Lillies of the Field Equine Rescue is all about God's love!
Hello! And thank you for taking the time out of your day to read this!
My name is Shania Lillie, and I am the human that started this rescue. I would consider Peaches (you read more about her in a second) to be the true founder and God is the one keeping us all together. I just want to tell you all a little more about myself and how this rescue got started. I grew up on a 100-acre ranch near Roseburg OR.
My family bred horses, rode all over our property, went swimming in the river with the horses, riding at the fairground, played horse polo, bareback, english, western etc. I have had some training in almost every discipline. At one point I was training with a former equestrian Olympic coach! My goals with horses have changed immensely over the years. I used to want to be a jockey, but at the age of twelve I was over the height limit! Then I wanted to be a professional show jumper, then I wanted to have my own riding academy... But God had other plans for me and horses all together.
At the age of nineteen I joined the Army as a Combat Medic. I was at a hospital for five years. My last year in I wanted to rescue, retrain and sell horses on the side because I was on shift work. After my husband and I got our first two rescues I found out I was pregnant! Praise GOD! We had been trying for a while. We had we decided to keep the horses instead of selling right away. I rode and trained all the way until my belly hit the saddle horn! Probably wasn't the smartest thing I had done but God definitely had a lot of angels looking out for us.
Peaches was my first rescue. She is a Belgian/ saddlebred mare. The horse rescue I got her from, bought her from a slaughter auction in Pennsylvania Amish country. From what the vet and the farrier can tell we assume she was a carriage horse. When I unloaded her from the trailer, she was completely drenched in sweat. It was a very short trailer ride, so I thought that was odd. She held her head so high I could barely lead her to the stall. Once she was in the stall she proceeded to rear and kick the walls! I remember thinking "Oh dear Lord, what have I gotten myself into!" She would get drenched in nervous sweat just walking to the round pen. Anyways, point is she was a complete mess! And this was my first horses in a little over four years, so I was a bit rusty. So, we both were a mess! Additionally, I had severe morning sickness, so I would be riding and have to jump off and throw up over the fence. Peaches is like no horse I had ever been around before. She makes you earn her respect. If you don't, she be acting crazy! I realized how smart she actually was though when I put a child on her... Completely different horse! Calm, cool, and careful with the kids. I say all of this to say that Peaches is the horse that inspired the heart and determination for this rescue. I wanted to take unwanted and abused horses, figure out what they enjoyed doing most, train them in that area and rehome them to people who do similar things. She opened my eyes to what I truly wanted to do with horses. I would not train one specific discipline or type of riding. I would instead, spend time discovering their natural talents and go from there.
God's love is the glue that is keeping this rescue going. We would not have been able to do anything without His loving kindness! I am so grateful to be put in a position where I can not only help horses but also help people by showing them God's love through horses! He is the reason for everything we do here at Lillies of the Field Equine Rescue. He is the one that will guide and protect every heart and hoof that enters this property. He has already done so much!
We ask that you share this and be in prayer for this rescue. God is at work, and He is nowhere near finished yet!