IN MEMORIAL
1996-August 2023
We were saddened by the sudden and unexpected loss of our sweet boy Tonka.
Tonka was purchased as the Groen’s first family horse in 2003. He was a darling chestnut colored pony with a beautiful golden blonde mane and tail. His age was unknown at the time of purchase, but he was estimated to be around 7 years old, so he would have been about 28 when he died.
Tonka was a unique pony with his own ideas. He required a lot of training and regularly bucked the oldest Groen daughter and her friends off. Slowly but surely, he learned what was expected of him and had become the cornerstone of our ministry program.
We will truly miss this spunky little pony and all he brought to the ranch.
Feisty Cookie is approximately 14 years old and was rescued from terrible neglect in March 2019 by Hope’s Chance Horse Sanctuary. They had to trimhis poor little curled up hooves right away and had a tooth pulled that appeared to be the source of a bony tumor in his sinus cavity.
We adopted Feisty Cookie in August 2019 and were blessed to be able to have his tumor successfully remove the tumor in February of 2022 has become an intricate part of our program and we are truly thankful that he is heading in the right direction! He’s really showing signs of his playful side and pleads his case for a tasty treat every chance he gets!
Ali is a 15 year old half Arabian gelding who began boarding at the ranch when his previous owner, Wendy, movedin 2010 from Minnesota to Modesto. He is registered as “Grand Finale”and certainly lives up to his name.
In 2015, Wendy moved back to Minnesota and graciously donated Ali to the second oldest Groen daughter, Jessica since she rode him frequently and had developed a bond with him.He is the sweetest and kindest most reliable horse in our ministry program. Ali holds a very special place in many of the children’s hearts as the horse they learned to ride on.
Chief is a beautiful 15 year old Grulla Pinto that was foaled in 2002 approximately. He was donated to Triple H Youth Ranch in 2018. At the time, he was fairly thin and ewe-necked. Chief struggled with colic and stomach upset regularly for quite some time and was removed from the program in 2021 due to tripping caused by a mild neurological condition.
It took some time to put weight and muscle on him but he has fully transformed into a beautiful grey and white work of art! He really is quite handsome.He has come a long way and is showing signs of prior training that makes him a valuable asset to our program. His size allows us to serve children that require a slightly larger horse as well. We are so thankful to report that our sweet boy is nearly fully rehabilitated and is once again participating in our program rotation! He is certainly a barn favorite and has taught many young people how to ride!
Sunny was about 8 years old when he was given to the oldest Groen daughter, Rebekah, as a 15th birthday present in 2005. She named him California Sunshine due to his beautiful palomino color. She showed Sunny in western pleasure and enjoyed some trail riding as well. Sunny still lives here at the ranch and Rebekah has graciously allowed us to use him for the ministry program.
Sunny has a personality that just keeps on giving. He has a pretty good sense of humor and can be very silly at times. He makes sure you don’t forget about him or leave him out of any of the activities. He loves people and really looks forward to his time with the children. Whether he is standing over you in the arena or following you around it, he is just happy to be a part of the fun.
Hershey is the youngest member of the herd and stands only 12 hands high, but looks more like a grown horse that has shrunk than a full size pony. He’s just adorable, which is why his story is so unbelievable.
This young gelding is believed to be around 4 years old. He was rescued from a feedlot in Nevada by Hope’s Chance Horse Sanctuary in January of 2021. Triple H Youth Ranch was fortunate to adopt him in February of 2021. He was only about 2½ years old according to the Vet. We have had the joy of gentling and training him. He was initially purchased so that he could someday step into Tonka’s role and he takes that very seriously!
Captain is a gorgeous dark bay gelding who was foaled around 2009. Triple H Youth Ranch purchased him in 2017. His name was originally Parrot at the time because of his large distinguishing parrot-like overbite, a trait that suits him perfectly. Little did we know that his personality is a little bit spicy just like that of Captain Jack.
It has taken a few years to groom him into a program horse but Captain has become a great step-up horse for our riders as they begin to hone their more advanced riding skills. He is an extremely smart fella and will listen well to those who know at least a little bit about riding. Captain is a sweet boy but has been known to stir up the boys when he gets to join in playtime. He is our second youngest horse at only 13 years old and sometimes shows off his youthful teenager side. Captain struggles with fly allergies so he requires a little extra care to manage them. He has no trouble voicing his opinion when he feels we need to hear it!
Jamba is our newest herd member and definitely becoming a fan favorite! Our sweet miniature Pinto mare was recently donated by the loving Robertson family. This little 25 year old pony is an accomplished champion jumper and an excellent lead pony and has quickly won her way into everyone’s hearts.
Jamba’s glucose and insulin levels are a little on the high side of the normal range so she will be on medication for the rest of her life. With lots of love and exercise we hope to help her achieve a healthy weight as we begin to fold her into our programs. She is a safe and comforting pony. We just adore her and can’t wait to see how God will use her in her role as the new Triple H Youth Ranch ambassador pony, for what we hope will be many more years to come!
