16 Hands of Love

09/04/2026

09/04/2026

A beautiful friend of 16 Hands of Love has chosen 16 Hands of Love as her organization to receive funding, if her dog wins the photo contest. We are so honored. If you feel called, click on the link below to vote for her photo and support 16 Hands of Love. 💜💜💜💜

Please vote for my pet in the Top Pets competition 🤩

Top Pets: Discover your new favorite pets!

08/09/2026

I will always be their voice. 💜💜💜

08/08/2026

I finally feel ready to begin writing tributes to our beautiful horse family at 16 Hands of Love.

I feel called to begin with Joker.
He comes to me so clearly and asks that I share his story with the world.

I was honored to be given the gift of knowing Joker for 3 years this past March.
He truly came into his own this past year or two in the herd at 16 Hands of Love. And came into his own in my life amongst many others.

Joker lived an amazing life for many reasons, and one that stands out to me the most is he was able to be the first for two amazing kids (that I know of). Hannah, the young woman who we rescued Joker from, had him in her life from the time Joker was about 1.5 years old (and Hannah maybe 8 years old) and she kept him even after her grandpa passed.

She told me when I rescued him (because she was no longer able to financially care for him and give him the life she knew he deserved), that he was the first horse she ever truly galloped on. And I felt from Joker immense honor in being able to be that for her. I felt his love and protectiveness for her. Hence his soul being sure wherever he went after being in Hannah’s care, that she could always come visit him and be with him. And she did. Multiple times through the 3 years Joker lived with us at 16 Hands of Love, Hannah returned to be with him.

That is truly a gift I didn’t know I’d be able to gift when I was guided to begin 16 Hands of Love and I’ve been able to do that twice for horses and their childhood owners, keep them connected to the end. A gift I often wish I had had when I sold my childhood horse to go to college. It’s truly such a beautiful experience, the circle of life in that way.

Joker very quickly shared his wisdom with us all. He was a profound way-shower in how he guided so many back to their truth, hearts and voices. Joker LOVED sound healing. As sound healers Katrina Hunter and Shari Heftel will tell you. He always directed them in exactly which instrument he wanted them to play and which bowl to use and when he wanted to be sung to.
Shari Heftel Katrina Hunter

He was just so wise and sure of himself and profoundly brought forth his wisdom and gifts to share freely with everyone.
He shared the same guidance with me when he was ready to leave his body. He truly gave me the strength to trust he was ready to go. He so gently and yet confidently led the way that he was called to in the passing of his physical body and gave me the strength and path forward to see what was also in the highest good for Takoda and his passing too.

Joker and Takoda were beautiful friends. Joker stood his ground with Takoda many times and helped Takoda to continue to become a “Friend to Everyone” as his name means.
Joker led with wisdom and gentleness and true enthusiasm for curiosity and life.

He also played a very important role in my son, Garner’s, life. He taught Garner to also use his voice and to get more in touch with his emotions. Garner learned that it’s better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all. He learned what it’s like to let go of the physical form of a love that is so tenderly close to him. Joker held a special role with Garner and really connected with him in some very important lessons in Garner’s life. I know Joker also shared this with many others.

Joker helped me trust my voice more deeply and encouraged me to sing, practice sacred drumming, and use my voice more freely during sessions with him and others.
He is such a wise and phenomenal presence and soul. We can still feel him and know he’s with us. And we will always remember him and carry him in our hearts. Once you know him, he is always with you.

For me, listening to the horses and their choice on when and how to leave their physical body will always be the greatest and hardest gift they’ve given me.
Joker made it easier in that he declined very quickly due to COPD in horses and made it clear he was ready to be free of his physical body. He went very peacefully and with such regalness like the sage he was and still is.

Soar free beautiful one, and may you forever live on in our hearts. Thank you for all you gave and the ways you served and all you taught us. We are eternally grateful. Your soul mission was complete and you touched an abundance of lives.
💜💜💜🌈🌈🌈🐴🐴🐴💫💫💫
16 Hands of Love

07/09/2026

Thank you so much to everyone for all of your love and condolences in a very tender time for all of us at 16 Hands of Love. We are also incredibly grateful for the donations. We’ve raised enough to pay for the vet potion of what we’ve gone through and still need $400 to cover the burial of our two beautiful boys, Joker and Takoda. You can donate via the FB fundraiser or via the options below:

You can donate by cash, check or on our website at https://www.16handsoflove.org/donations.html
We also offer PayPal, Zelle and Venmo.

