Meet the Herd

The original Queen.
(Mother of Summer)

Age: 27
Breed: Quarter Horse
Color: Palomino
Experience Level Required: Beginner to Intermediate
Quirks: This sassy old lady is in constant competition with her hot daughter, Summer. She loves to ride at the front of the group and does great with beginner riders, but if Summer is around, she will try to remind her who the real queen is and that's when we prefer an intermediate rider to keep her in check! Rescue Story: We found out her trainer threatened to put her down in 60 days because she had a big knot on her neck and a deformed tongue. Easy fix, we do not use a bit in her mouth and she gets a special halter. Against all odds, we have had her since she was 3 years old which means we've loved her for almost a quarter of a century now!

The slowest little snack monster!
(Beauty's Lover)

Age: 26
Breed: Paint Horse
Color: Sorrel
Experience Level Required: Beginner
Quirks: This tall hunk is nicknamed turtle for his incredible ability to go as slow as you will possibly let him, but don't let that fool you because he has one of the fastest trots of all our horses! He is a total snackivore and will eat everything in his path, so if you don't pull up on those reins, be prepared to stand in the same spot all day while he munches!
Rescue Story: We found out he was kept in a tiny stall 24/7 and was only used for breeding. He deserved so much better, so we drove all the way to Goldsboro to make that  dream come true. They wanted rid of him because he had a very bad leg injury, and we almost had to put him down! Thankfully, he fully recovered and has been with us for over 20 years by Beauty's side!

Big and round, but in shape.
(Round is a shape!)

Age: 14
Breed: Quarter Horse
Color: Bay Dun
Experience Level Required: Beginner
Quirks: This gal is our business owner's husband's personal horse! She has a terrible trot, specifically so she never spills his beer. We call her Porkchop due to her naturally thick physique! (No judgement, we swear)
Rescue Story: She came to us from a horse trader in Lyman 11 years ago. We got her when she was only 3 years old!

One of our queens, and she knows it! (Daughter of Beauty)

Age: 18
Breed: Quarter Horse
Color: Palomino
Experience Level Required: Intermediate
Quirks: This sassy diva always wants to be the top bosslady! She thoroughly enjoys her mare attitude and occassionally tries to make a scene to get her way. She has incredible endurance and loves to trot!
Rescue Story: Summer was born right here in one of our pastures, and then went to her new home. We happily accepted her back 5 years ago and will never let her go again!

Acts like a mare, probably identifies as a mare, but he's not (we checked...twice)

Age: 20
Breed: Tennessee Walker Cross
Color: Bay
Experience Level Required: Intermediate
Quirks: This fella gives us a run for our money every single day. He HATES being saddled, but as soon as you get up on him he listens to every little thing you ask of him! Unfortunately, though, he has no patience and no sense of personal space so he always tries to make his way to the front, squeezing in where anyone will let him and the ladies get annoyed and give a warning kick if he stays in their bubble for too long (which he will do, if you don't pull him back)
Rescue Story: Originally a boarder horse here at the campground, belonging to a friend of the campground owners. He needed a lot of work but the owner never had time for him so we worked out an agreement to train him and use him as a trail horse in exchange for polishing his manners. Eventually the owner could no longer afford to board him so we took over ownership of him and he's been around for 3 years already! He's also obsessed with Summer, but like any hot girl, she's totally unfazed by it and pretends not to notice him or his efforts to get closer.

An old, gentle soul.
(Has cancer)

Age: 22
Breed: Quarter Horse
Color: Sorrel and White
Experience Level Required: Beginner
Quirks: This sweet boy hasn't met a stranger in his life and he absolutely loves kids! He listens incredibly weel to the softest touch, which makes him the perfect choice for your little ones. We use him for children's riding lessons, children events, kids summer camp, and all beginner level riders for our trail rides! He won't disappoint!
Rescue Story: He came to us from right down the road! We've had him for 2 years now, and although he has cancer, we hope for many more with him! He is sweet and gentle!

