Angel is as close to a mythical creature as you’ll find in real life. Once a pack horse on mountain trecks, rumor has it that she was ridden bareback and bridleless through the rugged mountains with her human partner. At Exodus she has found a new set of skills using her seemingly magic touch with even the most fearful of children. Naturally so gentle and willing to please, she is our go-to horse for new riders or fearful ones. If a student does not feel ready to ride a horse yet (sometimes we forget how scary it can be to be on a horse for the first time!) Angel patiently allows students to brush her long mane as they work up the courage to sit on her back. For more advanced students she poses a challenge with her need for speed. There are many students, once afraid, now courageous, who would rightly say Angel has been their angel.

Cedar is a big, handsome 2009 BLM mustang . He was donated by his generous family after their father, Cedar’s lifelong human partner, sadly passed away. At first Cedar struggled to transtion to the Exodus environment, which was a world away from the quiet mountain life that he was used to. As a mustang and a strong leader, Cedar naturally fends for himself, so it took several months of consistent relationship building before Cedar began to let his guard down and trust us as his new family. He learned to work cows with one of our leaders and proved that he is a faithful and steady mount. His gentleness combined with his powerful presence now makes him an amazing teacher, as he shares his wisdom with any kiddo brave enough to climb top his back.

Coal and Larry came to us as a package deal in early 2024. Coal is a sensitive Tennessee Walking Horse, and Larry, his comfort sheep, is a Jacob’s Sheep. This duo came to us as rescues, their loving owner suddenly unable to care for them due to rapid onset dementia.

Coal and Larry fit right in instantly. Larry “blahhhhhhh”s his welcome to everyone who comes through the gate, and Coal has blossomed into a shiny, friendly, beautiful boy who has already made a profound impact on many lives here. His sensitive nature and desire for connection causes him to form deep bonds with those who choose to build a relationship with him. He has formed a special friendship with one of our teenage volunteers who is helping to re-start him under saddle, and the two of them are conquoring their pasts as a spectacular team. We are very excited to introduce Coal and Larry to sessions, but we will let them dictate the pace of their healing and in the mean time trust that they are impacting exactly the lives that they are supposed to be.

Glory came first to one of our loving and talented trainers, Lee, underweight, needing a tune-up, and blind in one eye due to a prior ranch injury. Lee and Glory formed a unique bond, over time Glory blossomed into an athletic, hard working, willing partner. Glory was easily integrated into our session program, and Lee and Glory mentored countless young men together. But we turned a chapter in Glory’s story three years ago when our veterinarian recommended that for Glory’s long term health and comfort we have his blind eye surgically removed. When Glory arrived at the vet’s office, to all of our surprise, our usually stoic Glory turned into a screaming, anxious, mess! It was then that we realized, before Glory found his way into Lee’s care, he was left at this very veterinary practice by his previous owners, who never came back for him. When we returned to pick him up after his successful surgery, we threw our arms around him, letting him know that we would NEVER leave him! Once we brought him home, Glory’s demeanor changed impressively. He became outgoing and expressive of his emotions, he is more confident, brighter, and even his coat shines brighter. Glory is an amazing reminder that though we all carry scars from our past, those scars don’t define us. And with the support of a caring community, we can move beyond past trauma and find new joy and purpose.

Gypsy has been a long time resident of Exodus Farms, but only recently became a fulltime session horse. Previously, she was rescued by one of our leaders and they were partners for many years, competing in obstacle course competitions! But due to some medical procedures, her devoted owner knew she would not be able to ride again for a long time, and generously donated Gypsy to our session program, knowing how much Gypsy loves kids. Just as expected, Gypsy was able to enter right into sessions, and is a fabulous teacher of boundaries and confidence. She is also one of our strongest horses, so we are grateful for her ability to carry full grown men, which some of our teenage boys are!

