In Loving Memory of Church : 2012–2026
14-year-old Buckskin Quarter Horse Gelding
Some horses come into our lives quietly. Others leave memories so deep that we know we will carry them forever.
Church was one of those horses.
Church came to Bearfoot Ranch after being dealt a difficult hand from the very beginning. Handsome, muscular, athletic and strikingly beautiful, he had once been purchased with hopes of becoming a barrel horse. But Church carried something hidden beneath that beautiful exterior—Hyperkalemic Periodic Paralysis, or HYPP, a genetic disease that can cause painful muscle tremors, weakness, paralysis and, in severe cases, sudden death.In the video, you'll see him having a HYPP episode where his chest and neck muscles are having tremors.
His diagnosis changed the course of his life.
Eventually, that course brought him to us.
From the beginning, Church asked for very little. He was gentle. Patient. Kind. He trusted us through medications, treatments, hoof soakings, bandage changes, radiographs, veterinary visits and countless examinations. Our volunteers learned how to recognize his HYPP episodes and where his emergency medications were kept. We learned his signs, his good days and his difficult ones.
And Church learned that he was safe.
Then came the battle with his feet.
In December 2024, Church became increasingly lame, and radiographs revealed a serious infection involving the coffin bone in his right front hoof. Weeks of antibiotics weren't enough. On January 14, 2025, Church underwent surgery to remove the infected bone and surrounding tissue.
Our community rallied around him, helping us raise the money he needed for surgery. We prayed. We worried. We waited.
And Church fought.
He came home with a hole in the bottom of his hoof that required meticulous daily cleaning and packing, a protective metal plate bolted to his shoe, and months of careful rehabilitation ahead of him. Through all of it, he stood quietly while we cared for him, almost as though he understood that everyone around him was trying to help.
He was, as we said so many times, the best boy.
Over the months that followed, we pursued every reasonable avenue we could to give Church a comfortable life. Earlier this year, we took him to Tuskegee University College of Veterinary Medicine for extensive testing, including radiographs, nerve blocks and a venogram to evaluate blood flow to his hoof.
When the testing showed good blood flow, we finally had something we had desperately wanted for a very long time:
Hope.
But sometimes love, medicine, determination and hope still aren't enough.
Despite veterinary care, specialized farrier care, supplements, medications and everything his body needed to grow a healthy hoof, Church simply could not do it. The damage and recurring infections progressed. White Line Disease reached the coronet band—the very area responsible for producing new hoof growth.
The infections and abscesses became increasingly painful.
Because his front feet hurt, Church didn't want to move. Because he didn't move, his HYPP became harder to manage and painful muscle cramping became another part of his struggle. As he shifted his weight away from the most painful hoof, the opposite hoof began showing signs of compromise as well.
His body was telling us what our hearts did not want to hear.
We have asked ourselves every question people ask when they love an animal this much.
*Did we do enough?
*Could we have done something differently?
*Was there one more treatment?
*One more specialist?
*One more thing we could try?
But ultimately, those questions weren't the ones that mattered.
The question that mattered was:
Was Church still enjoying his life, or were we asking him to endure it because we weren't ready to lose him?
Church had fought long enough.
When the days with pain began to outnumber the days without it, our responsibility changed. We could no longer ask him to keep fighting simply because saying goodbye would break our hearts.
So we became his advocate one final time.
We gave him peace.
Church's story could easily be remembered as a sad one—a horse born with a genetic disease who later endured devastating problems with his feet. But that isn't how we will remember him.
We will remember the beautiful buckskin who stood patiently while we cared for him.
*The gentle soul who trusted his people.
*The horse whose HYPP emergency kit was always ready because so many volunteers knew exactly what to do if he needed them.
*The boy an entire community prayed for, donated to and cheered on.
*The horse who received chance after chance because people believed his life mattered.
Church didn't know that people followed his updates or donated toward his surgery. He didn't know how many prayers were said for him or how many people celebrated every piece of good news.
He simply knew that when he hurt, someone came.
When he was afraid, someone stayed.
When he needed help, someone tried.
And when there was nothing left we could do to make him well, someone loved him enough to let him go.
That is rescue, too.
Rescue isn't always about saving a life forever. Sometimes it means giving an animal every possible chance. Sometimes it means fighting beside them for months or years. And sometimes, the final promise we keep is that they will never have to suffer simply because we aren't ready to say goodbye.