Zelle is our email: [email protected]

PayPal : Angela Hoover

Venmo:

With all of our gratitude and love for your continued and generous support.
💜💜💜💜

07/02/2026

There are no words I can share at this time to fully express our loss and love and gratitude for these amazing beings that have shared space with us for the last 13 years.

Our beloved Takoda (who 16 Hands of Love is named after) chose his time to cross the rainbow 🌈 bridge with his dear friend and also our beloved Joker.

It may seem like letting two go at once is hard. And words can’t explain how hard, emotional and sacred that was. And. It would have been harder to watch Takoda suffer (not only from chronic lameness in his hooves and not being able to walk well for months now) in seeing his best friend leave without him.
So. We made a decision no one wants to make and honored their lives and wishes.
Joker is now free from years of dealing with asthma/COPD in horses. He was ready to go.

Hermione also developed asthma again and is not able to stay at our property or area due to this ongoing issue that would have eventually taken her life and has been re-homed.

So we did the thing that hurts the most and serves them the best. And said goodbye - for now. As we know we will always be together in Spirit.

I will write tributes to them at another time as this is as much as I can manage now, to share with our family and friends who have stood by us and received so much love from these amazing beings so you can say your goodbyes too.

This is a time of change for 16 Hands of Love. We still have the rest of our loving herd (the goats, dogs and chickens) and will be giving things space before we share any future plans or events.

If you’d like to donate for the burial and vet visit for the horses, we would greatly appreciate that. You can donate at 16handsoflove.org via the Donations tab.

Our hearts are hurting and although this is extremely sudden and sad, we are honoring the grief and process to heal and the lives of these incredible beings.
💜💜💜🌈🌈🌈🙌🙌🙌🙏🙏🙏🌟🌟🌟

06/27/2026

Exactly what we stand for and offer at 16 Hands of Love. So many times I catch myself trying to add shiny objects or words to describe what horses (and animals in general) offer and really. It’s as simple as sharing space. Either you value that or not yet. Both are perfect and they meet us where we are on the journey.
💜💜💜

I think one of the most underrated things horses teach us is the importance of simply being together.

Not doing.

Not achieving.

Not fixing.

Just being.

If you watch horses in a pasture, you’ll notice something interesting.

Often, they aren’t interacting in any obvious way.

They aren’t grooming each other.

They aren’t playing.

They aren’t communicating dramatically.

They are simply standing near one another.

Grazing.

Resting.

Sharing space.

And yet those relationships matter deeply.

A horse who loses a close friend can grieve.

A horse who feels isolated can become anxious.

A horse who finds safety in another horse will often seek their company again and again.

Their lives remind us of something our busy world often forgets:

Presence is not nothing.

Presence is something.

Sometimes the greatest comfort another being can offer is not advice.

Not solutions.

Not entertainment.

Just companionship.

Just the quiet message:

“You don’t have to carry this moment alone.”

I think many humans are far lonelier than we admit.

We are surrounded by information, messages, notifications, and conversations.

Yet many of us hunger for something simpler.

A place where we can exhale.

A place where we don’t have to perform.

A place where our presence is enough.

Horses seem to understand this instinctively.

They know how to stand together through storms.

They know how to rest together in the sun.

They know how to share silence without needing to fill it.

And perhaps that is one of their greatest gifts.

A reminder that love is not always found in grand gestures.

Sometimes it looks like two beings standing quietly in the same field.

Neither asking the other to be anything different.

Simply glad they are there.

And in a world that constantly tells us to become more…

there is something profoundly healing about being loved for simply being.

O

If today’s post resonated with you, you’ll find much more in my book, Chosen, Not Obeyed. It’s an invitation to see horses—and perhaps yourself—through a different lens.

📖 Get your copy here: ⁠ https://a.co/d/0dPCSVyv

06/11/2026

Thank you so much to the anonymous donor who sends the doggies their veggies! We truly appreciate it and thank you for your generosity and thoughtfulness! 💜💜💜

06/10/2026

So very grateful for all the donations from last year that helped us get this nebulizer for Pony and Joker. They are already needing it this summer. It’s a relief to have it on hand. We could use donations to help cover the medication they need for it for the next 3 months. It’s about $100 a month on top of the things we regularly need. Go to 16handsoflove.org and Donations tab. Thank you so so so much! 💜💜💜

06/09/2026

Loving our new hay net for the goats (and sometimes pony 😉). Thank you so much Terri Westbrook Wood for your thoughtfulness and generosity! We love you! 💜💜💜😘😘😘