Meet Our Herd!
God has gifted us with an amazing equine family to shoulder with us in the ministry at Haven Acres. Nearly all of our horses have been rescued or adopted, and because of their stories they are living parables–teaching everyone who steps foot on the property that even though we are all broken in some way, we can still love and be loved. All of us have had experiences in life that have left us broken, but God reached into our world to tell us that even while we are broken, He loves us so much that He died for us. These horses all have stories of their own brokenness, but because they have been rescued and loved in their brokenness, they in turn are able to love those who are broken. We truly have some amazing horses!
Even though we do horse rescue, none of our horses are available for adoption. Our horses are used in our mentorship program and this is their home!
Our Horses:
Bay
Hard-Working – Sweet – Confident
Meet Bay! Bay is a hard-working, been-there-done-that kind of guy. He is a Quarter Horse in his late twenties who is living out his retirement at Haven Acres after being an award-winning roping horse. Bay was donated in the spring of 2023 because of his age and some soreness in his feet, so he gets arthritis medication every day. He also has a common equine disease called Cushing’s which requires medication as well to keep him happy. On top of that, because of his age he also gets a daily ration of “senior feed” which gives him some extra calories to keep him at a healthy weight. Despite being the second oldest horse we have, Bay still loves to work and does an amazing job with the kids!
Bay is lovingly partially sponsored by the Lubinski family and is looking for an additional partial sponsor!
Beau
Friendly – Mellow – Cuddly
Beau is a beautiful chestnut gelding in his early twenties. Beau is a big sweetheart who would much rather cuddle than work hard, which works great at Haven Acres. He also has allergies, which one fall (before we realized he had allergies) led to multiple ulcers from eye scratching and multiple vet appointments. Now he gets allergy medicine during the warm months and that works great!
Click here for a video of Beau!
Beau is lovingly sponsored by the Trombley family!
Buttercup
Bossy – Forward – Confident
Buttercup, aka “Barbie horse,” is a gorgeous palomino mare in her early twenties. Her previous family had been looking for a new home for her since their kids had grown up, but she needed a home where she would not have to work hard or compete because of a previous injury in her hoof. While her injury is healed, she still requires shoes to maintain her hoof after the injury. Despite her limitations, Buttercup still prefers to speed walk or go as fast as you’ll let her! She also had a respiratory infection which has left her lungs a bit damaged, and she requires medicine in the warm months to prevent her from coughing. Because of her get-up-and-go, she has developed a great relationship with a few of our more experienced riders who have been really enjoying her spunk.
Click here for a video of Buttercup!
Buttercup is lovingly sponsored by Deborah Shanahan and a family in Prior Lake, MN!
Cody
Reliable – Willing – Confident
Meet our hunk of a guy, Cody! Cody is a Paint gelding in his early twenties who has come to us after being a grandkid trail horse most of his life. He is a big, strong boy who instantly became the boss of the herd. Cody can be a little stubborn and definitely teaches kids to be better rider, but he’s a level-headed, smart horse who wants to learn if you take the time to teach him. Cody also has some arthritis just due to age which requires arthritis medicine each day in the summer and injections each spring to keep him comfortable.
Cody is lovingly sponsored by a family from Burnsville, MN!
Hannah
Sweet – Calm – Easy-Going
Hannah came to us unexpectedly in the summer of 2024. She was purchased from an auction by a lady who wanted her to be a pony for her kids, but when she went to pick Hannah up the saddle was taken off and she realized that Hannah was grossly underweight. She knew Hannah needed a lot of help from someone who had more knowledge about nursing a horse back to health, so she called local rescues, and that’s when we heard about Hannah. Hannah was at least 125 lbs underweight, lethargic, in need of hoof care, and more. She has required a lot of special, expensive food to help get her back to health. When she initially came the vet was even unable to check on other health concerns because Hannah’s body was under so much stress. We needed to get her body out of starvation mode before we could check her teeth, deworm her, do a Cushings’ disease test, or anything else the vet might want to check. Since coming to Haven Acres, Hannah has been gaining weight nicely and she has been given lots of love by everyone here. We are excited to see what she becomes as she continues to recover!