And even after Church is gone, his work here isn't finished.
Church will continue to educate, just as he educated all of us throughout his life.
We have made the deeply personal decision to donate his legs for veterinary and farriery study. The study of cadaver limbs provides an invaluable opportunity to examine the intricate structures hidden within the hoof and leg—bones, tendons, blood vessels and soft tissues—in ways that simply cannot be done with a living horse.
For Church, this opportunity is especially meaningful.
There is still so much to learn about horses living with HYPP and how the disease may affect them throughout their lives. Church also endured an extraordinarily complicated journey involving his hoof, coffin bone, recurring infections and White Line Disease. If studying his legs can provide even one piece of information that helps veterinarians, farriers or students better understand these conditions, then Church will continue helping horses long after his own battle has ended.
There is something incredibly comforting about that.
The legs that carried our beautiful boy through fourteen years of life—the same legs and feet we fought so desperately to heal—may now help teach someone how to save another horse.
Church's final gift will be knowledge.
Perhaps a veterinary student will learn something from him. Perhaps a farrier will better understand what is happening beneath the hoof capsule. Perhaps something discovered through Church will someday help another owner make a difficult treatment decision for an HYPP horse.
We may never know exactly how far his gift reaches.
But if there is anything Church can still teach us—anything his story, his body and everything he endured can contribute to helping another horse—we want that opportunity to mean something.
Even in death, Church will still be helping horses.
Church came to Bearfoot Ranch for a reason.
Today, we believe it more than ever.
Maybe his purpose wasn't to become a barrel horse or even a lesson horse. Maybe Church's purpose was simply to teach us about perseverance, compassion, advocacy and the kind of love that puts an animal's needs before our own hearts.
And perhaps his purpose reaches even further than we realized.
His life taught us. Now his legacy will teach others.
We would have given anything for more time.
But more than that, we wanted Church to be free from pain.
Run freely now, sweet boy. No sore feet. No infections. No muscle cramps. No medications. No emergency kits. No more fighting.
Just green pastures, strong legs and four perfect hooves carrying you wherever you want to go.
*Thank you for trusting us, Church.
*Thank you for fighting as long as you did.
*Thank you to every veterinarian, farrier, volunteer, donor and friend who fought alongside us and loved this very special horse.
*And thank you, Church, for reminding us that sometimes the greatest act of love isn't holding on.
It's knowing when to let go.
Every day we had you was a blessing.
Every day we remember you will be, too.
Rest easy, Church.
You were loved beyond measure.
2012–2026
Bearfoot Ranch
www.bearfootranch.org
Bearfoot Ranch
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Our PATH certified therapy instructor offers lessons for children and adults with special needs.
Bearfoot Ranch is a non-profit horse rescue and offers therapeutic riding lessons for children with special needs in a safe, effective, and compassionate environment. THERAPEUTIC RIDING LESSONS
http://www.bearfootranch.org/services/therapeutic-riding-lessons/
At Bearfoot Ranch, we truly feel that everyone benefits from interaction with horses. PATH International (Professional Association of Ther
08/16/2026
🍂🐴 FALL INTO FUN AT BEARFOOT RANCH! ❄️
Our Fall & Winter 2026 calendar is packed with opportunities for kids to learn, ride, explore, and make memories with our amazing rescue horses! Whether your child joins us for a single-day adventure, a multi-day camp, or our PE Homeschool program, there’s something special waiting for them at the Ranch.
Single-Day Camps | Ages 7–14
September 7 • October 12 • October 19
8:00 AM–2:00 PM
$100
Fall Camps | Ages 7–14
September 21–24
September 28–October 1
8:00 AM–2:00 PM
$350
Winter Camps | Ages 7–14
November 23–25
December 21–23
8:00 AM–2:00 PM
$265
PE Homeschool | Ages 8+
Our 10-week Physical Education program begins September 29 and meets every Tuesday. Kids get hands-on learning while building horsemanship skills, confidence, responsibility, and a deeper understanding of horses.
$300 for the 10-week
To register call 678-805-7433 today
And the best part? Every registration supports Bearfoot Ranch’s mission of rescuing horses and providing therapeutic and educational programs for our community.
📍 12976 Cu***ng Hwy, Canton, GA 30115
📞 678-805-7433
📧 [email protected]
Spots are limited, so don’t wait to join the adventure!
