OUR HORSES
Healing mentally, emotionally, and physically
The horses shown below are members of the Project ComeBack rescue herd. Each horse has a unique story to share as we help them through their healing process.
Milo
2010 Mustang Gelding
Milo is an owner surrender and, like so many other mustangs, was so misunderstood by the horse world. A once feral horse running free in Nevada, he found himself in many different confining spaces that are normal for domestic horses to live in. Feeling trapped and frustrated he resorted to acting out, which got him labeled as dangerous, one woman even told his owner he belonged “at the bottom of a hole”.
Milo’s story didn’t start like this, his owner adopted him from the BLM and let him live outside and free with another mustang. He was so happy. But after falling on hard times and trying everything she could to keep him, her only options seemed to be traditional horse keeping with confining spaces and stalls. She knew Milo was so unhappy and that he was only acting out as a result of his living situation.
After hearing Milo’s story and all his mom had been through to find him the right home, we knew he would fit in with our herd. His rehab includes freedom, wide open spaces to run with his friends, and no confinement.
His first mom is so happy to say that Milo is back to the horse he used to be!
Milo is partially sponsored by Carolyn (CC) King for her sister, Cyndy King.
Nemi
2016 Mustang Gelding
Nemi was rescued from Stroud, a kill lot in Oklahoma, with Altivo in August of 2020. Nemi was completely wild, he had no handling or contact with humans except for a few traumatic experiences like being gelded, branded, and left in a kill lot. He came to the farm with an old halter on, we don't know how he got it or the trauma surrounding that form of capture for him. It took about 6 months, incredible patience and understanding to finally remove it. His gentling process will be slow and patient, we are very grateful to have a horse so close to his wild instincts to learn from and heal with.
Nemi is partially sponsored by Stephanie Ault, Shobha Sudhir, Goutam Sudhir and Susan Davidson.
Nemi's rescue was sponsored by Carrie Langhauser.
Brother
2014 Quarter Horse Gelding
Brother was rescued from a kill lot in Kemp, Texas. When we found him he was very sick battling a highly contagious respiratory infection called strangles. After many months in quarantine fighting for his life, Brother was healthy enough to travel. Upon arrival at the farm it was clear that he is suffering from a painful disease of the ligaments called DSLD, which is short for Degenerative Suspensory Ligament Desmitis.
After getting to know Brother more we also realized he was dealing with another condition called Sabulous Cystitis. This means he has a build up of calcium carbonate crystals in his bladder. The result of this condition is trouble urinating properly, not knowing when his bladder is full, and scalding on his hind legs from the urine dribble.
There is no cure for either of these diseases. It is clear to us that Brother was used up until his body could not give anymore, and then left for dead at a slaughter holding facility waiting for his final destination in Mexico. It is sad to us that people are allowed to treat animals this way, and we are the ones to pick up the pieces. To show them unconditional love regardless of what they can give us in return. To spend thousands of dollars on vet bills, treatments, medicine, and specialized supplements to give Brother the best quality of life we can. But he deserves it. So we will do it. But we can't do it without your help. Please consider being one of Brother's monthly heroes, he needs you...and so do we.
Brother is partially sponsored by Madeline Bondy, Maria Mair-Stanley, Darlene Vittori-Marsell, Jackie Ross and Virginia Ryan for Cheryl Lemieux in honor of Buckwheat.
Matilda
2011 Miniature Horse Mare
Matilda, Tilly for short, was by far our most spontaneous rescue. We were contacted by one of our local hay suppliers after he picked her up from a man who said "get rid of her, either find her a home or bring her to slaughter I don't care just get rid of her!" We aren't sure what this sweet girl did to deserve such a horrible sentence, but we are certainly glad she ended up with us. Tilly loves attention of all kinds, she is quite the diva...and being that cute, we can't really blame her!
Matilda is partially sponsored by Rebecca Lockhart and Anna Nolan in memory of Brian and Jo Hammer, who were both Navy Veterans.
Matilda's rescue was sponsored by the Nolan family.
Brego
2010 Donkey Gelding/John
Brego, formerly called tag #9811, was part of our rescue effort to save the last 14 mustangs in a group of 31 mustangs that all ended up at a kill lot in Oklahoma. He is completely unhandled, has been wild his whole life, and in his mid teens. All of this means his chances of being rescued from the kill lot were less than favorable.