Hope
Hard-working – Obedient – Energetic
Hope is a 20-year-old bay Quarter Horse mare who is sound and healthy. She has been very well trained and loved by a sweet gentleman for the last 16 years, but he is not able to ride anymore, so we are blessed to be her retirement home! Hope is a spunky girl who likes to work rather than stand still. The barn where she was boarded is where two of our best horses we’ve ever had, Joe and Jac, are from, and we are excited to have her at Haven Acres now too.
Hope is lovingly sponsored by someone in Burnsville, MN!
Jedediah
Energetic – Responsive – Goofy
Jed was rescued in the fall of 2016. He was slaughter bound because he was too old to work the long days of a ranch horse anymore. When we got him, he was about 200 pounds underweight and needed some extra care. Since coming, he put on that extra 200 pounds and loves to be here! He is a tall chestnut gelding, maybe in his early thirties, but you would never guess it based on his personality and energy. He is one of the happiest horses we have, he loves to work, and has a special talent of “mirroring” the people who are around him. Because of his age, his teeth can no longer chew grass or hay very well, and to keep enough weight on him he requires a lot of senior grain each day. He also needs some arthritis medicine in the summer and he seems to be losing some vision and has now retired from sessions, but we are so grateful to be his retirement home!
Click here for a video of Jed!
Jed is proudly sponsored by Gulf Coast Flooring in Houston, TX, Larry Rother, and Linda Mullen!
Jetta
Confident – Calm – Sassy
Jetta has the honor of being the first horse at Haven Acres. She has seen other horses come and go while continuing to be a steady presence in the herd. Jetta is a tall Quarter Horse mare in her late teens with a rich dark brown coloring. Because she is so patient and quiet, Jetta is a great horse for participants who have a hard time riding independently due to their physical limitations. Through a relationship with this gentle horse, these kids have been able to gain confidence and a feeling of satisfaction that they cannot find anywhere else.
Click here for a video of Jetta!
Jetta is lovingly sponsored by a family in Burnsville, MN!
Jubilee
Friendly – Willing – Smart
Meet Jubilee! Jubilee was rescued January 2018 along with her sister Liberty from a humane case. They came from a property where they had never been touched, given any sort of vet or farrier care, or given good food or water. When they came they had lice, worms, and they were terrified of us. But God doesn’t love us because we’re lovable, He rescues us even when we’re still a mess, and their story is a wonderful picture of that. Since coming to Haven Acres Jubilee has learned to trust humans and actually be one of the most respectful, willing horses we have. She is now nine years old and she is a beautiful little mare who loves to run around and play!
Jubilee is lovingly sponsored by a family in Elko, MN!
Liberty
Energetic – Smart – Inquisitive
Liberty came to Haven Acres at the same time as Jubilee and has a similar story. However, she was even more fearful, and we couldn’t even touch her for a whole week! All winter after rescuing her and Jubilee we worked with them on the ground to gain their trust and respect. At first we thought Liberty would be the harder of the two to train but she has just blown us away with her willingness to learn and how smart she is! She is still in training to become a steady, safe kids’ horse but we are so thrilled with her progress and heart. This young little chestnut Arabian mare is a special part of our herd!
Click here for a video of Liberty!
Liberty is lovingly sponsored by Red and Judy Peryea!
Maximus
Confident – Slow – Gentle
Maximus is our first draft at Haven Acres and we are thrilled!! He is a big Percheron gelding in his early twenties. He was donated to us by Ironwood Springs Christian Ranch who used him as a trail and pulling horse. In fall 2018 he had a serious infection in his leg that ruptured and put him on stall rest for months. The following spring Ironwood Springs decided to donate him to us so we could continue to aid his healing. After nearly a year of time-consuming care, his wound is completely healed! Max is a big horse but he’s also incredible gentle. The kids who get to work with him just fall in love with him!
Click here for a video of Max!
