Hooker Ranch Equine Refuge

07/23/2024

Every time I eval horses 😂😂😂😂😂

07/23/2024

07/23/2024

Welcome to Ho**er Ranch Mr. RedBob!

RedBob was lovingly owner surrendered to Ho**er Ranch.

Redbob has a lot of issues but he still deserves the love and affection we will give him and a loving place to call his home!

Welcome!

07/22/2024

Two horses are free from quarantine and one Owner surrender!

07/22/2024

Pinky got spayed!!!!!

Pinky will be available for adoption once she is healed!

She is a very energetic husky/ lab/idk mix, 6 months old and looking for her best home!

07/21/2024

We just never slow down….

3rd weekend of donated barn dismantling and moving!

Once the barn is moved we need to raise enough to pour the concrete!

07/20/2024

Farrier Day Pictures -

Today was a super busy day, we had volunteers come out to help us clean up branches as well as other things.

We also had the farrier come out with the turntable to do some trims for us.

We love when Judd comes out and does our horses’ feet, he is an amazing farrier and is a very kind person.

Rip was in need of a desperate foot trim, now his feet look amazing!

07/20/2024

Started round pen work today on Dakota!

This pretty 6 year old Arabian mare loved it and is a fast learner too!

Dakota is available for adoption as a project!

07/20/2024

Amazon unboxing with Gabby

07/20/2024

There is a massive need in our region for dog shelters and rescues….

Dogs are being dumped in apauling numbers everyday in the community. I can no longer stand aside when I know we can be apart of the solution.

Last week I got over 15 calls on stray/abandoned dogs alone. I know of at least one shelter that closed its doors this past week.

I need your help to do what I am about to propose…

We built an amazing equine rescue with a dream, 20 acres of land, $800, and a 88 Ford F350 flat bed truck in 2.5 years. We have saved almost 200 equines in that time.

We are ready to start assisting our community with the stray dog population as well. Our goal is to be a no kill holding facility for local area dogs to buy them the time they need to get homed.

We are proposing to build a 5 dog holding shelter, with the potential to expand by an additional five kennels at a later date. Each future expansion will be by an additional five. I know we will fill the five dog kennel easily the first week we open it.

Additionally the kennel will hold dogs we encounter while we do owner neglect and seizure equine cases. This is how we ended up with Crystal the husky/malamute.

We have a lot of concerns about the support we will receive by the local community. We also need to develop policies and protocols for a new species…

If we continue forward with this project, will our online support system prefer for the kennel to be under Ho**er Ranch Equine Refuge or for us to start a separate Rescue specifically for the dogs, such as Ho**er Ranch Canine Rescue?

The kennel will meet Texas Department of Health standards and inspection criteria.

Because of this, we will need Concrete and kennels that meet these standards. Therefore, our initial proposal and cost estimate for just five dogs will be just short of $14,000.

The kennels need to be of great quality to outlast time and the elements as well as urine. They also need to prevent and control the spread of disease, withstand constant washing and sanitization.

As our village of followers, supporters and donors, please provide us your feedback and questions. 

07/19/2024

Happy trails Tyrone!

He found his best home and will be living the spoiled life!

Thank you to the Covin family for giving him a great home!

His new pal Sully is so happy to no longer be alone!

07/19/2024

We are 1.5 hours from Tyrone’s final home!

We are so excited for him! Even old ranch horses with kissing spine get adopted to loving homes!

Thank you all for the well wishes traveling!

This is my son’s first delivery with us and he’s really enjoying himself going on this trip!

07/19/2024

Do you guys want an awesome feel good story today?

Lippy was rescued from auction four months ago….

Shortly after we rescued him, his prior owner contacted me to let me know that he was sold into the auction circuit without their prior knowledge.

They had sold Lippy to a “friend” of theirs, and their “friend” took him to auction and flipped him….

Lippy was their daughters’ starter horse. They were distraught when they found out that Lippy was passed through the north east Texas auction string.

Fortunately, that’s how we found him. We rescued this little horse from the kill buyer that night.

When we were contacted by her, we offered to let them have Lippy back, but they decided instead to allow me to adopt him out to another family so they didn’t have to say goodbye again. However, they asked us to let them know if he was returned.

The family that adopted Lippy rode him for four months and decided he just was too much whoa and not enough go for their daughter. We picked up Lippy and contacted his prior owner and the best part is she and her daughters were so ecstatic to have Lippy back, that she adopted Cinnamon from us as well for the girls.

She learned a valuable lesson about who you sell your horses to, and to always contract them.

Both horses are protected under Ho**er Ranch Equine Refuge’s adoption contract, and we know both horses are in loving, local and very good home!

07/19/2024

Tyrone sure is excited to have been adopted!

He says “Let’s get this show underway!”

He is bored waiting to leave while we finish our trailer and truck inspection to go…

Ho**er Ranch Equine Refuge will deliver our horses all around the state of Texas and its neighbor’s as needed!

07/18/2024

A lot going on lately!

07/18/2024

ADOPTED!

Cinnamon needs her best home.

She is a seven-year-old Shetland pony who is very quiet and broke to ride.

She stands for the Ferrier and is overall very sweet and willing girl.