Bearfoot Ranch
www.bearfootranch.org
08/15/2026
What a great day at Tractor Supply Co. in Canton (Freehome)!
We loved being part of Animal Days today and having the chance to talk about one of our very favorite things… Bearfoot Ranch!
It was wonderful meeting so many people from our community, sharing the mission of Bearfoot Ranch, and introducing everyone to the work we do for our rescue horses and therapeutic riding programs.
And we’d call today a success—we welcomed some new volunteers to the Bearfoot family AND had several kiddos sign up for our Fall Horse Camps!
A huge THANK YOU to Tractor Supply Co. for hosting Animal Days and for continuing to support local rescues, nonprofits, vendors, and small businesses. Events like this give organizations like ours an opportunity to connect with the community, make new friends, and spread the word about our mission.
Thank you to everyone who stopped by our table, asked questions, signed up, or simply said hello. We loved meeting you!
08/06/2026
Join Bearfoot Ranch at Tractor Supply Animal Days - Saturday, August 15 from 10 am - 2 pm.
Tractor Supply - FREEHOME
12110 Cu***ng Hwy - Canton, GA
Visit our booth for information on lessons, camps, volunteering, adoptions, foster care and more! Tractor Supply will have lots of great deals on animal goodies too!
08/06/2026
ADOPTED! Cassie Found Her Forever Home!
There are few things we love more at Bearfoot Ranch than watching one of our horses head off to the life they were always meant to have. Today, we get to celebrate our sweet girl Cassie!
Cassie has officially found her perfect forever home!
She is beginning a beautiful new chapter where she’ll be showered with all the love, attention, treats, and happiness she deserves. But perhaps the best part? Cassie has already found her new best friend.
Meet Phoenix, the resident horse who has quickly bonded with Cassie. Watching these two together, we have a feeling this is the beginning of a very special friendship. They’ll have each other for companionship, adventures, quiet pasture days, and all those little moments that make life with horses so special.
Rescue is about so much more than bringing a horse to safety. It’s about helping them heal, learning who they are and what they need, and ultimately finding that special place where they can truly belong.
For Cassie, this is that place.
As happy as we are to see our horses leave Bearfoot Ranch, there’s always a little tug at our hearts when they go. We love them while they’re here, invest in their futures, and then trust that the right family will love them just as much as we do.
Cassie, we couldn’t be happier for you, sweet girl. You found your family, your forever pasture, and your Phoenix.
Here’s to a lifetime of green grass, good friends, plenty of treats, and being loved beyond measure.
Happy adoption day, Cassie! You’re home.
Once a Bearfoot horse, always a Bearfoot horse.
Bearfoot Ranch
www.bearfootranch.org
08/05/2026
A Beautiful New Chapter for Our Beloved Pepe
Some horses come into our lives and quietly become part of the heart of Bearfoot Ranch. Pepe is one of those horses.
For the past four years, Pepe has faithfully served in our lesson program, carrying riders with patience, kindness, and that steady spirit that made him such a special therapeutic lesson horse. He has helped children learn, grow in confidence, overcome fears, and experience the incredible connection that can only happen between a horse and a human.
Now, after giving so much to so many, it’s Pepe’s turn to be cared for.
We are thrilled to share that Pepe is beginning a wonderful new chapter in foster care with our amazing Saturday morning feeder and longtime volunteer, Laura, and her family!
Pepe will spend his retirement enjoying peaceful days surrounded by love, with donkey pasture mates to keep him company and three children who already absolutely adore him. We can picture the attention, hugs, grooming sessions, treats, and quiet moments that are waiting for this sweet boy.
One of the greatest gifts we can give the horses who have served us so faithfully is the opportunity to simply be a horse—to graze, rest, enjoy companionship, and know that they are safe and loved.
Pepe, thank you for every child you carried, every lesson you patiently taught, every confidence you helped build, and every heart you touched during your four incredible years with us.
And Laura, thank you to you and your family for opening your hearts and your pasture to this very special boy. Knowing Pepe will be loved and spoiled makes this transition so much easier for all of us.
Happy retirement, faithful boy. You’ve earned every peaceful pasture day ahead.
Once a Bearfoot horse, always a Bearfoot horse.
