In early fall of 2016, the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s office received a call about two horses abandoned on someone’s property in the quiet town of Harmony, California. The Ag deputy arrived at the scene to find two beautiful little paint mares in need of some attention. The property owner informed the Ag deputy that after his tenants were evicted from the property, they moved and left their two horses. The horses were not in horrible condition but were a little too thin and needed hoof care.

The horses were seized by the Ag deputy and taken to the holding pens at Animal Services in SLO County. The owners were eventually located and requested that their horses be returned to them. Unfortunately, the owners were unable to show that they could take appropriate care of the horses and were forced to surrender the horses to Animal Services.

One of the horses, named Carmel, was sound and a good riding prospect and was quickly adopted. The second horse was in her late teens and suffered a knee injury earlier in life that left her with a permanent limp. Animal Services realized she would be difficult to adopt out to a private home and contacted Redwings.

HEET (Horse Emergency Evacuation Team) arranged to transport the mare to Redwings the following week. The mare arrived on December 9, 2016, and in the spirit of the Holiday season, the staff named her Joy. Joy has lived up to her name. She is a wonderful and sweet little mare with no vices. She is truly a joy to be around. She is happily adopted.