We call her “Kate the Saint.” This little quarterhorse mare will do anything you ask of her. And if she can’t quite do it, she is still going to try. Just like many of us, Kate seems to always want to be GOOD. The problem with this is, sometimes Kate’s desire to be “good” overrides any of her other emotions. Infact, unlike other horses, Kate rarely emotes at all. Look into her big dark eyes, and you will see a mix of patience and melancholy. In her background, Kate was never abused, but she did come from a home that didn’t want much to do with her. She didn’t recieve the love and relationship that any living being needs to thrive. It must be hard for any horse, especially one like Kate, to teach upwards of 9 different students every week. But amazingly, there are students who resonate with Kate’s emotional state, and Kate comes alive with these students. Her eyes find their spark, and she and the student appear almost telepathically connected, no longer horse and rider, but one. Kate loves trail rides and speed. Her canter is so smooth that students can canter on her bareback! Although there are still times when Kate appears melancholy, we also see times, usually when her favorite students are pouring love on her, that a new emotion begins to emerge, and that is peace.

Oliver is the Exodus clown. He swings ropes and running hoses around in his mouth, makes funny faces when we are trying to be serious and pray, and always has something in his mouth that isn’t supposed to be there. As much as our leaders and volunteers might feel like we need to babysit Oliver constantly, we could not do the work we do without him. His silly behavior is actually perfectly and uniquely suited to engage our most difficult population of Exodus kids- our preteen and teenage boys. Unlike their female counterparts, many of whom will happily stay involved with horses all through their teenage years, many of the boys do not. Oliver however, is a preteen boy magnet. Perhaps they see themselves in his silliness. Whatever it is, we are grateful for our big goof and his superpower.

Meet Tommy! Tommy is the newest addition to the Exodus herd. He has competed in reigning and cow work, but cysts on his stifles ended his competitive career. He is settling into Exodus and seems to be shocked EVERY DAY that all we seem to ask him to do is walk around quietly with kids. Tommy is extraordinarily safe and reliable, and is worth his weight in gold with some of our most timid and fearful riders.

Callie, appropriately referred to as our “red headed angel,” has faithfully served the Exodus kids as Ginger’s “superstar pony” and “coworker” for over 12 years, and is now enjoying a semi-retirement as a groundwork only pony. And by groundwork we mean being brushed, handwalked, and grazed by kids who just need a quiet, kind, motherly, fuzzy friend and listening ear. The amazing part of Callie’s story is that earlier in her life, she had a very different collection of nicknames including “the alligator” and “that crazy red pony.” When Callie arrived at Exodus, she would act out in aggression, fear, anxiety and anger due to negative past experiences. But with years of consistency proving that Exodus was Callie’s safe, forever home, she blossomed into the implacably calm teacher that she still is today. She has held completely still for over an hour as a terrified child had a panic attack on her back, has been a quiet, calm shoulder for a teenager to lean on, and has taught countless children how to walk, trot, canter, and even jump, conquering their own fears. Callie would carry Exodus kids until her very last breath if she could. But physical limitations make that currently unsafe for her and the kids, so she enjoys hand walks around the trails, and being brushed, grazed and hugged by any child in need.  

When Ginger first met Lilly, this beautiful little black pony dragged her owner all the way to the big barn! Lilly is a beautiful 22-year-old Welsh cross pony who arrived with several ponies’ worth of attitude packed into that tiny frame. Her original owner donated her to Exodus because her big pony attitude was too much for her to handle. Ginger personally rode Lilly for the first year, trying to get her ready to be an Exodus horse… much to the amusement of the rest of us! With consistent work, Lilly has become the most reliable lesson horse for our smallest riders. She loves mounted games, particularly knocking over cones (as long as the goal is to not knock them over!). She maintains just enough pony attitude to teach kids to work out their issues with her, but she has learned to usually let the kiddos win. Lily’s story is a great example of how, sometimes, our behavioral choices can make it difficult for people to work with us, or for us to fully participate in the things God has for us to do – but when choose to participate joyfully, we get lots of opportunities we wouldn’t otherwise have gotten, and our relationships with those around us improve immensely.

