Our Horses

Meet the Herd

Get to know all of our talented and special horses. Their backgrounds may be varied, but their hearts are all made of gold.

You can adopt a High Hopes horse with a contribution of $500 or more, which can be paid quarterly in $125 increments.

Your donation will help us keep a special member of our herd, happy, healthy, and with everything they need to excel in our therapeutic program.

A plaque bearing your name will be placed on your adopted horse’s stall, and you will receive an update regarding your horse during the year. And, of course, to see your adopted friend, we welcome visits. Adopt a horse and make a new friend today.

Learn about volunteering with our High Hopes herd

What it takes to feed our herd

4500

bales of hay

91259

gallons of water

375

bags of grain

18750

lbs of grain

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Addie

Addie hails from New York where she enjoyed going for pleasure rides with the family who owned her. Addie is a black and white Paint mare, standing just over 16 hands tall. Her solid build enables her to serve some of our older participants who are working on independent riding skills, while her easy-going personality makes her a joy for volunteers to handle. Addie can seem quite shy and reserved but she really warms up around her favorite students!

Adopt Addie
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Aladdin

Aladdin, better known as “Al”, was born in 1996 and is a palomino gelding. At 9.1 hands Al is by far the shortest member of our herd but, interestingly, he is actually quite tall for his breed. In terms of height, Al is technically a pony but he is a Miniature Horse by breed. Al works in our unmounted and driving program and he has his own small carriage, which he enjoys pulling. Al has been at High Hopes since 2004! Al was voted as the High Hopes Horse of the Year in 2020.

Adopt Aladdin
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Arthur

Arthur is a flaxen chestnut Belgian/Quarter Horse cross gelding. He was a  trail riding horse until 2016 and shortly thereafter came to live at High Hopes. Arthur has a unique “paint splatter” marking on his belly and has beautiful dapples during the summer time. He is the heaviest horse in our herd, weighing in at over 1700 pounds. Arthur loves neck scratches under his mane and makes a funny face to let you know you’ve found the perfect spot!

Adopt Arthur
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Blessing

Blessing was bred and raised to be a racehorse who pulls a carriage on the track – called a “pacer”. Blessing raced until he was 6 and earned nearly $40,000 in his career. After his retirement from racing, he was brought to a nearby town for retraining to work as a pleasure driving horse. He came to High Hopes in 2013 as a 9 year old. He is a smart and funny horse who now loves to drive at a slower pace! Blessing was voted as the High Hopes Horse of the Year in 2019.

Adopt Blessing
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Chip

Chip is a 14.2 hand Appaloosa gelding who was born in 1993. Chip came to High Hopes in the spring of 2011 from a barn in CT where he worked teaching students to jump. Chip is very social, he loves to nicker at passers-by and always keeps a watchful eye on what is going on in his “neighborhood”. Chip has to wear sunscreen on his nose in the summer – otherwise he gets a sunburn!

Adopt Chip
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Centos

Centos is an extremely friendly and curious guy! He is a 2006 Warmblood gelding standing at 16.1 hands high and has a beautiful bay coat. He loves attention and being with horse and human friends alike! He came to High Hopes in the fall of 2023 and has been doing a great job ever since.

Adopt Centos

Your Adopt a Horse donation helps pay for hay, grain, shoes, supplements and veterinary care.

Adopt a Horse Program

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Churro

Churro is 2003 Appaloosa gelding. Churro has a dark brown body sprinkled with white spots – so he really does look like a cinnamon sugar dusted churro treat! Plus he’s just as sweet.
Churro came to us all the way from Tennessee!

Adopt Churro
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Lucky

Lucky is a 2006 Dutch Warmblood/Thoroughbred cross gelding. Lucky was a jumping horse in his previous career and competed in horse shows up and down the East coast.

Adopt Lucky
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Mia

Mia is a petite bay pony mare who came to High Hopes in 2022. Mia is a Grade pony, which essentially means that her breeding is not totally known. Luckily, breed has nothing to do with a sweet, friendly demeanor and Mia has that in spades! Mia has training in dressage and eventing – a discipline that involves riding over open fields and jumping the various obstacles that are in the path. She is now enjoying teaching our smallest participants the ins and outs of horseback riding in our arenas and trails!

