What a beautiful group, the horses that we've rescued.
What a testament to the fact that we do live in a 'throwaway' society.

These horses come to us from auctions, feed-lots, and sale barns. Most missed a trip to the slaughterhouse by a single trailer ride. Ours are not even a chip off the tip of the iceberg. The horses we have taken in are not even a drop in the bucket of horses and ponies across this country that are in trouble.

We cry for them when they are too weak to stand from starvation. We cheer for them when they won't give up and, against all odds, recover and prosper. We say prayers for them when they don't recover. We give them the love they deserve. Above all else, we try. We realize that we cannot save them all, but at least for each one that we can - "Someone Cared".

Lucky

Lucky was starved, injured, weak, and when she fell and was trampled at a sale barn she was dragged into an  empty lot and left to die. After her rescue & rehabilitation, Lucky has been adopted to live her life out as a companion horse for an elderly gelding. (Click Here For Lucky's Full Story).

Frodo

Frodo, a miniature gelding, had been a little girls pet for the past year until she "outgrew" him and decided she wanted a bigger horse. Without a second thought as to what might happen to him he was run thru the nearest auction. After his rescue Frodo became a Christmas gift for a family with three very excited children.

Cochise

(Shown with my mule, Dannita)

Cochise is an incredible gaited buckskin mare who I purchased from a "horse-trader" right after she came off the nearby Indian reservation. She was so underfed and thin that even a vet exam failed to reveal that she was carrying a foal that was due in a month! Sadly, we lost the foal due to malnourishment and a heart murmur. Cochise now has a home for life with my parents as a riding horse for my many(11) younger siblings. (Despite my constant attempts to get her back ever since I married & moved out!) When I realized I would not be able to take Cochise (My sisters liked her to much) I settled for the next best thing and bred her to one of the top Jacks in the region, Blue Key. Dannita, my mule is now a 5 yr old and I am keeping her for my riding horse mule.

SideWinder

    This guy was sold at a local auction, and was headed out-of-state with a truckload of other horses to be resold at an even worse sale barn. Before the buyer loaded him up though, someone slammed him in a gate causing nerve damage that affected his rear end. The buyer left him behind as he never would have survived the trip without falling & being trampled. (He was also starved and severely underweight & weak). Seeing as he couldn't be sold as he wouldn't survive a trailer trip, he was about to be shot. On March 13th '03 he loaded up like an old pro for a slow careful ride over here.

06/05/06 Update:
Sidewinder was turned over to a local rescue group with a larger pool of resources.  We thought he had been placed, but just received an e-mail stating that they felt that euthanization was appropriate in his case.

Lady

Lady was an awesome 10 year old Fresian mare that I rescued from a sale barn. I intended to keep her a riding/driving horse as she had some incredible action! She was fresh off a rodeo bucking string - just didn't buck hard enough to earn her keep anymore. Named for her quiet dignity, Lady didn't trust anyone, but was gentle (although nervous) once caught. After some work, although she could be saddled & ridden, I decided to just give her some time to learn to trust again. We were making great progress when almost a year after I had gotten her she passed away. I was there holding her head when she died (She had internal ruptures & bleeding due to weakened spots from heavy worm infestations before I had gotten her). While I wish we could have had more time, I am glad that at least she got to spend the last of her life in a good place.

Fairy

Fairy, a beautiful rose-grey Arab-type mare, was another sale barn rescue. She was three years old, and had apparently never been handled at all. It took over a week before she would even let me approach her without cowering, and over two before I could touch her. Eventually I earned her trust, trained her to ride, and Fairy now has a great home as an endurance/trail horse with a wonderful lady.

Flower

Flower, was an untouched range-horse rescue, purchased an hour before she was to be run thru the local auction. Because of her black & white pinto coloring, she was named after "Flower the Skunk" in the movie "Bambi". Flower foaled (unexpectedly) shortly after her purchase, but the colt was stillborn. She has since been gentled and has started her new life as a western trail horse with a great couple.

Booger & Freak

I went down to pick up these two Purebred papered Arab mares at a feedlot a couple days before they would have been run thru the auction (This was the trip where I found & rescued "Lucky" - See her story above). One a 10 yr beautiful Blood Bay with flashy white stockings and an incredible head, and the other a 4 yr old very refined Chestnut. They were both broke, sound & healthy mares. I had wanted to breed them to a jack for a pair of nice mules, but was not able to get the breedings to the jack that I wanted. These two were boarded at my parent's house for a bit while I was moving, and picked up their nicknames from my younger sister who cared for them (you can tell what she thought of them)! Both have since gone on to good homes. "Booger" as a second trail horse for a couple, and "Freak" to a young Native American on the reservation near us. (I'm sure both their names have since been changed!)

Casper
 

Casper is our most recent "second chance" equine - saved from a local salebarn and a trip to the dog-food cannery - he is looking for a good loving home. He is a small grey/white pinto donkey, about 10 hands, young (under 2 yrs), sound, healthy, and in good condition. He is not yet gelded. Casper trailers, is halter broke and gentle, but a little wary of new people at first - nothing a couple weeks of TLC won't take care of! He is sociable with other horses & my mule. Donkeys are great companions and natural "guard animals" for flocks/herds of animals that are prone to dog attacks. If you are interested in giving Casper the loving home he deserves, I'd love to hear from you!

**Casper has been placed!**
Congratulations & THANK YOU
to Leah Saulnier for giving Casper a good home!

Lady

Another salebarn/slaughterhouse bound mare, Lady is a small (12H) mare - with a nice head, a beautiful eye, and a Wonderful Personality! She is a calm, friendly mare, and appears to be sound, healthy ... and about to foal ANYDAY!

**Lady has been placed!**
Congratulations & THANK YOU
to Kathy Powell for giving Lady a good home!

Tessa

This elegant little filly is Lady's (pictured above) foal. Tessa measures in at a whopping 10 hands high, with twice the attitude! With her refined head, tiny muzzle, long hooked neck, eye-catching action & flagging tail, she's a nice one. She will probably mature at 13-15 hands. Tessa is quite a looker, has a lot of spunk, and a friendly curiosity that makes her Simply Irresistable!

**Tessa has been placed!**
Congratulations & THANK YOU
to Nicole Marshall for giving Tessa good home!