gave the family a tour of the ranch, and one by one she showed them many of the sixty special horses now in her care. One field held eleven horses that had been rescued together just a few months earlier from deplorable neglect. As they walked through each field, Susan could sense the family’s love and caring for animals – not just for the horses, but also for the dogs, goats, burros, and pot-bellied pigs that called Dreamchaser their home. Susan’s years of rescue work had given her the keen ability to bring the right horse and the right family together. Her heart told her that this family would be a perfect match for the one special horse that they had not yet seen. Susan turned to an associate and asked him to bring in Wakina. When he did, everyone knew that it would be a perfect match. With no hesitation, Wakina walked to the family and placed her head on Kathy’s chest, just as Ate had done with Jamie 2½ years earlier when the frightened and lost horses had first arrived at Dreamchaser. Tears flowed freely as the family realized that after all that Wakina had been through, she had chosen them. They happily adopted her! Several weeks later, Su- san and Mike brought Wakina to her new family in Litchfield Park, Arizona.


setback. When setbacks occurred, she rebounded more quickly than the others to the previous level of human acceptance and trust where Susan had guided her. As Wakina progressed, Susan cautiously stepped aside and allowed others to work with this beautiful filly. Now it was time for Wakina to experience and trust different loving human hearts. She responded well to the new and gentle touches, the quiet voices, the playful laughter, and the outpouring of love she received.


After eighteen months of gentling and trusting that humans would never hurt her, Wakina was ready for new experiences in preparation for wearing a saddle. Like any new experience, this had to be done in slow increments. At any point, a flashback to fear and the instinctive fleeing from it could erase nearly all of Wakina’s trust in Susan’s leadership. This was truly a leap of faith for both Wakina and for Susan, the guardian angel who had to- tally devoted her soul in the young mare’s rescue and rehabilita- tion. In the end, Wakina’s fear was replaced by trust, and her in- stinct for the herd’s security was replaced by human association. After several more months of saddle training, Wakina was ready to move on to the next step in her life.


Wakina’s Gift On Father’s Day in 2010, a couple and their young daughter went


out for breakfast. Before leaving the house, the husband told his two girls that he wanted to go on a road trip after breakfast. In spite of the persistent questioning, he would not tell the desti- nation of the trip. He drove north from Phoenix on Interstate 17 and took the New River exit. The rustic and rugged terrain puz- zled the girls, and the questioning continued. After a few wrong turns and a long drive down a bumpy dirt road, they turned a corner and saw a field with several dozen horses grazing. A sign told them that the ranch was home to Dreamchaser Horse Res- cue and Rehabilitation. His wife excitedly asked, “Are we here to see the horses?” The husband replied, “No, we are here to adopt one.” His wife Kathy screamed in disbelief. What she didn’t yet know was that her husband had planned this trip for weeks. The family met Susan, the founder of Dreamchaser, and she wel- comed them with the hospitality that only a horse rancher could give. The husband had corresponded with Susan several times before coming to New River, and he had researched the Dream- chaser website to select which horses he wanted to see. Susan


As she settled into her new surroundings, Wakina’s loving spirit was re- leased to her new family, and she freely offered the gifts that God had placed in her heart. They were joyously received. Wakina had found her forever home.


Epilogue Susan’s successes with the Starbuck’s Kids were not limited to Wakina.


Chante, Tanka, and Niyaha were all gentled with remarkable results. Like Wakina, they now know the love of the human heart. Although Tanka has not yet started her saddle training, Chante and Niyaha completed theirs with results equal to Wakina’s. On November 6, 2010, Chante and Niyaha were part of the Veteran’s Day Parade in Anthem, Arizona. A very proud Susan Thompson rode Niyaha. Chante, who had also been in the 2009 parade, and three other Dreamchaser horses were ridden by volunteers.


The family that adopted Wakina soon recognized that they wanted a sec- ond horse, one that was matched with Wakina in gait and temperament. Niyaha seemed to be the perfect choice. The couple was at Anthem for the parade and watched as Chante and Niyaha, both born in the wild and once terrified of humans, walked gracefully along the parade route lined with thou- sands of cheer- ing people wav- ing American flags. Several days after the parade, Wakina’s family formally adopted Niyaha. On Thanksgiving Day, this fam- ily shared din- ner with Susan, Mike, and three


other devoted volunteers at Dreamchaser Horse Rescue and Rehabilita- tion. This was Niyaha’s last day at Dreamchaser. The next day she joined her sister at Dale Creek Equestrian Village in Litchfield Park. Wakina and Niyaha are now living their lives together in Prescott Valley with their for- ever family.


This story was written in tribute to the truly heroic efforts of Susan, Jamie, and the many volunteers that have allowed Dreamchaser to rescue and rehabilitate hundreds of horses


throughout the United States and Canada. Dreamchaser moved to Falcon, Missouri in 2014 and is continuing their rescue work there. www.facebook.com/jkyearlings2014/


HORSE & AG MAGAZINE I FEBRUARY / MARCH 2018 21


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