Hoof Prints; More Stories from Proud Spirit

Hoof Prints; More Stories from Proud Spirit

Hoof Prints; More Stories from Proud Spirit

Readers were introduced to the graceful heart of Melanie Sue Bowles in her first book, The Horses of Proud Spirit.

In Hoof Prints, we learn more about the horses she cares for in her horse sanctuary, which has relocated from southwest Florida to the hills of western Arkansas. In the new location, the Proud Spirit horses run free on 320 acres of rolling hills, living the life every horse deserves.

In this book, you will meet some people who have no idea how to treat horses, and some wonderful, kindhearted people who open their lives to the beauty of these creatures with so much to teach us. You will meet Cosmina, a Romanian orphan who finds a kinship with these horses, who have also been abandoned. You will, of course, meet the horses—and two donkeys, one of whom can fly!—each one bearing a different scar, recovering at Proud Spirit in the warmth of the care offered there.

Meet Sammy, the big beautiful bay Standardbred gelding, who comes and goes and comes again to his final sanctuary at Proud Spirit. Meet Jesse and her baby, Riley, the first of a whole barnful of babies!

Learn how one dedicated trainer has found an alternative to the cruel practice of “soring” for Tennessee Walking Horses. Learn the ways of horse friendships: Meet big old Ranger, who eases Rosie from her mourning for Cracker, though it is finally Rebel and Gambler who invite Rosie to make a threesome of their twosome. Then there’s Indigo, a very wild Mustang, who finally decides he can trust Melanie enough to greet her in the laundry room.

Help the Horses of Proud Spirit

Your donations matter.
We have no paid staff. 100% of your donation goes directly to equine care, including: hay, feed, vet bills,  hoof trimming, equine dentistry, and more.

We appreciate every dollar of your help and support.

Help the Horses of Proud Spirit

Your donations matter.
We have no paid staff. One hundred percent, of your donation goes directly to equine care, including: hay, feed, vet bills,  hoof trimming, equine dentistry, and more.
We appreciate every dollar of your help and support.

Proud Spirit Books by Melanie Sue Bowles

All profits from the sale of the books go toward caring for the rescued horses at Proud Spirit and continued rescue work.

Proud Spirit Horse Sanctuary
302 Clint Johnson Rd.
Wilkesboro, NC 28697

Proud Spirit Horse Sanctuary is a 501c3 nonprofit organization.
Federal Tax ID #65-1103738
Your contributions are tax deductible.

Thank you for your support!

THE HORSES OF PROUD SPIRIT

THE HORSES OF PROUD SPIRIT

THE HORSES OF PROUD SPIRIT

“This is one of the most profoundly moving books about horses to come along in years. The Horses of Proud Spirit is changing lives… of horses AND the people who love them. An absolute must read for any animal lover.”

There are approximately seven million horses in America. Each year, over seventy thousand are abused, abandoned, and fated to slaughter by callous and irresponsible owners. With a heart as big as a pasture, author Melanie Bowles takes some of these horses into her sanctuary called Proud Spirit. Here, horses that arrive listless and broken find a home where they finally know safety.

The bond between horse and caretaker does not happen overnight. It hangs by a fine thread of trust that the author earns with endless patience and a full commitment to the well-being of the horses in her care. The horses, some of which have suffered severe abuse, astound her time and again with their ability to trust, return the love they are given, and enjoy the companionship of other horses. You will meet a whole stableful of remarkable horses:

Dusty, a Thoroughbred who recovered from severe injuries to reveal a rambunctious personality and a knack for stealing hats; Maddy, an old mare, and Dancer, a gallant Appaloosa, both of whom had been isolated for years but whose ecstatic first acquaintance at Proud Spirit was, mysteriously, like the reunion of two soul mates;

Annie, a little sorrel mare who will break your heart with her weary kindness and who found peace and compassion, at last, under an old oak tree in a pasture at Proud Spirit;

Wrangler, a Miniature whose premature separation from his dam turned him into a tiny tormentor. His rowdy innocence helped Marshal, a huge Palomino gelding with neurological trauma, become playful and engaged as he educated Wrangler in horsy manners. Horses of Proud Spirit is an homage to the spirit of these alluring creatures and a moving memoir of lessons learned in compassion, strength, and loss.

Help the Horses of Proud Spirit

Your donations matter.
We have no paid staff. 100% of your donation goes directly to equine care, including: hay, feed, vet bills,  hoof trimming, equine dentistry, and more.

We appreciate every dollar of your help and support.

Help the Horses of Proud Spirit

Your donations matter.
We have no paid staff. One hundred percent, of your donation goes directly to equine care, including: hay, feed, vet bills,  hoof trimming, equine dentistry, and more.
We appreciate every dollar of your help and support.

Proud Spirit Books by Melanie Sue Bowles

All profits from the sale of the books go toward caring for the rescued horses at Proud Spirit and continued rescue work.

Proud Spirit Horse Sanctuary
302 Clint Johnson Rd.
Wilkesboro, NC 28697

Proud Spirit Horse Sanctuary is a 501c3 nonprofit organization.
Federal Tax ID #65-1103738
Your contributions are tax deductible.

Thank you for your support!

PBS Special – The Horses of Proud Spirit

PBS Special – The Horses of Proud Spirit

Help the Horses of Proud Spirit

Your donations matter.
We have no paid staff. 100% of your donation goes directly to equine care, including: hay, feed, vet bills,  hoof trimming, equine dentistry, and more.

We appreciate every dollar of your help and support.

