Welcome to Wild West Horse Rescue Inc
Where we specialize in the loving care of all horses in need that we have space and funds for.
Most of our residents are seniors — horses, ponies, and one very opinionated burro — who need soaked feed, vet monitoring, and patient, everyday care. Your donation goes directly to that care: feed, hoof and dental work, medicine, and comfortable retirement for animals who have nowhere else to go.
Meet the Herd
Max--34 year old Tan and White Paint Gelding
Summary: Saved from auction and donated to us in December 2018. Max is missing several teeth, so his main food is pelleted hay soaked into mash twice a day, with just some scraps of hay. He is also a bonded companion and therapy friend.
Full story: Max was saved from an auction by the owner of the Horses Healing Heroes Program, who donated him to us in December 2018. He is missing several of his teeth, which makes it hard for him to chew his hay — he sometimes drops wads of half-chewed hay, which is called quidding. He gets fed a larger amount of pelleted hay soaked into mash twice a day, along with just some scraps of hay — not a full flake, because he can't really chew it well enough — to help him keep his weight stable. Max is also a companion therapy friend for my husband, who struggles with anxiety and bipolar. The two of them bonded pretty tight as soon as they saw each other.
Sassy--32 year old Bay Appendix Mare
Summary: Donated in December 2018. Extremely gentle, famous for her belly-rub "hug." Sassy still has most of her front teeth, but they are tender, and she has lost many of her molars — so she eats mostly grain pellet mash and some hay, and our job now is keeping her comfortable.
Full story: Sassy is an Appendix — a cross between a Thoroughbred and an American Quarter Horse. From what we understand, she is about three-quarters Thoroughbred and one-quarter Quarter Horse, with a face and smaller feet resembling a Thoroughbred. She was donated to us in December 2018 through the Horses Healing Heroes Program. Sassy is extremely gentle and enjoys belly rubs, often lifting her back leg and curling around the person giving her attention as if she's hugging them. She loves treats and sometimes searches pockets for goodies. She's well-trained to respond to pressure and commands like "Over," moving sideways without needing to be touched. Sassy still has most of her front teeth, but they are tender and some have come out. She is too old to have them removed, so we are letting her be as comfortable as possible for as long as we can, until we are not able to anymore or her heart stops — she also has a heart murmur that has progressed with age. She has lost a bunch of her molar teeth, so she eats mostly grain pellet mash and some hay. We also monitor her for arthritis and heel pain in her front feet.
Baby--approx. 26 year old Dark Bay Quarter Horse Mare
Summary: A former barrel racer and breeding mare, surrendered to us in January 2022 after being neglected. Baby arrived very skinny with bad rain rot — she has come a long way since then.
Full story: Baby was surrendered to us in January 2022 from a situation where she was being neglected. She was very skinny and had really bad rain rot and a bad locking stifle in her back left leg. She had originally been used as a barrel racer, and then as breeding stock, before the recent owner who surrendered her to us. Baby also has some damaged tissue on her back right cannon bone that appears to perhaps have been barbed wire. She has damaged lungs, either from her barrel racing days in dusty arenas or from smoke inhalation from the fire zones near where she lived at the time. She has a bump on her front right coronet that looks like ringbone, which has not been x-rayed yet.
Chad--approx. 24-year-old Palomino Appendix Gelding
Summary: Donated in September 2021 to recover somewhere calmer. Chad is a headstrong "teenager" type, working on therapy to lift his core and round out his sway back.
Full story: Chad was donated to us in September 2021 from the Horses Healing Heroes Program, because he had been in a situation with a client not following the rules, had been injured because of it, and needed to be put in a different place to help him recover and have another job to do. Chad is a bit of a headstrong teenager type who hasn't learned efficiently how to give to pressure. He has a bit of a toe-in stance and a sway back, which is being worked on with therapy to help him lift his core muscles and round out more.
Tucker--18-year-old Sorrel Quarter Horse Gelding
Summary: Donated in October 2023. A smaller, petite gelding and a very herd-bound, anxious horse who thrives on being with others — and who has settled in well with our herd.
