WILD SAGE HORSE RESCUE, INC.
501(c)3 Non-profit organization
Our Mission
Our mission is to rescue as many at-risk horses as we can, that have been forgotten, abused, starved, neglected and abandoned in hopes to prevent these horses from entering the auction pipeline, and while here at the rescue we keep them safe, we then have our vet and farrier examine them, we do everything we can to get them healthy, after which time our trainers will evaluate them to start them in our training program with love and compassion so they can then start their new life.
We believe that each horse deserves a permanent home and to be cared for and loved by someone and to become that lifetime companion.
Our vision is, by educating our volunteers and others on horsemanship with love and compassion, proper care and nutrition, we hope they will teach others what they've learn and more horses will be treated with care, understanding, dignity and compassion.
Our Adoptable Horses
Brandy
Meet our beautiful girl Brandy, she and her herd mate Kid were relinquished to us Aug 2023 due to their owner falling on hard times, she adopted them from the BLM when they were around 6 mo. old and when they were old enough she sent them to a trainer at which time their training was not finished, after they were given time to settle in here at the rescue our trainer started their training as if they had never been trained, both are doing great in their training and will need continued training, with that said we feel that they would need a intermediate rider with a trainer or an experienced rider.
Breed: Mustang
Gender: mare
Age: 15 yrs old
Height: 15 hds
Color: grey
Adoption fee: $2000
Kid
Meet our sweet Kid, he and his herd mate Brandy were relinquished to us Aug 2023 due to their owner falling on hard times, she adopted them from the BLM when they were around 6 mo. old and when they were old enough she sent them to a trainer at which time their training was not finished, after they were given time to settle in here at the rescue our trainer started their training as if they had never been trained, both are doing great in their training and will need continued training, with that said we feel that they would need an intermediate rider with a trainer or an experienced rider.
Breed: Mustang
Gender: gelding
Age: 15 yrs. old
Height: 14.3 hds
Color: bay
Adoption fee: $1800
Jojo
Meet good ol' boy Jojo, he is a sweet sweet boy! Jojo was relinquished to us Oct 2023 and he has a very heart breaking story, his owner who owned him since he was a yearling who has a big ranch and rode Jojo to gather his cattle and also roped off him for years, but his owner got cancer and doesn't have long to live, his owner reached out to us to take Jojo, Jojo only having one owner who he loved, did not do too well being taken from the only home he knew and the person he loved, he got very depressed, for the people that don't think a horse have feelings and can love do not deserve to have a horse. Jojo is doing better and deserves to have a new person to love, he loves attention and will stand for hours being groomed, he is such a gentleman, so if your looking for a pasture buddy or a companion then come visit Jojo.
Jojo has not been ridden in over 7 yrs and we feel he deserves to be retired to a loving home. Jojo is available for adoption or foster.
Breed: quarter horse
Gender: gelding
Age: 24 yrs old
Height: 14.3 hds
Color: liver chestnut
Adoption fee: TBD
Serina
Meet cute little Serina, she was relinguised to us Oct 2023 due to her owners age, she could not properly care for Serina and was very sad to give up Serina but she loved her and wanted what was best for her, we have put a saddle on Serina and she doesn't mind it but during her training evaluation we found she doesn't know much, she will move forward with your leg pressure and will lead around nicely with a child on her, she is very sweet and easy to handle but since we don't have anyone small enough to ride her we are unable to continue her training here at the rescue, we feel Serina would do best with a small adult with experience or would make a great lead line pony for a child, Serina has a very nice tolt which is a Icelandic horse gait.
Breed: Icelandic horse
Gender: mare
Age: 22 yrs old
Height: 12.3 hds
Color: Chestnut / flaxen mane and tail
Adoption fee: $1500
General
Meet our handsome boy General, he was relinquished to us July 2023 and was part of a school ag. program, the school ended the program and needed to find General a home, but General was not trained to ride and needed training which would of put him at risk of going to auction, after 30 days of quarantine we put General into our training program, he was doing great till he came up lame, we had our farrier out to check him for a stone bruise but it turned out to be a abscess, our farrier drained it and in hopes he would be fine after a couple days but a week later he was still lame, so we had our vet check him and he agreed it was an abscess and opened it up and wrapped his hoof, after about 6 days I took the wrap off and he seemed much better but I could see he was still a little off, I then called our vet for the second time and asked if he could take an X-ray of his hoof and with much sadness it turned out that poor General had low ringbone and tendon damage, General is only 8 yrs old and was not trained our vet said he could have possibly injured it some how, possibly in a fence. We have him on pain management and supplements in hopes that it doesn't get worse. General needs a sponsor or foster as he will likely not ever be a riding horse.
Breed: quarter horse
Gender: gelding
Age: 8 yrs. old
Height: 15 hds
Color: grulla.
