Rare Breed Helps Heal Troubled Kids

Rare Breed Helps Heal Troubled Kids AG WORLD With textbook perfect hooves that need no shoes an A-frame chest for agility in rough terrain and thick leg bones with extra bone marrow and red blood cells for strength and hardiness Santa Cruz horses thrived for 200 years on an island off the coast of California Brought originally from Spain the horses helped cultivate the land for homesteaders then found fame in Hollywood as stunt animals in silent Western movies in the early 1900’s They might have quietly gone extinct except for one woman with a passion for horses “We started out trying to save the breed Today we’re using the horses to save kids ” says Christina Nooner who founded Sunshine Sanctuary with her husband Troy on their 22-acre Los Molinos Calif property After a legal battle with the private owners on Santa Cruz Island there were only 3 remaining horses Nooner and the troubled kids she works with at Sunshine Sanctuary brought the breed back They proved to be excellent therapy horses “They’re very intuitive with gentle dispositions They form strong human connections especially with children ” Nooner says “They’re also smooth-gaited making them very comfortable to ride They’ve evolved to be very easy keepers making them an economic loyal friend who is also a hardy farm worker ” Together horses and kids were magic and many of Nooner’s first Sunshine Kids now lead productive lives including a veterinarian and an Army veteran To reduce the annual $15 000 hay bill Troy recently transformed an old ice cream truck into a custom-made fodder-growing unit to save money With the hydroponic system he can turn 50 lbs of seed into 400 to 500 lbs of green forage Nooner’s vision is to expand and develop a better breeding and training program that benefits both horses and children She currently has 25 Santa Cruz horses on the property; a limited number of geldings are for sale The Nooners would like to purchase 15 acres adjacent to their property to add much needed space And of course they hope to continue and grow the riding programs and camps that have touched the lives of hundreds of kids since 1996 Donations to the program are needed Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Christina Nooner Sunshine Sanctuary 10931 Singer Ave Los Molinos Calif 96055 ph 530-529-0183; www sunshinesanctuary org; www santacruzhorses com

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