Kataluna Horse Rescue

09/06/2025

I know this isn’t the most glamorous photo ever, but I wanted to share something today with you all on a very big day, that I thought was just so truly special for so many reasons🥺

Yesterday I introduced one of the newest herd members here at Kataluna, our big friendly giant Rainier, and why we chose that name for him. Well, for those of you who don’t know, today is the day of our biggest fundraising event of the year. It’s our silent auction fundraiser called “An Evening Under the Luna” inspired by the mare who started it all and the reason why we are all here today, my sweet girl Luna. This is only our second year hosting this event but last year was such a huge success we knew this was something to continue in the cards for the future, to help continue to do more good, and to raise awareness for the reality of the horse industry❤️‍🩹

Almost one year ago after our first fundraiser, we were already planning for year two, and for this second year we decided to make the theme “black and white” and created this photo of Luna in the full moon, looking over the nighttime glow of Mount Rainier.

Exactly one year later, on the eve of this event, never did I think we would have this horse in our home at the exact same time. I took this photo last night of an almost full moon, looking over the glow of OUR Rainier🥺😭❤️

How special is that?! I just knew in my heart it was our herd looking over us and cheering us on, ready to help guide us as we go into a whole new year of giving horses a second chance. I can’t wait for this evening and to share it all with you❤️

09/05/2025

Our biggest of our gentle giants, Rainier❤️

Over the next few posts I will be introducing our most recent group of rescues. We started off with Emet who has now crossed the rainbow bridge, so now I’d like to introduce you to the reason why our drafties are here and made it home safe❤️ Rainier is a Percheron gelding who stands over 19hh tall (the largest horse we’ve ever had here at Kataluna).

Mount Rainier is one of the largest mountains in Washington State where our home farm is. Since he’s a WA boy now and forever, and we’re about to climb some serious mountains together, we thought Rainier was fitting for him. The name also comes from German heritage meaning “wise warrior” which is exactly who he is sharing to be. He was bought by a kill buyer at a sale and transported to a feedlot in Texas where he was brought to my attention. He had neglected feet and was severely underweight (literally needing to gain a good 500lbs). Something about his face and the expression in his eyes stood out so deeply in my soul. It’s the same expression that has brought in so many of our horses here over the years. I made the decision to try and fundraise for him, and then I saw two other drafts were there with him (Bo and Callisto, who so fondly resembled Aurora and Luna). All three came home to Kataluna, but it all started with him.

As soon as we met him, we were immediately captivated, not necessarily by his size, but his big ole heart. For being so massive, he is so kind, so gentle, and so aware. All he wanted was love.

Pretty quickly we began to notice some other things that needed some serious medical help. He has a massive piece of his hind hoof missing, and he had some concerning wheezing with a slightly bloody nose in his left nostril. The breathing restriction seemed to only be on one side, and would get worse/bleed more when he would put his head down (say to graze or rest), which grew concern there might be something more going on in his sinus. Upon vet evaluation and x rays, our worries were confirmed and he has what we believe is a massive tumor in his left sinus area. Either a tumor or possible major abscess but that being less likely.

We’ve started him on some medication to see if we notice any positive difference moving forward, but due to the location of the mass, surgery is not really an option and finding a solution is still in the works. As of right now it’s not something that is overly life threatening. He won’t be running any races or packing through the mountains ever but we knew he would most likely end up being a glorified pasture pal anyway. We just feel so grateful to have Rainier here to help him on his healing journey. The fact that he has been through all that he has, and is still as genuine and loving as he is, just makes my heart ache, because he deserved so much more than what he was given. But we’ve got him now❤️

09/03/2025

He’s with our heavenly herd now❤️‍🩹
His body was so ready. He let go so fast. It honestly felt like a wave of peace seeing him so still. Angus, his buddy who was still in his paddock, was so calm during the whole process, until we all finally walked away from his body. Angus then started pacing & calling loudly as if he was alerting us his friend was missing. I brought him over to see Emet, let him sniff him and know he is okay now. It is so so important for them to say their goodbyes too. Immediately Angus’s angst turned to quiet. I left him loose as I started arranging Emet’s flowers, which is how we memorialize and honor all our horses who pass on with us, so Angus could have some time with him too. He could have walked anywhere but rather he stood over his friend for about five minutes straight, so still, until he was ready, and he calmly walked himself right back to his paddock. That’s all he wanted was to say goodbye.

