Hope Ranch acquires horses by donation.  They are generally older horses who can only tolerate light work.  One family had 3 horses they wanted to donate to Hope Ranch.  Even though we did not have room for more horses, Amanda and I (Terri) went to take a look at the horses.   Two of the horses were really nice and probably would have been a nice addition to our program, but the third horse, Pepe, was a very old, sad looking horse, who wouldn’t leave us alone.  He wanted to stay by our side and just be close. 

The horse was named Pepe.  Pepe was approximately 24 years old, very underweight, and had bug bites all over his body.  The timing was not right for us to take the horses, but not knowing the future, we would keep the horses in mind. 

A couple of days had passed and I was unable to stop thinking of this sad, little horse who wanted to be near us.  The owner of Pepe said she had rescued him from a facility which housed tigers.  The awful assumption was Pepe would have become tiger food.  I couldn’t stop thinking of this sad, little horse and I was determined to help Pepe!

I called the owner and said I would like to come take Pepe because he needed help now!  I was not comfortable putting him at Hope Ranch because I did not know how children and families would react when they saw his condition.  Amanda and I picked up Pepe and put him at my home to see if we could get him to gain weight.  I wasn’t certain he could come back because of his age, but he deserved a chance.

I asked for donations from my family and friends because Pepe was going to take quite a bit of food, farrier care and dentistry.  He was unable to eat much hay because of his teeth, so all his hay was consumed in a pelIleted mash.

Pepe’s story is a happy one because he gained weight nicely.  We found he had an adorable personality!  He just loves to be around people!   He is so deserving of a happy life.  In November, after 5 months he gained enough weight to bring him to Hope Ranch.  We are currently evaluating him for our therapy program but all indicators are that he is going to fit in just fine!

I feel Pepe is a perfect example of what Hope Ranch is…  It’s the story of who we can become with the proper amount of Love and support!  I love the idea that we can rescue these wonderful senior horses, and they in turn help rescue all of us, especially our students!

A very special thank you to John Thresher, Julie Moore, Moore Acres, LLC, and Christina Pieper for supporting the initial care of Pepe.  Without their financial support, we could not have taken Pepe.  We thank you all so much!

Donations help us take care of the horses.  Most of our horses are seniors between the ages of  20 and 30.  Senior horses often require special care.  They are all loved by our staff, students and families!  Please consider supporting Hope Youth Ranch!

Together we can make a difference!