Second Chance Ranch

Home
Second Chance Ranch

Second Chance Ranch is an equine rescue, rehabilitation, training, and rehoming program.

10/07/2025

“The means we use must be as pure as the ends we seek.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr. ❤️

I’ll never forget this horse. Margaret. She came to Second Chance Ranch in 2023 for extreme aggressive behavior that was putting the safety of her handlers at risk.

She’d been severely mistreated, being confined to a 12x12 stall that was never cleaned. Living in her own filth, with humans who resorted to physical abuse before giving up on her entirely. Thankfully, some former connections of mine found her in this condition (at a preeminent breeder of Arabian horses, no less), brought her home, and eventually sent her to us for a second chance.

Margaret had taken on so much insecurity and fear from years of maltreatment that expressed itself as aggression. I try to remind myself daily that anger is fear turned sideways. This was absolutely the case with Margaret — can you blame her? Margaret made a 180 in the several months that we had her, and turned into an absolutely stellar partner on trail. Thanks to: diligent training, compassionate care, and quiet leadership.

“The means we use must be as pure as the ends we seek.” This MLK quote sums up everything for me in relation to horses. If you want an equine partner that will ride through fire for you, you damn well better be willing to do the same for them. If you don’t have the answers, ask for help from someone who does. Put the horse’s needs before your own. Rule out any potential physical problems that could be negatively impacting your horse’s emotional state.

Horses have stood by our species for thousands of years. I am sick and tired of the “beasts of burden” narrative — though the days of pulling carriages and plowing fields may be largely behind them, these magnificent animals are still viewed as beasts of burden in relation to human pleasure. And when the horse can’t perform because their needs aren’t being met, we are so ready to discard them and move onto the next “thing.”

Horses have served us for so long. I think we need to shift the narrative and ask, “how can I serve you?”

And in this service to the purest creature there is, we are healed. These animals are still here to make us better.

06/07/2025

Hands down, one of the happiest moments for me with our Mustangs is watching them enjoy the beauty of life as nature intended… with other horses.

I turned Calliope out with my 🌶️ Little Chief yesterday, and watching her get to be a horse again after everything she’s been through this past year is already the highlight of my month. Chief tried to show off, stomping his little feet like a big, studly stallion… but Calliope saw right through it 😂 This morning, they are nuzzling each other and munching on breakfast side-by-side.

Shortly after Independence Day, it’s important to reflect on an enormous injustice in our country [sorry, I know there are 1,000+ other things we all need to be worried about right now 😬🤦🏼‍♀️] — the plight of the American Mustang. Let me say, I don’t believe that anything expresses the spirit of the West like the Mustang, no matter what lens you view our country through. I can’t imagine a more perfect metaphor for the American spirit than the wild horses who have called it home since long before our country’s inception.

These horses are rounded up and confined to overcrowded government holding pens. Herds are being completely removed from the wild in the interest of cattle grazing permits on public land. Though this land is ours, and these horses are ours, goverment lobbyists and big agriculture have decided otherwise. The animals are considered a “nuisance,” standing in the way of the all-powerful dollar. How many of us humans are considered irrelevant by those in power? When will we see our freedom taken away? 🤔

Calliope and Pip are two of the lucky ones, rounded up at the age of 3 when they were still young enough to forge a different path. Many of these horses have spent 20-30 years in the wild, only to spend their last remaining years separated from their families and under a constant barrage of stress/fear.

End of rant.

Hence why, getting to reintroduce a Mustang to a small semblance of freedom in a domestic setting is so fulfilling. I wish I could do more, but it’s something. I want every horse that comes through these gates to experience the joy of life, free from fear, with autonomy and connection.

The pursuit of happiness, if you will. 🇺🇸

This chapter of Calliope’s life is just beginning, but I see the flicker of happiness in her eye which tells me that we are headed in the right direction. ❤️

02/07/2025

Maybe some of us devote ourselves to animals because, deep down, we're trying to heal the parts of ourselves that were once left unwanted, unloved, or alone. Maybe we show up for them because no one showed up for us when we needed it most.

