I’m reaching out to fellow horse lovers, Spanish Barb enthusiasts, and anyone able to help — on behalf of my friend Jennifer and her newborn foal, Sorpresa Milagrosa, affectionately called “Spice.”

This young filly is just 2 weeks old and was rushed to the ICU at Jackpot Veterinary Center in Tucson, AZ, earlier this week after falling seriously ill. Since Tuesday, she’s been receiving intensive care for pneumonia that makes breathing difficult, painful gastric ulcers caused by sand in her gut, and swallowing problems.

While her vet updates indicate good improvement each day, Spice still has a significant battle in front of her, and daily medical expenses are high — around $1,200-$1,500 each day.

How You Can Help

Why Spice Matters

Spice isn’t just any foal — she belongs to a critically rare and genetically valuable lineage within the Spanish Barb breed. These horses are among the few surviving Colonial Spanish breeds, with a small global population and unique genetic diversity that conservation groups actively protect. They are considered critically rare and urgently need preservation. For more information, check out the SBHA website!

She is a granddaughter of the Wilbur Cruce foundation mare Sombra, a key mare in our program and one of the few remaining links to foundational Spanish Barb genetics.

Medical Concerns & Why Spice Needs Your Help

She calls her Spice because from the minute she was born she was a fighter! Spice was born to a twenty-two year old maiden mare that everyone long thought to be barren. This miracle foal was a complete surprise and landed into this world in a remote pasture near the Chiricahua mountains, on a cold wet night. Her first night of life was spent being warmed in hugs and a big jacket until morning when she and mama were transferred into Jennifer’s care and could be safely moved to a barn stall. Spice immediately overcame her harsh entry into life and grew quickly each day with her vigorous vitality!

Spice and her mama were given daily turn outs in a large pasture to run around and build strong bone and muscle. One morning when Jennifer went to turn them out she noticed Spice had diarrhea, when she looked closer she had a tiny bit of snot in her nostril. So she called the vet right away (knowing how delicate new foals can be). They got antibiotics for her that day. The next morning she was back to her normal spunky self running around all over. By the next morning she was constipated and had significant mucus coming out her nose. This is when they made the decision to get moving to the expert care at Jackpot Vet Center in Tucson. Because they live remotely, this was a five hour trailer haul with a sick baby and stressed mama! When they arrived, Spice was critical. No one knew if she’d even make it through the night, her lung sounds were extremely poor, she couldn’t eat and she was dehydrated. The odds were not in her favor! The extremely knowledgeable and caring vet and vet techs worked tirelessly through the night with Spice. Jennifer was told they would call if Spice’s condition worsened during the night. Each minute of that night was excruciating, she was just sleeplessly waiting for sunrise and hoping to NOT hear her phone ring!

Spice is truly a fighter, the vet said this little miracle baby has a very strong will to live! By morning her lung sounds had improved dramatically. She was being tube fed, getting IV fluids and IV antibiotics with round the clock care. Spice has touched the hearts of everyone who meets her with her extraordinary personality and vigor for life!

Even though she’s currently more stable and improving with excellent care, each day in the ICU costs approximately $1,500, and she will continue to need medications, fluids, follow-ups, and additional scopes to assess her progress and healing.

Every dollar helps — even just $20 can cover a bag of IV fluid to keep her hydrated and supported through treatment.

The Goal

My goal is to raise $3,500 to help cover a portion of Spice’s mounting hospital bills — but the costs may exceed that. Even if more is raised than needed, every extra dollar will go directly to the Spanish Barb Horse Association to further its mission in helping these horses.

How You Can Help

Please donate what you can — every bit makes a difference

Share this campaign with your friends, family, and equine communities

Help us save a life AND support a rare breed’s future

Thank you for your compassion, love, and generosity. Let’s bring Spice home and give her the chance at life she deserves!