The Lotus Herd

We absolutely love sharing our horses and witnessing the joy they bring.

Lola is back from Oregon State University Veterinary Hospital, she gave us a real scare. She had colitis from an unknown cause which almost caused an impaction. I had to leave her dehydrated and with a tube going through her nose to her stomach and she was out in isolation because they had to run tests to rule out Potomac horse fever, a coronavirus and salmonella. This means we were not able to visit her which was really difficult. Because of the inflammation in her lower intestines she was at risk of developing laminitis, pneumonia or going septic. She was due to stay until Monday but on Friday morning I was told she did acrobatics overnight and ripped her catheter and made it clear it was time to go home, that’s our Lola ! All
blood work looked great and she was passing manure. She is a rescue and already went through a whole lot but she is one tough and incredibly kind and gentle Shetland pony. She has surpassed our expectations as a therapy horse and we love her dearly. Thank you to our vets for recommending trailering her to OSU and to all the vets at OSU for taking good care of her and taking the time to give me many updates. We are feeling grateful and immensely relieved. Pictured is Nanuk checking on her.

Lola is back from Oregon State University Veterinary Hospital, she gave us a real scare. She had colitis from an unknown cause which almost caused an impaction. I had to leave her dehydrated and with a tube going through her nose to her stomach and she was out in isolation because they had to run tests to rule out Potomac horse fever, a coronavirus and salmonella. This means we were not able to visit her which was really difficult. Because of the inflammation in her lower intestines she was at risk of developing laminitis, pneumonia or going septic. She was due to stay until Monday but on Friday morning I was told she did acrobatics overnight and ripped her catheter and made it clear it was time to go home, that’s our Lola ! All
blood work looked great and she was passing manure. She is a rescue and already went through a whole lot but she is one tough and incredibly kind and gentle Shetland pony. She has surpassed our expectations as a therapy horse and we love her dearly. Thank you to our vets for recommending trailering her to OSU and to all the vets at OSU for taking good care of her and taking the time to give me many updates. We are feeling grateful and immensely relieved. Pictured is Nanuk checking on her.

Our very sweet mare Scarlett had sinus surgery last week. She is recovering well but if you know about horse anatomy you can understand why this surgery was a big deal. She was so good that the surgeon was able to do it without a general anesthesia, with sedation and nerve block. She had a mass in her sinus that caused recurrent infections, the mass luckily looks like a cyst but we are waiting for analysis. Scarlett is an amazing very human oriented horse, I saved her from a feedlot when she was 3 because she was following people around, her personality is wonderful and the vet office all commented on her super sweet and easygoing nature, she is loved by many.
If you would like to help us with the cost associated with the surgery, you can make a donation by clicking on the link below, this will help us so much, thank you !
https://www.thelotusherd.org/make-a-donation

Our horses bring joy to people, and the more joy they bring the happier they get, it is always a win on both sides.

Cheeky therapy mini. #

It is finally Spring here on the ranch, the horses are happy and we are ready for visits.

Big horse, little horse and another blonde pair 😊

Getting ready for Valentine’s Day. I am in love with this guy, he is beyond amazing.

Part of our mission statement is to bring our horses to the best of their mental and physical state, we do this by being able to let them live as herds, we have a horse herd and a mini herd. This allow them to groom cuddle and play anytime of the day. Do you remember how Covid isolation was hard on us ? Horses are social creatures like us and we are lucky to be able to provide them with a herd setting.

Minis in the manger, not a day they don’t make us laugh, such wonderful creatures.

Our horses come in all shapes size and color. Weasel on the left is the elder at almost 28, he is the wisest horse I know and was a great role model for all our yearling rescues.

Winter on the ranch.

Mud and minis !

The blondes, they are a good pair ❤️

The ranch is all quiet during winter, last year we had snow, this year we had ice, the horses do very well, they have shelter and winter coats. We are looking forward to welcoming visitors again in the spring and taking our miniature horses out for visits.

The ranch would not be complete without our resident standard poodles Michka and Nanuk, here they are in their winter scruffy splendor. They are great protectors, get on really well with the horses and absolutely love having visitors.

Today is National Day of the Horse, I chose to post about Cosette who brings so much joy to people through her presence, sweetness and mostly her “life is good” attitude. What a gift she is.

Post Thanksgiving nap.

Our beautiful Ella enjoying a walk with Shannon. All our rescue mares are very sweet and gentle, it is always a joy to work with them. We rescued Ella from a feedlot in Colorado when she was 3 years old, she is wonderful with people.

No Halloween parade today, it is pouring black cats and dogs, so just a little fun with some of our horses on the computer. Happy Halloween 🎃🎃🎃

Little Pixie is making pixie dust for Halloween 🎃🧚🏼‍♂️

Spot the intruders 😉 We have different kind of therapy animals.

Esperanza, aka Phantom of the Opera checking out a pumpkin.

Lark went to visit Bettina’s “stall”, he thinks it’s a stall anyway since she lives in the barn@😉

Miss Coco, named after her chocolate color.

“Are you talking to me ?” asks Dakota.

Some horses are sillier than others 😉

Bluebell captivates people with her blue eyes and her spunky personality. She was gifted to us.