Home for Good Horse Sanctuary
Contact: cmhoule13@gmail.com
HomeBiosPhotosIn MemoriamDonate

The Horses of Home for Good; Their Stories
Red
Kissy
Bandit
XP
Koli
After a bit of a rough start I had a pretty great life early on. I lived in a big pasture with my friend TJ. We were outside all the time and pretty much on our own. Then one day when I was about 15 years old TJ and I were put in a trailer and moved to a new place. We were put in a small pen with no grass during the day and we were put in separate stalls at night. I had never been in such a small space and I was afraid. I wanted to go home. TJ was somewhere but I could not see him or touch him. Every morning we were put back in that little pen; not even enough room to run and play. 
After a while all different people started to ride on my back. Sometimes there were six or more people in a day and they were not very good riders. My back and my mouth started to hurt. I decided to run from them when they came to catch me. They tried chasing me, sneaking up on me and bringing food to tempt me but I was smart and none of it worked. So they kept me in the stall most of the time. I was so afraid that I weaved back and forth in front of the door hoping someone would let me out. Soon there was a deep rut in front of the door.
My back and my mouth hurt more and more. Then one day it all stopped. I was let out of the stall and nobody came to ride me. 
Soon after that TJ and I were moved to a new place that looked a lot like the one we had once lived in; room to run, grass to eat and outside all the time. I am happy here. 
Sometimes now I carry young children on my back and we walk around the pastures. The person here always asks me if it is OK and I tell her that I am happy to help. 
I was broke by cowboys. That is what they call it and that is what it feels like. They wanted me to be a rodeo horse but I had trouble with my feet so when I was about 7 they took me to an auction to sell me.
I was bought by another cowboy; at least he looked like a cowboy to me. He and his friends wanted to ride me but I didn’t have good memories of being ridden so I wasn’t very cooperative. Every time they tried to bridle me I was afraid they were going to twist my ears; that’s what they do to make horses behave and it hurts. So they said they had to teach me respect.
They made me run in circles in a small enclosure. They cracked a whip if I wasn’t doing just what they wanted; sometimes I didn’t know what they wanted. One time this went on for hours and I got a foot caught in the rail but the person still made me keep going in circles. The person seemed to be getting so angry, it scared me but I did not know what was wanted of me.
I guess I was not worth the effort because I was left at a place called Home For Good. I like it here. The other horses and the people are all nice. My feet still get very sore sometimes but then I get to wear boots and that helps a lot. 
Funny thing, now I love to have my ears touched and scratched. 

My earliest memories are of running and playing and running some more with my special person. We were together for a long time. I moved a lot but it was OK because she was always there and my horse friend Falcon moved around with me. Those were happy days.
When my person grew up she decided to move to California. She left me at Home For Good because she couldn’t take me with her.
Life is good here. I get to play with the children. I like to let the little ones sit on my back and I take them for a walk. It makes them happy.
My person wanted to move me to California last year but I didn’t want to go. I’m older now and these horses are my family. One day the person who takes care of us asked me if she was right to keep me here; was it what I wanted? I gave her a big hug so she would know how happy I am.
I have a new special person now who brushes me and walks with me. I like her very much.

I was a mom when I was very young. I lived in a pasture with other moms and their babies and stallions. The person who owned us was old and wasn’t able to care for us physically or financially. Still, she wanted us to keep having babies.
One day someone caught me, put something on my back and made me run around in circles. This happened every day for a while and then it stopped.
Not long after that my friend Spur and I were taken to a new place. It looked pretty nice. Spur and I were by ourselves in a big grass pasture. There were other horses close by and they came to the fence to see us. 
There were people around too but Spur and I didn’t really like people so we were not very nice when they tried to touch us. But the people kept coming around; sometimes just sitting close by or doing some work in the pasture.
The other horses seemed to like the people so we started getting closer to them and then we let them touch us. It felt so good to be brushed and scratched and loved. Soon after that we joined the other horses but now I like to be around people. They call me the greeter because I love having visitors.  
I even have my own special person now. She comes out and brushes me and takes me for walks. I like it here and there aren’t any stallions.

I was bred to be a racehorse but when that didn’t work out, I was not of much value to my owner. I was left alone for a long time until someone decided to turn me into an eventing horse; that means dressage, stadium jumping and cross country. I had difficulty understanding what was being asked of me and that frustrated the rider who then tried to force me to understand with more aggressive action. I was afraid so I tried to get away by running when I could or by kicking and biting. Eventually I was brought to Home For Good Horse Sanctuary. I loved being with the other horses but I wasn’t ready to trust humans again. One day a young child was walking in the pasture and I found myself drawn to him in spite of my fear. We walked towards each other and when we met, I lowered my head and he touched me. That day I started to trust again. 
The start of my life created in me a fear of humans that I covered up by being stubborn and bossy. Then I met Red and we spent many years together in peace and comfort. 
One day Red and I were moved. I didn’t like the new place because Red and I were often separated but there was a new person around who I came to realize was mine. She was different. She wanted to spend time with me but not always on my back. Most of the time we just sat together or she walked with me to a patch of grass where she let me eat.
One day someone put a wire around my mouth so I could not open it. I’m not sure why, but when my person came out she was very angry about it. The wire was taken off and we went to eat grass.
I told her that I didn't like where I was living and she heard me. Soon after, Red and I were moved again. My person walked me around the new place and told me that this was my home forever. It had everything that I had told her I wanted. It was perfect.
Maybe I had been wrong to think that all humans are the same.

Home for Good Horse Sanctuary ®  Chaska, MN  55318
TJ
I was quite the show horse in my early years. My human still has all of the trophies and ribbons that I won but in 1997 she had health problems and after her surgery she didn’t get around very well. My horse friend who I lived with since I was born died that same year so I was left alone in my little pasture. My human brought food to me but for most of the time I was alone and lonely. 
In the summer of 2012 a new human came to see me a few times. She brushed me and cleaned my feet and always gave me treats. I kept hoping she would bring a horse friend for me. Then one day she brought a trailer and asked me to get into it. I didn’t know what was happening but I got in.  
After a short ride the trailer door opened and I was led into a big, open barn with sand on the ground. Oh it felt so good to roll in the sand but the best was yet to come. I could not believe my eyes when I looked out the back of the barn and the human was bringing a little white horse towards me. I was so happy to know that I was not going to be alone any more. They call him Koli and we became friends that day.
After a few days of staying in the barn with Koli the gates were opened and we were able to go out. There was so much room to walk around and woods and other places to explore and best of all more horses. I am now part of the Home For Good family. I like all of the horses but Koli is still my best friend.  
My other human comes to see me once a week. I know she had to give me up because she could not take care of me. I will always remember her but this is the best place I have ever lived.

Sonny