Rip
Meet mischievous Rip, he was relinquished to us June 2023 because the owner said he was too much for her to deal with, mischievous is an understatement, Rip is a very smart, playful and a curious little guy, he is fearless and will do about anything you ask, he loves to play even if no one wants to play with him, he will do things to get your attention, he is a great little trail horse and while on trail in likes checking things out that would scare other horses, he does very well if you keep him busy, he is always thinking and needs a job like obstacle work or ground work games, he is more whoa than go, but will go if asked, we feel Rip would do best with a experienced teenager or small adult since he will test you at times.
Breed: unknown
Gender: gelding
Age: 7 yrs. old
Height: 13.3 hds
Color: bay
Adoption fee: $4,000
Pearl
Meet our lovely Pearl, she was relinquished to us April 2021, Pearl came to us extremely emaciated showing every bone in her body, we were told she was 16 yrs old but later upon examination by our vet he said that she was closer to 19 yrs old, Pearl was living in deplorable conditions and had not had any vet or farrier care for 13 yrs as was said by her owner, she had diarrhea from eating her own manure and her hooves were in horrible condition and very long, she didn't trust people and was scared, with our love and care she learned to trust again, it took 3 mos. of rehabilitation before we could start her training as she had no training and never had been ridden, Pearl has come a long way and is a wonderful trail horse for someone who just wants to walk down the trail, Pearl has some arthritis and would need some maintenance, Pearl would also make a wonderful pasture buddy as she gets along with other horses very well.
Breed: grade quarter
Gender: mare
Age: 22 yrs old
Height: 14.2 hds
Color: grey
Adoption Fee: TBD
Process to adopting a horse from us:
#1. Complete an online adoption application.
#2. After we review the application we will contact you to inform you if it was accepted. After acceptance of the application you can then make an appointment to come and meet and possibly ride the horse you have inquired about.
#3. At which time you will be required to send a $100 donation for the adoption appointment (which will go towards the adoption fee). And will be required prior to the adoption appointment, and can be paid via Zelle @ wildsagehorserescue@gmail.com, Venmo @wildsagehorserescue, PayPal (+2.5% for PayPal fees) @wildsagehorserescue.
#4. Then you will come and meet and possibly ride the horse you inquired about, a helmet is required if you are under 18 yrs old, after you have met the horse you inquired about and you would like to ride, we then have you ride in the round pen with an instructor and if you still are interested in adopting the horse then you and another rider will go out on trail, our main focus is to have the right match to our horses as we want our horses to have a forever loving home.
#5. If you and the horse are a match, and we both agree that you are, we ask that you complete the Adoption Contract and pay the adoption fee, via cash, check, Zelle @ wildsagehorserescue@gmail.com, Venmo or PayPal (+2.5% for PayPal fees) @wildsagehorserescue. the adoption fee will be held until the adoption is finalized.
#6. We then will check where the horse will live and once we approve, you may take the horse home
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We have a 30 day return policy for our adopted horses, so at any time during the 30 day trial you may return the horse back to us and you will be refunded your adoption fee as long as the horse is returned in good condition, less the $100 donation, our goal is to have a great match and have our horses going to forever loving homes.
Our return policy
PHOTO GALLERY
How can you help?
You can help by donating, volunteering, sponsoring or fostering.
Wild Sage Horse Rescue is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. The rescue is solely run by volunteers and donations, we have no paid employees and all our donations are from amazing people that understand our mission and want to help, also all the donations are 100% deductible.
Donations is how we care for and rehabilitate our rescues so donations are always needed, we appreciate any donation we get no matter how big or small, your donation matters!! A donation of $5.00 will buy a bag of treats, a donation of $25 will buy a bale of hay, a donation of $200 will provide hay for a horse for a month or help towards the training, so every little bit helps. If you would like to send a donation you can do so via PayPal, Venmo, or Cashapp @ Wild Sage Horse Rescue or you can send it through Zelle at wildsagehorserescue@gnail.com. Our QR codes and PayPal donation button are below.
DONATE NOW
VOLUNTEER
We have a great team of volunteers and it is always a pleasure to have new volunteers join our team, we are recruiting new volunteers often. Our volunteer program is quite unique as you don't have to have any experience with horses because we teach you how to handle them, you learn how to muck stalls, how to feed, learn about horse nutrition, halter a horse properly, groom, lead, bathe, and how to bridle and saddle a horse and many other things. Our volunteer program is geared to teach as many people about how to care for a horse so that with the education you get here you can help others in hopes that there will be less horses being abused or starved because of the lack of knowledge. So send us a email or a message to join us on one of our volunteer orientations or you can visit us and get a free tour and come meet the rescues, they love visitors and they especially love carrots.
SPONSORING
We need monthly sponsors for our horses to help pay for their hay, farrier, vet bills, and training. You can sponsor a horse's monthly feed, a feed sponsorship is $200, or sponsor a horses farrier bill, a farrier sponsorship $25 a month, or possibly sponsor the training bill, a training sponsorship can be anywhere between $200 to $600 a month, but we are happy to receive any amount you can possibly give as any amount helps. With any horse you sponsor we will contact you as soon as they get adopted. We also encourage people to have a friend or family member join you on a sponsorship. With any horse you sponsor we will send you a framed picture of the horse(s) you sponsor, also you have the privilege to come visit them, groom them, and to give treats.
