Meet Our Residents

Abby came to us along with her pregnant appendix quarter horse mother Tess. (An ‘appendix quarter horse” is what you get when you cross a registered Quarter Horse with a registered Thoroughbred.) They came to us as a package and we knew we would be welcoming another foal: Abby’s full sister Mya. I was able to meet and spend some time with Abby and Mya’s father who was a beautiful black quarter horse stallion.

Abby is a beautiful and quiet soul who enjoys humans, but usually from a distance. She has become a wonderful aunt to Tulip and taught her how to share scratches and affection. As a baby, Tulip would push Abby away from treats and Abby’s patience and kindness was apparent. Tulip still looks to Abby for guidance and support.

Bailey is a beautiful strong paint mare. She is kind, sensitive, and a bit head strong. She shares the responsibility to lead the herd when called upon.

She was born with us here in 2002. Her origin story demonstrates the strong will of her mother Sophie, who went on a cross country adventure one afternoon in 2001. I got a call from a neighbor to tell me Sophie had escaped under the fence and I found her shortly after. A nice family put her in a pen with her horses and I thought nothing of it. About 8 months later Sophie looked rather plump. Bailey was born soon after and inherited her mom’s feisty spirit.

Bear is a member of our Spirit Herd.

Mamma Bear and her baby Tulip came to us in the fall of 2020. She was our first attempt at fostering and our last. We had once believed that our calling here was to temporarily house horses rescued from terrible situations, and then release them when their forever homes had been secured. It only took meeting Bear and Tulip to make it clear that we were their forever home, and no horse would ever have to leave.

When Bear arrived, it was apparent she was experiencing considerable pain from the hoof damage she had sustained. We are unsure how long she lived this way and we believe she was continually bred. Bear and Tulip were brought to us through Horse Heroes Rescue and both were destined for slaughter. 11 months after her arrival she gave birth to Henry.

Bear’s personality and motherly instincts were strong and she let you know exactly what she was thinking. She would nicker loudly at your approach with food and then meet you with ears pinned. We developed an understanding and she allowed us to doctor her regularly, always giving us a fair warning when she needed a rest. We loved her very much until she let us know we needed to let her go.

The elder of the herd, Bella both leads the way and has a mind of her own. She is a steadying influence on the residents and on us.

Bella was our first baby born in 1998 from a mare named Ezzy. Ezzy was one of our first rescue horses and had been terribly abused, so she spent the remainder of her days being loved on by us. We are unsure of who Bella’s father was but know her mom was a beautiful quarter horse. Bella has held the role of lead mare for years but as she ages, she lets Cleo and Bailey help lead the way. At times, to reaffirm her position in the herd she will stop at gates and make the long line of horses behind her wait until she determines the right time to proceed.

Cleo was born with us in 2000. Her mother was Ezzy, a rescue mare and her father was Murphy, a stout paint who came to us from neighbors who found his personality too much to handle. Our Cleo certainly has her father’s build and is an intelligent, calm, sweet girl who LOVES her butt scratches. She isn’t afraid to ask for them, either.

Cleo is often the horse who will choose humans over dinner and she enjoys spending time in the evenings sharing space and getting cuddles. She is also the first to notice and the first to provide comfort whenever you are feeling blue.

Brother to Walker and to Levi, Diablo, despite his name, is one of the friendliest and most personable of our residents.

We often refer to Diablo as Dee. He is a bay quarter horse cross gelding. You may notice the fun white spots on his coat, those are called birdcatcher spots. The spots are named for the Irish-born Thoroughbred stallion Birdcatcher (1833), who displayed similar odd white flecks of hair. This rare coat characteristic tends to run in families.

Ezzy is a member of our Spirit Herd.

Ezzy was our first horse and our first rescue. In 1997 while attending school to learn about horses, a group of mares were brought in for us to learn about reproduction. Ezzy was a willing but clearly abused horse with scars around her face and damaged tongue. I negotiated with the college to buy two pregnant mares before they were returned to the meat buyer and taken to slaughter. Within months Ezzy gave birth to Bella. A few years later she gave birth to her last foal, Diablo.

We loved and cared for Ezzy for the rest of her life. She lived in our green pastures and we took extraordinary measures to keep her comfortable and with her horse family for as long as we could.

Ginger is a chestnut quarter horse mare who is sweet and has no ambitions to lead the herd. Ginger can always be found hanging out with her best friend Jackson, the mammoth donkey. One is never far from the other.