IN MEMORIAL
1996-August 2023
We were saddened by the sudden and unexpected loss of our sweet boy Tonka.
Tonka was purchased as the Groen’s first family horse in 2003. He was a darling chestnut colored pony with a beautiful golden blonde mane and tail. His age was unknown at the time of purchase, but he was estimated to be around 7 years old, so he would have been about 28 when he died.
Tonka was a unique pony with his own ideas. He required a lot of training and regularly bucked the oldest Groen daughter and her friends off. Slowly but surely, he learned what was expected of him and had become the cornerstone of our ministry program.
We will truly miss this spunky little pony and all he brought to the ranch.
Feisty Cookie is approximately 14 years old and was rescued from terrible neglect in March 2019 by Hope’s Chance Horse Sanctuary. They had to trimhis poor little curled up hooves right away and had a tooth pulled that appeared to be the source of a bony tumor in his sinus cavity.
We adopted Feisty Cookie in August 2019 and were blessed to be able to have his tumor successfully remove the tumor in February of 2022 has become an intricate part of our program and we are truly thankful that he is heading in the right direction! He’s really showing signs of his playful side and pleads his case for a tasty treat every chance he gets!
Ali is a 15 year old half Arabian gelding who began boarding at the ranch when his previous owner, Wendy, movedin 2010 from Minnesota to Modesto. He is registered as “Grand Finale”and certainly lives up to his name.
In 2015, Wendy moved back to Minnesota and graciously donated Ali to the second oldest Groen daughter, Jessica since she rode him frequently and had developed a bond with him.He is the sweetest and kindest most reliable horse in our ministry program. Ali holds a very special place in many of the children’s hearts as the horse they learned to ride on.
Chief is a beautiful 15 year old Grulla Pinto that was foaled in 2002 approximately. He was donated to Triple H Youth Ranch in 2018. At the time, he was fairly thin and ewe-necked. Chief struggled with colic and stomach upset regularly for quite some time and was removed from the program in 2021 due to tripping caused by a mild neurological condition.
It took some time to put weight and muscle on him but he has fully transformed into a beautiful grey and white work of art! He really is quite handsome.He has come a long way and is showing signs of prior training that makes him a valuable asset to our program. His size allows us to serve children that require a slightly larger horse as well. We are so thankful to report that our sweet boy is nearly fully rehabilitated and is once again participating in our program rotation! He is certainly a barn favorite and has taught many young people how to ride!
Sunny was about 8 years old when he was given to the oldest Groen daughter, Rebekah, as a 15th birthday present in 2005. She named him California Sunshine due to his beautiful palomino color. She showed Sunny in western pleasure and enjoyed some trail riding as well. Sunny still lives here at the ranch and Rebekah has graciously allowed us to use him for the ministry program.
Sunny has a personality that just keeps on giving. He has a pretty good sense of humor and can be very silly at times. He makes sure you don’t forget about him or leave him out of any of the activities. He loves people and really looks forward to his time with the children. Whether he is standing over you in the arena or following you around it, he is just happy to be a part of the fun.
Captain is a gorgeous dark bay gelding who was foaled around 2009. Triple H Youth Ranch purchased him in 2017. His name was originally Parrot at the time because of his large distinguishing parrot-like overbite, a trait that suits him perfectly. Little did we know that his personality is a little bit spicy just like that of Captain Jack.
It has taken a few years to groom him into a program horse but Captain has become a great step-up horse for our riders as they begin to hone their more advanced riding skills. He is an extremely smart fella and will listen well to those who know at least a little bit about riding. Captain is a sweet boy but has been known to stir up the boys when he gets to join in playtime. He is our second youngest horse at only 13 years old and sometimes shows off his youthful teenager side. Captain struggles with fly allergies so he requires a little extra care to manage them. He has no trouble voicing his opinion when he feels we need to hear it!
Hershey is the youngest member of the herd and stands only 12 hands high, but looks more like a grown horse that has shrunk than a full size pony. He’s just adorable, which is why his story is so unbelievable.
This young gelding is believed to be around 4 years old. He was rescued from a feedlot in Nevada by Hope’s Chance Horse Sanctuary in January of 2021. Triple H Youth Ranch was fortunate to adopt him in February of 2021. He was only about 2½ years old according to the Vet. We have had the joy of gentling and training him. He was initially purchased so that he could someday step into Tonka’s role and he takes that very seriously!
Jamba is our newest herd member and definitely becoming a fan favorite! Our sweet miniature Pinto mare was recently donated by the loving Robertson family. This little 25 year old pony is an accomplished champion jumper and an excellent lead pony and has quickly won her way into everyone’s hearts.
Jamba’s glucose and insulin levels are a little on the high side of the normal range so she will be on medication for the rest of her life. With lots of love and exercise we hope to help her achieve a healthy weight as we begin to fold her into our programs. She is a safe and comforting pony. We just adore her and can’t wait to see how God will use her in her role as the new Triple H Youth Ranch ambassador pony, for what we hope will be many more years to come!