Cat Matrician has raised horses all of her life, and in 2003, she opened a nonprofit equine rescue—Spirit Acres Farm in Montgomery—to help horses and owners in need. Spirit Acres Farms is located on 5 acres of land off FM 1097 in Montgomery. Matrician also leases an additional 40 acres of land next to the property and cares for about 60 rescued horses. “Our horses are of all breeds, we don’t have any specific types,” Matrician said. “Right now, we have about a 40 percent population of Arabians, but we have thoroughbreds and Friesian and Andalusians. You name it. It is not just a plain old pony from down the road to pull the wagon.” As a certified technical large animal emergency rescue, Spirit Acre Farms works with owners who are in need of assistance. At times, the rescue also saves horses from inclement weather, like floods, or from abusive situations. “We try find the owner or leave a letter,” Matrician said. “We try to do everything friendly. We are not into calling the police or anything unless it becomes necessary. We try to get people to understand that they can talk to us.” Matrician said many unique horses have lived at Spirit Acres Farms since she started rescuing horses. She once cared for a horse called Blackjack, a rodeo bucking horse that was never ridden for more than seven seconds. “In the eight to nine years that the company that owned him, they bucked him from Calgary, Canada, all the way through America; nobody stayed on him for seven seconds,” she said. “So you think ‘holy moly,’ but he was gentle as a lamb. We never saw a side of him that said ‘buck’ at all, but if you got on him, you was coming off.” The rescue is also home to a handful of miniature horses that were donated by a woman after her marriage ended. “She was getting a divorce and suddenly had no place for eight or nine little minis,” she said. “We take them to hospitals or retirement homes where people may want to reach out and touch one or two. They are very cute and very loving. They love cookies.” Matrician said the rescue operates purely on donations and through the help of local volunteers. Matrician said she is looking for additional land to purchase to relocate and expand the rescue. 17617 W. FM1097, Montgomery 936-597-5316 www.spiritacres.org