come and take that animal, it should be automatic. I would think that anyone with any common sense would see the benefits to this. It would save the government time and money, save the lives of numerous animals, and would increase the working relationship between the public and the BLM. But we as the public would have to concentrate on the fact that the people working at that facility actually let us take the sick/injured animal. If we worked together there wouldn't have to be secret, closed to the public, facilities. I think that BLM needs to know that if the corrals were open to the public like they legally should be, that we, the public, would concentrate on working with them to solve any problems that exist. They don't like it when there is a big public outcry about the condition of an animal. Guess what? If we worked together we could stop "Honey Bandit" and other foals from ever getting in that condition in the first place. We could remove the sick/needy horses immediately. That alone would be a huge step to start fixing an intolerable situation. I have let the Litchfield BLM office know that my husband and I will come no matter what time of the day or night if a foal is down or needs immediate attention. There are people who have been doing that for years in Nevada, and they work together with their BLM offices extremely well. That is why I cannot stress enough that this is not an "anti BLM" campaign, it is a "change the laws to protect our wild horses campaign". I wrote a letter for BLM to publish. This is a tricky situation, as I need to make sure the world knows Honey Bandit's story in complete detail, no matter how ugly it is. We just continue, as we have from the beginning, to keep it simple and tell the truth. Honey Bandit was not branded at that time and I was told that they did not want to 'brand a dead horse, as then it became a facility death". I know I would not want to be responsible for the welfare of 900 horses. Anyone who has horses knows how hard it would be to really be able to know if each one was okay. So when there are already more in the holding facilities that can properly be cared for; why on earth would you keep bringing more in? Honey Bandit's story is not about blame. It is the clear and undeniable fact of what happens when the round ups are done the way they are now. His story is only unique in the fact that he is still alive and here fighting to have a healthy life, and to to tell the world about his fallen family. He carries the torch for all the babies that didn't get to stay alive to tell their stories of horror. He carries the torch for all the mares that lost their babies as they were chased by the flying "mountain lions" we call helicopters. Can you imagine how scary that would be? In the wild if a cat was in a tree, the horses could run away and escape. But this cat simply flies through the air after them. Chasing them until their hearts are bursting in their chests, their muscles screaming in agony as they run down the rocky terrain in the extreme temperatures. The mares are frantic as they are forced to race ahead of their foals. Knowing they should be waiting for them to keep up, but forced ahead by the big steel monster. How much higher does that raise their level of stress? HB carries the torch for the stallions who die trying to save their mares and foals. He is their living, breathing symbol and God saved him for a purpose, and that is to tell his story and help change the way that we treat our wild horses. We need to respect all life, not just that which is convenient for us. Thank you for allowing us to share in this fight to save the wild horses. Labels: BLM, cougar, DaBubbles, Hoenybandit, Palomino, Patches Permalink to this blog post Posted by Terri Farley @ 6:23 AM 1 comments
Friday, November 12, 2010 There is no safety at the edge of the frontier  After cougar attack: DaBubbles with canine guard Dear Readers, I've written about the risks of living in the real West. Not just in the past, but today. I wasn't there and I can't imagine how Palomino and her family are feeling tonight, but I hope you will hold them in your thoughts and prayers. Best, Terri from Palomino: I sit here with a breaking heart as I write to you. Honey Bandit is fine, PTL, but we had a horrible incident today. At about 1:30 p.m., today, DaBubbles, an approximately 5 month old miniature that was receiving eye care, was attacked in broad day light by a mountain lion. We did not see the mountain lion, only the havoc wreaked upon this poor baby. Now we always prepare for cats around here. We put in the tiny, young or vulnerable animals at night. We know that we have moved into their territory. We personally know people who have lost animals to the mountain lions, but actually having it happen in your own yard is scarier and more horrible than you can prepare for. In the past month or so, we have lost 3 cats. The last one I was witness to. I heard the poor thing screaming and at first thought it was a dog chasing her. But I had ALL OF MY DOGS with me. Whatever was after my cat, and I am assuming it was the mountain lion, came through even though there were 4 dogs outside. Unfortunately these were wild feral cats that lived outdoors. I know that up the road a few miles, there have been 5 dogs or so killed by a mountain lion with twin cubs. I also know that mountain lion's cubs were seen down in Manton this last summer. (I am assuming they are the same twin cubs.) Mountain lions have a 10 mile square radius they call their territory. Several months ago, a large one was tracked up behind our place. An injured one was spotted on property near Shingletown Ridge Road. We know they are out there, and we share this land with them. Although they have been known to eat upwards of 20 or more foals yearly in this area, we go about our daily lives, trying as best we can