Bonita 

Bonita, a 1.5 year old filly, arrived at MVHR in November 2021. She was part of a group of four horses bought at an auction by a good samaritan, to avoid them going to slaughter.

Morgan adopted Bonita in September 2023. "I spent the first few months building trust to be able to touch and catch her, and eventually progressed to handing her feet, standing tied, loading in trailers, basic groundwork, and eventually wearing a saddle."

Morgan can now catch Bonita in a 50 acre pasture, and she approaches her every time! "She is truly coming out of her shell and trusting me more every day. She is engaged and curious in all of our sessions. I’ve also implemented positive reinforcement into our training and it’s helped us make so much progress!" Morgan is taking her time and letting Bonita grow to full adult size before trying to ride her. Bonita currently enjoys being ponied off Morgan's older mare. "I’m really taking my time with her training process to make sure she is physically and mentally ready for whatever I ask next. She currently enjoys living on pasture with her small herd near my home in Longmont. I’m looking forward to a lifetime of learning and growth with her!"

Thank you Morgan for sharing this update and for adopting Bonita in 2023! 

Firefly

Firefly arrived at MVHR in August 2022, together with two other horses, when their owner was no longer willing to care for them. As he dropped them off he said "I hate this horse". It was no surprise that Firefly was defensive, and even aggressive at times, as she had learned to defend herself from the owner that didn't care for her. 

It took some time for this mare to trust and she was slowly coming around when Kathleen and her husband came to meet her in January 2024. They took their time with her, getting to know this special mare over several months and ultimately taking her home. Here is Kathleen's Update on Firefly! 

"We brought Firefly to her new home in Hayden CO on April 20, 2024 and put her in a paddock by herself adjacent to our 4 llama boys, with our 2 horses on the other side. She completely ignored the equines; but wow, did she put on a show! We will probably never see such a fancy high-stepping trot or canter out of her ever again, but she thought those camelids were totally thrilling. Then she discovered that if she approached the fence, they retreated. Game over in 20 minutes. Such a smart girl."

"Weird looking, stinky cattle you've got, Mom; but I could definitely round them up." "Her first ride on our property was totally uneventful. We were two very happy old ladies together. We gave up early on a bit. She hated it, fussed non-stop, and was soft and responsive with the bosal. So why bother with the bother? Meanwhile we found out that my old cherished DeSoto endurance saddle fitted her very badly. Sigh. We ordered a new Specialized Trailmaster, and had it custom-fit to her."

"After that, there was no looking back. She's never met a gravel road she didn't like. Jimmy Dunn Gulch, Flat Tops, Elkhead Reservoir Preserve, our private road. She motors like crazy, has that hip-swinging TW walk that keeps pace with her stable mate Fancy Pants, who's a hand and change taller. And for treats: she likes girth rubs, and she loves places that the swather can't harvest the hay.

"We can't thank you enough for introducing us to this wonderful girl. She is cherished."

Thank you Kathleen for sharing this update and for adopting Firefly in 2024! We are especially grateful this wonderful horse found such love, after coming from such a difficult situation.

Roman

Roman aka Mister, arrived with as a stallion at MVHR in December 2012 together with his stud horse buddy Marty. Both came from a ranch where they were previously used for breeding, but when their owner passed away they needed to leave the ranch they were living at. After arrival MVHR quickly worked to get them gelded and started their training process.

During this time we found that Roman has spinal stenosis and could not be ridden. A former stud horse and not fond of other horses, he was housed in a corral by himself at Bruce Creek and later became the greeter at the ranch in McCoy in a special corral with stall just for him. His name changed from Mister to Roman, as an animal communicator shared that was the name he wanted. He became a favorite amongst volunteers, visitors and supporters. In his 10 years with MVHR, he was fostered for some time and later generously sponsored by Decorative Materials for many years. We expected him to live out his life with us. But then Roman met Laura! Here is her Update on Roman!

"Roman came to me in February 2022. I had met him at Hay Day 2021 and he was so sweet! I was drawn to him instantly and his story of being at the rescue for 10 years never left my mind. He has spinal stenosis so he cannot be ridden and I assume that is why he had a long run without his person. The rideable factor has never been an issue to me."

"It took me a few months after meeting him to feel comfortable taking on a 3rd rescue horse but I am so glad I did. Roman admittedly was a bit of a challenge in the beginning, I never knew what I was going to get going into the stall with him. Sometimes very sweet and loveable and other times pretty darn feisty, but I wasn’t going to give up on him and kept trying. It finally occurred to me that on his bad days, he wasn’t feeling good, most likely in pain. He had been on daily Equioxx (an anti-inflammatory) but it was becoming clear that wasn’t enough to manage him day to day. After switching him to Bute (stronger pain medication), the personality turn around was significant."

"Roman now wants all kinds of love & kisses, which I am more than happy to accommodate! He is absolutely beautiful; I love him so and he sucks me in with those eyes every time! He is affectionately called my Sweet & Spicy, who turns 23 on May 1st!"

Thank you Laura for sharing this update and for adopting Roman in 2022! We are so glad Roman found his person he was waiting for all along! 

Shadow

hadow, a black gentle gelding came to MVHR in October 2021, when his owner surrendered him due to being unable to care for him. They shared he had not been ridden in some years, because he bucked and likely had kissing spines, although he never was seen by a vet to confirm this.

As we worked with Shadow through his evaluation, we found no evidence of kissing spines or the inability to be ridden, and although he needed a tune up, this sweet gentleman quickly met two sisters, who had volunteered, come to horse camp and taken lessons at MVHR, who fell in love with him in December 2021. Here is their story:

"My sister and I started volunteering at Mountain Valley Horse Rescue during COVID, and we fell in love with horses, so much that we wanted a horse of our own. Our parents told us that we could get a horse if we paid for it, so my sister and I saved up money from pet sitting, and ended up raising enough money to adopt Shadow"

"When we first got Shadow, we didn’t know much about horses, but Shadow was the perfect teacher. He taught us how to build a valuable relationship with a horse through groundwork, and how to build trust.”

“Because of MVHR I was able to grow with Shadow and participate in 4H with him and develop an incredible bond. Shadow is currently being leased out to Karla, a wonderful lady at our barn who spoils him endlessly, and he is living his best life.”

"Shadow and MVHR are the reason why I have gotten to where I am today, and have taught me everything I know to be able to continue to advance in my riding and groundwork skills. Thank you MVHR for playing a huge part in shaping my life into what it is today." 

Thank you Lily for sharing this update and for adopting Shadow in 2022! We are so glad Shadow is now enjoying his best live with Karla!