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Redwings often partners with other rescues throughout California to help horses in need. In fall of 2024 we received an urgent request to help one of our partner rescues with a beautiful but challenging case.

Our partner rescue in Northern California received a call from the local authorities about a drug house that had horses located in a pen behind the house. They had raided the home and then called in Animal Control to handle the horses. Animal Control did not have the ability to remove the horses and requested help from our rescue partner.

When the rescue team arrived, they found two horses standing in a pen full of rocks and beer bottles. Animal Control reported that the horses were a Mare and her adult daughter. The mother was an older horse and in terrible condition, she was thin and weak from years of neglect. Her foal, Dixie, was around 3 years old and was in better health but was semi feral and had never been halter broke. The authorities said that the horses were abused by the previous owners, and they would throw rocks and beer cans at them.

Both mares were taken to the rescue and evaluated. Our partner rescue specializes in senior horses and was able to offer permanent sanctuary for the older mare. But the younger mare needed a lot of training and socialization, so she was sent to a trainer. The trainer had a lot of success with the Dixie, she was able to halter break her and teach her to accept handling, but Dixie remained difficult to handle. The years of abuse are deeply seared into Dixie's memory, and she still reverts back to some previous behaviors when she gets defensive. Dixie is a huge mare, weighing around 1500lbs and being over 16 hands tall, which makes handling her even more difficult and at time dangerous when she becomes nervous or insecure.

Our rescue partner realized that Dixie was not ready for an adoptive family and would require a lot more time and training. Since they are a senior rescue, they knew that it was not the right place for Dixie long term. They also knew that Redwings has the facility and the trained staff to handle difficult and feral horses, so they reached out to see if we could offer Dixie a home at Redwings. Dixie is doing well at Redwings, she is learning to trust the staff and volunteers. Only time will tell if Dixie makes the necessary progress to be adoptable or if she will remain at Redwings as a permanent resident. Either way we are committed to making sure Dixie has the best life possible.