Sunrise Horse Rescue

10/25/2025

Some days, you just want to take a nap.

As the weather turns cooler and we move into fall, Daddy is storing up energy where he can. Daddy came to Sunrise in January of this year and has adapted wonderfully to life at Sunrise. Don't tell him he's 30 years old- he and Dreamer are becoming fast friends and he is feeling good!

10/21/2025

10/17/2025

What's in the box 📦🐴🌻for Finn?

A little alfalfa, a few treats 🍎🍐here and there, and enrichment of his life. Normal horse behavior includes searching for food, and the Sunrise Enrichment Team has come up with some creative ways to fulfill this, using what we have (plenty of cardboard boxes and paper!).

Mischeivous Finn was closely supervised and, surprisingly, did not eat any of the paper, or the box.

10/14/2025

Can horses grieve? New research says yes, and the results are deeply moving.

In a study by the University of Lincoln of over 300 horses who had lost a companion, nearly 90% showed significant behavioral changes such as restlessness, calling, loss of appetite, or withdrawal. When separation is due to the death of one, horses who weren’t allowed to see the body often stayed unsettled for months, while those who were given that chance seemed calmer and more accepting.

These findings highlight what many of us already knew…horses form powerful emotional bonds that shape their wellbeing.

We take that truth to heart. Our mission includes helping keep bonded companions together whenever possible, by providing emergency aid that allows horses to stay in their homes.

Because connection matters, especially in moments of loss or change.

Horses don’t just survive alongside one another. They love, they grieve, and they remember.

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Fleet of Angels is a national nonprofit service organization that provides grants and services for horses in crisis in response to natural disasters and other major emergencies.

FleetOfAngels.org�Teamwork works!

10/12/2025

Connected Horse Supports Mental Health Awareness Week

The therapeutic value of equine-assisted services is recognized worldwide — offering space for reflection, presence, and healing.

At Connected Horse, we strive to create opportunities for people to connect — with themselves, with horses, and with nature. Our programs provide a nonjudgmental environment where participants can simply be — finding acceptance, release, and peace in the moment.

One of the most powerful exercises we share is learning to breathe like the horses - feeling their soft, warm breath on your hand… inhaling deeply, letting that breath fill your heart, and gently exhaling.

As we honor Mental Health Awareness Week we invite you to take a moment of kindness — for yourself and others. Everyone has their own story, their own struggles and their own journey.

Please get in touch for more info: [email protected]

10/11/2025

Horses need horses🥰, whatever the size.

After some days of working out their relationship, Mirage and Mini Moo have formed their own herd of two🐴🐴. Relationships are safety to horses and Sunrise honors this by working to house horses (and mini horses) with or beside the equines of their choice whenever possible.

10/07/2025

❗Answer: No❗

🐄 According to 2023 analysis of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) data by PEER, America’s rangelands are being damaged overwhelmingly by livestock—NOT wild horses.

Rocky Mountain PEER Director Chandra Rosenthal said: “When it comes to protecting America’s rangelands, BLM suffers from a severe bureaucratic cow blindness."

🐴 Wild horses evolved in arid landscapes—on the very western plains they live today. 🏜️ They are perfectly suited to this environment and are highly mobile, grazing from five to ten miles from water, at higher elevations, on steeper slopes, and on more rugged terrain. Wild horses are constantly on the move, covering miles of ground everyday.

Cattle, on the other hand, not only outnumber wild horses 30 to 1, but evolved in wetter, greener climates. 🌿 They graze within a mile of water, increasing the damage these areas sustain.

🦷 Wild horses clip forage with their upper and lower teeth. Cows however, do not have upper front teeth! 🤯 To eat, they use their lower teeth against a hard dental pad and their tongue to wrap and tear vegetation. They pull and rip, which can cause more soil disturbance. ⁉️ Ever wondered why cows chew diagonally? It’s because they grind their jaws sideways to crush vegetation against their upper dental pads! ‼️

⚠️ In fact, a congressionally-mandated study by the National Academy of Sciences found that, in one year, livestock consumed 70% of grazing resources on public lands, while wild horses and burros consumed less than 5%. ⚠️

10/06/2025

Daddy and Cee Bud loved hosting our new friends from Liberty Sanctuary in Utah at Sunrise🥰🐎☺️.

Why are they taking a break in sunny California? Together with 20 other folks from all over North America, including one from Sunrise, they are gathered to learn more about Equine assisted 🐴🌈🌻learning and therapy from the in nearby Kenwood. This insightful course is deepening our understanding of horses and humans together.

10/01/2025

While Apollo listened to a story that one of his favorite people was reading to him, his friend Willow was feeling a little frisky. To each his own!

Apollo is blind and especially tuned into voices, music, any sounds. His enrichment includes lots of soothing sounds🐴🎶

10/01/2025

While Apollo listened to a story one of his favorite people was reading to him, his friend Willow was feeling a little frisky. To each his own!

Apollo is blind and especially tuned into voices, music, any sounds. His enrichment includes lots of soothing sounds🐴🎶

09/28/2025

Horses stay warm through their thick, insulating winter coat that traps air, the heat generated from digesting high-fiber forage in their digestive system (acting like an internal furnace), and the ability to constrict blood flow to their extremities. Horses also grow more body fat for added insulation, use their muscles to generate heat when active, and can fluff their hair to increase insulation, but they also need protection from wind and moisture from rain or sweat.

Image courtesy of Mad Barn

09/28/2025

Stories well told, Napa Valley Features!

Thanks for highlighting some of the Sunrise horses 💓🫏🌈.

By Dave Stoneberg