Bearfoot Ranch
www.bearfootranch.org
The Equine World Lost a Good One.
The horse world is mourning the loss of legendary horseman Monty Roberts, whose work forever changed the way so many people think about communicating with and understanding horses.
His belief that horses deserve to be heard, understood, and treated with patience rather than fear has had a lasting impact—especially in the world of horse rescue.
So many rescued horses come to us carrying stories we may never fully know. Building trust again takes time, patience, compassion, and a willingness to listen to what the horse is telling us. Those principles were at the heart of Monty Roberts’ work and remain incredibly important in rescue and rehabilitation today.
His legacy will live on every time someone chooses understanding over force and gives a horse the time and kindness it needs to trust again.
Rest easy, Monty. The equine world lost a good one. Your lessons will continue in the hands—and hearts—of horsemen and women for generations to come.
https://montyroberts.com
Bearfoot Ranch
www.bearfootranch.org
Monty Roberts - The Man Who Listens to Horses - Trust-Based Horsemanship CREATING TRUST-BASED PARTNERSHIPS MONTY ROBERTS "For centuries, humans have said to horses, ‘You do what I tell you or I’ll hurt you.’ Humans still say that to each other – still threaten,
08/03/2026
We're excited to share our August 2026 Newsletter with you!
Inside, you'll find heartwarming rescue stories, exciting updates from around Bearfoot Ranch, volunteer highlights, upcoming events, and the incredible impact your support has made throughout June.
Thank you for being an important part of the Bearfoot Ranch family. Your kindness, generosity, and encouragement help us continue rescuing, rehabilitating, and caring for horses in need every single day.
We hope you enjoy this month's stories and updates. Happy reading!
www.bearfootranch.org
Redeemare Coffee
The Snooty Fox Tack Exchange
Tarpan Horse Conservation Program
Sweet Stables at Bent Tree
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August 2026 - Newsletter Check out this Email Newsletter designed by Bearfootranch.
08/03/2026
Sometimes, the horses know exactly what someone needs. ❤️🐴
We were honored to welcome Brittany to Bearfoot Ranch after what had been an incredibly meaningful and emotional day for her. After years away, Brittany was able to return to Macedonia and visit her mother’s gravesite for the first time since her passing in 2021.
Because horses have always held a special place in Brittany’s heart, her day ended here at Bearfoot Ranch—meeting our horses, spending some quiet time with them, and reconnecting with something that has brought her joy in the past.
This is one of the reasons Bearfoot Ranch exists. Yes, we rescue horses—but so often, those same horses have a beautiful way of giving something back. Comfort. Connection. Peace. A moment to simply be. ❤️
We are grateful to have been a small part of Brittany’s day and thankful for the wonderful people who brought her to us and continue to walk alongside her with such compassion.
Brittany, our gates—and our hearts—are always open to you. Come visit us again anytime. ❤️🐴
We've had the privilege of serving Brittany for the past three years. She carries a tremendous amount on her shoulders. Both of her parents have passed away, and she is estranged from the rest of her family.
Over the past several months, she shared with us how much it meant to her to visit her mother's gravesite in Macedonia. Her mother passed away in 2021, and Brittany had never been able to make it back.
This week, we were blessed to help make that happen. With the kindness of the funeral home staff and God's help, we were able to find her mother's grave. It was a beautiful but very emotional day. As we drove through Macedonia, Brittany pointed out the places that held so many memories, the school she attended, where she used to spend time, where her ex-husband worked, and where family members had lived. It had been years since she had been back.
Because Brittany has always loved horses and once worked with them, we ended the day with a visit to Bearfoot Ranch. They graciously welcomed her, introduced her to the horses, and gave her time to enjoy something that has always brought her joy. It was the perfect way to end an emotional day.
Moments like these remind us that ministry is about so much more than meeting physical needs. Sometimes the greatest gift we can give is our time, our presence, and the opportunity to help someone revisit a meaningful part of their story. What may seem like a small act can make an immeasurable difference in someone's life.
We are so thankful that God allows us to walk alongside people like Brittany and love them in practical ways.
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12976 Cumming Highway
Canton, GA
30115
Opening Hours
| Tuesday | 8am - 5pm |
| Wednesday | 8am - 5pm |
| Thursday | 8am - 5pm |
| Friday | 8am - 5pm |
| Saturday | 8am - 5pm |