Millie came to Exodus in 2019 after a longtime friend of Ginger’s contacted her about a pony that desperately needed Exodus. The pony was one of 35 horses seized by law enforcement from a barn in Washington for severe abuse. Her tail has been broken in 3 places, her face greyed from halter scaring, she battles ulcers from the trauma. When Millie arrived, her huge, sweet eyes won over all our hearts. But she was so shut down and afraid, not sure how to connect with or trust anyone. One incredible young man had the idea to come read her stories each day. Another boy with his grandma would take her for walks and just talk to her and to eachother. And Ms. Ginger and Millie would hang out on the lawn, watching the sunset together. As Millie’s heart started to heal, the amazing thing was everyone who interacted with her also started to heal. Today, Millie is learning how to pull a cart in our driving program. This is a huge step in overcoming trauma, much of which was oriented towards her hind end and would be triggered by a cart following her. Her energetic and dainty steps make her a gorgeous little cart horse, and you can often see her walking down the street with Ms. Ginger or pulling Ms. Ash along in a cart!

Gina and Ace are the father daughter counterpart to Lily Belle and Flash. Combined, they compose our mixed family herd of miniature horses. Ace, a 25 yr old former stallion (now a gelding), and his daughter, Gina were donated to us by the amazing Julie T., in hopes that they would be able to expand their career here as therapy minis! Ace is quite the character! He enjoys his mush grain at lunch, slipping under the arena fence, and evading capture on the rare occasion he manages to actually escape. He is a wise, old soul. Kind, patient, and understanding, he allows himself to eventually be caught and led by his mane. He is also the most stoic of the herd. Given that he tends to set himself apart, he can usually be found dozing beside a tree while the rest of the herd wanders or plays. He has little tolerance for Flash, the youngest, but is never unkind, and he is sweet to Lily-Belle. He is the calmest of our minis at events, quietly ignoring noise, balloons, cars (even fire trucks!), running children, and more – in this way, he acts as the “wise old dad” for the whole herd of minis. Ace is the ideal confidence builder for children who are uncertain if a mini (or horse) will listen to them. He is happy to follow any child placidly and obediently through an obstacle course or around the property, and his gentleness has melted many a heart.

Flash’s claim to fame is that he is the only Exodus critter to be born at Exodus! Son of Lillybelle, Flash came to be sometime between when Lillybelle was rescued from the Tubbs fire and when she arrived at Exodus. When she arrived we were told she “might” be pregnant, but that seemed unlikely. Well the joke was on us because a short time later little Flash was born! Surrounded by love from his very birth, Flash is an example of someone who knows their worth and has no problem flaunting it. Full of tricks and quite a bit of mischief, Flash is an entertainer to the core. Kids love to run full speed with him around the arena, and if they can hang on it ends up looking a bit like waterskiing! As Flash grows up, we are trying to teach him to have some maturity… so Flash is in our driving program learning to pull a cart! Amazingly, he has learned to remain on task and keep his silliness for playing with the kiddos! He has enjoyed having a job, and also is a fantastic ambassador, going on field trips to churches, veterans homes, and Special Kids Day!

Lillybelle was living further south in California when the Tubbs fire roared through her area. This survivor of a mini got loose during the fire, and for nine months, she ran wild in the wilderness, uncatchable despite many attempts!

Finally, a kind man who owned a farm full of minis managed to capture Lillybelle and spent some time helping rehab her after her lengthy wilderness adventure before he began looking for a permanent home for her.

At the time, Exodus had no minis, but we couldn’t resist Lillybelle’s sweet blue eyes and incredible story, so when the man contacted us looking for a home for her, we said yes. “Oh,” he mentioned later in the conversation, “She also might be pregnant.”

Ginger wasn’t so sure, but not long later, on a stormy night full of lightning strikes, our little Flash was born! Lillybelle and Flash became our first “mini ambassadors” and kicked off our whole “mini program” at the farm! Lillybelle’s gentle spirit and beautiful blue eyes catch the hearts of many children, and she, Flash, and the other minis are a source of joy to all who meet them.