20/12/2024
Sugarplum Has Arrived!
Do you remember Howard, Quinn, and Calamity Jane? They were part of a group called The Howard 22—horses we helped rescue 12 years ago in Spray, Oregon. These horses were largely descendants of working animals once rounded up and managed every year. When no longer needed to work the land, they were abandoned to fend for themselves. Left to roam, they caused issues with domesticated horses and property fences.
At the time they were first gathered, the horses were starving due to an abnormally harsh winter and a deep snowpack. Together with The Pongo Fund, Wheeler County, and Mustangs to the Rescue (MTTR), we stepped in to help.
Once tamed, these horses turned out to be extraordinary creatures. Howard, with his beautiful canter, has become a beloved family member who will do almost anything for his owners. Quinn has blossomed into an accomplished dressage horse with a growing list of achievements, and Calamity Jane gave birth to a beautiful filly named Glory.
Recently, we learned of another 20 horses rounded up in the same area. Sadly, most of them likely faced a grim fate. But one local horseman was determined to save at least one—a mare we now call Sugarplum (Sugar). He reached out to our partners at MTTR to see if they could take her in. While MTTR’s facilities were full, they reached out to us, and we knew we couldn’t turn our backs on her.
Last night, after a couple of weeks of food and care at a foster home in Prineville, MTTR’s Kate Beardsley delivered Sugar to trainer Rachel Tarnowski in Gaston. Rachel will work to further tame Sugar and prepare her to live as a domesticated horse.
From the grey hairs on her face and her sunken dental areas, we suspect Sugar is an older mare, but she’s also likely in foal. She’s a little calmer and more comfortable than a typical wild horse, which suggests she may have been handled before. It’s possible that some locals in the area still practice the “round them up, use them, and turn them back out” mentality. We’ll know more in a few days.
For now, Sugar will receive “all the usual things” a horse needs: proper nutrition, vaccines, dewormers, dental care, and hoof maintenance. We’ll also continue her taming and groundwork training to ensure she trusts us enough by the time her foal arrives. It’s critical that she feels safe and comfortable with us, especially if she or her baby needs assistance during delivery.
These horses, with their kind and level-headed temperaments, hold a special place in our hearts. For centuries, their ancestors worked alongside humans to cultivate the land. When they were no longer needed, they were abandoned to survive on their own. Now, as the area grows more populated, these horses are often seen as a nuisance—destroying fences and grazing on pastures to survive—and many are targeted for destruction.
After years of surviving on so little, Sugar deserves a chance. To help us reach our year-end fundraising goal—and care for Sugar, her potential foal, and so many other horses in need—please donate at: https://giveguide.org/nonprofits/sound-equine-options.
Your donations will not only help Sugar and her foal but will also send a powerful message: there are still good people willing to step in and protect these horses, even when no legal protections exist for them.
Let’s show Sugar—and the world—that kindness and compassion can make a difference.