Brego was living wild in the Bullfrog Herd Management Area, located in the Mojave Desert of Nevada. He lost his freedom on September 29th, 2019 during the Bullfrog HMA gather when he was 9 years old. By February of 2023 he found himself trapped again, but this time he was inside of a kill pen.
We found pictures from that day, we can't imagine the fear and sadness these animals felt being captured and taken from their home.
Brego's rescue was sponsored by Cresco Labs, and we are so grateful for their support and help with saving this life.
Brego is partially sponsored by Darlene Vittori-Marsell and Virginia Ryan in honor of & for Catherine WoodBrooks.
Shadowfax
2009 Donkey Mare/Jenny
Formerly known as tag #9810, Shadowfax was part of our rescue effort to save the last 14 mustangs in a group of 31 mustangs that all ended up at a kill lot in Oklahoma. She is completely unhandled, has been wild her whole life, through her mid teens. All of this means her chances of being rescued from the kill lot were not good.
Shadowfax was once living wild in the Bullfrog Herd Management Area located in the Mojave Desert in Nevada. She lost her freedom on September 23rd, 2019 during the Bullfrog HMA gather when she was 10 years old. By February of 2023 she found herself trapped again, but this time she inside of a kill pen.
We found pictures from that day, and we were able to identify her by the unique white covering most of her face, it is a distinguishing feature not seen in any of the other captured burrows. She is also a much lighter gray than the others. We see her standing proud with her baby by her side. We can't imagine the pain when they were split apart.
Shadowfax is partially sponsored by Christine Paige and Virginia Ryan for Cheryl Lemieux in honor of Buckwheat.
Rain
2007 Grade Quarter Horse Mare
Rain was rescued from an kill lot by our Oklahoma quarantine partners, Safe Keep Place. SKP is veteran owned and operated rescue facility that provides a safe space for horses making their freedom rides out of kill pens and to their new homes. This "middle man" is required to ensure that any sick horses heal before travel. The owner of SKP reached out to us about this sweet girl and thanks to a generous sponsor we were able to adopt her and give her a forever home at Project ComeBack.
Rain participates in Project ComeBack veteran programing, as well as Hippotherapy at the farm. She is a very special girl with two very special jobs!
Rain is partially sponsored by Sarah Miller, Christine Donovan, Suzanne Shaps, Madeline Bondy,and Darlene Vittori-Marsell in memory of Maria Salomao Schmidt.
Rain's rescue was sponsored by Beth Sherman.
Clifford
2021 Quarter Horse Gelding
Clifford was bred to have a specific job as a show horse. Unfortunately he has a stifle injury which makes him "worthless" in the horse show world, specifically equitation. This injury is minor, but rules out strenuous training and riding. He could potentially be ridden lightly at a later date, and if he seems to enjoy being ridden he is a great candidate for our Hippo therapy/Therapeutic riding program. For now he needs to understand humans and have compassionate handling with clear communication and a ton of consistency. He was weaned at the "normal" domestic time (3-6 months) which means he also needs more socializing with other horses.
Clifford is partially sponsored by Martha Barbone.
Christmas
2013 Donkey Gelding/John
Christmas is picky about who he trusts so building trust is selective and slow at times. He does not trust just anyone so this is a key point if someone "chooses" him but he doesn't choose them back. He doesn't get aggressive, but he won't let them close, either. He typically doesn't care for brushes, but does like getting scratched, but only in certain areas (neck, chest, butt).
He needs help with having his feet picked up by different people and allowing people to handle his legs (for wound care - he's had problems with biting flies in the past). He also needs help accepting needles - he had a bad experience with a veterinarian in the past as well. Christmas would make a GREAT companion for trail walks! This would also involve building communication and signals between himself and a person.
Christmas is part of a research herd associated with Equine International as part of an ongoing collaborative effort to facilitate research in the field of equine therapy. This herd's behaviors and responses to humans have been part of longitudinal research studies in equine wellbeing/welfare and equine-human interactions that will play a significant role in the research collaborations with Project ComeBack and serve as controls and comparisons for the dedicated PCB herd (which will create more robust findings for this work).
Christmas is fully sponsored by Equine International.
Henry
2008 Quarter Horse Gelding
For various reasons Henry was never started under saddle. With no formal training at his age he is also seen as "worthless" in the horse world. Horses like Henry with these labels often end up in bad places. We are adamant that horses can still have a purpose and fulfilling life, even if riding is not a part of that.
