Equine for Adoption
/// completed extensive rehab
Cody
Adoption Fee: $1,000
Bio: Cody is a super sweet and gentle gelding with a lot of heart. He has a lot of knowledge and seems to have had a very extensive background in training. For this reason, we feel he would not be good for a beginner child but rather a bit of an older child with more experience and knows what they are doing and what they are asking. He needs a little bit of a tune-up since it’s definitely been a while since he’s been ridden. This boy is definitely one in a million.
He is now a quite confident and cheeky individual who has a wonderful head toss when being lunged. He has obviously been well trained in the past and probably used as a show pony as he will ‘park’. I would say English-ridden.
Radar (+Hawkeye)
Adoption Fee: $500 for both
Bio: This handsome BLM gelded donkey has been at Monty Roberts International and Training Center for the past month. He has been in a gentling class Learning how to halter and lead and picking up his feet for the Farrier.
Radar is 4 years old, he is wearing the black halter. He’s a little bit more of a challenge but ended up coming along rather well. He would benefit from going to a home or somebody who can continue working with him as he has a great start now.
Hawkeye (+Radar)
Adoption Fee: $500 for both
Bio: This handsome BLM gelded donkey has been at Monty Roberts International and Training Center for the past month. He has been in a gentling class Learning how to halter and lead and picking up his feet for the Farrier.
Hawkeye is six years old and he is wearing the red halter. Hawkeye came along rather quickly so his teeth were floated and his feet were done on September 30.
Horse Tales
/// Before + After
Cowgirl is a 9 year old buckskin, 14.3 hand, Quarter horse mare. She came to us when we got a call from Merced Animal control. They said they had three horses that had been abused and starved. Cowgirl was one of the horses. They informed us that there was a fourth horse that did not survive. Cowgirl was between 300 to 350 lbs. underweight. She also needed her teeth floated but was not healthy enough to be sedated. She needed to put on some weight first. Cowgirl did great and continued to improve. The young lady that worked with her to see what she knew told us she had a great personality. She was willing, playful and easy going. This personality helped her get adopted by a family for their 6 year old daughter. She is now a beloved and happy trail horse.
Ciara is a five-year-old Morgan mare. She came into OER through a woman that saved her off of Craigslist in the condition she was in for $800.00. Ciara stands 15.2 hands high and she weighed only 661 pounds. Dr. Dan Sweet with Sweet River Equine Clinic drew blood to check on her blood counts and also to check whether or not her organs were shutting down. We were happy to hear that Ciara had a good chance as her blood work came back elevated but in normal range. She was put on a strict diet of small portions that we would increase daily and she did fine. Ciara gained weight but she didn’t seem to be putting it on as fast as we would like, so she was seen by Dr. Sweet again. At that time she seemed stable so we chose to have her teeth floated. Ciara did great with sedation and she was on the road to recovery. Unfortunately we found Ciara on the ground early in the morning in full-blown colic. With the help of several neighbors we were able to get her on her feet and get her to Sweet River Equine Clinic where she stayed for over a week. Nobody wanted to give up on her! Dr. Dan Sweet was awesome! Ciara won the heart of a special lady who sponsered her vet care. Without that sponsor, Kiana Somers, we would never have been able to afford her bill. Ciara is here today because of the awesome care she received at Sweet River Equine Clinic and because of the extreme generosity of Kiana and the others who donated to her care. This is why sponsors are so important! All of us at OER thank you but most of all, Ciara thanks you.