to take the precautions to keep our animals safe. Last year there were full grown miniature horses, goats, cats and dogs killed by mountain lions. But today, in broad daylight, the little miniature known as DaBubbles was lying quietly near the barn after playing and running around. Apparently, from what we can tell from the injuries, a cat came and grabbed him by the neck. He has deep slices that resemble knife wounds. He has scratches all over his neck, caused by razor sharp claws. He is torn up and only the fact that his mama, (and possibly the dogs and other mini out there) came to his rescue and scared the big cat away, caused him to survive. There was no sign of struggle or him being pulled to the ground. From what we can tell he was simply taking a nap. He has suffered hideous injuries and was immediately taken to the vet. The first words out of the vet tech's mouth were "this looks like a cat". He is home now, in the carport next to my bed, adjacent to Honey Bandit and Patches. He will require ongoing care for a great deal of time. The poor thing was just starting to do well after an eye injury. He is quiet now, and the vet gave him antibiotics, and some other medicines to help him stay comfortable while starting the long road to recovery. I was told by several people to keep this quiet, but felt impelled to let people know. A cat does not normally hunt during daylight hours. From what I understand, the cat that was recently spotted at some people's "camp" was injured. Nothing was done about the mountain lion, and that camp is only a few miles from our home. So there is a good chance that it is an injured cat that is struggling to stay alive and that is why he is hunting in daylight. Also, since he has an injury, he may have an infection or be ill from his wounds. These animals can be extremely dangerous. It could have been a small child that was attacked. I understand that we have moved into their territory, but this is obviously a cat with problems. We live near the school and every so often they have to put out signs when there is a "cat incident". Several years ago one of the neighbors by the school watched her cat being eaten by a mountain lion. So even though we are not strangers to "cat incidents", we need to take these very seriously. Please say a prayer for DaBubbles. He is such a sweetie. All is quiet as Ptatches, Honey Bandit, and DaBubbles sit quietly in the carport with me, safe from the scary bad things outside. We are looking at lots of ongoing continuous care and vet visits, but are expecting a good outcome. I am sorry this is not a happy update, but ya'll said you want to know what is really going on. So now we have DaBubbles AND Honey Bandit under 24/7 care. God bless and thank you for your thoughts and prayers. p Labels: cougar, DaBubbles, Honeybandit, Palomino Permalink to this blog post Posted by Terri Farley @ 11:02 PM 1 comments
Wednesday, November 03, 2010 Unremembered Memories from Palomino Dear Readers, Thanks for your patience in checking back on my blog. I've been working behind the scenes for the wild ones & it doesn't come naturally. I'd much rather be writing or clomping around on the range. But talking and using my head as well as my heart can help the horses, too. Here's an inspiring note from Palomino & a very cute photo of HoneyBandit showing his wild side to buddy Patches. Enjoy, Terri I have started to print out Honey Bandit's "journey back to life" in pictures. I have to say I am actually in shock when I look at these photos. To date, I have never really cried, except for that one day at the vet. When I looked at the pictures I realized if I had really "seen" his condition and acknowledged how unlikely it was for him to survive, we couldn't have made it through all of this. Instead, as so many of you know first hand, we just took it one minute at a time. It is just a steady stream of doing whatever needs to be done. It is not that I didn't think about him dying or living, but I couldn't let the emotions pour out. So many women (and yes, even some of the men who visited), look at him or his previous pictures and would just cry. I have only printed a few pictures, so far. Little by little I am going to document his whole "journey" up to this point. There are supposed to be some big changes coming up with BLM and what is happening with our wild horses, and Honey Bandit is changing the world of the roundups. I remember when I saw HB's breast bone protruding out of his chest. I didn't even know what it was. It looked like something that didn't even belong on his body. It is amazing how quickly you can forget the horrors when you look at Honey Bandit today. The 100's of bites and wounds hardly show. His hearing seems to be "back" most of the time. However, today I came home and for a few minutes again he seemed to hear nothing. But for the most part he can hear nearly everything as far as we can tell. His energy level is not where it should be, but since he is anemic, I guess that is to be expected. He is perking up with a little more "mommy time". He and Patches play together as if they were the same size. It is pretty interesting to watch them. Patches still is the boss. But they both seem to make sure that neither one of them hurts the other one, at least so far.  It would be really nice though, if they would realize that it is 11:33 p.m. And I need some sleep..... But apparently someone whispered in their ears that this is the absolute best time to play and make noise and kick and crash against the walls. Funny but Honey Bandit heard that little message just fine. I'm off to bed to try to get a little bit of sleep. 1:06 a.m. Boys were hungry and rowdy. Gave them a little snack and said a prayer that they will go to sleep after. I have to say that looking at HB's pix makes me appreciate all of you and everything you are doing to help Honey Bandit stay a success story. Without ya'll, he wouldn't be here. Labels: Honeybandit, Palomino, Patches Permalink to this blog post Posted by Terri Farley @ 2:19 PM 1 comments
