Adopted!
Valor and Apollo - Yearling geldings - Valor is an AQHA sorrel colt and Apollo is an Arabian bay colt. Both of these colts, who are BFF's, were adopted by Larry and his family from Winfield, KS. (Below is an update picture from July '10)
Rowdy - Went to a home in east Texas with Dana and her family. Rowdy is a 3 yr old QH with a promising future. November '09 (Below is an update pic from June '10)
Boomer - 10 yr old Appy cross. Went home with Brent of Dodge City and his two girls. Is now being used to gather cattle and eat everything in sight! October '09 (Below is during training)
Mona - Arabian cross mare, approx 9 yrs old. Went home with Gina of Ark City and is being started as a novice hunter/jumper. Mona needed an experienced rider with a firm hand and a kind heart - so glad she found Gina! September '09
Layla - Sadlebred/? . 22 year old mare needed a home where she could be a companion to others. Due to arthritis issue and an old injury, Layla could not be ridden. Mary of Olatha gave her a wonderful home where she has unlimited access to pasture and a buddy. September '09
Frog was adopted, along with Rose, by a man named Joel from Great Bend. Our many thanks to Joel and his family for giving these girls a great home! September '09 (Frog, below, shortly after her arrival here)
Blaze - 8 yr old APHA Gelding. Found a great home with Kylie of Garden Plain. A big boy with a big heart, Blaze needed love to get past his trust issues. Thanks Kylie! September '09
Trixie - 12 year old mustang cross, adopted by Emma of El Dorado in July '09. Trixie is now ponying kids all over the ranch and is in severe danger of being spoiled rotten. July'09
Topper - 10? yr old Arab cross. Adopted by June and Travis of McPherson for long, lazy days on the trail. June '09
Fanny - 17 yr old Morgan mare - Adopted by Clint of Wichita. Fanny has really turned around and has progressed from the crabby old beast to the almost loving mare she is today. May '09
Sassy - QH mare, 8 yrs old. Went home with Barbara of Newton. Is being trained for barrels and poles and doing great! May '09
Joe - Grade gelding, approx 16. Companion horse only. Joe went home with Stuart of Wellington to enjoy the rest of his life. May '09
Blue - AQHA Gelding, 3 yrs old. Went home with Nancy of Medicine Lodge. Blue is learning all about cows and doing great! April '09
Fritz - Grade gelding, 11 yrs old, made a lifelong friend of Lacy and went to her home in OKC, OK. Fritz has since convinced Lacy that he is the "most awesome horse on the planet" and the pair are doing fun shows, trail riding, and are showing in novice competitions. Go, Fritz! April '09
Lark - Paint filly, 18 months old. Went home with Jeff of Rose Hill. Jeff will bring Lark back here when she is three to finish her training. Feb '09
Trego - Grade gelding, possibly Tennessee Walker, 2 yrs old. Went home with Althea of Hays. Trego will be back after he is 3 for his training. Jan '09
10-22-08
Leon came to us from some close friends who had gotten him out of a terrible situation. Not very long ago, Leon was on three legs and looked skeletal because he was so thin. The above picture was taken just three weeks before his adoption date and you can see that he isn't looking too shabby. However, Leon's problems weren't just physical. Leon had been subject to some pretty brutal training methods and had been forced to do things out of his realm of knowledge and comfort. All of this made Leon full of fear and apt to panic without a moment's notice. We knew that it would be difficult to place such a horse but thought possibly he would be adopted by someone who wanted a pasture buddy, and Leon would fit that bill excellently.
The day after I posted him on the website for adoption, I got a phone call from a crying woman who insisted I had her horse. At first, I didn't know what to think, but after talking with the woman for several minutes, I began to realize how miraculous the story was that she was telling me.
She had gotten Leon as a gift from a close friend when he was only three years old. He had been badly used, mishandled, and abused. However, it was love at first sight and Ricky took on all seventeen hands of Leon. He was suffering from panic attacks in the show ring, had terrible behavior, and would absolutely freak out for the littlest of things. Ricky spent years working with Leon until they were a fine tuned team. She could ride him easily and had retired him from showing, just keeping him on for a pleasure ride.
Then personal tradgedy struck and Ricky was forced to sell Leon. She sold him to a close friend with the agreement that if he was to ever be sold, she would buy him back. To her dismay, it was only a matter of months before she came for her near daily visit and found Leon gone. This began a long road in searching for Leon. When she finally found him on our website, it had been over two years since she had seen him.
We agreed to meet with her and went to her place to take a look around. She keeps a nice pasture and barn and you can tell her horses are well cared for. She gave us references, and they all gave glowing recommendations. We asked her to come out on a Sunday afternoon and meet with Leon. As soon as she got close, she called his name.
The transformation was immediate. He calmed instantly and, ears pricked, eagerly moved forward to get kissed, hugged, cried on, and fussed over. Ricky played with Leon for over an hour and the entire time he never once had a bad moment.
We delivered Leon to Ricky on the second of November. He's finally home.
The moral of the story: Don't give up! Every horse has a story. Just because you're a little skinny, banged up a bit, and have a few mental quirks doesn't mean that someone out there somewhere doesn't love ya.
