Phantom is a 19 year old black and white Paint. He was initially rescued by Animal Care & Control (ACC) along with a number of other horses that were found starving after having been abandoned in a lot where people had been dumping shavings from barns. The whole herd had nothing to eat and no water, so they had been trying to find some food in the shavings. Phantom had eaten so many shavings that his esophagus became blocked and he could no longer eat at all. Once ACC rescued him, they paid to have Phantom’s esophagus treated by veterinary care to clear out the blockage, and he came back to health, although on the skinny side. ACC then turned him over to a network of private rescuers who ran horse rescues in the Palm Beach County area, and one of them happened to live next door to the Reiks. When their neighbor, a well-respected private horse rescuer, started looking to adopt him out, the Reiks knew it was their time to start caring for horses in need. And so with the help and guidance of the “horse angels” in Palm Beach County, the Reiks adopted Phantom, and Epona’s Path was born!

Riannon is a 17 year old Haflinger and has been with us since the beginning. She was rescued from a difficult situation by another well-known and respected “horse angel” who gifted her to Epona’s Path as a companion to Phantom, our very first horse. She and Phantom are our barn managers, always keeping an eye on everyone at the horse ranch!

Sundance is a 14 year old red roan who was rescued by Epona’s Path when he was less than a year old. He was found on an empty lot in LaBelle, FL, among a herd of mustangs who had been left to starve after their owner passed away. He was rescued by “horse angels” in Palm Beach County and placed with us as his forever home. We’re not sure what breed Sundance is (probably half mustang), but after coming to Epona’s Path as a skinny, weak foal, we started the process of refeeding him, and he was nourished back to full health. He has even participated in shows since making a full recovery!

Selene is a true wild horse; she was part of the herd of mustangs that Sundance came from. Selene was the last horse remaining in the herd that was left to starve in LaBelle, FL, and after another rescuer said she was too aggressive to get her on a trailer, some very patient volunteers and friends of the Reiks managed to get her on their trailer to bring her to the Reiks’ property. She continued to act aggressively toward anyone that approached her outside of her stall, and after several months of refeeding and recovering her health, we noticed that her belly started looking swollen. After a visit from the vet, we confirmed that Selene was pregnant! A few months later, Selene gave birth in our barn to Shaman, a beautiful pale palomino foal. Selene is in her 30s now, and you can still find her and Shaman greeting and grooming each other over the fence each morning.

Shaman is a 13 year old pale palomino and the only horse born in our barn! He came to Epona’s Path as a surprise: inside the belly of Selene, a mustang who’d been used by an experimental breeder in Central Florida and had eventually wound up abandoned in LaBelle, FL. Shaman still greets his mama each morning before running off with his best buddies Sundance and Bombero!

Presto is a saddlebred show horse in his 30s who came to Epona’s Path after getting “too old” for shows and being passed from owner to owner, until he eventually came to us after being rescued from abuse by one of our trainers. Presto keeps an eye on his herd of younger geldings and sets a high bar for barn manners. You can find him lovingly towering over anyone who visits!

We think Chance is a Morgan Friesian cross breed in her 20s who was rescued from starvation by our trainer before coming to live at our sanctuary. We initially adopted out Chance to a loving owner who spent several wonderful years with her, but after her new owner became ill and passed away, Chance came back to Epona’s Path. We know she’s never gotten over the loss of her last owner, but she finds joy these days roaming her pastures with her companion Lucky.

Paloma is a 22 year old chestnut Thoroughbred and the great-granddaughter of Secretariat. She came to us through Animal Care & Control who cared for both Paloma and her companion Jasmine after they’d come from a breeding farm in North Florida. Paloma and Jasmine have been inseparable since before their adoption, and every morning they still take off when their stall doors are open, galloping side by side.

Jasmine is a 32 year old Thoroughbred who retired from racing many years ago. She came to us along with Paloma, her longtime companion, from Animal Care & Control in Palm Beach County. Jasmine and Paloma came from the same breeding farm in North Florida, and have been an inseparable duo since before their adoption. Jasmine is thoroughly enjoying her retirement in the shade of the oak trees at Epona’s Path!

Munya is a gray Arabian with a youthful spirit. We don’t know much about where he came from, but he made his way to Epona’s Path via Animal Care & Control after they rescued him from neglect. After a thoughtful refeeding process, he made a full recovery. You can often find Munya prancing around the pasture, syncing his steps with his best pal Shadowfax!

Bombero is a 13 year old mustang who came to us when he was just a foal. He was rescued as part of a national effort to adopt mustangs that were headed to slaughter, and after all the adults had been rescued, the foals were left behind. Bombero came to Florida with a handful of other foals that were rescued by a philanthropist along with a well-known Daytona, FL-based rescue group, and he was the lucky one that wound up at Epona’s Path. He’s always had a playful spirit, and you’ll find him horsing around each day with his pals Sundance and Shaman!

Soledad is a thoroughbred who was forced into retirement from her polo career when she suddenly became unable to have a saddle on her back, much less a rider. After being diagnosed with a spinal parasite, we were able to treat Soledad and bring her back to feeling comfortable enough to ride again, though we are grateful she gets to live out her retirement on fresh pasture with her pals and riding is just optional!

Zephyrus (or Moose, as he’s affectionately known at Epona’s) is a standardbred in his teens who came to us via a standardbred rescue foundation after they’d pulled him and others from a kill pen in Louisiana. He’d worked for 12 years off the race track, pulling a buggy, before coming to our sanctuary. We’re not sure how he became blind in one eye, but it doesn’t interfere with his ability to keep track of his herd, which includes Soledad!

Lucky is a quarter horse that was used for breeding for many years, who wound up at Epona’s Path…by luck! She is indeed a rescued horse, though she is not the horse we originally intended to rescue. When one of Epona’s Path’s generous donors was made aware of a group of horses put up for auction, they bid on a horse knowing that if she wasn’t bought, she’d be sent off to slaughter. The horse they meant to bid on was adopted by someone else, and the horse they didn’t intend to bid on was Lucky! We’re so lucky to have her as well as the wonderful donor that originally pulled Lucky from the auction. You can find Lucky roaming her pasture with Chance, her companion at the sanctuary.

Macha is a young Kiger mustang, a descendant of the horses brought to North America from Spain by the Spanish explorers of the New World. Macha was originally adopted from the Bureau of Land Management by another horse rescuer in Central Florida who was a known expert in Spanish horses. Unfortunate circumstances led Macha’s original rescuer to temporarily place her at Epona’s Path where she adjusted so well that the decision was made to make it her permanent home. Today you can find Macha keeping a close eye on Selene, her elder mustang companion, protecting and grooming her while they roam the pasture.

Shadowfax is a seven year old gray Belgian warmblood who is a retired Grand Prix jumper. Luckily for us, his owner reached out to see if he could be donated to our herd as his intelligence, training, and good nature made him a perfect teaching horse for beginner and intermediate riders. We welcomed him to his forever home this year! Shadowfax has been enjoying his retirement surrounded by admiring volunteers and his herd of geldings, and has found true friendship with Munya, an older Arabian. You can often find them prancing around the pasture perfectly in sync with each other!