Help the Horses of Proud Spirit

Your donations matter.
We have no paid staff. One hundred percent, of your donation goes directly to equine care, including: hay, feed, vet bills,  hoof trimming, equine dentistry, and more.
We appreciate every dollar of your help and support.

Proud Spirit Books by Melanie Sue Bowles

All profits from the sale of the books go toward caring for the rescued horses at Proud Spirit and continued rescue work.

Proud Spirit Horse Sanctuary
302 Clint Johnson Rd.
Wilkesboro, NC 28697

Proud Spirit Horse Sanctuary is a 501c3 nonprofit organization.
Federal Tax ID #65-1103738
Your contributions are tax deductible.

Thank you for your support!

The Horse and Friends Radio Show

The Horse and Friends Radio Show

The Horse and Friends Radio Show

Help the Horses of Proud Spirit

Your donations matter.
We have no paid staff. 100% of your donation goes directly to equine care, including: hay, feed, vet bills,  hoof trimming, equine dentistry, and more.

We appreciate every dollar of your help and support.

Help the Horses of Proud Spirit

Your donations matter.
We have no paid staff. One hundred percent, of your donation goes directly to equine care, including: hay, feed, vet bills,  hoof trimming, equine dentistry, and more.
We appreciate every dollar of your help and support.

Proud Spirit Books by Melanie Sue Bowles

All profits from the sale of the books go toward caring for the rescued horses at Proud Spirit and continued rescue work.

Proud Spirit Horse Sanctuary
302 Clint Johnson Rd.
Wilkesboro, NC 28697

Proud Spirit Horse Sanctuary is a 501c3 nonprofit organization.
Federal Tax ID #65-1103738
Your contributions are tax deductible.

Thank you for your support!

Why a New Fence?

Why a New Fence?

Why a New Fence?

To begin, it was necessary to clear the vegetation in order to get in with the materials and set the line for the fence. Had to hire a guy with a bulldozer.

The entire distance is 1/4 mile. We are almost half-way. Probably another 5 days of work. It’s exhausting. There’s so much walking involved, up and down the hills, back and forth. The really tough part is the auger will only go so far because of all the rocks. Then we have to pound the rocks with a huge bar that I can barely raise above my head, then get down on our knees and dig the broken rocks out by hand, get back up, pound the rocks, kneel back down and dig em out.

People who have never done fencing have no idea how labor intensive it is. It’s not just setting a pole, putting it in the ground and moving to the next one. There’s so much prep work setting the lines, building H braces, lifting 80# bags of concrete for every “line” pole, walking back and forth for tools, toting buckets of water for the concrete, using a chainsaw for the angle cuts on the braces, it runs out of fuel and the gas can is at the other end of the work zone… walking, walking, walking. I could go on and on about even MORE that is involved. I can hardly lift my arms this morning. And of course, Jim does 100 times more than me. By the time he finished, he was absolutely soaked with sweat. Even his jeans were soaked from top to bottom.

Help the Horses of Proud Spirit

Your donations matter.
We have no paid staff. 100% of your donation goes directly to equine care, including: hay, feed, vet bills,  hoof trimming, equine dentistry, and more.

We appreciate every dollar of your help and support.

Help the Horses of Proud Spirit

Your donations matter.
We have no paid staff. One hundred percent, of your donation goes directly to equine care, including: hay, feed, vet bills,  hoof trimming, equine dentistry, and more.
We appreciate every dollar of your help and support.

Proud Spirit Books by Melanie Sue Bowles

All profits from the sale of the books go toward caring for the rescued horses at Proud Spirit and continued rescue work.

Proud Spirit Horse Sanctuary
302 Clint Johnson Rd.
Wilkesboro, NC 28697

Proud Spirit Horse Sanctuary is a 501c3 nonprofit organization.
Federal Tax ID #65-1103738
Your contributions are tax deductible.

Thank you for your support!

Hay Wagon Club

Hay Wagon Club

Hay Wagon Club

How You Can Help the Horses of Proud Spirit with recurring donations

Join the Hay Wagon Club at Proud Spirit Horse Sanctuary

Your monthly amount is your choice. You can change it at any time. You can cancel it at any time.

A recurring donation is an enormous help for Proud Spirit to be able to count on a certain amount each month – no matter how small the amount. Small ones add up!


Toss bales to the Hay Wagon



Proud Spirit Horse Sanctuary is a 501c3 nonprofit organization.
Our Federal Tax ID # is: 65-1103738
Your contributions are tax deductible.
Thank you for your support!

Or CLICK for an ONE-Time Donation

Help the Horses of Proud Spirit

Your donations matter.
We have no paid staff. 100% of your donation goes directly to equine care, including: hay, feed, vet bills,  hoof trimming, equine dentistry, and more.

We appreciate every dollar of your help and support.

Help the Horses of Proud Spirit

Your donations matter.
We have no paid staff. One hundred percent, of your donation goes directly to equine care, including: hay, feed, vet bills,  hoof trimming, equine dentistry, and more.
We appreciate every dollar of your help and support.

Proud Spirit Books by Melanie Sue Bowles

All profits from the sale of the books go toward caring for the rescued horses at Proud Spirit and continued rescue work.

Proud Spirit Horse Sanctuary
302 Clint Johnson Rd.
Wilkesboro, NC 28697

Proud Spirit Horse Sanctuary is a 501c3 nonprofit organization.
Federal Tax ID #65-1103738
Your contributions are tax deductible.

Thank you for your support!