People keep saying “I’m so sorry for your loss”, but the way I think about it is not in the form of loss. Rather, gain. Emet gained his wings, he is no longer hurting, no longer suffering. No longer known as a number, ever again. When a horse is taken to an auction, they are stripped of everything they’ve known. Their home, their herd, and even their name, in most cases.

When Emet came home, we found out he was one of those horses who never even had that opportunity in the first place. He was branded with the number “293” to fit into his job. On his certification paperwork for the sale, under “breed, registration, size, name”… His name was written as 293.

So not only was he brought to a sale in crippling conditions, reduced to a number in the sea of hundreds, but he’s been a number before. He was known as his number. It couldn’t help but make me wonder if he’d even, ever been given a name before. But we brought him home and got rid of that first number, we gave him a name, Emet. Emet is Hebrew for “faithful”. Old faithful as he was. And now, he is home for good, finally rid of that last number. Forever. Rest in peace sweet boy, you are home now.

09/02/2025

I told you all last week that I was going to go through and introduce all of our most recent rescues, so I want to start us with a very special old man. This is Emet. And this is Emet’s last day on this earth.

Yes you read that correctly. This sweet old senior gelding is going to be joining our heavenly herd today. This is not an easy topic that people like to discuss, but I think it’s one that needs to be brought to light, for Emet’s sake, and every horse who’s ever been in Emet’s shoes.

Emet is a mid twenties gelding who we learned came from a well populated “guided trail riding horse company” that we met at last month’s horse auction. When Emet entered the ring, we all knew what this outcome was likely going to be. He was underweight, shoed on all fours, stumbled in on his own front feet, and basically just hobbled in circles. We didn’t know if he was neurological or something was broken but we knew it wasn’t good. Not a hand went up when he came into the ring, not a single hand but ours. Despite what we thought the outcome would be, he deserved better. He worked his whole life, branded and claimed by several people when he could work, but in the end, when he needed people most, not a soul stood up for him. Instead he was brought to a sale, marked with another number glued onto his body (let alone the numbers already branded on his body), and sold with money in their pocket.

Think about that, you go on vacation, you pay to have a adventurous horse back riding experience, you think “what a good horse” after he carries you so carefully through woods, canyons, valleys, etc. it makes for such a memorable moment of your life. I remember the name of the first horse I ever rode on a guided trail ride. I was four years old and his name was Dinky. Did I ever think Dinky would end up dumped at a sale, hardly able to walk and stand, at the end of his life after making so many of those memories for so many people, now alone? No… so to think here we are now, with “horse number 293” who now has a name, has a home, and has a whole family ready to wish him well. You bet I’d do it again in a heart beat.

When we brought Emet home and he was evaluated by our vet, after a few basics tests we very quickly realized Emet is riddled with arthritis, his body is so painful and he has hardly any control over his movements, we knew the kindest thing was to give him a few good days of love, grooming and endless meals, then help him on his way.

I know euthanasia is a scary word. But in all my experience in running this rescue, it’s not a bad word. If anything, it’s a way we can help these horses to be free of their pain once and for all. To help them run and play again like they were young, to never have to worry about missing another meal or knowing what it’s like to be home. Please do the right thing for your animals when you know it’s time. They’ve given every ounce of who they are for you, it’s the least we can do in return.

📸Photograph by 4Strides Photography

08/28/2025

They are here thanks to my incredible friends who help me through this rescue mission, they made it home and are settling in calmly thanks to our incredible hauler who drove cross country to bring them to safety, they have all been health evaluated and are on the road to recovery thanks to our amazing veterinarian and her team, they are SAFE and they are HOME thanks to this Kataluna family❤️

I will introduce each horse a bit more in depth in their own individual posts over the next few days. But for now, my heart in full in welcoming Rainier, Callisto, Bo, Loretta, Bambi, Angus & Emit to the herd❤️ no longer just numbers, no longer at risk of a horrible uncertain death. They have names and they have home.

08/24/2025

Our sweet gentle giants are almost home🥹❤️ We finally had the pleasure of meet them first hand over the weekend on their journey back to Kataluna. I had no idea what to expect with these three as they came in, as we had only gotten to know their faces through pictures.
Although to meet them in person, knowing everything they have gone through, was such an emotional moment. It always is, but especially this one in particular.

