Best Friends' peg-legged glamor gal

Riley the horse ready to show off her new prosthetic leg; rare medical procedure gives Riley a new life at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, home of the second chances.

Come join us as Riley the beautiful buckskin quarter horse shows off her amazing new leg for the first time. Sadly, for most horses losing the use of a leg is an automatic death sentence. Too many times in recent months the news has reported on race horses put down because a leg broke.

But Best Friends believes in everyday miracles. We established a program, "Guardian Angels" for special needs animals who require extraordinary efforts. This time, Best Friends found one of only a handful of veterinarians who perform this type of equine surgery and through a collaborative effort we have arrived at this remarkable moment.

Who:
Riley, a mare with the loveliest, gentlest personality in the world. She came to Best Friends with an absolutely awful leg injury. And she was patient-beyond-patient while specialists re-aligned the joint, and fused her back together with metal plates and screws. But Riley's body rejected the metal plates and screws. She was in pain, developing abscesses, and removing the hardware would have been very difficult ... and left her back where she began, with a mangled leg. She needed a new solution and Best Friends' was lucky enough to find a veterinarian with the answer to her problems.

What:

• Photo opportunities of Riley as she shows how a horse can get by on three legs (and one artificial one)
• Interviews with the veterinarians who made Riley's new life possible and the managers of Best Friends' Horse Haven and Guardian Angel Program
• Meet the "personality girl"--Riley the horse

When: Tuesday, September 9, 2008
10 a.m.

Where: Best Friends Animal Sanctuary
Five miles north of Kanab, Utah

Why:
The significance of Riley's surgery goes beyond her personal triumph. In the future could this surgery provide hope for other horses who seemingly had no future if they lose a limb.

Tour:
For those interested in more detail on the sanctuary, we can arrange for you to visit the various areas of the sanctuary (cats, birds, bunnies, horses, potbellied pigs, etc.).

Directions:
Best Friends Animal Sanctuary is located five miles north of Kanab, Utah, on Highway 89. Watch for the Best Friends sign on the right and proceed to the Best Friends welcome center.

Air Travel:
The nearest large airport is McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas (a 3-hour, 15-minute drive to Best Friends). There are also regular flights to St. George, Utah (a one-hour, 15-minute drive from Best Friends.

RSVP:
John Polis, johnp@bestfriends.org, 435-644-2001 ext. 4858 (office) or 435-817-2980 (cell)
Barbara Williamson, barbara@bestfriends.org, 435-644-2001 ext. 4408 or 435-689-0202 (cell)

Note:
Cell phone coverage is spotty in Angel Canyon, where the sanctuary is located. However, wireless internet is easily accessible.