Ginger has enjoyed the introduction of the new residents and can sometimes be seen running and playing with the babies.

Hannah came to us pregnant in 2021 from Horse Heroes rescue, with her friend Lady Jane Grey (Jane). Shortly after her arrival at Rubicon Ranch, she gave birth to Wesakechak, the joker of our residents.

Hannah is a kind, sensitive dun mare who enjoys scratches and the attentions of Levi. We suspect she was a maiden mare and did a wonderful job raising her baby with gentleness and patience. Hannah has slowly built her confidence since Wesakechak arrived, and with him and Levi near she is a calm addition to the Herd.

Henry is the baby of the herd, but he is growing quickly. He lost his mom, Bear, before he was a year old, but he has made good friends with the other youngsters in the herd and is always up for a little cuddle. He is Tulip’s little brother.

Henry was a surprise baby. When Bear came to us from Horse Heroes in 2020 she had a 2 week old Tulip with her but we didn’t realize she was also pregnant. Bear and Babies were destined for slaughter when we were able to intervene and offer them a soft landing and a safe haven. Everyone knew but me that they would never leave.

Jackson is a Mammoth Jack gelding. He is inquisitive, calm and sweet. Donkeys in general are less reactive than horses and are highly intelligent.

Jackson arrived here as a baby as the home where he was born was threatening to shoot him for playing with the other livestock. A kind neighbour who knew our large hearts dropped him off here as house warming present. Jackson was the first Donkey we had ever met. He cried for his mother for a week and if you have heard a Donkey bray you know how LOUD it can be. Soon Jackson settled in and fell in love with Ginger and he became part of our big Herd.

Josie, along with Willow and Juniper came to us as a package deal and are inseparable, with Josie taking on the role of leader and cool aunt to Willow and best friend to Juniper. Josie, Juniper, and Willow joined us in 2020, when the farmer who cared for them previously passed away.

Juniper is Willow’s mom and Josie’s best friend. Juniper, Willow and Josie joined us in 2020, when the farmer who cared for them previously passed away. Hardly a day goes by without hearing Juniper’s plaintive call for more food -her favorite activity.

Jane came to us in 2021 from Horse Heroes rescue, with her friend Hannah who was pregnant with Wesakechak. Both mares were needing a soft landing as they were headed for slaughter. We were told Jane was pregnant too, but sadly no baby arrived. We suspect it was lost shortly before she came to us.

Jane has a name with a title because when you see her move, you would swear she has nobility in her. She is intelligent, curious and sometimes even mischievous. Frankly, she is magic. Jane was a wonderful aunt to Wesakechak and would even let him nurse from time to time. You will often see her taking the youngsters for a gallop in the field, teaching them to take flight.

Levi is big bay gelding, mostly quarter horse and all heart. Brother to Diablo and Walker, Levi spends a lot of his spare time fending off advances from Tulip, the youngest female in the herd. Levi is Cleo’s son and the two of them spend much of their time together.

The Three brothers, Levi, Walker and Dee all had the same father. Their mothers were boarded at a friend’s ranch and a stallion got put into the same pen. I knew that we would ensure they were taken care of for the whole of their days. They were born in 2001.

Lilly came to live at Rubicon from a petting zoo that was liquidating their herd. Lilly was a wild girl who loved her goat friends and running with her herd of horses.

We loved Lilly from a distance and it was always an adventure and a story catching Lilly to get her wool trimmed. Lilly lived out her days living her best sheep life.

Members of our spirit herd.

Our girls came to us in 1997 from the Lakeland college rodeo club. In my first year of college I noticed a small herd of goats being kept in a small pen. I negotiated with the Rodeo coordinator that I would care for the goats in exchange for me to keep them once the school year was over. These goats were used for what is called “goat tying or nanny slamming”. In the event, a young woman rides across the arena at full speed on horseback to a goat that is tethered to a stake in the ground. The goat is then grabbed, flipped onto its side and legs are tied with rope. It is an unpleasant experience for the goat to say the least and I was happy to take them home.

The girls were my best friends, intelligent, kind and extremely affectionate. They lived out the rest of their years at Rubicon and are greatly missed.

Murphy is a member of our spirit herd.

Murphy was given to us from neighbors who felt he was too spirited. He was a stocky black and white paint who we thought was far too young to mate with our mares. Our mistake. Soon Murphy fathered two foals, Cleo and Sophie, before he was gelded.