We met them after a long day at the auction yard, where there’s so much going on behind the scenes. We were exhausted, and so were these horses. But right off the bat, going into their pen, these gentle giants were *so* kind. They had no reason to be that kind, that friendly, and enjoy pets from our hands and brushes, after humans had truly failed them. But they were right there, ready to try again, and that strength and willingness is what encourages me so much to do the same for them. Keep trying.

Horse auctions are a very particular environment, no matter where you go. The tension in the horse pens knowing what some of these horses have been through before getting dropped off, but in some cases, it’s also very tense among people.

In the auction world, we often find rescues are looked down upon. Maybe it’s partially culture because we are “breaking tradition”, maybe it’s egos that are hard to be put aside because it’s hard to admit when something isn’t right and it’s considered “weak” to wear your heart on your sleeve.
I also know it’s also partially because there are a people who claim to be associated with a rescue “title” & say they help horses, when in reality they are ones who are corrupt, pocketing donors money and causing trouble for the sale yard when they just the the middle man. Therefore leaving the real rescues a massive mess to clean up and much harder wall to breakthrough and try to actually do some good. I’ve experienced it at nearly every auction I’ve ever attended.

Anyone is welcome at any public horse sale. Some of them are actually very kind and welcoming environments. But it’s soon as that word “rescue” is involved, it’s like everyone’s guard goes up. But why? A huge part of why I commit to this industry, of course is to help change the lives of as many horses as we can for the better, but I’m also hoping we can change the views of as many people as we can that we are in this for the right reasons, so that we can continue to help more.
“Rescue” doesn’t have to be alarming, it doesn’t have to be a scam, it doesn’t have to mean drama and a fight, but just like with every single other thing on this planet earth, there are the good people who are trying to do the right thing, and there are the not so good people who take advantage.

I want to show them that there *IS* good.

Of course we make mistakes and we learn, we are still human, but how we all choose to move forward and make a positive impact, I hope is what every person in that environment will remember us for. The horses are the real, and the only, reason we are here. This is truly all for them.

08/21/2025

Sometimes late at night I’ll lay awake scrolling on my phone to drown the noise, blur the thoughts, let it all mush together just for a few short moments when the world is quiet. Sometimes I scroll through rescue videos, sometimes seeing old friends new lives, sometimes watching videos that make me smile or laugh, and sometimes I read posts like this that bring up so many feelings I may have never know how to explain, but someone else has put them into words. This is one of those messages with such power, that I know resonates with myself and so many others. These horses are so similar to us, in so many ways we may never know.

💛 When she flinches, I remember.

A hand reaches for her mouth.
She tilts her head away —
but the bit is slid in anyway.
Her body is no longer hers.

I know that feeling.
The air shifts.
The body remembers before the mind can speak.

They call her willing when she obeys.
Difficult when she resists.
I have worn those words too.

They speak over her as though she isn’t there —
as though her breath doesn’t matter,
as though the tension in her body is just “resistance to be broken.”

“She just needs to learn who’s boss.”
“She has to respect you.”
I’ve heard those words,
with different nouns, in different rooms.

She has been taught that safety lies in compliance.
So have I.

When she freezes under a touch she cannot escape,
I feel the tightness in my own chest.
When she tests the rope and finds no slack,
I feel the limits I’ve been told not to push.

Her story and mine are not the same —
but the echoes are familiar.

And when I fight for her right to move without fear,
to speak without punishment,
I am also fighting for my own.

08/20/2025

WE DID IT😭❤️ THEY ARE COMING HOME🙏 Honestly I have no words for the amount of appreciation that I have for each and every one of you are making this possible, truly.

Yesterday when I shared our gentle giants fundraiser, I set the biggest “one time goal” we’ve ever had to help these three draft horses. The last time we did this was eight thousand and it took us a couple weeks to raise it, so I knew it was a jump. Within *the first day* we had raised about three quarters of the completed goal thanks to our INCREDIBLE donors!🥹 Well… last night, we had a very special person reach out and let me know they wanted to to not just complete the fundraiser, but help FUND the fundraiser because they could see the good heart and soul we put into this passion and mission, and shared with us they were donating the $10,000 needed to bring them home. I literally cried all the happy tears because I just couldn’t believe it😭❤️ I couldn’t believe where all this started several years ago to standing there on the phone hearing that & knowing so many other people believe in this just as much as I do. With the fundraiser complete, everything else that was raised yesterday will go towards their care once they arrive. Vet, farrier, feed, and all the things to help them thrive. Our hauler has picked them up and they are SAFE with him now until they make the trip up here this weekend!

