Very friendly staff and horses. I took a few of the riding lessons. The staff were very informative and patient. As a new rider I appreciated that and will definitely be back for more. And the dogs were super friendly. read more

Whispering Meadows Ranch - Animal Shelters Near Me - Temecula, California

When I first researched buying a horse, I looked at many! Price,age,temperament, and of course looks. Segrid had several listed to adopt at her ranch, So I scheduled a visit to go see with one of my horsey friends. We asked alot of questions and so did Segrid and her staff of me to be sure to match with the right horse, they were amazingly patient and knew which one was for me... Wild Max (akaMM). They are very knowledgeable of their horses,this breed, their past history, care and feeding, health, training etc.They offered training (which I gladly did.) Segrid is very thorough with her horses and the perspective adoptees. What are my intentions for the horse,location, vet-care etc. After meeting Max & riding, I had no hesitation taking him. Honestly, I have not been shy about calling or pestering Mrs. Lunde or her staff since becoming a horse mommy and I thoroughly appreciate the trust she gave me with Max! I highly recommend Whisperingmeadowsranch!!!!!! read more

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I adopted a wonderful horse from Whispering Meadows Ranch. All the horses at the ranch were well cared for and in good condition. The staff was honest and up front about the horse's known history and training. They were clearly very concerned that I adopt a horse that was a good match for what I wanted to do as well as finding a good match personality wise. The mare I adopted had one eye and they made sure I was aware of exactly what challenges that can bring and that I was committed to providing any special care she might require. Their adoption contract is both comprehensive and clearly written. The responsibilities of both the organization and the adopter are clearly stated. One of the most well run rescues I have ever worked with. read more

I believe that Whispering Meadows Ranch should be stricken from CARMA's list of "aftercare charities". It is a massive disservice to #Thoroughbreds that they are endorsing @WhisperingMeadowsRanch. I purchased a never-raced, beginner safe, sound horse from Segrid Lunde. While the horse had never been raced, she is NOT beginner safe, and she is NOT sound. After some #lameness we contacted our vet Dr. Colburn and he told me the mare had an old injury which hurt her with every step. I have been riding for over 20 years and was surprised I didn't notice any #lameness when I first purchased this #horse. Stupidly, I trusted that a "#rescue" would've known the condition their #horses were in and I didn't do a vet check. The mare is lame because she has a VERY old injury; a healed over #fractured #sesamoid, which was revealed with x-rays. After informing Segrid of this, she quickly became defensive, asking how old it was and implying quickly it was I who had done this. That is my example of Segrid's #dishonesty and COMPLETE lack of #knowledge regarding #horses, but there are many more things she is #guilty of. Seagrid profits at the expense of these horses in her care. Multiple other people who have bought #horses from her described similar experiences. In April, I bought an almost 10 year old horse from Segrid. The pictures Segrid sent to me before I came to see the horse were not representative of the #horse I saw while at Whispering Meadows. While the pictures showed a healthy, fuzzy mare in a nice leather halter, with pricked ears and alert eyes, the mare I saw at WMR was thin, with a dull coat and a dull eye, and was very tense and unsure under-saddle. I learned after I brought the #mare home that Segrid had been "involved with her for a year"- the pictures were from a while ago. The stalls at WMR had no #shade, #mucky water buckets, and the mare had many #bites from the #horses around her, as well as a #fungal infection near her tail. About a week after I brought the mare home, I realized Segrid had not been completely #honest about the mare's disposition. Though Segrid stated she "would put beginners on her", the mare was...a bit high-strung. Meaning that I could have been #fatally hurt. She is not a beginners horse in any way shape or form. She couldn't be in the cross ties without posing a #danger to herself and to others (though Segrid assured me she would be fine) and she had way more energy then the poor thing knew what to do with. If I had been a beginner and not someone who's been around "problem horses" their entire life, I think the #mare could've quite actually killed or seriously injured me. Or herself. After this, I became #suspicious of Segrid and began to do a little research. I found that other people also had problems with her- albeit a bit different than mine. People stated she was #dishonest, and would claim many things to turn a #profit at the #expense of a horse. Multiple reviews claimed Segrid sold them a #lame #horse, and that she should not be trusted. At least my horse wasn't #lame, though people at my barn liked to laugh at my mare who was a lit stick of #dynamite, yet "beginner safe". The mare never really settled down, and continued to be a handful as she got on a proper diet and started building muscle. Though now the mare has bonded to me and I adore her and riding her, I would still not put a beginner on her. She's just too much of a spitfire- not naughty, just ready to have fun! After some time I teslozefmare was off, and after a week when the lameness had not gone away, I called my vet. He told me that all the circle work had aggravated an old injury the mare had. I was surprised, and before I could ask anything else, he quickly informed me that as long as I wasn't trotting on trail, she would be sound. Confused, I mentioned she wasn't a trail horse, and I had been jumping her during the summer, and planned on showing eventually. He was surprised, and said there was no way she could do that. Brokenhearted, I notified Segrid that the mare was crippled. She asked if my vet was trustworthy, and that she thought it was just an abscess that was hurting the mare, and could we get shoes on the horse. I was shocked- obviously it was not an abscess, as the injury was very easy to see now that it had been pointed out to me- a small, bony lump right on the coronet band. I felt so guilty, never mind my plans for this mare, I had been riding her with this injury and she kept pushing through, never showing pain or balking at anything I asked of her. Now, the claims of those other people did apply to me, as my horse wasn't sound, and some of the people claimed after bringing back their lame horses, Segrid just turned around and sold them again as sound. read more

