Hills of Gold Equine Retirement Sanctuary

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Hills of Gold Equine Retirement Sanctuary Where horses, wildlife and people find refuge
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24/06/2026

We are shattered. Rest in Peace sweet Diamond.

We are so grateful to have had the chance to rewrite her ending. When Diamond joined us in September 2025 she was horse aggressive, had hooves of fury, was in pain and very ill.

With the help of our heroes, she made the most profound recovery that we’ve seen to date.

She was loved by so many. Accepted and was accepted by the herd. Always kept a soft spot in her heart for Jackpot even when he made her really mad.

Saturday morning she cleaned up her breakfast, and we turned her out with the herd. There was no indication that something was terribly wrong.

When we went to feed lunch, we found her drooling. In pain, unable to walk, and had a fever of 105 (very high)

We called the vet, but he had 3 other emergencies lined up and walked us through how to help her over the phone. He would come up if he could and we stayed in contact.

We hosed her down, moved her to shade and put her hooves in ice water. Banamine and later stacked Bute. A good friend was here and stayed to help us help her be more comfortable.

At 5pm and again at 9pm her fever had come down. She started to walk around and had big drinks of water with electrolytes. She took herself outside her pasture to Jackpot. We realize now she was saying goodbye.

At midnight we made our way back to her pasture, but she would not go near her corral. We turned out Chula and Bo to join her so she wouldn’t be alone.

The plan was to call the vet with an update at 7am, and she’d be his first call on Sunday. We found she lay down and passed in the night.

When we took Jackpot to go see her, he wanted nothing to do with it. Wouldn’t go near and quickly walked away. He knew she was gone.

After rehashing the events of the day with the vet, and a couple wise friends we’ve come to the conclusion that she must’ve had a rupture that went septic. Likely caused by a digestive stone moving into the intestine or a bladder infection/stone. The only thing the vet could have done was to end her suffering earlier.

We had so much more in store for her, and were looking forward to her future. It was her time, but we were far from ready.

09/06/2026

Something BIG happened this weekend!

Diamond Update!

She doesn’t even look like the same horse. When Diamond arrived she had trouble walking. She was laminitic in all 4 hooves, and had a coat like a wooly mammoth. Her owner asked us to help put her down, but agreed to let us try treating her first.

Fast forward 8 months and she’s trotting through the pasture to her friends and this weekend the last of her overgrown coat has shed off.

Unfortunately we’ve discovered she’s thinner than we knew. Those fluffy curls hid ribs underneath. Shes been moved to her own corral and her meals have been increased.

Shes still arthritic, and we may add medication or supplements to help manage

Diamond gets better each week and it’s amazing to see her blossom!!

Thank you to the heroes who support this care. There is no way we could continue our work without help.

09/06/2026

Damn dog in the arena again!

Our daughter was super sad to leave our grand puppy Percy with us when she went on a 2 month summer internship out of state.

Percy doesn’t mind! He’s been here often and super good with the chickens and the horses. Loves jumping in the water troughs, and has the most fun with the sticks and rocks he finds.

It’s a huge treasure hunt for him when he’s here.

04/06/2026

Why would we post a video of a lame horse?
Jackpot came to us after he had been rescued from auction - bound for slaughter. After a failed rehab attempt, he was retired to our Sanctuary where he lives as a non-ridden horse.
His soundness is something we've worked on since he arrived, but it's likely not going to get better. Some days he just moves with a limp, and some days I do too. That doesn't mean he doesn't want to move, and engage, and learn new things.
We work with him to keep his mind and body moving.
Thanks for everyone who cared about him, especially our heroes who continue to support our efforts. We could not do this without you.

01/06/2026

It’s all fun and games until someone gets kicked.

We generally ask visitors to the ranch to leave their dogs at home. This weekend we welcomed our family, and my dog nephew Maui came with them. He loves the Ranch, playing with our dogs and chasing rabbits.

When I was doing a demonstration with Jackpot, Maui decided he needed some more action and came at Jackpots back leg.

When a horse kicks, it has perfect aim. A kick is intentional, and generally out of self defense.

Thankfully, due to Maui’s angle, he didn’t receive the full force of the hoof, and was for the most part uninjured. He recovered quickly and never had the opportunity to land a bite so Jackpot was fine as well.

Very fortunate, and we’re all a little more wise.

28/05/2026

Monday we had a volunteer help us with morning chores, and afterwards we went to work shedding Diamond.

Her treatment for Cushings is working and we were able to take another bucket of hair off of her.

Underneath was white flakey dandruff. Years of buildup on her skin that didn’t have a chance to come off. It was a warm day so we finished with a medicated shampoo bath.

The hair that is left is super fine and thin. Not typical of what you’d find under a shed out, however her circumstances are far from typical.

With this cold snap we’re blanketing her at night because she just doesn’t have her natural defenses to regulate her body temperature.

She LOVES her blanket. Comes right up and stands super still until all the buckles are closed.

Thanks for helping us to rewrite Diamonds ending. After a lifetime of service she deserves a little care and comfort

We have the most amazing update about Bojangles. A true hero has come through at the last minute.Another ranch with an e...
27/05/2026

We have the most amazing update about Bojangles. A true hero has come through at the last minute.

Another ranch with an estate of 400 acres will be taking Bojangles and allowing him to remain as a Stallion. Being gelded late in life is not ideal, and nursing his recovery would not have been an easy task for us to take on, but we couldn't let Bojangles down.

Unfortunately, this has put us behind in our ranch funding. We have already ordered and paid for the materials for his shelter, which was far more than we'd fundraised for. The shelter materials will be delivered this week. We were under the gun to be ready in time and took the leap.

Thank you for everyone who stepped up and donated. If with this change of plans, you'd like your donation returned please let us know. Our hopes are that everyone will be OK with allowing their donation to remain and help fund the new shelter. While it won't be for Bojangles - there is always a need for more safe space for senior horses at risk.

We are so happy for Bojangles to move into his new pasture, he'll be accompanied by a herd, and with a caretaker more experienced with the needs of a Stallion.

This is the absolute best outcome for everyone and we are thrilled.

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21977 Highway 79 #622

92070

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