Full story: Tucker was donated to us from the Horses Healing Heroes Program in October 2023. He is a smaller, petite guy who needs a smaller rider. He has a sway back with damage that the HHH program was working with chiropractors and a vet to repair, to get him back to riding; the program didn't have enough regular smaller riders, so he wasn't being used as much. Tucker is also a very herd-bound, anxious horse who thrives on being with others. He has a strong fear of cows, which tended to become a problem at the HHH program's field nearby. We are still getting to know him and figuring out what we can help him with. He really likes being in the same field with the rest of our horses, and he has gotten pretty settled in, with only a few anxious set-offs.
Precious--18-year-old Sorrel/Chestnut Pony Mare
Summary: Surrendered in July 2024 with her young son. Once intensely head-shy, Precious has come a long way. She recently had her teeth floated — the vet found them in pretty good shape, with all of them still present.
Full story: Precious was surrendered to us in July 2024 with her 4-year-old gelding son, Copper. Her previous name was Trouble, which we decided did not suit her very well, so a change was in order. Precious had some pretty intense head shyness that we have been working on, to reassure her that we will be very gentle with her. She has come a long way with her anxiety and nervousness, but still has some work to do. She recently had her teeth floated, so she will not need that again for a while — and the vet said her teeth were in pretty good shape, and all of them were still present, considering her age. She is also on the farrier list for more regular trims, to get her feet to a better length.
Bessie(Bossy Bessie)--27-year-old Haflinger Mare
Summary: Surrendered on January 5, 2025. Bessie's previous field mate was a sheep — once she figured out other horses, and that she's the biggest and most muscular of them, she rose straight to the top of the pecking order. Meet Bossy Bessie.
Full story: Bessie was surrendered on 1/5/25 because her owner felt that she could no longer care for her anymore. Her previous owner had bought her off Craigslist because she reminded her of a horse she used to have. When Bessie first arrived, she was unsure of how to act around other horses, because her previous field mate was a sheep and she didn't know what to think of the other equines. As time went on, she learned a thing or two, realized that she was bigger and more muscular than the others, and began rising to the top of the pecking order. She pushes and kicks and barrels her big body at anything that dares to stand between her and food. As you can tell by her photos, she gains weight like some of us do — just looking at food. It is called an easy keeper in the horse world. We have tried a few different things to keep her from stealing everyone else's bit of grain mash, and we guard them until they have finished; then we are able to leave the field, but there still ends up being a ring around the hay piles with them and her. We have nicknamed her Bossy Bessie. Although she is not mean to humans, necessarily, we make sure that when she kicks up her heels in protest, we are not close enough to her back feet.
Bo (Prev. Pasta)--approx 25-year-old Mustang Paint Gelding
Summary: A mustang who spent many years in a field, left mostly to fend for himself. Based on his BLM brand, Bo is probably closer to 25 or more. He now has his own pen, and we are earning his trust a little more every day.
Full story: Bo is a paint mustang gelding. Going by his BLM brand info, he is probably closer to 25 years old, or more. He was in a field for many years with his companions, left to fend for himself, so he is not totally trusting yet. He is very smart and allows some small pets on his muzzle and some on his shoulder. He is not halter savvy. He has been seen by the vet before coming to us, and has been dewormed and had his feet cared for; he does need to be sedated to get his feet done. Bo previously lived out in a big field with Fancy and Daisy, but currently each of them is in their own separate pen, so we can give them the special, personal care they each need. We will be working with Bo every day to improve on his trust, and hopefully be able to brush him fully to help with his coat health. More updates to come.
Fancy--Approx. 38-year-old Arabian Grey Mare
Summary: Our oldest resident, at about 38. Fancy came to us quite underweight with minimal teeth left, so twice a day her feed is soaked to help her build her weight back up — with lots of TLC from everyone.