Maybe some of us do this because we spent years trying to save people — people who didn't want help, who couldn't be saved, or who broke us in the process. And in animals, we found trust and love that never asked us to be anything but present.

Maybe we save them because they can't speak, but they feel everything. Because they don't pretend or manipulate. Because they just want safety, kindness, and a place to belong — just like we did.

Or maybe, we devote ourselves to them simply because they matter. Because their lives are precious and worth protecting. And they deserve to know that someone cares.

Calliope 💙

18/06/2025

Excited to share that has our next subject lined up, to be coming to the farm this upcoming Fall once we have a spot for him 😍❤️

Everyone, meet “Oakley.” This beautiful guy is a 15.3h (and growing 😬) 3-year-old draft cross. Oakley is currently living with some wonderful humans who live locally that initially picked him up at the Stroud, Oklahoma auction in the hopes of giving him a second chance. These folks definitely did this boy an amazing service by taking him out of that environment and offering him safety.

Oakley hasn’t made the progress his rescuers were hoping for in the year that they’ve had him, having been completely unhandled when they brought him home and riddled with lots of fear. I met this guy a few weeks ago, and it was hard to tell whether his caution is a result of trauma or simply lack of knowing. He presents like most Mustangs I’ve known, so I’m leaning towards the latter. We’ll figure it out once he comes on over!

I am finding more and more that Second Chance Ranch is turning into a community endeavor — I only learned about Oakley through a sweet mutual connection here on Facebook. I hate social media, I really do, but I have to admit that its powers for good are undeniable. Thankful that horses keep bringing good people into my life and re-instilling a small amount of my faith in our species.

Can’t wait to bring Oakley in and be a part of his progress. His glow-up is going to be epic… just wait until his shoulders come in, those hooves are trimmed, and his coat is covered in dapples! Hope and dream is that he’ll be available for adoption towards the end of 2026 ❤️

I will update once the 🦅 has 🛬 sometime this September or October. Stay tuned!

13/06/2025

Had some beautiful horse ladies help me with the kids this morning 😍 And a wonderful time was had by all.

05/06/2025

Pip’s first day wearing a backpack 🎒 (aka saddle 😂).

I hate the way this rig sits on her, so we won’t be putting the first ride(s) on with this one. That said, I think the 30 lb/noisy/floppy sack o’ leather is a great training tool to see where Pip is at with her sensory experience 🤷🏼‍♀️ Luckily, I’ve got a few endurance saddles, a dressage saddle, and my jumping getup to try on Pippin — we’ll just have to see what fits her best and take it from there! Work with what you have, so they say.

Can’t say enough good things about this wonderful Piceance Mustang pony. She is proving to be a naturally curious, wickedly smart, incredibly sweet soul with a heart of gold.

Super stoked for the human family that is waiting for her 🥹 I truly believe that *most* horses have the capacity to be amazing at something involving humans, but I also really think that Pip is going to be the PERFECT fit for the folks we have lined up for her.

This is such an exciting time ❤️

31/05/2025

Queen Calliope had her first spa treatment today 🧖 No more dreadlocks for this beautiful girl.

It took us over an hour and most of a bottle of detangler, but we got the job done 😅 I probably had to cut out about 5 lbs of dreads from Callie’s mane 🤦🏼‍♀️ 5 years of life wrapped up in tangled up knots.

Calliope figured out the spray bottle and the mane brush very quickly and had a ton of big releases, letting out loads of stress that she’s been holding onto. By the end of our session she was one relaxed, content girl, despite the fact that a thunderstorm was rolling in. Mustangs are the coolest.

Someone is going to break my heart when they take this girl home. Our journey together has already been 1,000x worth it.

Now on to getting that beautiful tail clean… might have to wait until Callie’s down for some water and shampoo for that one 😜

Address

Telephone

+16318975318

Website

http://www.secondchanceranch.co/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Second Chance Ranch posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Second Chance Ranch:

Shortcuts

Address
Telephone
Alerts
Contact The Business
Claim ownership or report listing
Want your business to be the top-listed Pet Store/pet Service?

Country:

City: