ADOPTING A HORSE
Horses Seeking Humans
The goal for every horse that comes to Heart of Gold Sanctuary, is to get ready to go to a new loving forever home. Before they're ready for adoption, we make sure every horse is happy, healthy and can perform basic tasks like walking respectfully in halter, standing for the farrier and loading in a trailer. Whether each horse is considered safe and sound for riding is on a case by case basis.
Horses Seeking Forever Homes
TILLY
Age : 12
Breed : Standardbred (Gaited)
Height : 17hh
Tilly was only 10 years old when she came to us, formerly a show horse. She had a hock injury that she had recovered from about a year before. She was extremely well trained and very respectful of people. She does dressage and trails with a very smooth gait.
Horses Seeking Sponsors
Make a difference in a horse's life!
JASMINE
AGE : 15 ~ 20
BREED : Unknown - Rocky Mountain Horse?
HEIGHT:
Jasmine was rescued from a feed lot where she was waiting for slaughter. She had a long run as a Premarin broodmare. Her life was miserable and cruel and she had no reason to like or trust humans. She's been with us for almost 6 years now, and it has taken a lot of love and patient understanding to be able to approach, halter and groom her. She secretly likes it, but she's still very watchful. She's beautiful but has poor confirmation from having so many babies and living in a stall most of her life. She is just getting used to picking her feet up for the farrier without sedation. Without affection, she will regress into being a wild horse.
Check out her full story here.
DANCER
AGE : 29
BREED : ARABIAN
HEIGHT : 14.3hh
Dancer is as full of life as he is old! He was a stallion until he came to us July 2022, when I gelded him so he could spend his final years in a herd of other horses. He still gets ridden almost daily and LOVES to run! He's an Arabian through and through, always eager to do something! He loves trails most of all and is brave and calm. He even likes to choose his own path and go exploring. He is a perfect gentleman now and does not mount the mares. He does make funny dinosaur noises and "protects" the ladies he loves. He was a child's horse even when he was a stallion, we trust him with all our hearts!
Ember
AGE:
BREED:
HEIGHT:
Ember came to us in June of 2023, completely lame with several mystery illnesses. She had been neglected, left in a pasture because she couldn't carry riders to earn her keep.
We spent thousands of dollars on medical testing and special hoof care to get her started on her healing journey. She has a new love for life and significantly less pain, but she would greatly benefit from bodywork to help her get her hips back in place.
Will you help us heal her and restore her ability to move with ease? She's such a cuddly love bug and her greatest joy is her hot oat mash with all her favorite delicious and nutritious supplements.
Recently Adopted!
COOPER
Age : 12
Breed : Oldenburg
Height : 17.1 Hands High! (HE'S HUGE)
Cooper, the gentle giant, came to us from UC Davis where he was going to be put down for possibly having a parasite known as EPM. He's a well trained show jumper with incredible dressage movement! He came to Heart of Gold Sanctuary in late June 2019. Just a couple months later, he had been cleansed of any harmful parasites, was gaining weight and muscle, and building solid hooves. He stepped off the trailer with shoes much too big for his hooves, which were crumbling, and literally glued together! It seemed that his weak hind end was from malnutrition and hoof neglect, but we treated him for EPM to be safe. When he found his forever home, he was perfectly sound and had tested negative for EPM for over a year.
Indy
Age : 11
Breed : Quarter Horse
Height : 15.2hh
Indy is a gentle sweetheart, calm enough for children to ride. She came to us quite overweight (a first for us!) but while under our care, she trimmed down and gained muscle. Indy was trained as a roping horse but got a shoulder injury in the gate. She was sold to a children's riding academy, then was sold to a woman who originally wanted her for a trail horse, but really had too many horses and wasn't able to give her the attention she deserved.
LEGEND
Age : 3
Breed : Pure Arabian
Height : 15.2hh
Legend, the sweetest puppy of a horse, started his training here at the Sanctuary in early 2022, and by the time he was adopted, he had done arena work and trails with calm ease! Like any Arabian, he was forward, but not naughty, and as he ages, he will become even more mature. He goes both English and western.
TARGARYEN
Age : 5
Breed : Warmblood (Dutch Carriage Horse X Fresian)
Height : 16hh
This horse is our baby that we raised and loved with all of our hearts. We trained Targaryen for EVERYTHING! He does both English and Western, and even pulls a carriage! He was also used as a professional photoshoot horse model!
More about Targaryen:
SHASTA
Age : 15
Breed : Paint
Height : 15hh
Shasta came to us in July, 2022, extremely emaciated and sick. She had a genetic defect causing constant inflammation and possible fusing in her front knee joints, so she could be a companion horse only. Her former owner who surrendered Shasta and another horse, Tono, who was also adopted, said she was the kid's ranch horse. I however do not think she should be ridden at all. Shasta is a sweet and submissive mare who found her forever people through our sanctuary.
Flower
Age : 22
Breed : Pony Power Puff
Flower was formerly a trail horse who started losing her vision and was surrendered to us. Flower's vision seems to be related to her stress, making me believe she gets stress-caused inflammation pressing on her optic nerve. When she got regular exercise and was kept separate from the other horses, she had fine vision, mostly in one eye. But when we tried to pasture her with other horses, she lost her sight completely. She was still a joy to ride, being great in the arena and on the trails. Flower is quite forward and strong and wants to run. She found her perfect forever intermediate rider who wanted to ride often and vigorously.
Louie
Louie came to us at only about a month old, with his mother Athena. Both were terribly sick with Strangles, one of four pregnant mares with foals saved in June 2020 from a feedlot who intended to send them to slaughter. At Heart of Gold Sanctuary, this cuddly little curious kid learned to lead well on his halter, round pens perfectly, pick up his hooves for the farrier and stand happily for the vet. He was adopted to a loving family when he was just over a year old.
Ruby and Mithril
Ruby and Mithril, along with their buddies, two black miniature horses, Oscar and Plum, were inherited by a young woman when her mother passed on. She didn't have the financial ability to care for them, but loved them with all her heart. We cared for them until she was able to find a good home for them.
Heart of Gold Sanctuary is their forever home!
Black Beauty
Black Beauty is here for life, well loved by his adopted parents, Regina and Mike, who spoil their horse son along with all of the other residents! Black Beauty is a cuddle bug and treat beggar!
Rosa
Rosa is currently in training and not available for adoption at this time. She is well loved by Aisha Daniels who gives her lots of cuddles and rides her on the trails.
Addicus
Addicus is King of the Ranch, and King of My Heart. I got Addicus when I was 13 years old, and in a way, he is my first rescue. His spirit remains unbroken which has led many trainers to suggest euthanizing him. We celebrate his desire to to thwart hierarchal power structures at every opportunity, our beloved Anarchist. He will be my bad baby forever.
