Nilla, Wafer, Nikki, and Catori/Tori are four mini horses that were rescued from Ashley DiFelice and the former Twist of Fate "sanctuary" in July 2022 along with fellow mini horse friend Thea*, who had her story shared a few weeks ago. At TOF, Nilla was named Happy, Wafer was Tommy Girl, Nikki was named Gumdrop, and Tori's previous name is unknown. In the photo above from left to right is Wafer, Nilla, Catori, Nikki, and Thea.
Gumdrop (Nikki) originally came to Twist of Fate after being saved at an auction in November of 2019. She was very tiny and had pneumonia, and an ultrasound revealed that she also had abscesses on her lungs, a collapsed lung and a collapsed trachea. A collapsed trachea is the result of cellular changes to the cartilage of the tracheal rings that affects their structural integrity causing them to soften and weaken. It can cause obstruction, inflammation, increased mucus secretion and congestion of the airways, and because of this Gumdrop had a terrible cough. She spent a few days in the hospital and was put on antibiotics, which helped improve her cough and got rid of her fever too. The last post about her on the old TOF Patreon was February 2020 - Gumdrop was still doing well and Ashley says that "she was so shy when she arrived and that they could barely touch her without her running away, but now she comes over for scratches and kisses".
I don't know anything about Tori's origin story or how she came to be at Twist of Fate - at the time of her rescue no one even knew her name, so her rescuers named her Catori because it means "Spirit" in the Hopi culture. It's possible that she had been a very recent intake of Ashley's.
Researching this update I was actually able to find out Happy (Nilla) and Tommy Girl's (Wafer) origin story - Ashley had a Patreon post dated September 2020 that pictured four unnamed minis, and the post states that she was contacted about a family that was in desperate need of a new home as their human family was no longer able to provide them with the food and care that they needed. The horse family consisted of a mother, father, daughter, and son. I spoke to Allison of Red Feather Equine Sanctuary and sent her the photos of the four and she identified two of them as Happy and Tommy Girl. Because of this it's possible that Happy and Tommy Girl are mother and daughter, but it's more likely that Ashley could have been given incorrect information since the two girls appear and are estimated to be the same age and behave more like sisters than mother and daughter. Here is a quote from Ashley's Sep 2020 post: "As you all know, keeping families together is extremely important to me and the thought of them being separated was so heartbreaking to me. I agreed to take them in and they arrived tonight. Mom and dad are both pretty skinny and dad looks a bit arthritic. We will hopefully get them both healthy again and I'm hopeful that the rest of their days here will be the best of their lives. So glad this little family gets to stay together!" It's unknown what happened to the dad and the son - they were never named in the post but there was only one male mini on the list of survivors (Henry, renamed Kevin) and he doesn't match up in appearance. Most likely the father and son perished at Twist of Fate, though we do not know how, when, or why.
When these 5 girls were rescued, all of them had overgrown hooves because they hadn't seen a farrier in years and could barely walk. All 5 were taken in by Allison at Red Feather Equine Sanctuary (@redfeatherfarmnc) in Winston Salem, North Carolina USA. A vet was brought in for various tests and treatments, including vaccines, Coggins tests, dentals, deworming, vision issues, hoof trims and x-rays for Thea. They also got regular visits with a chiropractor to help them get their frames back into alignment since they developed so many issues because of their overgrown hooves.
Tori has an eye deformity that requires regular care and almost certainly would have gone blind (and/or eventually just starved to death) if she were left with Ashley. Nikki is over 30 years old and had advanced and untreated Cushing's Disease. Cushing's Disease (ECD) is a chronic progressive disease of the intermediate pituitary gland of older horses. Horses with Cushing's often have other health problems, such as laminitis and chronic infections. Symptoms of ECD include failure to fully shed their winter coat, patchy shedding, hoof abscesses, excessive sweating, increased water intake and urination, lethargy, weight loss, eye ulcers, and more. When Nikki saw the vet and was tested she was over 250 - normal ACTH range is under 30! Nikki was originally very hard to catch in the paddock and lots of time was spent earning her trust as well as the trust of the others - they all had to relearn that humans can provide love, safety, and kindness after the one person that was supposed to provide them with it completely and purposely failed them.
At Red Feather Happy, Tommy Girl, and Gumdrop were given their new names, and along with Thea are doing very well. Nilla and Wafer are obviously very bonded, are extremely social, and are the first to greet visitors with curious sniffs and nibbles. Nikki and Thea are an extremely bonded pair too. Nikki was put on the medication Prascend when she arrived and just last week she was tested again for her Cushing's to make sure that she's still doing okay and that that particular medication is helping. She currently needs to have a few teeth removed due to her age but is overall doing great. Tori was adopted by a friend of Allison's where she is doing very well and gets regular treatment for her eye.
A huge thank you to Allison and Red Feather for rescuing these five girls from neglect, fear, pain, loneliness, and suffering and giving them all that they needed and more. If you would like to support Red Feather Equine Sanctuary, please give them a follow @redfeatherfarmnc! To make a donation towards the minis' care, you can do so directly through their website via PayPal. You can also send them something through their Chewy Wishlist, sign up for monthly donations in any amount on their Patreon, or contact them about sponsoring an animal. Or you can check out their events or fill out a volunteer form if you live near them in NC!
It's also Giving Tuesday* for a few more hours and Red Feather has a fundraiser set up on their Instagram page to reach their goal of $5,000 that will go towards some specialized medical treatments for Nikki and a horse named Ali, annual herd vaccines and dentals, hay for feed and bedding, as well as making upgrades to the Red Feather facilities, including fencing and hay storage. The fundraiser will be going on for about 30 days, so even if you read this past Tuesday the 28th, you can still make a donation! Every little bit helps in the care of their animals. If you don't have Instagram you can always make a donation via one of the other methods listed above.
Thank you for being here!
*You can read Thea's story here.
*Giving Tuesday is the Tuesday after Thanksgiving in the United States and is a global movement that "reimagines a world built upon shared humanity and radical generosity". Basically it's a day of giving, and I love that it's right around Black Friday, a US "holiday" known for greed and overconsumption! Many non-profits benefit greatly from this day as helping and donating are encouraged and celebrated.
Ashley DiFelice's next court date still has not been announced. Please continue to share the petition in the meantime!