Angel Ranch Stables

Horses, unlike most family pets, are chronically traded from one owner to another, repeatedly, their entire lives. If dogs were taken to auctions, available to the highest bidder simply because the owner had ‘outgrown’ them or because they were ‘too old’ to be of ‘any use’ any longer, society would be outraged … yet, this is what chronically happens to horses. And what’s worse, is that many are traded until they are eventually purchased by a kill-buyer and they are exported out of the country for slaughter. It is our goal to stop this vicious cycle for as many equines as we can.

As socially intelligent and emotional creatures, horses inherently crave relationships. At Angel Ranch Stables, we make it our goal to find the right person for the right horse. With decades of experience in temperament testing, we are able to identify animals that are gentle and kind. We locate horses at sales across the nation, medically screen them with our experienced veterinarians, and give them months to years of training in a safe and peaceful setting, before we find their perfect human match.

Because we spend 200-600 hours training each horse, we know their character and personality well enough to identify their perfect, forever home. We are so confident our adopters will adore their horse, we offer a buy-back guarantee for the LIFE OF THE HORSE. We never want our equine friends to end up in a sale barn ever again. Let’s stop the cycle together!

How do we ensure our horses find their loving, forever home?

If they are unable to be safe elsewhere, they will spend the rest of their years with us.
We spend 200-600 hours training each animal in our care.
Each animal is medically screened for soundness. Every medical detail is discussed at length with the adopter.
We have decades of experience temperament testing animals to find their perfect human partner.
We offer a LIFETIME buy-back guarantee if the owner cannot keep their animal.
EVERY adopter receives included lessons, both in-person and virtual, so they learn how to reinforce the training their horse has received.
LIFETIME support to safely manage future behaviors.

Why adopt your horse from Angel Ranch Stables?

You care about horses and want to stop the vicious cycle. And you don’t only want to stop it for your next horse, but you want to support a program who actively works toward this goal with other horses across the nation everyday.
You want a horse that is safe and healthy. Auctions are full of sellers who lie about health, temperament, and behaviors to ‘unload’ animals quickly. By adopting from our program, you are assured that we have spent the funds to medically screen them, and have spent 200-600 hours training them.
You want the RIGHT horse for YOU and YOUR FAMILY. Because we spend so much time with each animal, we know them inside and out. We know what makes them tick. We also go through a rigorous adoption process with our adopters so we get to KNOW YOU as well. Finding the right horse, is like trying to align a perfect puzzle piece into the unique shape of your needs and your family. Let us use our decades of experience to help match you with the perfect equine partner.
You want your funds to be used wisely. It can be very expensive to purchase a horse that you believed was healthy but had a hidden ailment that the seller kept to themselves. Not only do we medically screen our horses, but we encourage you to have a PPE (Pre-Purchase Exam) from your veterinarian of choice. To top it, we offer a 90-day health guarantee for ANY ailment that may be underlying. If your horse has an undiagnosed medical issue after purchase, and your veterinarian believes your horse came to you with the condition, we will give you a full refund and take the horse back into our care. Their future and comfort is our top priority.

FAQ

Q: I’m interested in a horse on your page. How do I know if this is the right horse for me?

A: We like to set up a face-to-face Zoom consultation with interested adopters. We will ask you a series of questions during our conversation to see if the horse you’re interested in will be a good match for you. We discuss your experience and history with horses, how you plan to spend time with your horse (trail rides, arena work, shows, or simply a pasture pet with lots of pets and treats, etc) where your horse will be pastured or stabled, what other animals will be present and the personalities of those animals, your personality type, and even the personality types of other family members. Every detail is important to help us identify the best match.

Q: Where are you located and how can I meet a horse you have in mind for me?

A: Angel Ranch is located in Nacogdoches – the oldest town in Texas. We provide our adopters with a Travel Planning Guide which has recommendations for flight, Airbnb’s, hotels, and rental cars. Nacogdoches is located 2 hours from Houston and 3 hours from Dallas.

Q: How do I get my horse home?

A: We will help you secure a safe and reputable trailering service if you do not wish to trailer your horse yourself.

Q: Is there something wrong with horses that end up in this program?

A: There are many, many horses that have health problems and behavior issues at auctions. But there are also horses who, by no fault of their own, have ended up in a bad situation. It is our goal to recognize these animals. While all horses deserve a second chance, we know we can save the horses that have a high chance of rehabilitation and who have innate kindness and a will to overcome. Many of our horses are registered, some were even money-earners and show horses. But ALL of the horses offered for adoption out of Angel Ranch Stables are quality animals with a unique history and varied life-experiences. We cannot always know what all of those experiences were, but through temperament testing, training and broad desensitization, we are assured of their readiness before finding their FOREVER home.

My favorite example is a white horse named Treasure. But this was not always her name. She was dropped off at a horse auction, neglected and rejected, weak and malnourished to the point that others walked right past her. But we stopped and looked deeper, recognizing the kindness in her eyes despite the abuse and dirty white coat that hung along her bony frame. She was gentle and loving, begging for any passersby to offer a friendly hand. She was in a corner, alone and starved … but she was brave, despite the fact that she and many around balanced on the precipice of human decisions that would decide their fate: slaughter or adoption. When she went into the sale ring, we outbid a kill-buyer and brought her home to our ranch, giving her a second lease on life. This time we were lucky, and we wrote a small $625 check (some auction horses are $7,000 or more – even kill-buyers receive an average of $1,200 for every horse they bring to slaughter). To our surprise, we were handed her registration papers for the American Quarter Horse Association. No one had even taken the time to advertise that she was papered. With research, we found that she was the offspring of a world-renowned Quarter Horse in the Hall of Fame. She herself, was a professional cutting horse, taken to competitions throughout the nation for many years. Her pictures are still online today, showing the history of her glory days. But one sale turned into another. And then another. Until her last owner went through a divorce, hired a horse trader to disperse her and the heard, and she sat on their property for months as she starved nearly to death before being dropped off at an auction. She wasn’t the only one. She will live with us for the rest of her days; a true TREASURE. Kindness was embedded into her very nature and something we had the experience to identify. They all have a history – some gruesome and some glorious – but, together, we can protect their future.