A Land Filled With Horses

When the partnership for a well-respected sporthorse breeding program ended, one partner took his share of the horses and reestablished his successful breeding business in a new location. The other partner who owned the 800-acre Yanci Ranch in Northern California turned out the remaining horses and let them free-breed. Top-quality Appaloosas, Percherons and sporthorses immediately began producing offspring in a Wild West setting, resulting in hundreds of horses of all different sizes and colors, running free in the Coast Range foothills. The horses were semi-feral and lived off the land. Eventually there was a drought on the secluded ranch which resulted in a lack of pasture grass to support all the horses. The desperately hungry animals broke through the fences to find food. Meanwhile, a mare and her nursing foal had been relocated to another ranch in a neighboring county by the landowner's wife and were starving to death until they were discovered by a concerned veterinarian. At that point, the plight of the hidden herd became evident, and some kind-hearted people stepped in to help. This compelling true-crime story reveals what happened behind the scenes at the remote property. The reader will get an inside look at a severe case of horse neglect, and the animal-rescue operation that followed.

"A Land Filled With Horses" is a captivating true-crime story that reveals the severe animal neglect that took place on a remote horse ranch. This book shares what happened when the partnership for a well-respected horse-breeding program ended. One partner took his share of the horses and reestablished his successful breeding business in a new location. The other partner who owned the 800-acre Yanci Ranch in Northern California turned out the remaining horses and let them free-breed. Top-quality Appaloosas, Percherons and sporthorses immediately began producing offspring in a Wild West setting, resulting in hundreds of horses of all different sizes and colors, running free in the Coast Range foothills. But the herd's rapid overpopulation overwhelmed the rangeland resources. The Yanci Ranch horses were semi-feral and struggled to survive the overcrowded conditions. When a drought struck the ranch and dried up the pasture grass, the desperately hungry animals broke through the fences to find food. Meanwhile, a mare and her nursing foal had been relocated to another ranch in a neighboring county by the landowner's wife and were starving to death until they were discovered by a concerned veterinarian. At that point, the plight of the hidden herd became evident. Readers will get an inside look at a severe case of horse neglect and the animal-rescue operation that followed. This is a must-read for those who love animals.