Zamora is a 10-year-old Appaloosa mare. She was also picked up by Merced Animal Control as a stray but she was in bad shape. We went to Merced Animal Control because they had called saying they had a few horses and were hoping we could take some of them. Zamora was in bad shape. She had a hematoma on her shoulder that looked like she had been hit by something big. They did not know if it had been an accident or abuse. She was also very lame. We did not take her at that time but did bring home some of the other horses. Then we went back about a week and a half later and Zamora was still there. This time as we approached, Zamora starting “talking” to us. She was so sweet and came right up to the fence. She was still banged up, and lame but there was something about this sweet mare. We decided to take her to the rescue. She was very lame and her shoulder hurt which made her a handful sometimes. Her first hoof trim wasn’t easy, but she started walking better right away. As she healed we could tell she had some training. She had healed enough to go to a foster home for some R and R, but the next day the foster parents called to say she looked worse. We brought her back and had her checked again by the vet. The vet decided to treat the shoulder like a break and we confined her for two months so she could heal. When the two months were over she was stiff but no longer lame. She went to Monty Roberts for training and they loved her. When she got back she started working with our trainer Lorissa Rutledge. We got a call from someone who had already adopted a horse from us and was so happy they wanted to adopt another horse. We suggested they look at Zamora. They hit it off and she went home with them. She got along with their other horse and as they say…”they lived happily ever after.”
Just when we think we have heard and seen it all, we hear a story like Luna’s! Luna came in from Merced Animal Control. She is an 8-year-old gray Arabian mare. Luna and her buddy lived with their young inexperienced horse family. During a severe storm, the family thought it was a good idea to bring the two horses into the house. YES IN THE HOUSE! When the thunder frightened them, they both jumped out the window. When this happened the family never contacted a Veterinarian. Merced Animal Control arrived at the house to check after being alerted to the situation and both horses were seized on the spot. The chestnut severed tendons in his leg that were unrepairable which led to being humanely euthanized. Luna suffered from a shard of plate glass embedded into her hip along with a bone chip that had to be surgically removed. We want to commend Merced Animal Control on their efforts to protect all the horses they have seized. This is an amaing Law Enforcement Agency and they truly need to be recognized for that. OER has taken in countless horses from Merced Animal Control and will always be available when they need us. We are so happy that Luna has healed and has been adopted. No more waiting out a storm in the house for Luna. Her new family loves her and treats her like a horse.
Sophia is a 3-year-old Mini Mule mare. Sophia came in through Alameda County Animal Control. She was used as a roping dummy. People would lasso her as if they would lasso a cow. This behavior makes us sick and breaks our heart to know what she went through. She was very scared., would not allow us to halter her, and would not let anyone get close to her. Sophia has come a long way! Sophia started to trust us and in time Sophia was able to trust people again. She came in fearing people and would bite and kick at everyone, but with all the work our volunteers did and then sending her to Monty Roberts International Learning Center, Sophia has done an amazing turnaround. In fact, Sophia has been adopted by an employee of Monty Robert’s and will be staying in Solvang, CA living a very different life. Her new name is Coco Leigh. She is happy as a pack mule and also pulls carts.
Bilbo was surrendered after being left behind when a boarding barn was shut down and sold. He was 21 years young and a bit underweight with a tummy full of sand. We started him on sand clear and some good senior feed to put his weight back on. He had a saddle sore, but when he healed we were able to put a child on his back and walk him around. He did great! When he was given a clean bill of health he was available for adoption. It was fall, and we believe that all a pony wants for the holidays is their own little girl or boy. Bilbo got his wish. We received this letter from Bilbo’s new family:
My family adopted from your organization a little pony by the name of Bilbo. He came to be a part of our family in October of last year and since then he has become the most amazing little pony!! He is officially a member of the Claim Jumpers Pony Club and is learning Dressage. He has been one of the best additions to our family and we are complimented on him everywhere we go. We are proud to say how he came to be a part of our family. If it was not for your organization we would never have found him. Thank you so much for what you do.
