Abandoned foal finds home in Dayton bedroom

A wild horse born Wednesday morning in a freezing field in Stagecoach ended up snuggled inside a warm master bedroom in Dayton later that day.

As the tiny bay filly with a star on its forehead came into the world near Iron Mountain, the temperature hovered around 4 degrees. It was surrounded by its mom and about six other wild horses, members of a band area residents call the Stagecoach Seven.

But the stallion herded the mares away, including the filly's mother, possibly when a couple of dogs in a nearby yard started barking.

An unidentified Stagecoach resident saw the birth, and then watched for several hours to see if the horses would come back, according Nonie Higley, a Lyon County Animal Control officer. When they didn't, the resident called authorities.

When Higley arrived, the little filly was alive but suffering from hypothermia and couldn't walk. Higley picked her up and placed her in the car, securing a seat belt around the baby horse.

"I went out and could see this tiny head poking over the grass," Higley said. "She tried to get up but couldn't. She's a very lucky little girl."

The foal was taken to the Lyon County Animal Shelter in Silver Springs. Mike Holmes, the state Virginia Range estray horse manager, was called, and he contacted Shirley Allen, of Least Resistance Training Concepts, to see if she could save the filly. Allen operates the Lucky Horse Rescue Corral in Dayton.

"I've been in on a lot of rescues, but this one was the greatest," Higley said. "I love the mustangs. I think they're a gift from God to us here in Nevada, and we're kind of pushing them out."

Allen, who has raised about 10 foals in the bedroom of her Dayton Valley home, named the foal Heidi-ho, after the filly began making some unusual horse sounds.

"She has this funny whinny that sounds like a little yodel," Allen said. "She's been a real kick ever since she got over her hypothermia and got her legs under her."

Allen estimates the full-term foal now weighs between 50 and 65 pounds.

"She's pretty solid," Allen said. "She's really heavy when she steps on your toes."

Heidi-ho will stay at the rescue corral for about four months, and then will be adopted out.

"She'll stay here until we can find just the right mommy and daddy for her," Allen said.

The bedroom floor is covered with old quilts and blankets to protect the rug. Allen said it's the best option for both the foal and Allen, who must feed the filly every 1-1Ú2 to 2 hours.

"She's my very first baby that actually uses a bottle," Allen said. "Most go from the turkey baster to the bucket."

Allen feeds Heidi-ho Mare's Match, a manmade replacement milk for foals who can't nurse from their natural mothers. She has also been given Mare's Serum, another manmade product that strengthens the filly's immune system, helping create antibodies it would otherwise get from its mother.

Higley said the little foal would never have survived had the Stagecoach resident not seen her.

"She would have been eaten by coyotes or she would have frozen to death," she said.

Allen said she didn't hesitate before taking in the little filly.

"When God puts something in front of you, it's your responsibility to take care of that baby," Allen said.

-- Contact reporter Karen Woodmansee at kwoodmansee@nevadaappeal.com or 882-2111 ext. 351.

You can help

To adopt a horse or donate funds for feeding and care, call Shirley Allen at 246-7636.