HORSE RESCUE and SANCTUARY
Meet the Horses
The horses featured here are all permanent residents of the rescue. They are not available for adoption...but are all in need of sponsors to help cover the costs of their care. Sponsors receive special awards and recognition, and your donations may be deductible as charitable donations. Please contact us for more information about horse sponsorship.
The Clydesdales: Donegal Elizabeth and Donegal Rainbow
Both born in Saskatchewan, Donegal Elizabeth (right) and Donegal Rainbow (left) are blood kin (Rainbow's mother, Wooden Spoke English Rose, was Elizabeth's full sister).
Elizabeth was adopted from Black Forest Animal Sanctuary (BFAS) in May 2013, and because she came with her registration papers we were able to trace her roots back to her breeder in Canada. Born in May 1995, Elizabeth was imported into the United States in 2000, lived her early years at a ranch near Glenwood Springs, CO, where she was trained to pull carts and wagons, and was purchased at auction by BFAS in 2004 (she lived at BFAS for nine years before we adopted her). Elizabeth, who stands just short of 18 hands, is the undisputed matriarch of the herd, and a true gently giant.
Rainbow, born in June 2012, joined us in October 2014 when the same Canadian breeder (Greg Gallagher of Donegal Clydesdales) retired and held a massive dispersal sale: 60+ of his registered Clydesdales, many from world champion blood lines, were sold at auction on the same day, and we bought Rainbow so she could come and live her life with, and be a friend to, her aunt Elizabeth. Rainbow is the only horse at Cyber Winds who is not a rescue. Rainbow stands at 17.2 hands and is a gentle, curious soul. She will begin training as a driving horse in Spring 2018.
The Arabians: Rose, Shirley Jean, and Falcon
In February 2015, seven purebred Arabians, neglected by their breeder and dumped at auction to avoid confiscation by animal welfare authorities, landed at the feedlot and bound for slaughter. They ranged in age from six months to several years old, all related as half-siblings or cousins. We worked with the feedlot rescue group to help save all seven, and then went to the feedlot to choose one to adopt ourselves.
A young, gray-brown mare came right up to us and nuzzled our faces as if to say, "Take me home away from this place, please...and oh, by the way, please bring my sister, too." Standing next to her was a smaller, shyer little mare; they closely resembled one another, and were clearly bonded and needed each other, so we brought them both home together to our rescue. We named them Shirley Jean (left) and Rose (right), in memory of our mothers. The other five Arabians from that group were taken in by DreamCatchers Equine Rescue, and were all eventually adopted by loving families.
Shirley Jean and Rose were undersized and undernourished when we first adopted them, but with lots of good food and love, they grew and filled out quickly. In fact, Shirley Jean was getting quite a bit plumper than her sister, and after three or four months we started to wonder...and called the vet. Upon examination, we learned that they were, in fact, four years old, not young yearlings as previously thought based on their size. The vet also confirmed our suspicions: Shirley Jean was at least six months pregnant! On July 18, 2015, Shirley Jean gave birth to a beautiful red colt with a perfect star on his forehead. His name, Falcon, was inspired by a feather we found on our porch a few weeks before he arrived. We later learned his sire was most likely a young, red Arabian stud at the same breeding facility the others came from.
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We consider Falcon a rescue miracle baby--considering the hardships his mother endured during the first half of her pregnancy it is a miracle he was born healthy and strong. Falcon will live his whole life never knowing neglect, abandonment, or fear like his mother and aunt experienced.
MORE RESCUE HORSE STORIES ON THE WAY...
The Seniors: Ashton, Hannah, Isis, and Kenneth
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The Palomino Boys: Korey and Peyton
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The Young Guns: Atlas, Chief Landy, and Arthur
