Hayleigh was a Quarter Horse mare and is approximately 26 years old. She was used as a trail horse but developed severe neck arthritis and is now retired. Hayleigh came to Sunrise when her owner could no longer care for her and her buddy Gazor. Hayleigh and Gazor enjoyed getting groomed and getting love from all the volunteers at Sunrise.

Rumana Jabeen

Every year thousands of wild American Mustangs are rounded up and put up for adoption. If not adopted, these horses may end up sitting in overcrowded holding pens for the rest of their lives or may even be sent to slaughter. Dusty was an American Mustang that was born in 1997. After many unfit homes, she found Sunrise as a place where she could just be a horse again with her good friend GG. Dusty passed surrounded by her loved ones. Now she is together again with GG. We will miss her dearly.

Ged was a Paso Fino gelding and was born in 2004. Ged came to Sunrise as a pasture mate to Quincy, a mare in her late 20s with severe arthritis, when their previous owner could no longer care for them. Quincy has since passed away and Ged had made many new friends horse and human. Ged certainly was one of our most handsome and easy-going guys which is why everyone loved him.

This big guy was rescued from a farm in Napa and was near starvation when we were contacted by a concerned stable-hand. We got there just before his owner was planning on using a rifle to put him down. Barney touched the lives of many in his short time with us, but unfortunately he was so unhealthy that he was beyond the point of possible recovery. He was humanely euthanized surrounded by people who loved him.

Comet was used in a Mexican rodeo sport known as “tripping” where the horses are made to gallop and then their front hooves are roped, causing them to flip and crash. He sustained many injuries as a trip horse before ending up in a hoarding situation in Napa where there was little or no food for him to survive on. He was sweet and grateful for his rescue, and he quickly regained weight and life in his eyes. Sadly, he had only a few months of the good life at Sunrise before he succumbed to his injuries.

This pretty little horse was a 24 year old Peruvian Paso. He had a lot of rough training and mishandling in his life. Before coming to SHR he lived all alone with no other horses to interact with. His rehabilitation had included time with his equine friends and lots of gentle handling by our faithful volunteers.

Quite possibly the oldest horse in Napa County, “Capi” was over 40! No one is sure of his breed, though we speculate that he could have been an Icelandic Pony. Many years ago, this old man was rescued from a slaughter yard and brought to Sunrise to enjoy life in peace and comfort. He has touched the lives of many and will be very missed.

Charlie was a twenty-five year old Arabian mix gelding. He came to us in 2012 after he had served as a trail horse and a children's lesson horse for many years. Charlie was a fun horse to be around and formed strong attachments with his pasture mates and his human friends. He was very intelligent and communicative, and his curiosity and friendliness never ceased to entertain. He is missed by many!

During a very stormy winter in 2010, concerned neighbors called SHR about a pair of horses that were in a desperate situation. Blitzen and his pasture mate, Comet, were living in a debris-filled yard with no shelter, food or water, they were eating the bark off of fallen trees and drinking dirty water to stay alive. Sadly, Comet passed away. Blitzen became a healthy and handsome favorite of Sunrise and loved his best friend Blue. Blitzen was an American Mustang that was born 2001 who was incredibly smart, and, despite his rough life, responded quickly to natural horsemanship training and human kindness.

Cupcake was a 26 year old Shetland/miniature cross and his job (which he took very seriously) was to keep Pippin company. As our mascot, he wished that every horse and pony could have as good of a life as his – free from abuse or neglect, and having only ever lived in one other home.

Hero’s story is nothing short of a miracle. He came to us in August of 2013, the worst case of animal abuse that Napa Humane had seen in 27 years, “a walking skeleton.” He was found abandoned and alone, starving, and desperate. Hero fully recovered and thrived at his forever home at Sunrise Horse Rescue for many years. He gained 170 lbs and made many friends, both equine & human, and his sweet and forgiving nature was a magnet to anyone who met him.

Gazor happily lived in Napa for years, but when his owner died, there was no one to care for him and his pasture-mate Hayleigh. Wanting to ensure that the horses were well cared for, the late owner’s family called Sunrise Horse Rescue for help. We were able to support Gazor and Hayleigh in their pasture for some time with the help of volunteers, but when a winter storm was forecasted, there was no adequate shelter to protect them. We moved the two to a foster home for safety during the storm, and they soon came to our facility and became a part of the herd.

Gazor will be remembered for his bright spirit and energy, as well as for his self-appointed role as the Protector of the Herd.

Tex was a 26 year old Quarter Horse gelding. He was a ranch, calf roping and rodeo horse. Tex has seen it all. After a lifetime of service to his owners he needed a quiet place for his retirement which led him to Sunrise. He was a well trained and sweet-natured guy. Tex adjusting to retired life enjoyed walks around the property and lots of love from the volunteers.

Quarter Horse from Napa County

Sweet and responsive Daphne clearly came from a well-trained background. She arrived at Sunrise Horse Rescue as a severe starvation case, but then had absolutely no trouble keeping the weight on.