Iris is an amazing and special mare. This is her story: San Jose Animal Control received a call regarding horses that have been abandoned. It was reported that no one had been seen feeding the horses in over a month. When animal control arrived at the address, they found Iris and four ponies, all underweight and living in terrible conditions. There was no food available, and it appeared the horses were eating the wood off their stalls to survive. They were all seized and later SJAC found their owner, who surrendered them. Th owner stated he was given the horse several months prior, and sthat she was already underweight. He stated the horse, a 4-year-old, Azteca was his daughter’s and was broke to ride. The ponies were sent out to another rescue, and Iris was taken to a facility where she was fed under a veterinarian’s direction to put her weight back on. San Jose Animal Control called us in hopes that we would take her. We drove to the San Jose area and picked her up. Iris had a new eye wound that we treated. We want to thank the San Jose Animal Control and HD Equestrian Center for doing a fantastic job helping Iris. These organizations are amazing!!! Iris was young and green but as our trainer worked with her she found her to be smart and very willing to learn. It did not take very long for Iris to be adopted. She had it all. She was gorgeous, smart, and had a great temperament. We are very happy for Iris and her new family.
Deuce is a 15-year-old chestnut Quarter horse gelding that stands 14.1 hands high. He came in from Merced Animal Control completely defeated! He weighed only 650 pounds. His ideal weight should be 950 to 1000 pounds. Deuce came in with two other horses. There was a fourth horse but it did not survive. We had Deuce evaluated by our in-house Veterinarian who gave him a 2.5 on the Henneke Body Score. He was in bad shape! Later on that day Deuce coliced and was rushed to Sweet River Equine Clinic. When he was stable he was trimmed by Justin Johnson. Poor Deuce only had one shoe on and the only reason it was still there was that the hoof had grown over the shoe. This gentle gelding shouldn’t have made it! But he is a fither and a love! He showed signs of having some training so we were eager to find out what he knew, once he was out of the woods. Deuce was adopted by a 4H family that uses him for a trail horse and play days. Deuce now named Tuff Cooper is very happy in his new home and is thankful for all the people who helped him along the way to get to where he is today. He is no longer defeated. He is loved.
O’Loff came to OER in June of 2014 from an auction house. He was in the second batch of Icelandic horses that came out of a hoarding situation close to the bay area. We took in a total of 4 Icelandic horses. One was very pregnant at the time. O’Loff was only 6 months old. O’loff was adopted and went to a woman that loved him. But O’Loff went through a naughty stage and started jumping the fence to escape. His owner had a really hard time giving him up because she loved him very much. The problem was how to keep this cute boy from jumping over fences of her 400 plus acre property. O’loff had his own stall alongside the two other horses and enjoyed being out with the boys during the day having the time of his life, but recently discovered that there was more to the world outside the 400 acres. So he came back to OER. His adopted mom could not forget O’Loff. She checked on him daily until finally, she could not live without him and she wanted him back. By then he had settled down and started respecting fences again. He went back home!! He is doing great and thankfully has gotten past his naughty stage.
Pride was 13 years old when she came in to OER with her companion, Willow, from Stanislaus Animal Control. She weighed only 661 pounds at 14.2 hands high! Pride was in the worst shape of the two horses. We think that the fact that she survived is a miracle. The picture of Pride above was when she was in extreme pain due to starvation. Pride would colic at least three more times after that photo was taken and before she was out of the woods. She was found in June, summertime, in a small area along with Willow and only a feed bucket of water and no food for the two starving horses. Pride gained all her weight back and is now as healthy as a horse. She has been adopted and is living in Oakdale with her new family. They ride her occasionally, but most of the time she is enjoying life and lots of love.
Willow came in to OER in June 2015 from Stanislaus Animal Control. Willow originally was rounded up by helicopter through the BLM as a young filly. She was run through a chute where they freeze branded her on the side of her neck for identification. She was then put up for adoption and adopted out to a lady in Riverbank. Willow, along with another horse, lived in poor conditions for 12 years. Both horses were spotted by people that knew this was not going to end well for these two beauties. They called s to see if we could help. We contacted Stanislaus Animal Control and worked closely with them to get possession of both horses. The horses were with us in a matter of hours. Willow was scared and extremely emaciated. She did not have proper health or hoof care. She gained her weight back and is now extremely healthy. She was put up for adoption and adopted, but came back due to depression and not being compatible with her adopter. Mustangs are very loyal.