She loves to do round work and groundwork and she is up for any challenge!

07/17/2024

Velvet is the sweetest little Arabian mare….

She is not hot or spicy at all. She really doesn’t know much about riding but she will go if you get into her a little bit.

We are wanting to adopt her to anyone who is learning as she is very safe and quiet.

We believe she would do really well lead line or ponying with other horses.

She does not bite, kick, spook or act jumpy.

Velvet is 20 years old, she has a deviated septum which makes her snort.

07/17/2024

Molly, Maggie, Fred, Spud and April (now named Ho**er 😂) were all adopted by the Whitley family.

Molly and Maggie are both over 30 years old!

Everyone is looking amazing!!!!!

We love adoption updates!!!!!!

07/16/2024

Please welcome to Ho**er Ranch, RIP!

Rip’s family brought him to Ho**er Ranch all the way from Montana State.

As you can see, Rip has severe kyphosis, or equine scoliosis. Additionally, Rip is missing a rib.

His family has done everything possible to help him and his back. Rip was unexpectedly born this way and his in-uteruo development also injured his mother. His family has had Rip since birth.

They asked us to take over his care as they love him dearly but simply don’t have access to the same type of resources we have.

I plan to call Oklahoma state Univerity as well as try to find an equine acupuncturist to help Rip.

We are asking for whatever help and sponsors we can get to help this young 3 year old gelding live a quiet, pain free life.

Www.hookerranch.org/support

07/16/2024

Something more positive for today…..

I have got a lot of update photos in the last week. I want to share! A lot of happy horses and families!

07/16/2024

Today I was there doing one of the hardest things I have ever done in my life….

A local dog rescue has shut down and the 4 remaining dogs were euthanized because no one would take them.

We only had a few days to do what we could and we just couldn’t do enough….

I debated taking a picture and posting it of each dog laying outside their kennel asleep for the last time… people need to know this really happens.

It was the worst thing I have ever assisted with in my life. Our team personally assisted with being there for the kennel’s last volunteer who has cared and loved each dog since their intake.

We were there to meet the vet, pick up and bury the dogs. She called us because she had no one else to turn to.

It was horrible and something I will never do again. I personally just couldn’t be there during the euthanasia and my team picked up the ball where I could not. Thank you so much Gabby and Duston….

I just can’t do it and one of the many reasons I haven’t rescued dogs on a large scale.

Dogs are dumped rampantly in East Texas.

Unlike horses, dogs wag their tails, lick your face and almost always are happy to see you.

I know my limits….

Please for the love of god, spay and neuter your animals.

Please, please, adopt don’t shop…..

RIP Bailey, Thor, Cuddles and Dexter

07/15/2024

Velvet is ready to find her forever home! She has successfully finished her re-feeding. She will be a amazing kid’s horse or a lead line horse!

07/15/2024

Can you all believe the difference in this sweet girl! She has turned into such a beautiful horse. Velvet was surrendered to us by a person that had bought her out of a kill pen. She has changed so much over a short period of time and has made a full recovery!❤️‍🩹

07/15/2024

All the barn panels have been off loaded at HRER!

Next weekend we will be dismantling the roof and frame!

Then grading and pouring concrete!

07/15/2024

Venetta and Daisy are still looking for their forever home!

Www.hookerranch.org/adopt

07/14/2024

Bunny and Wednesday are at a friend of Ho**er Ranch’s pasture across town…

I did a live today visiting them but I accidentally deleted it 😞

Bunny and Wednesday are living a life stress free and void of other horses and humans bothering or upsetting them.

For those that don’t remember Wednesday, she was rescued from Elkhart auction last summer and came back very sick, she was a skeleton. We rehabbed her over the course of a year and started behavioral training with her.

However, a long and abusive past made her have a severe grudge against men. See, Wednesday was a high-end bucking horse for a bucking stock dealer out of North Dakota. She was over performed and over bred causing her to develop strong feelings against human interaction. We worked with her and got her to where she was able to be handled and taken care of by humans again but we want her to live a quiet life until her time comes.

Bunny was rescued from Bowie Killpen by a supporter of ours who surrendered her to us. She had severe stringhault which caused us to worry about her overall health. OSU - Oklahoma State University took a fast interest in Bunny’s case and she was seen multiple times by their team of veterinarians for testing and biopsy. Bunny has multiple genetic disorders, which caused her to have vitamin E deficiencies and Stringhault. They recommended a life of exercise or a lot of room to run and roam and the less stress the better for her as stress causes her condition to worsen.

Ho**er Ranch is happy to say both girls are doing well in their retirement.

07/14/2024

Pics of the day!

07/13/2024

Busy day again!

We went back to continue to take apart the amazing barn that a wonderful owner surrender had donated. If a person can not provide an owner surrender fee we will except inkind donations, like tack, feed and hay. We were not expecting to have barn donated! We were so excited when we said he was going to donate it. We cannot wait to get it back to the ranch and put it up in our medical area!

If anyone is not busy and are willing to come out and help us take it apart, we are more than happy to have you, this will be a ongoing project and we will also be needing help when we decided to take down the rest of it.

07/13/2024

Continuing on our donated barn today