The Herd

Buttercup

What's Up “Buttercup” is the founding Equine of Mending Strides Ranch. She is a sensitive girl who has trouble adjusting to change. She thinks every visitor has come to see her and demands an introduction as soon as you arrive. Buttercup will stand all day for a good scratch. She refuses to obey the rulebook outlining the bland diet donkeys are supposed to eat and prefers only the finest hay or pasture. She enjoys walking the fields with staff members to inspect fence lines and takes her job as guardian very seriously…unless she must cross water…then everyone is on their own!

Evening Primrose “Prim”, BB (Beatys Butte)

A young mustang mare gathered with her mother as a foal by the bureau of land management from Beatys Butte, Oregon in November of 2015. Thus, the BB in her name. From there she went to a holding facility in Ewing, where she was picked up by a trainer to be gentled. (Trained to wear a halter, lead, trailer, and be groomed). She was adopted by Mending Strides Ranch in February 2018. Prim is a gentle soul who tolerates the bossiness of Buttercup with the patience of a saint. She loves attention and will go stand on the mounting block to get a scratch or a cookie. It can be scary when she points her hind end to you and backs up, but all she really means is “Scratch It”. Prim is most happy when covered in mud or seems to delight in spoiling the effort of a good grooming, making sure she leaves no spot undone when she rolls. Prim guards Petunia the mini from Bossy Buttercup and treats her as her own foal.

Petunia “Pet” “Buzz”

Petunia was adopted from the Equine Rescue of Aiken where Maria had been a volunteer in past years. The tiniest of the herd, she refuses to go unnoticed and her soulful sweet eyes popping out from her big forelock are irresistible. She quickly bonded with Prim and you often find her peeking under Prim’s belly to check things out. Her nickname is “Buzz”, because of the way she buzzes around Prim all day, never letting her out of her sight. She loves being groomed, which is a good thing because rolling in the mud is her favorite thing.

Rango

Rango began his life as a wild pony on the Pauite Indian Reservation, where he was rounded up as a foal and sold at an auction in Fallon, NV. But, it was his lucky day to be purchased by Jill Starr of “Lifesavers Wild Horse Rescue” and Madeline Pickens of “Mustang Monument Ecosantuary” instead of going to slaughter. From there, he traveled to Florida to Diane Delanos's “Wild Horse Rescue Center” where we found him. Rango quickly asserted himself as leader of our herd. Winning Petunia away from Prim, he eventually gained Prim's respect who seems relieved to relinquish her role as leader. Affectionately called “Itchy-Scratchy”, Rango is sensitive to bug bites and hopefully will find North Carolina's bugs less irritating.

Eywa, (aka "Velcro") (from Avatar, meaning “Tree of Life”)

Eywa was born in 2015 in the black hills of South Dakota. He and his dam (Mother) came in to the Black Hills Wild Horse Sanctuary starving after a rough winter in the wild. He was adopted by the “Wild Horse Rescue Center” in 2016 with four other colts. Eywa was the first horse to walk up to me when I went to the Rescue Center to choose horses. He is curious and quiet. He was low in the herd rankings and often was pushed off his feed. He sticks like velcro to Rango (thus the nickname), often trying to eat the same bite of hay or tuft of grass. His interesting coloring is sure to make him a favorite.

Ruby Rose

What she lacks in size, she makes up for in personality. Ruby was adopted from Harmony Farm Animal Haven, who rescued her in July of 2017 and lovingly restored her back to health. Like many animals who have been neglected or abused, she has issues surrounding food and protecting her personal space. Slowly, she is learning her place in the herd and that her needs are provided for. Slowly, she is revealing her real personality and we look forward to seeing how she will help our clients heal.

Minion

Affectionately called "Fabio" for his golden locks is the newest member of our herd. Like Petunia, he was originally adopted from Aiken Equine Rescue. He has joined our herd because he has been alone since his pasture mate passed away. He fits right in with the mini girls here and his endearing personality is sure to make him a favorite..