Mea Ola's Place was named after our "lead mare," Mea Ola, whose name in Hawaiian means "survivor." Originally founded in Kern County, California, we are a place for both equine and human survivors now located in Phelan, California, in the High Desert, southwest of Victorville. We are dedicated to rescuing horses, and to rehabilitating the ones that we cannot place and using them for therapy, as well as sharing them with anyone that would like to learn about horses.  This has become a win-win enterprise for both the horses and individuals in our community.  

 

We got our start in January of 2012, when we rescued nineteen horses from the Kern County Animal Control Shelter because they were beyond capacity.  All of the horses were scheduled to be sent to auction.  In instances such as this, most auctioned horses are purchased by certain buyers who will then send them to Canada or Mexico to be slaughtered.  These nineteen horses had already suffered neglect and abuse, which is how they ended up in the care of Animal Control.  Many had lameness issues and were at an age that would make them very hard to place in forever homes.  We answered the call for assistance, and this is how Mea Ola's Place was born.  Our ranch family has grown tremendously since our original nineteen.  We have placed some, walked the bridge with others, and rescued more.

 

Mea Ola's Place is a wonderful place to visit for old and young alike.  In addition to meeting and interacting with the horses and donkeys, guests can have a true ranch life experience enjoying the great outdoors and the fresh air, along with the peace and quiet that come with it.  We have recently begun participating in breed conservation of several endangered breeds of chickens and turkeys.  Our guests and clients enjoy gifts of farm fresh eggs as well as the opportunity to connect with these magnificent endangered birds.  Visiting children have enjoyed collecting eggs and holding Henny Penny (among many others).  Children have also enjoyed petting the horses, playing ball with the family dogs, and even non-cat lovers had a soft spot for our resident mouser, Kizzy (RIP). A few kittens have been added to the mix and the children have enjoyed bottle feeding them and watching them grow.