By Tracy Heckert | CEO/Founder
The name Rajah means "king or prince in India". Rajah is certainly a king at Charis Youth Ranch! As the oldest member of our herd, Raj is as regal today at age 30 as he was when he arrived in 2012 as a feisty 19 year old.
We do not have Rajah's registration papers, but after some research, we believe he was foaled May 5, 1993 at Cartridge Farm Stud Ltd. in Great Britain. Rajah did not fare well as a racehorse. We do not know when he was imported to the USA, but we do know that he went on to have a second career as a show hunter and then as a lesson horse. Retiring from his third career due to physical limitations at age 19, Big Rajah was offered to us to become an ambassador of hope in our youth programs. Rajah entered his fourth career with us in 2012 and has been a true Master to all who would learn from him. He has taught 6 year olds to be brave and let go of the saddle, he has encouraged 17 year olds to trust and be confident, and he continues to show adult volunteers how to love and value senior horses. He is a spicy man with a gentle soul and kind heart. Rajah has always been a favorite of volunteers and kids alike.
At Rajah's advanced age, he has few remaining teeth which prohibits him from being able to break down hay to a digestible form. Therefore, Rajah's primary feed is soaked alfalfa pellets and Impact senior grain, a complete feed formulated specially for older horses. Rajah loves his buckets and with his individual feeding plan, he looks fantastic! We are able to maintain his weight and health with this special diet. He also gets yummy hay to munch on, less for nutritional value and more for mental well being as equines were created to roam and graze.
We are so grateful to our community who supports our mission of providing sanctuary for kids and horses like Rajah. Because of our community's support, we are able to provide the individualized care each one of our eleven horses needs. Many times senior horses are given away to people who do not know how to provide for their unique nutritional and physical needs and thus are thrown away at auction or sent to slaughter. Charis Youth Ranch is honored to provide a sanctuary for life for our older steeds who deserve to be loved and pampered in their twilight years.
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