Sunday, October 10, 2010 HoneyBandit update and a Question with a prize  Dear Readers, I'm a little late getting this HB update to you, but i promise it will still make you smile. I've highlighted my favorite part! Question -- In one of my WILD HORSE ISLAND books, the story's theme revolves around the idea that even someone small and weak can have a huge impact on events in her life. I use a Hawaiian story of a flea to go along with this. The first person who can tell me which book & which page will win an autographed WILD HORSE ISLAND book. Aloha all, Terri Hi ya'll. Been a busy couple of days. Yesterday, (Friday), some of our "new friends" came up and stayed with us. They then had a booth at the RAIN Flea market to raise money for Honey Bandit. We had a really wonderful afternoon/evening with Lee and Nona, and even had a little excitement around dinner time. Honey Bandit had been out with Patches, but of course knowing we all had our cameras out, he was quite mellow and didn't do too much. A little bit of bucking and running, but nowhere near what he would usually do. I guess he is making it clear that he is not my little circus and will not perform on command. So we put him back in our little carport, and we were chatting away when all of a sudden he went after Chino. He reared up and struck out at him and then started to buck and kick. (Now Chilly Pepper used to do that to the goat, Buddy, when she was cranky, bored or just out of sorts. They are still best friends.) At first my husband thought he didn't like the dogs anymore, but then we remembered that Chilly used to do the same thing. I guess it is kind of like when your kids are being brats and fighting with each other or arguing. Anyway, the way things were set up we came close to having a hoof in the head, not to mention numerous other items that were in peril. So we had to re arrange his little nursery, move my bed to one end, and of course since he was cranky he couldn't play with his dogs. Today, Matt and I built a little "wall" between Honey Bandit and where we "live". Instead of the blankets, he now has a big fluffy pile of straw, more like a real horse stall. He is pretty happy with it. Most of you saw the pictures of him in his "new bed". For now we are just doing the best we can in here until we can build the nursery. I keep thinking about the other 2 foals I heard about whose mom's were not taking care of them. However, they are in a place where there is an outbreak of strangles and it wouldn't be fair to do that to Honey Bandit. He wouldn't survive getting sick with his immune system. Hopefully they have already found new homes. But it will be nice when we have a real nursery and a place where we can quarantine someone who is sick as opposed to not helping them. But for now, Honey Bandit is doing well and he is our big focus. We are planning on going to the protest in Sacramento on the 23rd, and I have been asked to speak. That makes me nervous, but if I can help the horses by telling Honey Bandit's story, then I will do so. Hopefully we will have lots of people with us and don't forget we need to make signs. Please feel free to use any of the pictures of Honey Bandit that I have sent out. The more focus on his story, the bigger difference we will make. It will take all of us to get him to Washington DC, and we are hoping that people will caravan at least part of the way with us. I got to do that for the bicentennial celebration when I was in high school. I got to ride my pony with the wagon train for a few miles. We won't be in a wagon train (darn) but would be cool to have a big caravan a long the way. Well, Honey Bandit wants his evening milk. Thank you everyone for all your support and the love you send him. God bless, p Labels: flea, Honeybandit, Palomino, wild horse island Permalink to this blog post Posted by Terri Farley @ 8:54 AM 2 comments
Monday, October 04, 2010 Help Track Down the Bad Guy  Dear Readers, Someone is threatening the safety of Honey Bandit, Chilly Pepper and their pasture pals. If you can help, please let us know asap! First, the good news -- Palomino reports that Honey Bandit had a quiet Sunday, though he did appreciate his expanded play pen. Now he has room to run and explore. Two of his aunties came over to babysit and brush him and Palomino reports Honey Bandit is changing color. Most of you know that lots of white horses are born black, but WHAT IS YOUR GUESS about Honey Bandit's changing coat? "He looks so different," Palomino says, "His wounds are healing nicely and I can no longer describe him as having a 'bony little butt.'" But something is wrong in Honey Bandit's world and he doesn't even know it. Palomino says that someone is opening their gates, tampering with fencing and in general, committing acts that could result in the death or injury to the horses. They have found panels tampered with, pins removed so that they are open far enough to allow the horses to escape onto a highway on which the speed limit is 55 mph. Request from Palomino: "We are with Honey Bandit 24/7, but we need to find a way to catch this predator before any harm comes to our critters. Does anyone have a camera we could borrow for a month????? We need one that works in the dark and is motion activated, so the intruder can be arrested and prosecuted. These mustangs have all been through enough, and we need to keep them safe." If you can loan Palomino a motion sensing camera, contact her at palomino@frontiernet.net Labels: Chilly Pepper, Honey Bandit, Palomino Permalink to this blog post Posted by Terri Farley @ 4:21 PM 5 comments
|
||||||
|
Home | Books | The Author | Connect | Education | Wild Horses © Terri Farley |
