Many times when a new horse arrives at the rescue, he or she does not have a name. We try to match the horse’s name with their personality or the circumstances that they needed to overcome.

Abraham

As the first horse rescue by the organization in 2013, we wanted a name with meaning.

We decided on Abraham because it means the Father of many nations. Abe is seen as being the seed that birthed Roanchar Ranch Draft Horse Rescue.

Elijah

When we first saw Eli, he was cowering in a stall at an auction with several horses that were pushing him around. He had the most soulful eyes and an air of humility about him.

The name Elijah means The Lord Is My God. According to history, Eljah was a religious figure of great personal dynamism and conservative zeal and the leader of resistance to the rise of Baal worship in Israel in the ninth century BCE.

Magdalene

Maggie came to the facility with the name Gwen, but it needed to be changed to protect her identity. She came from a severe abuse case where the people who abused her were trying to track her down.

Magdalene was chosen because it means Watchful and Maggie was certainly that way when she first arrived and in new situations.

Tobias

Toby came to the facility with the name Goliath, which he did not acknowledge. He was only given that name because he towered over everyone and everything.

The name Tobias is of Hebrew origin and means God is good. It is the Greek form of the name Tobiah, who was a hero in the apocryphal Book of Tobit. Since Toby was larger than life we thought it was fitting that he was named after a hero.

Gabriella

Gabby came to the rescue with the name Bay Mare. Definitely not a name appropriate for someone with her soft demeanor and loving personality.

Gabriella fitted her well because the name means Heroine of God.

Ellie

When Ellie came to the rescue as part of a severe neglect case at a farm sanctuary in New Jersey, no one knew her name. She was one of 30 horses that needed a soft place to land.

Ellie in Greek means Shining Light and she is most certainly that. She brings joy to everyone that she meets.

Apollo

When Apollo arrived at the facility he was skin and bones. He, like Ellie, was part of a severe neglect case at a farm sanctuary in New Jersey. We knew that once he was nursed back to health that he would be a sight to be hold.

It was only fitting that he be named Apollo; the ancient Greek and Roman god of light, healing, music, poetry, prophecy, and manly beauty.

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