Eight Horses Spared by Compassion and Cooperation

 
CLEVELAND AMORY BLACK BEAUTY RANCH @2007
Two of the horses from the Return to Freedom rescue group settle in at Black Beauty Ranch.

In January 2008, eight lucky horses, all of whom had been rescued from public lands, arrived at Cleveland Amory Black Beauty Ranch. They came to the ranch from Return to Freedom, an equine rescue group in California that contacted Black Beauty Ranch in the fall of 2007. 

Four of the horses—Bailey, Bettye, Vision and Honey—had once been wild horses, part of a group running free for two generations on Lompoc Ranch in Southern California. In November 2001, the quartet were removed from the Ranch and were slated to be sold at auction. But the ranch manager contacted Return to Freedom, and the group agreed to take them.

Meet the Eight New
Ranch Residents 

Honey, a solid chestnut, is Bettye's daughter. Easy-going in a herd, she gets along well with other horses. Bettye, a chestnut with a star and stripe, is timid but friendly. 

Vision is a bay mare with a small white swirl on her forehead. Bailey is a chestnut gelding.

Summer, a mustang, is a red dun mare with striping on her legs. She bonds to only one person at a time. Pumpkin, a red dun gelding, is a sensitive and shy horse. 

Hawkeye is a chestnut mustang gelding who likes to be visited by people, but not so much if he sees a halter or rope in the visitor's hands. 

Dolce is a friendly black bay mustang gelding with an old back injury from before his time at Return to Freedom. 

The other four horses—Summer, Pumpkin, Hawkeye and Dolce—originated from other lands and rescue groups. 

Summer and Pumpkin were born at Return to Freedom after the rescue of their mothers, and they have a heritage rich in history. Their mothers arrived pregnant at Return to Freedom from the Sulphur Springs Herd Management area in Utah. Sulphur Springs falls under the Utah Wild Horse Management area—public land overseen by the federal Bureau of Land Management. Horses from the Sulphur Springs area are descendants of the horses once used by the Spanish in exploring North America, and there is an active effort to preserve the genetic heritage of these horses.

Hawkeye and Dolce came from two different regions, Sheldon Refuge and Gardner Ranch, respectively. 

But for the compassion and cooperation of these and other groups, the ranch's new residents would most likely have been shipped to Mexico or Canada and then slaughtered for human consumption abroad. But now, these lucky equines will never worry about where their next meal comes from—nor will they ever become someone's next meal.

These eight horses, and all the other equines at Black Beauty Ranch, will not be saddled, ridden, or required to interact with people except when being vaccinated, wormed, or when receiving foot care or medical attention. 

They have homes for life at Black Beauty Ranch, where they roam freely over more than 1,200 acres. Now, the lucky eight are just getting to know other horses and learning the best grazing spots.

Related Links

  • Read about the Miracle Horses, who also found permanent sanctuary at the ranch.
 
 
 
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