FOSTERING
If you are interested in fostering one of our rescues please contact us for information on horses that are available for fostering.
AS WE ALL KNOW, IT TAKES A VILLAGE
WHY HORSES END UP IN RESCUES
The owner of a horse has fallen on hard times and can not properly care for their horse. The horse's teeth haven't been floated in years or hasn't had proper hoof care, the horse has not been wormed or vaccinated and has become skinny. The owner can not find a home for the horse, but because of the horse's neglected state, no one is willing to take on the responsibility.
Many times horses have not been trained to ride and the owner did not have time to do so or the owner is now elderly and cannot care for the horse, and may have health issues or has fallen on hard times and has been trying to find a home for their horse. It is very hard to find a home for a horse that is not trained to ride.
The owner owns a horse with training issues and the owner can't afford to send the horse to a trainer or maybe the owner has a horse that's more than they can handle. Or they were told that anyone could ride the horse or that it was bomb proof and realized that the horse is not what they were told and the owner has been trying to find a new home, but most people do not want a horse with training issues.
The owner of the horse has died without making special arrangements for the horse, the horse has become part of the estate and the horse is sent to auction to be sold or the horse is left to family members but none of the family members want the horse or the responsibility of caring for the horse and now just want to give the the horse to anybody that will take it. The horse is now in danger of falling into the hands of a horse trader/flipper and with the chance of ending up in the slaughter pipeline.
The horse was sold very cheap or given for free to a "friend" or what was believed to be a good home, but the horse ends up at auction, unbeknownst to the previous owner. The horse is now in danger of falling into the hands of a trader/flipper and end up in the slaughter pipeline.
The horse"s owner has moved and abandons the horse in their backyard or the horse is dumped somewhere and a good samaritan finds the horse and takes the horse and cares for it till they realize the expense is too much.
Horses may come from owner relinquishments that came from kill pens. Often a horse lover buys a horse from a kill pen and then the horse turns out to be too much to handle for the adopter.
In these kinds of situations, the owner often becomes desperate and sells their horse to a horse trader/flipper or sells the horses at auction. Horses sold in such circumstance often end up in the slaughter pipeline.
We work hard to prevent horses from entering the auction pipeline, this is why we try to focus on taking horse through owner relinquishment.
It is illegal to ship a horse straight to slaughter from California. The way that kill buyers get around this law, is to sell the horse to a middle man he then buys the horse and ships the horse off to another auction outside of California and the horse ends up in the slaughter pipeline to slaughter exporters and ship to Mexico or Canada, California horses still ship to slaughter.
Horses are also sent to be used at illegal Mexican rodeos for horse tripping. These rodeos are illegal, but they do still happen. For most horses, this is a cruel death sentence or are traumatized for life.
A horse ends up in the care of law-enforcement or animal control because the horse was part of a criminal neglect or abuse case. The horse is offered for adoption, but adopters take a chance because there is no information whether the horse is rideable. If the horse is not adopted within a certain time period, the horse is often euthanized.
Rescue to Rescue transfers happens, because a rescue may be shutting down and need their horses transferred to another rescue.
When somebody comes to adopt a horses, the adopter is essentially saving a horse’s life because once the adopted horse leaves, then a new horse can then be brought in.
GIVE A HORSE WHAT THEY NEED AND THEY WILL GIVE YOU THEIR HEART IN RETURN
WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A HORSE RESCUE AND A HORSE SANCTUARY
To clear up the confusion of what's the difference between a horse rescue and a horse sanctuary. Both have the same mission and that is to help horses.
Horse sanctuaries are a more permanent place for a horse and a place where horses are relinquished to live out their lives in peace, comfort and dignity, there they are well taken care of and have adequate space, care, shelter, food and vet and farrier care so they can live out their remaining days in comfort. Sanctuaries are almost always dependent on generous donations, sponsorships of their horses and usually run solely by volunteers and donations. The sanctuaries responsibility is to ensure that the horse is given appropriate care until its natural death or in some circumstances humanly euthanized.
A horse rescue takes in horses that can be rehabilitated and adopted out to loving new homes, a horse rescue also gives a horse adequate space, care, shelter, food, vet and farrier care and sometimes will train or retrain them to ensure they are adoptable. Rescues are dependent and solely run on generous donations and volunteers, they also need sponsors for horses who need long term training or young horses that are too young to ride. The rescues responsibility is to ensure that the horse is cared for until it is adopted.
Also some rescues do have sanctuary horses that they will care for for the rest of their life, but there are other rescues that have limited space and don't have the funding or sponsorship for a sanctuary horse and can only take in horses that can be rehabilitated and adopted.