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!

Marley

This cutie is Marley and is a female pony who around 13 years old. She requires training and fortunately has found a loving home where she will be pampered.

Rowe

Meet Rowe, a seasoned gelding in his 20s, who is very sweet and loving. Following his owner’s passing, Rowe was cared for by his owner’s children, but they could not keep him. He boasts excellent manners, loads easily, ties well, and stands calmly for baths and the farrier. Rowe is great on the trail but does requires front shoes. Despite his age, Rowe is full of vitality and has found his new loving forever home.

Chili Bean

Chili Bean & Sergio
This handsome mule has found a new home filled with the love and care from Sergio. While not suitable for beginners, Chili Bean is well-trained in loading, tying, and handling by the farrier. Windy days may pose a challenge. With a smooth ride and standing at 14’2 hands tall, this gelding does Western spins, and side passes and is ok with the company of other horses. Although he has a tendency to get bored easily, Chili Bean thrives with interactive toys and sustains himself on a diet of Bermuda hay and fresh air. His ideal forever home offers him companionship and the opportunity to indulge in his favorite pastime—listening to people read, especially children’s stories and songs. Chili Bean has been lovingly adopted.

Millie

Millie is a thoroughbred mare whose owner passed away. She is quiet on the ground and good about being groomed. She is just learning about being ridden. She ties well but not fond of trailers. This is a great horse who needs assistance with her training, this beautiful mare has been adopted.

Below is Millie’s new loving family

Millie is eager to arrive at her new loving forever home

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

Bear and Clyde’s Adoption

Recently, two of our horses were adopted by a kind soul located in Arizona. This person has a lot of land so the horses have over lovely 20 acres to play with!

Bear, a 23 year old bay gelding, can now spend out the rest of his retirement with his new forever family and we couldn’t be happier for him!

Clyde, a ~3 year old perlino gelding, came to us severely underweight and with the help of Megan Coltrane, we were able to nurse him back to health and bring his weight up! He can now spend time just enjoying life as a young horse should!

We wanted to say a big THANK YOU to everyone who helped us get Bear and Clyde ready to go to their forever home!