Posture Analysis Class by Jeannette Burrows CMT

On Saturday, May 12, Jeannette Burrows treated our Level I class to a special presentation on "posture analysis."  Jeannette took two of the horses from Redwings herd and demonstrated how she identifies trouble spots through posture analysis.  Then she shared her skills with willing volunteers to treat these horses.  Several volunteers have committed to seeing that treatments are performed on the two horses and there will be follow-up by Jeannette in the coming months to ensure that both volunteers and horses are progressing.

                         We (board, staff, volunteers and horses) are most grateful to Jeannette!

Leo: May Horse of the Month

Leo: May’s Horse of the Month


Leo’s story begins in Santa Barbara County in 2008 when Animal Services rescued him and another equine friend from a neglectful situation. Leo was fed, cared for, and had surgery to fix a fractured foot. From this, his condition was described as, “mechanical lameness with a permanent limp, but no pain”. In 2010 Leo was legally adopted out to a woman who had fostered him from the county when he first arrived. However, the caring woman fell on economic hardships within a year of owning Leo. Since Santa Barbara County knew they could not keep Leo long term and with a compromised foot, adoption was a long shot, they contacted Redwings.

In 2011, at about 8 years old, Don Leonardo, affectionately called Leo, arrived at his permanent residence at Redwings. He enjoys grazing in the afternoons, frolicking with his dear friends Pegasus and Coco, and splashing in his water trough on hot days. As his previous owner said in good humor, “he enjoys breaking water pipes and sticks his face in the fountain of water. He’s like Houdini with his lips and can open gates. It’s my only complaint, if I had to call it that”. Redwings’ staff can attest that Leo frequently smacks his lips and splashes his water, but fortunately he has not performed any Houdini acts on the ranch.

For such a young man, with a fickle beginning, Leo has maintained good humor, good looks, and cherishes his good friends. As humans, we hope to take lesson from Leo and his humble adventures: despite all trials and tribulations- have fun, win friends, and influence others.

Thank you, Leo.

Easter Egg Hunt - Saturday April 7

Come to the Lockwood Ranch of Redwings on Saturday, April 7 at 10 am for a free pancake brunch. At Noon - there will be an EASTER EGG HUNT and then at 1 pm there will be a short presentation about welcoming a new pet (or horse!) into your family.

Hope we'll see you!

47240 Lockwood-Jolon Rd.
Lockwood, CA 93932
(831) 386-0135 for questions/directions

April Horse of the Month - HF Skip Badlands "Boomer"

Boomer was born April 10, 1985 on a large breeding farm in Nebraska. Boomer spent nine years of his life as a working member of the ranch staff, teaching children to ride, checking fence lines and exercising young show horses. But even with his good nature and excellent bloodlines, when it came time to reduce the herd size, Boomer was chosen to go to auction. Luckily he was purchased by a broker who sent him to California where he fell into the hands of a Redwings member.

Boomer now lives at the Lockwood Ranch of Redwings Horse Sanctuary. Here his calmness and excellent training make him a great horse for our new volunteers. He is patient as they learn to groom, lead, work on feet - all the basics that every responsible horse person should know.

We are grateful to Boomer for his patience and we are extremely happy to be able to provide him a loving home for the rest of his life. Happy Birthday Boomer!!

March Horse of the Month

Apollo & friend Champ

March is a pivotal month known for the transitional time where winter ends and spring begins. It is traditionally believed that the first few days of March are stormy and volatile, while the month ends mild and warm, hence the saying, “comes in like a lion, and goes out like a lamb”. Redwings’ black, Andalusian-Arab Gelding, Apollo, has had a similar, unpredictable life before coming to happily live in the sunshine and safety of our sanctuary.
Apollo’s life began in 2003 where he was found at about 6 months old by Animal Control to be severely malnourished, weak, and unable to walk. It was recommended by a vet to put him down. Fortunately, Animal Control went against advice and began feeding him milk cow pellets and hay. He improved, gained weight and strength, but his legs and confirmation suffered from initial lack of nutrition, resulting in him unable to ever be ridden. However, thanks to the devotion, empathy, and affection of true animal lovers, he was taken in by a woman who wanted to give him a forever home of peace and love. He lived a beautiful life with her for 7 years until she became ill and could not care for him any longer. She contacted us asking for assistance, and luckily, we were able to provide Apollo with a forever home.
You can frequently find Apollo frolicking and galloping with his friends Champ and the ponies in the front pasture. They put on quite a show during the afternoons, giving the staff and visitors quite a laugh. He is an excellent example of what the tenacity of animal lovers can provide for those that had a daunting beginning.

Education - our mission!

Over the past month and a half, Redwings has had the pleasure of carrying our message to six classes of second graders at a local school. We are always excited to tell the stories of our equine residents and share with listeners what it takes to be a good and responsible owner.

The six classes were all tremendous groups of active participants with lots of questions. Our hope is that as these children become adults, they will remember that kindness and responsibility is key in being a good owner. We hope they will apply these same qualities in dealing with all creatures on this earth as they become mature citizens.

Introducing our newest residents

Meet Dirty Red (left) and Max (right), the newest members of the Redwings family. As retired Border Patrol horses, their walk down from quarantine to join the herd was what you would expect - dignified, orderly and disciplined - no foolishness from these veterans!

Dirty Red and Max are 14 and 15 years old. They came to us because upon retirement (they could no longer handle the long days of hard climbing in the mountains of Tucson,) the U.S. Government needed to place this "equipment" somewhere. The Border Patrol riders felt strongly they wanted and needed to find the "right" places for their faithful mounts and because our experience suggested they'd have trouble finding homes for the horses with health issues - they chose Dirty Red and Max for us to consider. Both horses have problems that were developed in the line of duty. It is our honor to give these retired veterans the safe forever home they deserve.