Equine Spirit Sanctuary
A Sanctuary for horses and people who care about horses
(575) 758-1212
Chico Amigo, ESS program horse
Klassy Kat, our superstar therapeutic riding and equine-assisted therapy horse, program horse and ESS unicorn!
Grace and Joy
BB, mini program horse.
Jazzy, a small spotted donkey that loves attention!
Joy and her mama Grace, in training now. They are available for adoption, only to a very special forever home.
Cisco, DOB 2014. Came to ESS badly injured, in rehab and training.
Hope.
Baylee and his mama Soxy Lady. In training to be program horses.
Rosie and BB, mini program horses.
Laureate, our gentle giant. 17.2 hands. Retired at ESS, program horse.
Scribbles, an ESS rescue and success story, with his forever owner Launi.
Star, ESS rescue success! Badly injured stallion, now healed, trained, and adopted out to a permanent home.
Lit'l Black Majik, our baby! DOB July 2016. Adopted out in 2019.
Lit'l Black Majik, summer 2017.
Sally, miniature horse. She is great with the kids and was a program horse. She was adopted out to a new home in 2019 where she is now an equine-assisted therapy mini horse.
Betty White and Alan, retired seniors at ESS. Both have since passed on.
Betty White's first Christmas at ESS.
Since ESS began in 2005, over 80 horses, donkeys, miniature horses and a pony have found a place of safety at ESS.
For some it was their final home, others were adopted out to new homes, and some remain at ESS as program horses or are retired.
Click on the photos above for full photos and information about these horses.
Meet the Equines
ESS is home to equines of all ages, types, sizes, breeds. Most of our beautiful herd were either rescues or unwanted horses. Some come from a background of neglect, starvation, abuse or injury, while others were surrendered to ESS because their owners were unable to provide for them.
When new equines arrive at ESS, they are assessed by our veterinarian and given the care that they need. This may include veterinary treatment, special diets, training, or simply a lot of TLC.
Volunteers assist with the care of the horses while in the rehab process and when the horses are ready, they are incorporated into our programs for people. Some become therapy animals, some may be therapeutic riding horses, and some never need to do anything other than to heal and enjoy a quality life with companionship and kindness at Equine Spirit Sanctuary.
We adopt our equines out to new homes when it is in the best interest of the equine. For more info, click here for our Adoption Policies. As part of the adoption guidelines, anyone interested in adopting is asked to sponsor the equine for a minimum of two months and, during that time period, to spend as much time as possible working with the equine and getting to know him/her. The reason for this is so that potential adopters understand the costs associated with basic care and to ensure that it is a good match for both horse and person.
We are always striving to help horses in need and to make a difference. We invite you to learn more and join us in lending your support. Sponsors are always appreciated. Sponsors would have first opportunity to adopt one of the ESS equines if/when they are available for adoption (but adopting is NOT expected if you sponsor an equine!). Click on a box below for photos of the horses!
Purebred Arabian mare. She is classically beautiful, super sensitive and loving, a real people's horse. Basquine was a brood mare in her former life, as a surrogate mom to many lucky foals.
Lady is a Missouri Foxtrotter mare, one of our therapeutic and equine-assisted therapy program team members. She is patient, gentle and responsive and does well with persons of all ages and abilities.
Gypsy came to ESS a long time ago, when she was in her early teens. She wasn't broke to ride and had a lot of fear issues. She's come a long ways since then. Last summer she made her debut in our Horses Helping Kids riding program.
Scout is a big, super sweet natured paint horse gelding that came to ESS in very poor condition. He was starving and had apparently suffered a broken front leg sometime in his young life. He regained the weight he needed, and despite not being able to help his leg heal more, he enjoys a wonderful life at ESS.
Foxy is an Arabian gelding, in rehab for Cushings-related health conditions. Due to Foxy's complicated health problems, which include dental and hoof issues, he is a permanent resident at ESS.
Laureate is a 17.3 hand Hanovarian gelding. He is a big, gentle giant of a horse! Mostly retired now, Lars stills enjoys the occasional EAAT session and a light ride, showing off what a wonderful horse he is.
Midnite came to ESS in 2016 with her 2-day old baby, Lit'l Black. Lit'l Black was adopted out last summer. Midnite is a gentle, older mare that was ridden when she was younger. She has been a great addition to our program horses for unmounted work, and as her retraining continues, we hope that she may be a lead line horse for kids someday soon also.
Baylee was the first horse born to an ESS rescued mare. He is like a big, lovable pup. Baylee is in training for our kids' programs.
Chico Amigo is a mustang / Arabian cross gelding. He has worked as a therapeutic riding horse and in our EAAT unmounted programs.
Reina is Honey's mom. She is an Appaloosa mare in her late teens. She is a gentle horse with a nice temperament. She hasn't had much handling for a while, but was a riding horse in her younger years. We are working towards getting her going again under saddle.
Poncho is an older Peruvian Paso gelding who came to ESS in 2020. He is a valuable addition to our team of program horses for both riding and unmounted work. His Paso gait is awesome!
Lucky is also a Missouri Foxtrotter, daughter of Lady. She is in training to be a riding horse. She's sweet, sensitive, and enjoys all the attention she can get!
Hava is a mixed breed pony who is a team member for our kids' programs. She is a little princess pony!
BB (spotted mini), Bindy (mini donkey) (the best donkey ever), and Rosie (a blue-eyed mini mare) are three of our most loved and appreciated program equines for kids of all ages.
Jazzy is an older, small standard-sized donkey that thrives on attention. If you want a donkey to brush and cuddle, Jazzy's the one!
Grace (the gray jenny) and her daughter Joy are standard sized donkeys. They are currently in training to compete in a pack donkey race, a new, growing sport in NM. It looks like a lot of fun. We hope they will agree!
Marley is Bindy's best friend. He is part of our mini herd of equine helpers! He accompanies Bindy on outings, like the fundraiser at Barbara Meikle's gallery in Santa Fe every June. Marley is just plain cute!
Mariah came to ESS with a history of extreme abuse. She never learned to trust people much, but she wants to. At ESS she has a wonderful horse family and is safe. She is allowed to have a stress-free life now and maybe someday she will be ready for more people time.
Honey is working up to her name. She came to ESS with a serious distrust of people and tendency towards being an attack horse when people came too close. Someday, with careful training and gentle, respectful handling, Honey will learn how wonderful interacting with humans can be.
Red and Cisco are two geldings that both suffered a lot of trauma when they were very young. Now they have grown up to be big, healthy, strong boys but they both still have some fears and issues with people. They are best buds and have a great life at ESS. We have faith that with enough expert, patient, kind care and training that someday they will overcome their fears and insecurities and become safe horses to be around. In the meantime, we enjoy them for what they offer us, on their terms!