Max is lovingly sponsored by a family in Apple Valley, MN!
Opie
Laid-back – Affectionate – Playful
Opie is a Thoroughbred/Quarter horse cross who was bred and trained to race. However, with his laid-back personality and a coffin bone injury, he was retired before he could run even one race. After passing through a few different hands, he came to us in the summer of 2017. Opie is one of our tallest horses and he is donned with a unique brown coat that changes colors throughout the seasons. He is nicknamed “Opie Dopie” because of his relaxed attitude, fitting right in at the ranch. Opie has also turned out to be the “little brother” of the herd. He is constantly pushing the other horses’ buttons and getting in their space like a good little brother would do!
Click here for a video of Opie!
Opie is lovingly sponsored by the Baxter family!
Ruby
Confident – Gentle – Calm
Ruby was the first horse donated to Haven Acres in April 2013. She is a beautiful bay Quarter Horse mare in her late teens who is the boss of her herd of mares. Ruby was trained to be a barrel racing horse, however, she has a hoof problem and running caused Ruby too much pain to be able to compete. She also has arthritis and a problem called navicular now that she has gotten older so she requires expensive shoes to manage her navicular and daily medicine to manage the arthritis. She also has a minor problem called head-shaking syndrome and something called “shoe boils” on her elbows which requires her to wear funny boots that look like donuts. Ruby is a very gentle horse, and she can build the confidence of even the most nervous rider. One boy in particular has grown very attached to her, and even though he is in a volatile season of his life, he finds comfort in the fact that he always has a friend in Ruby.
Teddy
Calm – Stubborn – Patient
Teddy is a sweet Haflinger pony in his later years of life. His prior owners basically rescued him from slaughter, but after they got him he developed multiple health issues that prevented him from being ridden very much. So he was donated to us summer 2021. Teddy is very laid back and calm, which is great for the kids! He is so calm and slow moving that he can be dubbed “stubborn” by some. But we are so thankful for this wonderful pony!
Teddy is lovingly sponsored by the Stacey and Storm!
Tobi
Sweet – Calm – Friendly
Tobi is a medicine hat paint gelding in his early twenties. Tobi is a very friendly, sweet horse who was loved by a great family for many years but when the kids grew up he needed a new home and he was donated to Haven Acres the summer of 2024. Tobi has a chronic, progressive problem in his feet called navicular that has been well maintained and does not cause him any trouble in his life at Haven Acres. He is also unique with one blue eye and one brown eye!
Tobi is looking for a sponsor!
Trixie
Patient – Kind – Sweet
Trixie was our first rescue horse. She is a little chestnut pony with a blonde mane and tail and she’s super sweet. Since she’s a pony she’s pretty small, which is perfect for some of the kids! Trixie came from the largest horse rescue in Minnesota, where the horses on the property were so starved that they had eaten each other’s manes and tails. In these conditions Trixie received a wound that resulted in blindness in her left eye. After rescuing her she was so terrified of people that it took her a long time to trust again. Now, a few years later, she is one of our most willing, patient, trusting horses, and has aided in the healing process of multiple children going through their own seasons of anxiety and fear.
Trixie is lovingly sponsored by families in Shakopee, MN and Farmington, MN!
Zacchaeus
Spunky – Sassy – Smart
Zacchaeus is our wee little mule! Zacchaeus came to us from Ironwood Springs Christian Ranch with Maximus in the spring of 2019. In the fall of 2018 he was three years old and had never been handled. By the time he was donated to us he had been somewhat halter broke but still very scared of people. Since coming he has already learned a lot and become much less fearful when we halter and lead him! He is a sweet, quick learner but he also has a mind of his own. We are so excited for him to keep progressing in his training so that he can be a friendly guy for all the kids that come out to enjoy!
Click here for a video of Zacchaeus!
Zacchaeus is lovingly sponsored by a family in Apple Valley, MN!
Mailing Address
Haven Acres
2820 245th St E
Hampton, MN 55031
Contact Us
Phone: (612) 363-7415