Moe was a 29 year old Quarter Horse with a gentle and sweet spirit.  After serving his owners for many years as a long distance trail horse, Moe was sent to a livestock auction where the only ones bidding on him were meat buyers. He finally found a safe home at Sunrise, where he made many friends that will miss him dearly. 

This little angel was a 19 year old Welsh Pony. After giving many years of her life for the enjoyment of the children who rode her, she was abandoned at a puppymill. Her feet were never trimmed, her stall was never cleaned, and worst of all she had no interaction with anyone. Princess also had several medical conditions that went untreated, including melanoma. At Sunrise, Princess received all the medical care she needed as well as all of the love and attention she deserved.

A 19 year old Quarter Horse, Molly was Captain’s sweetheart. She was one of the many, many horses who are over worked and then discarded by those who have used her up. This sweet lady could barely walk due to the injuries and arthritis she sustained from her work as a roping horse. With anti-inflammatory meds & special corrective shoes, Molly would often be found trotting around the pasture with Captain. We know that she is now running free with no pain and is grateful for her second chance.

Jake’s elderly owners just decided to stop feeding him. He was found standing near the carcass of his pasture mate, eating dirt in an attempt to fill his empty stomach. He was so fearful of humans when he arrived at Sunrise that he would shake at even a gentle touch.

Pete was a 17 year old, 16 hand Palomino gelding. He was a former police horse who sadly found himself neglected and starved with 100 pounds of sand in his stomach. Pete was well-mannered and very sweet despite being neglected for so long. Sunrise became aware of Pete's situation and agreed to take him in to the rescue. Pete was a 1 out of 10 on the body scale, 1 being the worst condition. In his last months at Sunrise, he received the best care available and was surrounded by people who loved him.

Wal-E was a much-loved little Morgan who was brought to Sunrise because the medications he needed for metabolic condition were too expensive for his owner. He was the resident goofball who always brought a smile to everyone’s face with his sweet, silly antics. After many years of quality love and care, Wal-E was humanely euthanized after a lost battle with colic. He is sorely missed.

Rain was a loving, sweet Arabian mare who was near starvation when she found us. After a life of being over-used as a brood mare and then cast aside when she was too old for the job, she spent the last year of her life grazing in the vineyards and being doted on by many young volunteers at the rescue before she took herself on her last vineyard stroll and was defeated by cancer.

Quincy was a beautiful Paso Fino Mare in her late 20's who was a show pony. She came to Sunrise when her previous owner could no longer care for her and her best buddy Ged. Due to her severe arthritis she could no longer be ridden or re-homed, so rescue was her only option. Quincy was comforted around the clock by our dedicated volunteers until she was humanely euthanized due to colic.

Pippin, a 29 year old Welsh Pony, was a championship show jumping pony for many years but the pressures of training and competing got to be too much for him and he had a nervous breakdown. When he arrived at Sunrise, Pippin couldn’t be approached by men without attempting to bolt for safety. It took many years and his special friendship with Cupcake for him to learn to trust people.

In California alone, 186 horses died in racing related accidents in 2012. In the US, 24 Thoroughbreds die every single week on the race track. Had Richie not been rescued after fracturing his fetlock (ankle) he would have been one of these sad statistics. Richie was a Thoroughbred that was born in 1998 and although his injuries prevented him from ever racing or being ridden again, he still had many years of quality life left. He was a sweet and gentle horse who loved to be loved and enjoyed hanging out with his good friend Mickey.

Spirit was a Mustang in his late 20's. He was neglected for 10 years at his previous home and came to Sunrise with severe arthritis in his front legs and hoofs that were in horrible shape. He was not trusting of humans when he first came to Sunrise, but he made a lot of progress because of the love, time and attention he was given by some very dedicated volunteers.  He was often called "Spirit the Wonder Horse" by some of his closest friends. We will all miss him dearly.

Star was a 29 year old Thoroughbred who was abandoned when her owner was deported from Napa. Our veterinarian gave her a body score of 2 on a scale of 1 to 10 using the Henneke horse body condition scoring system (1 being extremely emaciated). Despite her poor condition, she had an extremely sweet disposition and has made a full recovery at Sunrise.

Shorty was a handsome 21 year old Thoroughbred, and was 17 plus hands with many admirers. He was a retired dressage and event horse who ended up injured and neglected by his previous owner. Unfortunately, he always had pain when he would run or even trot due to his previous injuries and his severe arthritis. Shorty lived out his last years being loved and cared for at Sunrise.

Danny was a 28 year old Pinto Quarter Horse, blind in his right eye due to an accident years ago. He was a retired show and ranch horse who was with his original owner since he was 2. Sunrise agreed to take Danny and prepared him for the loss of sight in his left eye due to cataracts. Danny adjusted very well at SHR and enjoyed his many adoring fans.

Roxy came to us in 2015 after being diagnosed with narcolepsy. She was a lesson horse, but had become increasingly unsafe to be ridden due to her condition. Lesson programs typically cannot afford to keep horses that can't be ridden, a system that we hope will be changed one day to be more humane.