Adopt Mia
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Nifty

Nifty came to High Hopes in 2002 at the age of 14. A registered Quarter Horse, he performed in English, Western and Reining competitions before coming to live at High Hopes. Nifty has a very unique coat color called “dun” which makes him really stand out in a crowd. Nifty’s very long tenure as a therapy horse is very special, he is really a great guy! Nifty was voted as the High Hopes Horse of the Year in 2010.

Adopt Nifty

Horse Donations

Interested in High Hopes as a home for your horse?

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Onyx

Onyx is a 2005 Percheron X QH Cross. She is a big mare, standing at about 16.3 hands but she is a gentle giant for sure! She has a shiny black coat with a white star marking and loves to hang out with her friends out in the paddocks. She has a very quiet and sweet personality.

Adopt Onyx
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Penny

Penny is a small pony at just 13.2 hands tall. Being of Welsh breeding also makes her very fine-boned. But for what she lacks in size, she makes up for in heart! Penny, whose show name is “Rise and Shine”, is a shiny chestnut mare who gleams in the sun like a bright new penny! Penny was a successful show horse before coming to High Hopes, carrying her owner all the way to the CT Horse Show Association’s finals in 2017.

Adopt Penny
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Petra

Petra is a Norwegian Fjord mare born in 1995. She is a brown dun with a dorsal stripe. Her mane hair is “roached” (clipped short so it stands upright) to show off its two-toned coloring. Petra loves to take long naps in her stall. She is one of our most reliable and tolerant horses, she has a heart of gold! Petra is exceptional for many reasons…not the least of which is that she came to work at High Hopes at the very young age of four years old!

Petra was voted as the High Hopes Horse of the Year in 2011.

Adopt Petra
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Rolex

A Westphalian horse born in 2000, Rolex joined the herd at High Hopes in 2018. Rolex has a light blonde mane and tail and his coat color is known as a flaxen chestnut. He is tall and slender, with easy and smooth strides that feel like you are riding in a Cadillac! Many riders have learned to ride off-lead on Rolex, he is steady and patient and loves to show people the ropes.

Adopt Rolex
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Savannah

Savannah, born in 2008, is a pretty bay Quarter Horse mare who stands 15 hands tall. She came to CT via the Midwest US, but has never lived in Georgia! Savannah really enjoys the company of people and wants to say “hello!” to anyone who is nearby. Savannah has smooth gaits and a sweet temperament.

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Teddy

Teddy, born in 1998, is a high-spirited 14.2 hand bay Morgan gelding. Teddy is full of personality and likes to work hard. Teddy is a “people horse” and genuinely becomes sad when he has a day off where he doesn’t see his friends in the arena! Teddy was born at the University of Vermont in their world famous Morgan breeding program. Teddy was selected as the PATH International Region 1 Horse of the Year for 2022.

Adopt Teddy
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Vixen

Vixen joined our herd in the spring of 2011. She is a draft cross mare and was born in 2002 in Canada. She came to live with her owner in CT when she was just a baby. Vixen has a great sense of humor, is friendly and curious. She has arguably the most comfortable gaits of any horse in our herd! She is a fun horse to work with, especially if you have things to accomplish- Vixen walks with purpose everywhere she goes!

Adopt Vixen
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Warrior

Warrior was born in 2000 and is a New Zealand Warmblood who was imported to the US some years ago to compete in the World Equestrian Games in the sport of jumping. Now ready to leave his jumping days behind him, Warrior is happy to be part of our herd teaching riders how to walk, trot and canter. He is tall at 16 hands but he is so easy going that participants of all sizes are comfortable working with him. Warrior is elegant and dignified, a true gentleman.

Adopt Warrior

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Support a Herd Member

The High Hopes' Adopt a Horse program is a way to express your appreciation for one or more special members of our herd.

Adopt A Horse

Ready to Join the High Hopes Family?

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Supporting High Hopes

Your contribution will support our riding program and ensure the ongoing sustainability of our operations, including care of our horses and scholarship support to financially disadvantaged participants.

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Sharing the Power of Equine Assisted Services

High Hopes offers lectures and workshops on topics related to equine assisted services including disabilities, equine care, effective instruction and non-profit administration. Learn more.

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