Adoption Stories

At Shoestring City Ranch, we aim to find our rescues forever homes where they can happily spend the rest of their days with a loving owner! Here are just some of our successful adoptions.

If you've adopted a horse from us and would like to submit your story, please
email shoestringcityranch4kids@gmail.com. Thank you!

Cabernet aka “Cabbie”

I met Cabbie during one of my first weeks as a Shoestring volunteer over a year ago, and I started taking weekly lessons on her.  During that winter, she began losing a lot of weight, so I would come to give her supplemental feed and groom her multiple times during the week.  The two of us developed a bond during that time, and I decided to start sponsoring her in January 2019.  In fall 2019, I found a boarding situation I could afford, and I asked Karen if I could adopt her.  A couple of weeks later, my “village” (Karen, several Shoestring volunteers, and two ponies) and I walked Cabbie up the San Gabriel River trail to her new home in Cerritos (and to the delight of the children at all the parks along the way).  She has settled in nicely at her new barn and has a new, best mare buddy named Tiger Lily.

I grew up riding, but never thought I would have a horse of my own again. I am so thankful to Karen and the Shoestring City Ranch for Kids for allowing me to be around horses again and providing me with the opportunity to adopt an awesome horse like Cabbie!
-Jill

Hana

Shoestring City Ranch has been such a blessing in my life. I had been volunteering for a few years when I asked Karen Thompson if she could find a horse that would be a good match for me to sponsor. After a month, Karen sent me a couple pictures of Hana and a few days later Hana came to Lakewood equestrian Center. March 4, 2016 was the first day we met and I had been her sponsor until just recently when I adopted her for my birthday on September 1, 2019. (Best birthday present ever!!)
I can’t imagine my life without her. She’s not a perfect horse but she’s perfect for me. Mares are funny creatures. I was told by a good friend, “You don’t pick them, they pick you, and Hana picked you.” That thought brings me joy, I hope it’s true.♥
-Sherry

Jojo

Katie was initially riding a different horse of Karen’s when we started looking for a horse to lease. Katie immediately fell in love with Jojo the moment she sat on him. We decided to lease him for a year and we officially adopted him on August 1st, 2019!
In the words of Katie, “The decision of adopting him is the best decision I’ve ever made. He is such a sweetheart and makes me smile every time I see him. He means the world to me.”
-Amber and Katie