| CURRENT WEATHER: Clear, 49° |
|
|
|
||
|
||||
|
May 7, 2004
A DAY IN THE LIFE The miracle workers of Horse Rescue, Inc.
By BREANNE HUBBARD
Stephanie Pierce, along with her husband Robert, have opened their homes and the rest of their lives to saving neglected and unwanted horses. The Miracle Horse Rescue, Inc. has been a part of Pahrump since February 2001. "We are a federally recognized nonprofit organization," Pierce said. The board of directors is comprised of Pierce, founder and president; Lisa Kirk, secretary/treasurer; Lisa Shock, vice president; and Cheryl Johnson, director. The foundation is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Visitors are free to come anytime on Saturday, but others will need to make appointments for Sunday-Friday. Saturdays are the foundation's busiest day. "We have a lot of visitors that come in," she said. Most are curious as to what the foundation does. Others are in the market for horse adoption. On Saturday, Las Vegas Imprints Day School took a field trip to the foundation. The children were as young as four years old and as old as 10 years. "They brought carrots and apples and everything for the horses," Pierce said. Robert Pierce showed the children and their parents how to trim horses' feet. "There isn't a weekend that goes by that I'm not out here trimming feet," he said. He taught the kids that horses don't naturally give their feet. "You have to earn their trust," he said. He also taught them that if they ever have to walk behind a horse, walk far enough where they can't get kicked, or close enough to if they do, they'll bump you out of the way first. There have been 74 horses that have gone through the foundation. Currently, there are 30 horses on the property with another one due to arrive in a week. "A lot of them are permanent residents. They'll be here for the rest of their lives," Stephanie Pierce said. The resident with the longest tenure is Shiloh, who has been with the foundation for three years. Shiloh, who is blind, came to the foundation three weeks after it opened. The foundation has also lost horses due to old age or unreasonable pain and suffering. One horse in particular, Serendipity, died in her sleep. Pierce found her "special horse" in the morning and said she was one of the hardest to let go of. The idea for the foundation was simple for the Pierces. "Robert and I owned our own horses and we were caring for them," she said. One day, they both started talking about horses being slaughtered because of their age. "We wanted to start a sanctuary that people bring their horses to so they can live out the rest of their lives." Pierce wakes up at 5 a.m. every day to start caring for the horses. "I get up, try to get myself squared away." Around 6 a.m., Pierce dumps out the water barrels and refills them. She checks on all of the horses to make sure they're all healthy. "I have to prepare three horses that are on special food." Their food pellets are made into a mash and those horses also get special vitamins throughout the day. "Each meal takes about an hour, "depending on how fast I have to move," she said. Once Pierce is done with feeding the horses, she runs inside to check her emails. She makes sure to reply to everyone that sends her an email. "We do everything on a voluntary basis. We do everything ourselves," Pierce said. After emails have been checked and replies sent off, Pierce runs back outside to check the water barrels again and fill them up. Some of the horses, she said, drink a lot of water throughout the day. "I'm outside all the time," she said. The horses are taken out one at a time and are bathed and brushed. The foundation is getting ready to bring out the fly masks for the horses. Pierce's favorite part of the day is bathing the horses. "I love to do that," she said. The morning always flies by for Pierce and before she knows it, it's lunchtime and the horses need to be fed again. Some of the horses take medication with their afternoon feeding. After the horses have lunch, Pierce goes inside to feed herself. Since some of the horses are older, Pierce rubs Thermaflex, an arthritis ointment for horses, on their legs. "It opens up the circulation," she said. The final check of the day comes around 8:30 p.m. If health problems come up at any time during the day, the volunteers at the foundation will try to work with the horse, whether that's walking it around or providing medicine. If the problem persists, then Pierce will take it to the veterinarian, no matter what the hour. "That's how our days go," Pierce said. Caring for the horses leaves Pierce exhausted at the end of the day, but she thinks it's energy well expended. "Even when I'm tired, I know what we're doing here makes a difference in these horse's lives." In order to relax during the day, Pierce talks to the horses and eases her mind and theirs. Pierce and her husband aren't able to take vacations, since their duties to the horses are everyday at every hour. But their daughter, who's in the Navy, tries to come home at least once a month to visit and help around the ranch. Some of the horses that go through Pierce's home are in need of not only love, but also security. One of the 30 horses that the foundation currently houses, 14-year-old Brassy, was abused in her previous residence. "She's a nervous wreck," Pierce said. Two weeks after the foundation received Brassy, Pierce was able to touch her cheek. "She finally realized I'm not going to hurt her." Pierce stressed that every donation received at the foundation goes back into the horses. "Our reward is the difference we see." The Don Hudson Foundation is one of Pierce's biggest supporters. He saw the trailer and truck that Pierce and the rest of the Miracle Horse members were using. He donated a brand new truck and trailer to them. Besides the board and Pierce's husband, there is one other volunteer. "It's hard work. A lot of physical labor," she said. Her husband works a fulltime job on top of volunteering at the foundation. When there isn't enough money monthly to feed the horses, the board of directors and volunteers come together and take money out of their own pockets to feed the horses. "The horses come first," Pierce said. On an average, the foundation uses two tons a week in hay. Not including the special diets, vitamins and greens, the monthly costs is $1,500 to $1,800 "just to feed them," Pierce said. Whenever a horse has health problems and has to go to the veterinarian, it's just another added expense to the account. To help out with costs, Playboy, the bull that the Pierces own, raises money to feed the horses. They take the bull to various events and charge money to people who want to take a picture with him. Imprints hosted a fundraiser Thursday that helped the foundation acquire money. They held a silent auction at their school in Las Vegas to sell paintings and other crafts depicting horses. The foundation also has an adoption program. The fee for adopting a horse is $600. There is a contract that the adopter signs, stating that the horse can never be sold or given away. "They are in it for the long haul," she said. If the person that adopted the horse can no longer care for it, then the horse will be sent back to the foundation for its own protection. Pierce is trying to keep the horse from going back to the type of situation it came out of. The foundation is planning a major fundraiser in the beginning of September called the first annual Heal the Hearts of Horses Trail Ride. Rowell Ranch in Las Vegas will be the starting point of the trail ride. "We're planning a trail ride, barbecue and an auction to help raise money for the horses," Pierce said. A dance at the end of the day is in the works, too. "This life we have chosen and we have committed ourselves to these horses," she said. "Would I do it again? Yes. Any regrets? No." To make an appointment or visit, contact the foundation at 751-1101. |
