2023 VEWS ALUMNI

Sweet senior citizen Queenie was a dream to handle. This 25 year old registered Quarter Horse mare came to VEWS as an owner surrender and reportedly was quite the riding horse back in the day.  A volunteer favorite for her calm and quiet manner, Queenie quickly found her forever home as a companion to another senior mare.  Queenie now enjoys her days as a much-loved family member in a beautiful setting.

 Annie was born in our VEWS barn in June 2023 after we rescued her heavy-in-foal mom, Eva, in April 2023.  This gorgeous filly was intelligent, curious, and daring.  She learned quickly and behaved wonderfully for vet, farrier, leading, and grooming.  She gave many of our volunteers a once in a lifetime experience of handling and learning about a foal.  Annie moved with her "Aunt" Miracle to their forever home in October 2023.  We can't wait to hear about all her adventures!

The most difficult part of loving someone is saying goodbye. We said farewell to beautiful Valentine, a Quarter Horse/Paint cross,in Sept 2023.  Valentine arrived in June 2022 at VEWS as an owner surrender with a diagnosis of EPM and a history of barrel racing.  A volunteer favorite known for her gentle, easy-going way, she joined her foster family in Jan 2023.  Valentine began to let her family know that her physical struggles were taking a toll on her aging body, and the decision was made to peacefully help her cross the Rainbow Bridge.  Many VEWS volunteers learned basic horsemanship from this sweet mare and Valentine knew love and peace in her last months.  Gallop free now sweet Valentine.

Belle was a sweet mare who came to VEWS as an owner surrender.  Belle was easy to handle and really loved children.  This cute mare moved with her friend Lacey to their forever home.  Belle is loved and ridden by her own little girl, who adores her!  What a happy ending

Sandy was a gorgeous Haflinger mare that was pulled from a kill pen in March 2023. She had probably once been a cart-horse and then a broodmare. She was sweet, social, easy to handle, and very vocal! Sandy was adopted by a local resident and is enjoying her retirement in a lush pasture while occasionally giving pony rides at birthday parties.

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Whiskey, along with his best pal Jack, was a Quarter Horse that came to VEWS as an owner surrender. Whiskey was curious, playful and interested in everything around him. He and Jack found their forever home together and will thoroughly enjoy a lifetime of pampering and love with their new family.

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Our beautiful Eva was rescued from an auction by VEWS in April 2023.  She was heavy in foal and in June, delivered sweet Annie.  Eva proved to be an excellent Mom!  We had no idea if Eva had any saddle training, but several months after Annie's birth we began to evaluate Eva as a riding horse and were very pleasantly surprised.  Eva was calm and easy going under saddle.  Now she is being conditioned and learning how to be a trail horse.  We will never forget the wonderful experience of caring for Eva and her darling daughter Annie!

Reba was a gorgeous mare who came to VEWS as an owner surrender in April 2022.  Cute and intelligent, Reba loved in-hand obstacles and Parelli games.  In October 2023, Reba found her perfect forever home as a companion to a mini mare.  Now settled with a family who adores her in a calm and quiet setting, Reba is living her best life.

CJ was an owner surrender.  This gorgeous gelding was re-habbing for a degenerative suspensory condition that occurred following an injury.  CJ spent time with our friends at Equine Welfare Society to rest and recover.  With a reported history as an award-winning jumper, CJ thrived on his down time and enjoyed just being a horse.  He was adopted in August 2023 by a loving and experienced horse owner who plans to continue his rest and rehab and eventually use him as a pleasure mount.

Nada, a big and beautiful Trakehner mare, came to VEWS in August 2022 as an owner surrender.  After a lifetime as a broodmare, Nada kept a motherly eye on her VEWS' herd mates, as she observed the constant changes that are part of horse rescue. Eventually, it became clear that Nada would do best in a retirement sanctuary; somewhere she could enjoy a quiet and steady life. Nada is living out her years in a peaceful and loving environment at a nearby sanctuary.

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April was adopted by an adoring family in April 2023.  April was a beautiful, non-spooky Arabian mare who enjoyed her herdmates' and her humans' interactions.  Easily handled and well controlled under saddle, April is now living a wonderful life with a companion mare.  April enjoys trail riding and peacefully grazing her days away.

Savina was a very pretty bay OTTB mare that came off the track, had a family for a short time, and then found herself at VEWS in December 2022. She was smart, sweet and beautiful under saddle. She found her forever family and a lifetime of love in West Virginia.

Major came to VEWS as an owner surrender.  This gentle giant was a volunteer favorite, known for his sweet, kind, and  quiet ways.  A favorite of students in VEWS' after-school program, Major loved being groomed and hand-walked through the obstacle course by beginner children.  In October 2023, Major found his perfect, forever home!  Now he is a companion to another gelding who was grieving the loss of his pasture mate.  These two senior horses can now be seen spending their days together in a loving and peaceful home, surrounded by lots of attention and TLC.

Mya was an 8-year -old TW cross mare pulled from a kill pen in November 2022.  Mya was an energetic, quick learner who loved to have her mind engaged and focused.  Mya found the perfect forever home with a family who can appreciate her natural tendency to move out quickly, coupled with her sweet nature.  Mya is living her best life now as a trail horse with plans to do some pleasure driving in the future.

Lacey was a gorgeous, Black Beauty look alike.  With a reported history of hunter jumper and western riding, Lacey proved to be well trained under saddle and a joy to ride.  She is living in her forever home with her friend Belle and loves the attention of her family.

Uncle Jack

Uncle Jack was a quiet and cautious gelding who came to VEWS as an owner-surrender in early April 2023..He was pulled from an auction a year prior to this, so we didn't have much history on him. We think he may have been a cart horse.  Uncle Jack was responsive on the ground and slow and steady under saddle.  He's living his best life now as a trail horse and companion.

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Jack, along with his buddy Whiskey, was a Quarter Horse that came to VEWS as an owner surrender. Jack was one of the sweetest, calmest geldings that has walked through our gates. He and Whiskey found their forever home together and get to enjoy a lifetime of pampering and love with their new family.

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Theo was a volunteer favorite at VEWS. He was a very handsome Missouri Fox Trotter cross gelding with a soft and sensitive personality. He joined VEWS as an owner-surrender in October 2022. He had a brand we were unable to identify. Theo was adopted by the same family that adopted Aries.