Meet the Founding Herd
Four remarkable horses. Four different paths to sanctuary.
Nutmeg, Merry Belle, Goose, and Bubbles shaped the heart of Triple P and continue to teach us what safety, companionship, patience, and second chances mean.
Nutmeg
The leader of the herd
Nutmeg began life as an off-track Thoroughbred, racing at Belmont before becoming a broodmare. She produced six foals who later went on to race.
Before reaching Triple P, Nutmeg and Merry Belle spent months in the kill-pen system, moving from shelter to shelter with an uncertain future. By the time she arrived, Nutmeg had lost close to 300 pounds.
Their journey to safety was made possible by our brave hauler, Jennifer, who drove approximately 14 hours from Arkansas through thunderstorms and flooding to bring them to the Texas Hill Country. Her courage and determination were essential to saving their lives.
Today, Nutmeg is the confident, steady leader of the group. After years of racing, breeding, and caring for others, she is learning what it means to simply be a horse—grazing under Texas oaks, living among trusted companions, and enjoying a peaceful retirement.
As a senior mare, Nutmeg also lives with arthritis, or degenerative joint disease. She remains under regular veterinary care and receives daily medication to help manage stiffness and inflammation and keep her comfortable and active. Despite these challenges, she continues to lead the herd with quiet confidence and grace.
Merry Belle
Healing begins with trust
When Merry Belle first arrived, our veterinarian estimated that she had lost close to 200 pounds. She and Nutmeg had spent months in the kill-pen system, moving from shelter to shelter while their future remained uncertain.
Our hauler, Jennifer, braved thunderstorms and flooding during a 14-hour trip from Arkansas to the Texas Hill Country. Her determination to complete that difficult journey gave Belle and Nutmeg their chance at life.
Belle also carries emotional wounds that cannot be seen. She rarely wanders far from Nutmeg, whose calm leadership has become an essential part of her recovery. With predictable routines, quality nutrition, patient handling, and herd companionship, Belle is gradually learning that the world can be safe.
She is learning how to be a horse again—one quiet, confident step at a time.
Before reaching the kill-pen system, Merry Belle had already endured profound loss. After her owners died, she was neglected, became malnourished, and passed through livestock auctions before being purchased for shipment to Mexico. Triple P was able to locate her, “pay her bail,” and give her the secure retirement she deserved.
Goose
A steady companion
Goose came to Triple P as the companion horse to Bubbles, a 14-hand Arabian mare rescued from a kill pen in January 2026.
His calm, steady presence helped Bubbles transition from uncertainty into the safety and routine of sanctuary life. Today, Goose enjoys open pasture, dependable meals, and the companionship of the founding herd.
Goose is also a special-needs horse. He has a contracted, or “mule-footed,” hoof that requires specialized farrier care and ongoing monitoring to reduce abnormal stress on the hoof, tendons, and joints. After being rescued from auction, he was abandoned at a quarantine facility, where he met Bubbles. The two became inseparable companions.
Bubbles
From the slaughter pipeline to safety
Bubbles was rescued through the generosity of an angel donor, as Goose had been. After only a few weeks, however, that donor disappeared, leaving Bubbles without financial support or a permanent home. She was shuttled between rescues while people searched for a safe solution.
During that difficult period, Bubbles was mistakenly loaded onto a truck bound for Mexico. Another brave hauler intervened, negotiated safe passage for her back to Dallas, and then helped complete her journey to the Texas Hill Country.
At Triple P, Bubbles finally found her forever home. With abundant forage, veterinary and dental care, a nutritional feeding plan, patient handling, and Goose nearby, she is regaining condition, confidence, and the freedom to simply be a horse again.
Before entering the auction pipeline, Bubbles had been a backyard pet whose owners could no longer afford her care. She was recovered by Animal Control and eventually sent to auction. Today, she serves as the ranch welcoming committee: she waits near the gate at feeding time, greets the team with a gentle nuzzle, and remains convinced that the garage is her personal playroom.