After a lifetime of caring for horses, Joe and I thought we were nearing the end of that chapter. With arthritis limiting my ability to ride, we agreed our last horse, Favor—foaled here at home—would live out her days with us, but no more would follow. That changed in February 2011, when I got a call about an emaciated horse abandoned in the barren mountains north of Desert Hot Springs, CA. My grandson and I set out to find him, and with the help of friends and neighbors, we searched rugged canyons until at last, we found him—skin and bones, but still standing. We fed him gently, gave him water, and promised he wouldn’t spend another night alone. That evening, after miles of leading him back through darkness, he surprised us all by leaping into the trailer as if he knew he was finally safe.

We brought him home, built a corral on the spot, and reached out to a friend who connected us with Carol, a woman in Utah who had always dreamed of owning a horse. She named him Joi, but to us he was Joey, and he became the heart of what would follow. Carol has lovingly supported Joey since that day, and his survival inspired us to create Joey’s Home Animal Rescue. What started as one desperate save grew into a mission—rescuing, rehabbing, retraining, and rehoming horses in need. Joey remains our mascot and a living reminder of why we do this work.