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Not yetTaking in horses

In developmentIntake standard and care plan

Before the first horse, the standards

No horse is in Saved by the Saddle's own care yet. Taking one in badly would be worse than not taking one in at all, so the care, the space and the funding come first.

An empty, sunlit barn aisle at Ocean View Stables

Somewhere quiet to settle comes before any intake.

The honest status

Horses in our care: None yet.

Intake: Not open. We cannot take in a horse yet, including surrendered horses.

Adoption: Not available yet. There is nothing to adopt today.

The horses at the barn: The horses you meet at Ocean View Stables belong to Ocean View Stables, not to Saved by the Saddle.

What has to be ready first

These four things come before any intake. None of them is in place yet.

  • Veterinary and farrier cover

    A vet and a farrier on call before intake, not after. Hoof and dental care are the first bills a neglected horse brings.

    Not yet in place

  • Space to settle

    Somewhere quiet where a new arrival can be kept separate, watched, and left alone until they are ready.

    Not yet in place

  • A written intake standard

    The assessment, the care plan, and the point at which we say no. Written down before the first horse, so it is not decided under pressure.

    Not yet in place

  • Funding that outlasts the rescue

    A horse is a decade or more of feed and care. We will not take on a horse we cannot keep.

    Not yet in place

Intake and rehabilitation, in order

The protocol we are putting in place for when a horse arrives.

1. Intake assessment

Understanding the horse in front of us: condition, history where it is known, and what they need first.

2. Veterinary and farrier care

Medical and hoof care come before anything is asked of the horse.

3. Rehabilitation

Safety, consistency and calm repetition. Stress signals are respected immediately, and a horse may step away from a session at any time.

4. A future that suits the horse

Some horses may, in time and only if it suits them, become partners in the programs. Others will be adopted to screened homes or live out their lives in sanctuary. No horse is ever required to work.

What every horse in our care will be entitled to

  • Humane, ethical care

  • Rehabilitation at the horse's pace

  • Sanctuary for horses that cannot be rehomed

  • Lifelong respect, regardless of ability

  • Treatment as a partner, never a tool

  • The right to step away from any session

Horses helped build the world we live in

For most of history, nearly everything that moved, moved because a horse moved it. When a horse's working or riding life ends today, too many fall through the gaps: the auction pen, the shipping channels, the back paddock nobody visits.

In 2025, 25,128 American horses were exported to Mexico and Canada for slaughter, up from 20,201 in 2024.

Those are the Animal Welfare Institute's figures, from USDA data, not ours.

Rescue is not charity extended downward; it is a debt honored.

A legacy Saved by the Saddle is built to carry

Ocean View Stables has saved many horses over the years: taken in, brought back to health and given time. That work happened quietly, without a nonprofit behind it.

Saved by the Saddle is being built to carry it forward, with a board, dedicated funding and written standards, so the work no longer depends on goodwill alone.

Hear when intake opens

Leave your details and we will email you when R&R opens. This does not reserve a place for a horse.

Tick it if you would like to hear when programs open or events are added.

Common questions

Why is it called R&R?

Rescue and Rehab. In the military, R&R means rest and recuperation, and that is where every horse in our care will start: somewhere quiet to rest and settle, at the horse's own pace.

Can you take my horse?

Not yet. We are not able to take in any horse until the four prerequisites above are in place.

Do you adopt out horses?

In time, yes, to qualified homes through a thorough screening process. No horse is in our care yet, so there is nothing to adopt today.

Can I visit?

Yes. Open Barn: Meet the Herd runs four times a year, 3:00 to 4:00 PM. It is free and families are welcome.

How are donations used?

We are a new 501(c)(3) public charity and have not completed a financial year, so we will not quote a split we cannot stand behind.

Second chances take time.

Feed, veterinary care and farrier work start the day a horse arrives and carry on whether or not that horse is ever ready for a program.

Help build it properly.

Gifts fund free sessions, the training and safety work behind them, and the groundwork for a rescue program done right.

The green bluff above the Pacific beside Ocean View Stables in Daly City