I still just am speechless with the support of these three and can’t wait to love them and let them know everything is going to be okay. Especially the fact that all this happened as two of these drafts we are bringing in, we decided to bring to Kataluna in honor of Luna and Aurora, two of the most special horses we’ve had here, just fills my heart to the brim.

So with every ounce of everything I have, THANK YOU for helping us help them❤️❤️❤️

08/19/2025

🚨URGENT FUNDRAISER: OUR SWEET GENTLE GIANTS🚨
Okay Kataluna team, this is a big one… and I literally mean BIG. These three draft horses were brought to my attention a few days ago sitting in a feedlot in Texas. The first horse I saw shared, was the big severely underweight grey Percheron gelding. Something about him stuck in my mind and with my heart, and I usually listen to that feeling but I just thought “someone else will give him a good landing, they have to?”. Another day passed and he was still there, but there was another… and you won’t believe what I noticed. For those who have followed our page for a while you remember Aurora. Our incredible true hearted Belgian mare with what is known as a “special touch from heaven” with “gods thumbprint” right on her blaze. Aurora was so special, and lived her last few months with us loved dearly, before her pain grew too heavy. This old Belgian mare at the lot, is the first horse I’ve seen with the same “gods thumbprint” right on her blaze, right in the same spot. I knew she had to come home. But it doesn’t stop there… when I decided the sweet Belgian was on our trailer, I thought I can’t leave the Percheron behind so I contacted our hauler and he was right there ready to help. Low and behold… there was one more… and this mare stopped me in my tracks. Her long face, her gentle wise eyes, her big ears. As soon as I saw her face, I saw someone else’s face I’ve missed for years. My Luna. She just resembled Lunas spirit that stopped me in my tracks when I met Luna all those years ago, so much. Immediately I knew. I couldn’t take two and leave one. My hauler said you say the word… so I did. And we are going to bring them home and get them SAFE. I know this is a big goal, but for all three who all need special medical attention and care, I would like to set a goal of $10,000. That’s roughly $3,300 per horse for bail and transport. Not even considering arrival care costs. But I know this team, and I know we can do it.

FUNDRAISER COMPLETE!! You guys are AMAZING! They coming home!!!

If you can help, please consider sharing & donating HERE:
❤️Venmo: (under CHARITIES)
❤️PayPal: Kataluna Horse Rescue (under CHARITIES)
❤️Zelle: [email protected]
❤️Card/ApplePay: donorbox.org/donate-today-257

08/10/2025

Just a few short weeks ago this little red mare ended up on our trailer with Dolly and Dubs. This was not our original intention as when we went into watching that particular auction, our plan was only the two. There was something about this little red mare that really turned a feeling in my gut. That feeling is what has brought every horse home that has come through our doors, and even though there seemed to be nothing “physically” wrong with her where she screamed rescue case, that feeling never seems to be wrong. They all end up here for a reason.

She came home on a whim, and now she has a name. No longer just a number, she has a home, no longer moving around in the auction pipeline being bought and sold by horse traders. We named her Rosie.

Come to confirm rather soon after her arrival, Rosie was not the only one who came home that day, and she has a little passenger on board with her❤️ Whenever we have pregnant mares come in (which for some reason, whether knowing they were pregnant at the time or not, has been at least one consistent soon to be mama each year the last few years), I just remind myself how grateful I am that we listened to that feeling. How grateful I am that Rosie gets to have a place to call home, a safe place to deliver her foal and to raise her where there’s no risk of them being separated, passed around, or sold from place to place. She is safe, they are both safe, and I can’t wait for Rosie to finally feel that 100% in herself being here❤️ it will take some time, but that’s all we’re ready to give her.

Thank you for this beautiful photos of our sweet Rosie 📸

02/13/2025

What’s cuter than a baby donkey wearing heart sunglasses on Valentine’s Day?…. Absolutely nothing this is as cute as it gets🥹💖 featuring the best photobomb of all time in the third picture😂 Hard to believe this was already a full year ago with baby Aretha & Elton! Who have both been adopted into the most incredible and loving homes we could ask for!❤️