When we rescued Henry he had a few small patches of missing hair above his eyes. These quickly developed into bumps, then huge lumps all over his face. After many scans and vet visits we determined Henry had an infection in his face that had gone to his bones. He needed a life saving surgery asap, which we fundraised for and were lucky enough to be able to provide him.
Because of the incredible veterinarians at Tufts University Henry's infection is gone and he has a long and healthy life ahead of him!
Henry is partially sponsored by Rebecca Dunk and Leslie McCaffrey
Tucker
2008 Dales Pony Gelding
Tucker was very lucky to be trained initially with methods and concepts that he had a say in everything. Consensual learning for the horse is a very rare thing to see in training methods. He was great up until a few years ago when he had to be rehomed and was subject to more "traditional" training. We don't know what exactly happened, but he no longer likes people the way he used to. Tucker needs help developing more trust, especially in any kind of handling and footwork, and rebuilding his faith in people.
Tucker is part of a research herd associated with Equine International as part of an ongoing collaborative effort to facilitate research in the field of equine therapy. This herd's behaviors and responses to humans have been part of longitudinal research studies in equine wellbeing/welfare and equine-human interactions that will play a significant role in the research collaborations with Project ComeBack and serve as controls and comparisons for the dedicated PCB herd (which will create more robust findings for this work).
Tucker is fully sponsored by Equine International.
Orin
2004 Shire/Thoroughbred Gelding
Orin was originally bred to be a fox hunting horse. He went through both traditional and natural horsemanship training and learned how to present a wide range of behaviors in order to get people to stop using "pressure". He will tense up and rest his leg, lower his head, turn towards people, etc all while being very tense and eager to leave at the first opportunity. He is very wary of people and doesn't necessarily like to be touched. It takes him a lot of time to trust people and he is very olfactory oriented. He has shown a lot of interest in obstacles and problem-solving enrichment in the past and really seemed to enjoy mutual engagement opportunities instead of training. He needs to learn that he can trust people and find enjoyment with humans without being coerced, manipulated, or otherwise told what to do.
Orin is part of a research herd associated with Equine International as part of an ongoing collaborative effort to facilitate research in the field of equine therapy. This herd's behaviors and responses to humans have been part of longitudinal research studies in equine wellbeing/welfare and equine-human interactions that will play a significant role in the research collaborations with Project ComeBack and serve as controls and comparisons for the dedicated PCB herd (which will create more robust findings for this work).
Orin is fully sponsored by Equine International.
Hannah
2006 Shire/Thoroughbred Mare
Hannah is wonderful under saddle and a good candidate for potential therapeutic riding provided the people listen to when she provides feedback or doesn't want to engage. She has been trained in traditional and natural horsemanship and is one of the smartest horses we've ever met. She has always enjoyed learning, whether through training or joint enrichment, or problem solving. Similar to Rain, Hannah would enjoy being a part of a structured activity where she needed to think. She also has issues with needles (as a result of poor handling by vets) so getting her used to people and strange objects near her will also be helpful in her healing process.
Hannah is part of a research herd associated with Equine International as part of an ongoing collaborative effort to facilitate research in the field of equine therapy. This herd's behaviors and responses to humans have been part of longitudinal research studies in equine wellbeing/welfare and equine-human interactions that will play a significant role in the research collaborations with Project ComeBack and serve as controls and comparisons for the dedicated PCB herd (which will create more robust findings for this work).
Hannah is fully sponsored by Equine International.
Drummer
2013 Norwegian Fjord Gelding
Drummer and Christmas have been good friends since they were about 4 months old. They have great communication and can be a good representation of interspecies communication (even though donkeys and horses are similar in many ways). He is a good candidate for going through a more horse-led approach to saddling and determining consent based around if or how he would like to be ridden. He's expressive and will mutually groom people and likes to put things in his mouth.
Drummer is part of a research herd associated with Equine International as part of an ongoing collaborative effort to facilitate research in the field of equine therapy. This herd's behaviors and responses to humans have been part of longitudinal research studies in equine wellbeing/welfare and equine-human interactions that will play a significant role in the research collaborations with Project ComeBack and serve as controls and comparisons for the dedicated PCB herd (which will create more robust findings for this work).
Drummer is fully sponsored by Equine International.