E.L.L.A. Equine Learning and Literacy Advocates Mini horse sanctuary and equine learning and literacy advocates

Meet Our Horses

Meet Our Horses

Visit Us! Here are just a few of our resident horses. We will be changing them out occasionally so that you can meet all of them. There is a complete list of our horses and donkeys at the end of this page. All of our horses have a “Be-Attitude”. Look below to see what their Attitudes are!
miniature horse EllaBlessing Ways Eloquent Prose aka ELLA Filly, Sorrel and White PintoElla was born May 7, 2008, just before the house fire in August that destroyed our home and all the books and materials we had for the literacy programs.
Be Helpful
She became the inspiration and the namesake for the new non-profit E.L.L.A. Equine Learning and Literacy Advocates. She knew she was “special,” a real princess in attitude. Her mother was Little Sure Shot Annie and her daddy LaRays Patrick. She was the biographical storyteller/book ambassador for Crow Medicine Woman Little Pretty Shield. She died in 2016.   return to top  
mini horse pinto Annie Sutherlins Little Sure Shot Annie aka Annie Oakley, Mare, Grey Pinto Annie came to us as a very sick weanling from a miniature horse auction. It took a year of being on and off antibiotics to help get her healthy and her immune system working correctly. She was a “wild child” — never having been touched or worked with prior to being yanked off her mother as a foal and hauled in the back of a truck a long distance in the cold to the auction. It took us a year of patiently working with her in order to gain her trust.
Be An Overcomer
She is tested to be homozygous, which means genetically she will always have pinto babies. She has only had one foal — Ella, the namesake for the non-profit. She is the biographical story teller/book ambassador for Wild West Star Annie Oakley. The name Little Sure Shot Annie was given Annie Oakley by Chief Sitting Bull while both were a part of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show.   return to top  
mini horse Flash Redrock Flash Gordon Miniature Stallion, Chestnut and White Pinto A Blue-Eyed Sacred Medicine Hat Flash came to us as a weanling from a miniature horse auction. His pinto markings made him a Sacred Medicine Hat, giving him a place of honor amongst certain Native American tribes. For a stallion he was mellow and sweet and was a favorite of many who visit. His piercing blue eyes seem to read you, sensing if you need to give him a hug or just touch him because he’s “sacred.”
Be Brave and Courageous
His sire is a multiple National Champion in Color within the Miniature Horse and Pinto Horse Show World. Flash was the book ambassador for Marguerite Henry’s book The Medicine Hat Stallion and Great Spirit Horse by Linda Little Wolf, and biographical storyteller for Sioux Chief Crazy Horse. He died in 2021 of cancer.   return to top  
miniature horse leopard appaloosa Chance Running Creeks Dots A Lot O Spots aka Chance Gelding, Leopard Appaloosa Chance was one of our taller (division B) miniatures, measuring in at 36-1/4″ (measured from the last hairs of the mane to the ground). He was bought as a 25th Wedding Anniversary gift by Bill and Theresa to each other. He was given the nickname, Chance, because they “took a chance” on him not growing to be over 34″ and being an A Division miniature.
Be A Leader
He was shown, once as a baby in a mare and foal class and also at the Colorado State Fair. Being a black and white spotted leopard appy he really got the attention of the show judges and audiences alike. Children called him the “Dalmation Horse.” He also participated in various parades and breed shows. His storyteller’s name was Palouse River Chance and he was the biographical storyteller and book ambassador for Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce plus the Appaloosa breed. Chance was lost to a lightening strike in September 2013.   return to top  
miniature donkey GloriaWindy Ass Acres Gloria aka Glory Miniature Donkey, Gray Dun Jennet Glory and her daughter, Molly, came to us because their previous owners needed to sell them due to them being on the road as a family musical group and just unable to care for them anymore.As we were loading them into the trailer the man said, “Oh, by the way, she might be pregnant by her own son.”
Be Loving and Caring
And yep, she was. She gave birth March 31, 2007 to a healthy gray dun baby jack whom we named Gideon’s Gift. She is an awesome mother, loving and kind. She is the biographical storyteller/book ambassador for famous Colorado woman Helen Hunt Jackson.   return to top  
Here are lists of the other horses and donkeys that are currently in our care. Miniature Horses
  • Blessing Ways Bright Hope-tiny brown mare
  • LaRays Patrick-black and white pinto stallion
  • Billy The Painted Kid-sorrel and white pinto stallion
  • Velvet Farms One Little Indian (known as Happy)-bay with blue eyes stallion
  • Running Creeks Lil Black A Raven-black stallion (to be gelded)
  • Blessing Ways Ric O’Shay-black/blind colt (to be gelded)
  • (Ric has a companion male Nubian goat named Roper)
  • Blessing Ways Simon Says-sorrel with white star gelding
  • Running Creeks Orion Royale (known as Latigo)-bay gelding
  • D.R.F.’s Smokin Gun (known as Pistol Pete)-black and white pinto gelding
  • Blessing Ways Gabriel Take A Bow-sorrel and white pinto gelding
  • MCC Pixels Tid Bit-gray and white pinto with blue eyes mare
  • Velvet Farms Fancy Feather-sorrel and white pinto mare
  • Blessing Ways Tru Serenity-strawberry roan/sabino mare
  • Sutherlins Little Sure Shot Annie-gray and white pinto with blue eyes mare
  • Blessing Ways Shady Lady-black mare
  • Blessing Ways Cricket’s Lullaby-tri color bay pinto mare
  • Dream Acres Gins Shiloh-strawberry roan/sabino mare
  • Running Creeks Easter Lily-black and white pinto mare
  • Running Creeks Lil Pearl-black mare
  • Willowcrofts Nutmeg (known as Cherish/Cherry)-bay mare
Miniature Donkeys
  • N&DS Lonestar Little Rascal-gray & white spotted miniature jack
  • Windy Ass Acres Gloria (known as Glory)-gray dun jennet
  • Blessing Ways Lil Miss Molly Brown-brown/gray jennet
  • Blessing Ways Gideon’s Gift-gray dun gelded jack
Big Horses
  • Nokoni Echo-buckskin/dun BLM mustang mare
  • McKenna Stori-small Clydesdale colored/one blue eye BLM mustang mare
  • Lakota Blossom-orphaned bay pinto mare
 
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