THE SILVER HORSE HERD

Silver, the namesake of Silver Horse Retreat, passed over in November of 2019. Jackie followed him across the rainbow bridge in May of 2020. Both Silver and Jackie were with me for a very long time and lived out their years at SHR supporting others in their healing.

These two horses I will never forget, their generosity and medicine was like no other.

In September of 2023 we welcomed a new horse called Papi. (He arrived as Apollo but I changed his name.) The herd is now at six, Diva, Ruby, Pretty Boy, Corazon, Meiji and Papi.

THE MARES

Ruby, Jackie (RIP 2020,) Diva and Laydee (RIP 2017,) were all Premarin mares. Premarin is a hormonal replacement drug (HRT,) prescribed to menopausal women and men with prostrate cancer. The mares are impregnated yearly. A study came out in 2003 connecting Premarin to breast cancer and heart disease. Sales plummeted and 30,000 mares, most of them pregnant, flooded the horse rescue scene. 

Jackie and Diva were adopted from The Animali Farm in 2005.

As one of the Premarin foals who was going to be discarded, Diva was very sickly when I adopted her. With the right care and supplementation, she grew into a magnificent horse. I’m so proud of Diva. She is such a gentle and loving mare. She is an incredible dancer and actively participates in Horse Constellations.

Jackie (RIP 2020,) was an incredible mare. She worked really well with children when we ran our kids programs in Topanga. She was the one horse I could rely on to stay calm and grounded when working with our autistic clients.

In 2014, I took Jackie several times to a woman’s prison in Warner Spring, where she allowed crowds of women inmates to swarm and touch her. She was highly intelligent and psychic. She just knew what to do. I miss her dearly.

Ruby was adopted from a family who found Ruby to be too much horse for them to handle. Most horses that come from the Premarin industry have minimal training and need to be taught basic skills such as lifting up their feet up, etc. Ruby turned into an incredible mare with an avid interest in people. She is the one mare who consistently shows up for a Constellation. She is retired from riding and is enjoying the latter part of her life with the rest of the herd. She partnered with Jupiter and they are inseparable.

Laydee arrived at Silver Horse in 2007. She lived most of her life as a Premarin mare, and at 18 years old, she couldn't produce any more foals. She was to be sold for meat, but on an impulse I adopted her and transported her to California from Canada. Sadly, Laydee passed over on March 21st, 2017. Read the letter I wrote to Laydee, and watch the video with a song written especially for Laydee.

Corazon, a mustang mare, came to Silver Horse Retreat in July 2015. Corazon was in a not-so-good situation and was extremely handled aggressively. It took a couple of years for Corazon to completely decompress and feel safe with people. Corazon is now a prominent member of the herd and loves to dance and participate in Horse Constellations. Corazon has a heart marking on her forehead.

Meiji is a spotted, leopard, appaloosa mare. In May 2018, Meiji was pulled from a feedlot in Washington. With the help of Silver Horse Retreat friends and supporters, I was able to raise enough funds to adopt Meiji. For the first year at SHR, she had her own team of Meiji godmothers, who generously contributed to her upkeep and care.

THE GELDINGS

In 2001, I adopted Silver my first horse! (His name was originally Yo-Yo but I changed it to Silver). Several years later we created our own business, called Silver Horse Healing Ranch. We changed it to Silver Horse Retreat when we left Topanga in 2014.

I owe everything to Silver! He is the reason I do what I do. Read Horse Constellations, a book I wrote, which describes my journey with Silver.

On November 23rd 2019 Silver left us to join his ancestors in the spirit world. Silver was 35 and a half when he transitioned. We spent seventeen happy and fulfilling years together. He will always be remembered and honored as an incredible gifted horse who helped hundreds, if not thousands of people, heal from trauma and depression. And, he was the original “dancing” horse.

I adopted Hank in 2008, from El Dustberry, which I used to manage. I helped him overcome extremely challenging health conditions, and he was able to participate as a riding horse in the children's programs.

Hank was an ex jumping school horse. A beautiful, tall, chestnut thoroughbred, with a very sensitive demeanor. His feet were in a horrendous state; ruined by having to perform as a jumper.

I had Hank for almost ten years. He passed on February 13th 2017. After his passing I wrote this blog, and this song for him. I then wrote a book about his life called Hank the therapy horse which describes Hank's journey from broken jumper horses to enlightened therapy horse, (suitable for children).

In 2009, I adopted Pretty Boy, (formally Shorty,) who had another name change in 2022, and is now known as Jupiter! He joined my herd after his previous owner, a neighbor in Topanga Canyon, wanted nothing more to do with him.

As of now, in 2023, Jupiter is in his 30’s. I retired him from riding in 2015. He has been a prominent horse in the shamanic dancing programs. He loves his life and being with the mares, is what he lives for.

Papi, formally Apollo, a mustang gelding, joined the herd in September of 2023. I heard about him through Angelica, who used to volunteer for me in Topanga years ago. She has her own mini horse sanctuary called Anahata Sanctuary in Malibu. She reached out to me, and after hearing about Papi’s story of not being wanted by anyone, I decided to adopt him.

He is six years old and I’m discovering him to be a very interesting horse. He’s interested in people! And very affectionate. He greets visitors in an endearing way, breathing into their noses. I created a fundraiser for Papi, and through the generosity and kindness of our followers, raised enough funds for his adoption and his immediate needs.

He has a group of godmothers, who like with Meiji, have offered to contribute monthly for his upkeep and care for 18 months. I’m excited to get to know Papi and to discover his gifts and talents.