Full story: Fancy is an approximately 38-year-old Arabian grey mare. She is obviously underweight quite a bit. She has minimal teeth left, so we are working on building her weight back by soaking her pellet and cube mix with warm water twice a day. There is a lump around the bottom of her right eyelid; the vet has seen it and is keeping an eye on it. Fancy now has her own pen — she previously lived out in a big field with Bo and Daisy — so we can give her the special, personal care she needs. We will do the best we can to help her get as healthy and comfortable as possible while she gets TLC from everyone.
Daisy (Prev. Donkey)--20+/- BLM Burro Jenny
Summary: A small, wary burro who keeps her distance — unless treats are involved. Daisy now has her own pen, and is on a diet to keep her healthy.
Full story: Daisy is a small burro, a jennet/jenny (girl), with a faint brand on her left side. She tends to be quite wary and nervous around people, having had limited handling in her past. She has been fed treats like apples and carrots, which has contributed to her being a bit overweight. Daisy previously lived with Fancy and Bo for a long time, surrounded by abundant grass and weeds, but currently each of them is in their own separate pen, so we can give them the special, personal care they each need. She prefers to keep her distance and only approaches when she's interested in treats, often offering her nose for a gentle check. She will be on a diet to hopefully keep her from foundering and having other health problems.Rehomed
We love it when we are able to find a new home for those equines that can still have a long productive work life ahead of them or even just an experienced willing family that can give a kind and loving home to an older equine.
Copper--4-year-old dark chestnut pony gelding
Summary: Precious's son, surrendered with her in July 2024. Copper has been rehomed to get the training a young, untrained horse needs, so he can become a good gentleman and find a good job to do.
Full story: Copper is Precious's son, and he came in with her in the same surrender in July 2024. Copper came in pretty overweight and in danger of founder; luckily we caught it just in time. We put him in a pen by himself so we could monitor the amount of food he got, to help him get back to a healthy weight — and it worked great. Copper also came untrained and still pretty attached to his mom, so he was put in a different area than her to help fully separate them. We did as much as we were able to with him until the rains started. We don't currently have a trainer available for untrained young animals, so he has been rehomed to get trained, so he can become a good gentleman to society and find a good job to do.In Loving Memory
Some of our residents are with us for the rest of their lives — and some of those lives end here, in the place and with the people they knew. We keep them on this page because they were part of this herd, and part of our promise: comfort in life, and comfort and dignity at the end.
Little Guy--34-year-old Grey Shetland Pony Gelding
Summary: Our little Shetland gentleman, retired with us in November 2020 after a life of pony rides and petting zoos. We recently said goodbye to Little Guy after a bad fall — he was laid to rest comfortably, surrounded by the people who loved him.
Full story: Little Guy was previously used as a pony rides and petting zoo pony before being donated and retired with us in November 2020. He was blind in his right eye and blurry in his left, and he had ground his teeth down to the gum line, so he only got pellets soaked into mash twice a day for all of his food needs, because he could not grind any hay without teeth. He most likely had Cushing's disease, which made it hard for his body to regulate his temperature, so we kept him in a warm blanket in the cold, wet weather, and shaved him in the summer to help keep him cool. Little Guy was very sweet — even though his eyesight made him anxious and cautious, he liked to nicker at me every time I came to feed him, and if he didn't, I knew right away that something needed to be checked on. Recently, Little Guy had a bad fall and was unable to get back on his feet. With his age and his overall health, pushing him any further would not have been kind, so he was humanely euthanized and laid to rest as comfortably as we could manage — we stayed with him, comforted him, and gave him his last hugs. He was loved until the end, and he is deeply missed.
Velvet — Approx. 16-year-old Black Grade/Draft Cross Mare
Summary: Our sweet giant, donated in September 2021. Velvet was loved until the end and went peacefully, when her front leg and knee made her quality of life too hard.
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Full story: Velvet was possibly a Warmblood/Friesian cross — we don't know for sure, because she was saved from auction by Horses Healing Heroes with not much to go on. She was donated to us in September 2021. Velvet was a sweet giant and the largest of our equines. She had bad front knees — mostly her front right, which was enlarged, calcified, and fused with little range of motion — and one front pastern slightly shorter, with the fetlock joint mostly bone on bone. She most likely had DSLD in her back legs, from switching most of her weight to them. In the summer, bugs biting caused her to scratch herself open or get hives, so she was on a daily antihistamine, and she got a once-a-day pain management pill. Velvet was put down due to her front right leg and knee getting worse and adding to her lower quality of life issues. She was loved until the end and went peacefully.
