SARAH KING/Nevada Appeal News Service Douglas High School Equine Science class spent time grooming their newly adopted foal Flash. From left are seniors Amber Hoogestraat and Shanna Coats and junior Shannon Martinez.
MINDEN - Although Flash lost his mother when he was little more than 2 months old, the colt may think he's in horse heaven after being adopted and cared for by students in an equine science class.
Flash's first day of school was Friday when teacher Allyson Lammiman brought him to the science class he will attend once a week at Douglas High School.
"A lady came in to S&W Feed, and said she had a 4-month-old and wanted to know if they knew anyone who would want him," said student Jessie Kolbus, who has been riding horses for 14 of her 17 years. "My mom asked the teacher, and she got him last week."
"It wasn't a surprise, because Lammiman was planning on adopting a mustang," said Kayla Watschke, 17, a rider for eight years.
"We're all going to help out and take care of him," Jessie said.
Lammiman said orphans take a lot of maintenance so the family who originally had Flash wanted to make sure they found a good home for him. A bottle baby could be a problem child but Flash was raised along with other horses so he could learn horse etiquette.
"He was weaned from the bottle, and they did everything right," she said. "He's three-quarter quarter horse and one-quarter paint so he's really mellow, like a Lab."
Lammiman planned to adopt a mustang for her equine class but finding Flash was better since he was already used to being around humans.
"Horses don't speak English so you're going to have to speak 'horse,'" Lammiman told the students.
Flash's day was full of firsts: It was the first time he got in and out of his panel enclosure - it had taken Lammiman 30 minutes to teach him the ropes. The students got him used to having fingers in his mouth to have his first dose of worming medicine.
"What are the signs he could use wormer?" she asks her class. "A pot belly, rough coat and sketchy nutrition (due to being an orphan)."
Lammiman said she received occupational grant money for the colt's enclosure. Money was set aside for the plan of having a horse for a school project.
They've also relied on donations from residents for the basic tools and S&W Feed has donated products and offered others at reduced prices.
After giving students an introduction on what it takes to become a veterinarian, vet's assistant or just to have an appreciation of horses, Flash will live with Lammiman.
Besides worming, the class will bathe, groom, and vaccinate Flash. And although he's a baby, the class is taught to respect his 500 pounds.
"It's important to have them understand that horses have different dispositions because teens have no fear," Lammiman said.
"Orphan foals have a problem of becoming obnoxious, but he's been raised so well, he knows he's a horse and not a human."