Petaluma equine rescue helps horses thrive

Phoenix, a thoroughbred colt, was about a year old when the Marin County Humane Society confiscated him from the Novato ranch where he’d been found, starving and developmentally stunted.

The yearling had been kept with another filly, both bred from a well-known bloodline, according to Anthony Ponter, one of the founders of Petaluma-based nonprofit Sonoma Equine Rescue, Rehab & Adoption. Neither animal had received proper veterinary care or training, and though the colt was 15 months old, his developmental state was closer to that of a 5-month-old horse, Ponter said.

Ponter’s organization took in the pair of “domesticated feral” horses in 2013, treating them with veterinary care and exposing them to daily interaction with volunteers. With training and the rehabilitation, the gelding is thriving under the organization’s wing, while the mare has already been placed in a home.

“He rose from the ashes,” Ponter said. “Those were two horses that got thrown away and would have never had a chance if it had gone on like that.”

Phoenix’s heart-wrenching tale of neglect isn’t uncommon, Ponter said, and his nonprofit, founded by several longtime Sonoma County horsemen and horsewomen in 2011, has worked with humane societies and other organizations to rescue and rehome hundreds of equines from ugly situations, disasters such as the Lake County fires, or from owners who simply can’t keep their animals anymore.

“When people get into difficulties with a marital situation or a job loss or anything that’s kind of a challenge in life, one of the first things that goes is the horses since they’re so expensive to keep,” said Ponter, who’s spent decades working with rescue horses.

Housed on a 15-acre parcel of donated land on Lakeville Highway, Sonoma Equine Rescue, Rehab & Adoption works with a base of about 25 volunteers in a space that accommodates between 15 and 25 horses, Ponter said. He said the majority of the animals come from Sonoma County, which is home to an estimated 26,000 horses and is known for its booming equine industry, according to 2013 data from the Sonoma County Horse Council.

The nonprofit has facilitated the adoption of about 300 horses, while a handful of others remain on the ranch to play a role in the organization’s community education programs intended to teach the public about proper horsemanship techniques to promote responsible practices, including horse behavior, health and nutrition classes with local vets, chiropractors, trainers and farriers. It will also host its inaugural public open house from noon to 4 p.m. April 24.

“Knowledge can help people avoid the mistakes they otherwise might make that would lead to a horse being put in a situation where it needs to be rescued,” Ponter said.

He said the organization also works to thoroughly vet volunteers and potential adopters before allowing them to interact with the horses, and works with the horses to tailor care and training to their needs. Ponter takes pride in the fact that the organization, which uses natural horsemanship methods, takes the time needed to make sure the horse is both mentally and physically sound before moving it to a new home.

“We never wanted to just get horses in and out,” he said. “We wanted to get them into a home that would stick – it’s a forever home.”

The volunteer base is made up of a diverse bunch, ranging from retirees to young people seeking a veterinarian career to those who just love horses, he said. Among those volunteers is Lauren Lautner, a Petaluma resident who’s worked with the rescue for several years and is now fostering horses from the organization. Lautner said her service at the nonprofit has taught her the finer points of being “a responsible steward of horsemanship,” and she’s recruited other volunteers who she says aren’t just passionate about horses, but who are also willing to show compassion.

“It’s about safety, understanding and respecting horses and it’s about saving them,” she said.

Elizabeth Palmer, the president of the Sonoma County Horse Council, said rescue organizations play an important role locally.

“Everyone in the horse community is grateful to the nonprofits out there,” she said. “They’re an important safety net for animals that people either can’t care for or don’t want to care for. Without that, I think we would have a much greater burden on county service folks.”

Though running a rescue organization is a tough job, Ponter, a Petaluma resident who operates the organization with his wife, Laura, said it’s rewarding to play a role in helping animals thrive.

“Horses bring out the best in people,” he said. “The satisfaction we derive in being able to help them is huge and it offsets any other hardship.”

(Contact Hannah Beausang at hannah.beausang@arguscourier.com. On Twitter @hannahbeausang.)