Murphy’s spirit and intelligence made him the patriarch of our Herd and all the horses looked to him for leadership and support. Murphy helped to teach children to ride and would tease and play with both humans and horses on the property. Murphy eventually lost all his dark colour and was a beautiful white. We adored Murphy and enjoyed how much he loved his family until his passing.

Mya was born with us after her pregnant mom Tess and sister Abby came to us. They came as a package and we knew we would be welcoming Mya soon after they arrived. I was able to meet and spend some time with Mya and Abby’s father who was a beautiful, patient, and kind black quarter horse stallion.

Mya is a curious, mysterious girl who enjoys lots of attention and the new herd babies. She has become a sweet, calm presence in the big herd. She does have an odd predilection, a few times each year she decides to place her foot through a fence and remains there until she is found and rescued. Mya has never gotten hurt performing these stunts and we have discussed the behavior with her but she persists. Oh silly Mya.

Nelly came to us in May of 2023. Nelly was originally part of the trio purchased by two Alberta horse rescues. Jane, Hannah and Nelly were soon separated and Nelly stayed at a rescue and the other two came to us. After some time, Jane still appeared to be missing something and we decided to go about finding Nelly.

Polly is a member of our Spirit Herd.

Polly was one of our first horse and our first rescues. In 1997 while attending school to learn about horses, a group of mares were brought in for us to learn about reproduction. Polly was a sweet, friendly sorrel Arabian who liked people. I negotiated with the college to buy the two pregnant mares before they were returned to the meat buyer and taken to slaughter. Polly never had a foal that summer but had Sophie a year later. A friend whom I was boarding the horses with put a stallion into our herd and she gave birth to her last foal, Walker in 2001.

Polly was with us for many years until old age claimed her. We loved her dearly and she lived with her horse family and enjoyed her days grazing and sun bathing.

Sophie is a member of our spirit herd.

Sophie was born with us in 1999. Her mom was Polly and father was Murphy. She had her parents sweet disposition and kind nature. She lived all her days with us, and even snuck out under a fence to meet a local stallion. Her three hour escapade lead to Bailey being born many months later. After Bailey was born they stayed by each others side always. Sophie was a matriarch in the herd and she was always there to give a nice snuggle and steady support when we needed it. We loved each day we got to spend with her and she spent every one of her days loved and safe.

Tess is a member of our spirit herd.

Tess came to us as a pregnant mare with a foal at her side. I had known Tess for many years as some good friend had her for many years at their farm. I was fortunate to be given the opportunity to be their next and final home. Tess came to us with yearling Abby and soon baby Mya was born. Both babies came out of a sweet kind stallion that I had the opportunity to meet.

Tess lived happily as a trio with her girls until she died naturally in her old age. We adored the brave, kind appendix quarter horse and cherished our time with her.

Tulip arrived with her mom, Bear, in 2020, as part of our first (and last) attempt at fostering horses. Turns out that once a friend moves in, it is really hard to let them go. That was when we decided that we would have to provide forever homes for our residents and the seed was planted for making Rubicon Ranch Sanctuary a reality.

Tulip is sassy, sensitive, and eager to be lead mare, but the other residents still have a lot to teach her. She is a wonderful big sister to her baby brother Henry and playmate to Wesakechak. Despite her early traumatic experience with humans she loves people and is eager to nuzzle with visitors to Rubicon Ranch.

Veronica is the only pony resident here, and she is a real sweetheart. In summer, she likes to have flowers braided into her beautiful, long mane. She certainly loves to be doted on and she knows how beautiful she is.

Veronica currently lives with the miniature donkeys and gets along best with Josie. They are often seen sleeping and grooming together. Veronica has also bonded with baby Henry and he comes to see her daily. She is a delightful addition to our menagerie and we enjoy watching her many antics.

Walker is Diablo and Levi’s brother and the sagest of the three.

The Three brothers, Levi, Walker and Dee all had the same father. Their mothers were boarded at a friend’s ranch and a stallion got put into the same pen. I knew that we would ensure they were taken care of for the whole of their days. They were born in 2001.

Perhaps the most appropriately-named resident, Wesakechak is named after the trickster from Cree legend. Our Wesakechak loves to play games and has gone through many inflatable toy balls as he has grown. He is always curious and eager to be involved in whatever is going on.

Willow is Juniper’s little girl and is never far from her side. Willow, Juniper, and Josie joined us in 2020, when the farmer who cared for them previously passed away. She is curious and loves getting scratches but still is the most skittish of the mini donkeys.