Shadow - Approx. 30+-year-old Blue Roan Saddlebred? mare
Summary: With us for only a short time in 2025, after coming to us with bad rain rot and a severe swayback. We gave her the care we could — and we will miss her.
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Full story: We are not officially aware of how old Shadow was — we estimate really late 20s, or in her 30s — because we had her for such a short time before she passed away in the night on May 23, 2025. Shadow was surrendered to us on February 24, 2025, by people who had acquired her when they purchased their property — she was part of the bargain from the original property seller. They didn't have much information about her, except what the previous owners told them, which was limited. Shadow came to us with really bad rain rot on her back and a severe swayback. She had a brand on her left flank that said "L-T". She was supposedly someone's purebred, registered horse who had fallen into hard times, whose people weren't able to care for her needs anymore. During the time we had her, we were able to give her a worming treatment, get her feet trimmed, brush out her bad rain rot, and spray her off with the hose to get some of her summer coat to come out and air properly in the sun. We will miss her, but we know there was not much else we could have done for her, and she is more comfortable in heaven.
Shammie - Approx. 25 year old Bay (shadow) Paint mare
Summary: Surrendered to us in December 2020 from our sister's neighbor. Shammie looked like a bay Quarter Horse, but we were told she was a "shadow" paint — paint bloodlines, with no paint markings herself. She lived a good life with us until a bad front knee — progressed arthritis that had fused her left front joint — made moving without pain impossible, and we humanely euthanized her on August 27, 2022.
Full story: Shammie was donated to us in December 2020, a surrender from our sister's neighbor. She basically looked like a bay Quarter Horse, with no paint markings herself, but we were told she was a "shadow" paint — meaning she had paint bloodlines and could be bred to have babies with paint coloring. She had a good life as a horse with us, but she carried very progressed arthritis in her knees, most likely from an old injury that had not healed right. Her left front joint had fused, leaving her only a small amount of movement to bend for the farrier or to move comfortably in the field without pain — and it steadily got worse in her last few weeks, with her leg starting to bow outwards at a dangerous angle. In her last week we gave her high levels of pain killers to keep her in less pain, and separated her from the herd so a sudden movement could not snap the leg. When comfort was no longer possible, we made the hard decision to give her the Last Act of Kindness and humanely euthanized her on August 27, 2022. She will be missed.
Nelly (Canela) - 22-year-old Sorrel/Chestnut Mustang Mare
Summary: Our first mustang and the mascot of the Wild West. Nelly came to us in December 2018 with Sassy and Max as our initial rescue equines, already living with chronic laminitis and previous foundering. We kept her as happy and comfortable as we could until we said goodbye to her on September 22, 2020.
Full story: Nelly — also called Canela, Spanish for Cinnamon — was our 22-year-old Mustang mare and the mascot of the Wild West. She came to us in December 2018, together with Sassy and Max as our first rescue equines. Nelly arrived with chronic laminitis and had foundered before, so her care was always about keeping her happy and comfortable for as long as we could. When her health kept going in a downward direction, and chronic laminitis with coffin bone rotation complications made her quality of life too hard, we made the hardest decision and humanely euthanized her on September 22, 2020. She was loved by everyone here, and we hope she is now pain-free in those mighty fields in the sky.Volunteer
We hold volunteer days at the rescue. Contact us by phone or text, and follow us on Facebook for the latest events and availability.
Volunteer Days
843 Plumas Ave Oroville CA 95965We are currently working to find many opportunities to do volunteer days. So far, we try to use the weekends to get larger projects done. If you wish to help us out, please follow our Facebook page for updates on times and dates and contact us as well. The pic is of my 10-year-old autistic son playing with the hay and grass. (yes, he is shirtless)
Select date and timeEvent time zone:America/Los Angeles GMT-07:00
