Given the challenge of saving the herd, unnamed organizers start- ed a chain reaction of inquiries to find new homes for the horses. As homes were found, plans to capture the herd and transport them were developed. The obstacles were monumental, but somehow the pieces began to fall into place. The 27th home was finally found, and the resources were finally there to relocate the herd.


On a cold day in January, guardian angels met on a 500 acre pasture to fulfill the dreams, prayers, and contributions of many loving and caring people. The horses would need to be herded into a loading area where the trailers were waiting. Tom, the driver of the trailer that would be going west, watched as the horses were brought in. Tom had hauled horses before, and he knew that his trip would be long and tiring. But he couldn’t help but smile knowing the impor- tance of this trip. One by one the frightened horses were loaded into the trailers. When Tom’s trailer was full and it was time to leave the pasture, a lady named Shirley joined him in the truck. Shirley was going as a ride-along, but her role in this rescue was far greater than that. Shirley had coordinated all of the horse placements in Arizona and California. Tom and Shirley both knew that they would be driving continuously until their first stop in Arizona. As the horses began their journey, God placed a gift of joy and blessing in each of their hearts to bestow upon the people who cared for them along the way.


The Starbuck’s Kids


Tanka Niyaha Ate Chante Wakina At 3 AM on January 7, 2008, a truck pulling a large horse trailer turned down a dirt road in New River, Arizona. The trip from Texas had been long for the precious and fear-stricken cargo in the trail- er. Nearly half of the herd was in this trailer, and the first portion


of the mares were pregnant. All of the horses would rest for a day, and then four young horses, a colt and three fillies all under the age of two, would be staying at Dreamchaser. Tom and Shirley made sure the horses were safe and then left to get some well-deserved sleep.


The day starts early at Dreamchaser. On this day, there was more excitement than usual as Susan Thompson and her daughter Jamie awakened and looked out at the pen holding the rescued horses. Su- san and Jamie had founded Dreamchaser for moments just like this one. Looking over the short distance from the house to the pen, the herd looked understandably rough as they clustered together in this new environment. Susan and Jamie had rescued and rehabilitated many horses before, and they already knew the needs of these mag- nificent animals. They also knew the challenges and unknowns that lay ahead. Besides the new rescues, there were 40 other horses at Dreamchaser to tend to. Care and feeding of horses never takes a break. The two guardian angels left the house and walked to the res- cued horses. With both compassion and curiosity, the two entered the pen. The horses were equally curious and watched as the two strange humans opened the gate and walked toward them. The stal- lion was the only horse to accept the human intrusion into the herd. He walked toward Jamie and gently placed his head on her chest. It was as if the stallion had come forward to accept the love and car- ing that the humans were bringing. The remaining thirteen horses literally ran for their lives in fear, as their instinctive flight responses were triggered by the sight of the human predators. Susan and Ja- mie then fed all of the horses, made sure there was plenty of water, and left to meet Tom and Shirley for a very late breakfast.


The four friends met at a nearby restaurant, and the conversation focused solely on the rescued herd.


Jamie didn’t give a second


thought to her birthday being the next day. Shirley had arranged for the horses that were not staying at Dreamchaser, all pregnant mares, to be placed with other guardian angels in California. She wanted to keep the stallion for herself with her other horses in Northern California. They had already discovered that he had severe injuries to one of his front hooves and to his left rear fetlock. He would need long-term medical attention in addition to his introduction into the human world. Jamie then told how the stallion had walked over to her when she first entered the pen, and everyone agreed that this was a milestone first step in his rehabilitation. The group finished their breakfast and returned to Dreamchaser.


of their journey was nearly complete. The truck maneuvered around the furrows and hazards that well-traveled dirt roads always seem to have. Tom was tired, but he remembered the importance of this trip. Shirley sat next to him anxiously as the truck inched its way down the road. The truck turned sharply to the left and slowly drove toward a pen that had been specially set up to receive the rescued horses. The truck came to a stop at Dreamchaser Horse Rescue and Reha- bilitation. Experienced hands quickly positioned the trailer near the open pen. One after another, the weary horses were guided out of the trailer into the pen. The stallion of the herd was with them, and most


The dirt road was just as bumpy for Tom and Shirley as it had been in the moonlit darkness just a few hours earlier. Susan and Jamie weren’t at all fazed by the bumps in the road. They had memorized them all from years of travel to and from Dreamchaser. The four parked near the main house and walked as a group to the turnout holding the rescued horses. As they walked through the gate, the stallion again accepted the human presence with his herd and walked to Jamie. He nuzzled her gently as if to say that he knew they had come with gentle, kind, and caring hearts. Seeing this, Shirley said to Jamie, “I know your mother is going to kill me, but Happy Birthday.” The stallion was her gift. The rescuers observed the herd, again


HORSE & AG MAGAZINE I FEBRUARY / MARCH 2018 19


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