A gentle giant who swears his bangs aren't just a phase! (Owned by Jeszi)

Age: 13
Breed: Clydesdale x Shire Cross
Color: Bay and White Blaze
Unavailable for customers: Green
Quirks: This distinguished gentleman has a lovely beard and mustache and he is quite the looker! Currently our biggest horse at the barn, he stands at 17+hh. He tends to make friends with any horse we add to his pasture, and he is a glutton for treats! He is very gentle and loves attention, but only if you don't have a lead rope in your hands! He was used as a carriage horse in the past (has a cropped tail) but has never been ridden so he is still considered a green horse. Although he will let us get as far as saddling him up, he is still not safe to ride (ask Jeszi about her experience getting thrown off of him, ouch!)
Rescue Story: Leo is owned by our Business and Marketing manager, Jeszi! He used to have his best friend Albert by his side, a rescued Belgian Draft also owned by Jeszi, until he passed away August 5th, 2024. Leo was rushed here from Louisiana, and was so emaciated and starved when he was rescued that they lured him onto the trailer with french fries. You could grip his entire spine, put your fingers between his ribs, and he swung his back legs out when walking because he had no thigh muscles. For the past couple of years we have focused on his health first and foremost; curing his thrush, fattening him up, and easing his fear of humans. He is now thicker than a snicker and undergoing training to become a trail horse for us once he is finally ready! Just you wait!

She definitely earned her name! 

(Owned by Joy)

Age: 16
Breed: Quarter Horse
Color: Bay
Unavailable for customers: Owner only
Quirks: Joy, one of our trail and lesson guides, is the proud owner of this spoiled mare. This pretty girl has teeth and she likes to show them! She is every bit of hot pepper sass and likes to nibble or chomp when bothered, so please do not try to pet or feed her at her stall! Joy has put an amazing amount of work into her and has learned so much about training and socializing horses with negative behavioral tendencies.
Rescue Story: Originally found abandoned in a kill pen (meaning if they do not get adopted within the limited timeline, they get slaughtered), a sweet lady got her out of there, hoping to work with her. There is no telling what Spicy had to go through before arriving to the desperate end zone of a kill pen auction, and she had the attitude to prove it. Spicy always protected herself from humans and didn't want to be handled, so the sweet rescuer ended up posting her for sale, looking for someone a bit more fearless to work with her. Joy came running to the rescue and went to meet her with confidence. She was able to handle her and even ride her during their first meeting and her rescuer was so impressed and relieved with Joy's comfortability with the challenge that she was more than happy to gift Spicy to her for free! Joy originally was on the lookout to find more rescue horses for us to use as trail horses, and that's how she found Spicy. But our business owner saw how excited she was and how well she already bonded with her in such a short amount of time that it was decided that Spicy will belong to Joy and this is Joy's first horse! She has spoiled this gal, put in hundreds of hours of work with her and has really shown what an incredible trainer she can be even when the subject is difficult and challenging. We are so proud of how far Joy and Spicy have come, and you will see them riding with their customers as if they've always been the perfect pair!

An angel in the pastures of Heaven.
(Owned by Jeszi)

Age: 34
Breed: Belgian Draft
Color: Palomino
Experience Level Required: Intermediate
Quirks: This Prince was truly the sweetest, most obedient horse you could ask for. He was always in your pocket, happy to follow you around, and obeyed every command without hesitation. Riding him felt like an ocean wave as you towered above everyone else and he was so fast he could soar past everyone. You needed to be pretty strong to steer his big head because after everything he'd been through, we refused to use a bit.
Rescue Story: Albert used to be a carriage horse in the swampy depths of Georgia, where PETA discovered he had Cushing's disease and could not sweat. If anyone has been to Georgia, you know you need to sweat to live there, let alone pulling hundreds of pounds in the heat! He had been working for the carriage service since he was a wee lad. In fact, they started him too young and the weight of his carriage pulling harness left a permanent indent where his muscles were still forming. PETA gave the company an ultimatum- put him on medicine or retire him. They wanted to get rid of him so fast that they sold him for $1 and he made his way here to North Carolina for cooler temperatures. His original rescuer did not want to pay for his medical burdens any longer and sold him to Jeszi for the same price, and he was her very first horse! He was boarded here at the campground with Leo, his best friend, who you could hear complaining from the pasture anytime Albert went out for a trail ride. On August 5th, 2024, Albert was found struggling to get back on his feet and the risk for colic was high. Throughout the day, several attempts were made to get him on his feet again while people at the campground gathered around to help and offer encouragement to him. After several hours, the vet finally arrived and confirmed he was in active heart failure and even if we were able to get him on his feet, he would merely collapse and suffer. Everyone said their goodbyes as the vet injected him, and Jeszi held his big precious head in her lap until he drifted away to his forever sleep. Albert was a giver, he always gave his love and his patience to everyone. He enjoyed other animals and it felt right to contact Possumwood Acres Wildlife Rescue to offer as much of his flesh as they could take to feed their raptors, so he could give himself to others one last time. He is now buried right behind Leo's pasture with a Weeping Willow tree planted above him in loving memory.