Rescue Blog Update: 10/20/2025: Dove and Sparrow

Sparrow has officially had his first ride since rescue! It went great and he has certainly had some training at some point in his life. He also was able to be turned out in the big pasture with some of our other horses for socializing and to enjoy being a horse. He quickly established himself as the leader of the herd and has likely done so his entire life. It was fun watching his expressive movement as he stretched his legs being outside of the rehabilitation pen for the first time.

We are so excited to see him thrive: both with health and mentally as he engages in evaluation and training. He is an incredibly smart horse who only has to learn something once: which can work for and against him and us. He never forgets what he learns, is eager to figure out the answers to questions, and even with his energetic nature manages to have a level head when asked to engage. He is learning that he doesn't have to have big reactions to energetic situations. If you follow us on social media, be sure to watch the video of his first ride. He was such a good boy!

His sarcoid removal surgery is scheduled for December 2. We are beginning the process of fundraising to cover that expense and would greatly appreciate your support. All of the expenses for rescue horses have to be raised indipendently of our general Ranch operations and session programs. If you'd like to support Sparrow's complete rehabilitation, please give at the link below and designate your donation as "Warrior Fund"/to support rehabilitating rescued horses.

Dove has has been holding steady. She had a shoeing adjustment recently to help her comfort level. The expert team at The Jaeckle Centre/Equine Performax are giving her all the excellent support and care to help her body, and especially her foundered feet heal. She had antibiotics injected directly into both front feet last week to stop any potential infections, and continues to receive daily therapies for her tendons and the rest of her body. We are so thankful for their continued wisdom, care, and dedication to giving her every chance. And we’re so hopeful for a comfortable life for her! As you can see, she is nutritionally sound and thriving, were optomistic her feet arent far behind. Her beautiful coat is now gleaming with health.

We’ve added an additional member to her care team, Bradley Kelley, to help by trying another approach to achieving more comfort with her hooves. Since figuring out that she has likely been in a laminitic/foundered state for an extended period of time and not just acutely as originally thought upon rescue, we’ve had to adjust from trying to achieve “correct”, to going for comfort.

It takes an entire team, especially for these hard cases as every rescue horse is like a puzzle that you get a piece at a time as you go, eventually forming a picture of their history that may or may not be accurate.

What we do know, is that everyone bringing their skill, perspective, research, and experience to the table with so much generosity and effort makes it possible!

Our sincere and continued thanks to Teresa, Evie, Dr. Mark, Shelby, Kayleigh, and the entire team at The Jaeckle Centre, Joe, Bradley, and to everyone cheering her on and praying for her!

It’s so hard to have to walk out a long process of healing, but we know it’s worth it. (How often in our own lives do we have to do the same?) We praise God for her continued healing, knowing He loves this sweet little mare more than we ever could and are so thankful He is using the best veterinary medicine (and best vet, but we’re a bit partial ), best therapies, and farrier care both initially and ongoing, to help her heal.

Check out Dove's progress on her ability to walk on this video: click here!

Donate directly to Dove and Sparrow's care by clicking here.

Sparrow's first ride since rescue!