I rescued a horse through WM and boarded it there for several months. The whole experience was great. I have grown up around horses and this is my 3rd retired thouroughbred. I ended up getting a different horse than the one I originally intended to adopt. After inquiring about what I was looking for in a horse Segrid (the owner) suggested one of her other horses, which turned out to be a great match for me. Segrid was very up front about my horse's history and her likely future needs. Segrid's primary goal was matching me with the right horse. I have seen first hand the care and devotion Segrid gives these horses. Segrid's daughter, Bridgette, is a great riding instructor too. She doesnt just teaches riding lessons but also really teaches good horsemanship. Both Segrid and Bridgette are very honest and hardworking. I have also seen first hand how generous they are towards their clients with their time and knowledge. read more

Do your homework. Be careful. Be smart. Go with your gut. Unforgettable experience. I honestly believe that they mean well but greed gets in the way. read more

I purchased a couple horses from these monsters at the exact same day, ottb to be exact. They were thin when we got them but Segrid blamed it from where they were rescued and said she was "working on their weight". Segrid Lunde is a ranting drunk who STARVES horses and neglects them. All she cares about is money to the point of refusing food to the animals when she knows she can stomp on the owners. We learned that the hard way. She will get on horses and ride them completely smashed drunk infront of visitors and kids, smacking her face against the horses head over a jump last time we saw her. Boarded the purchased horses here for a about a month blinded by her lies thinking they would be well taken care of and happy. Wrong. Grave mistake. We got smart about it when we noticed the horses were losing yet more weight and didn't tell her when we were coming, she mentioned that we as boarders didn't need to anyways they gave us the gate pin. So we stopped and noticed they would go without food until they noticed we were there and would give us some BS lie about just about to feed. Like I mentioned previously as courtesy of being a new boarder my family member would call her ahead of time to let her know when we're going to goto her sh!t hole ranch to see our horses and everytime we'd catch her or her making her kids drive down in a golf cart to throw some feed into the horses stables before we parked. Mind you she told us (TB's are hot blooded they are hard to keep weight on and it's winter so this is normal for them to be ribby) BS. We've had Tbs for decades and this was no hot blooded weight displacement this was starvation and we confronted her. She was very standoffish and loud mouthy and after that we RESCUED THEM FROM WM. My horses got multiple MULTPLE hoof abbesses from standing in their own sh!t, dirty WET stalls from just the month of being there. Please, if you love animals, which I know you good horse people do, don't go here for their sake. She didn't rescue the horses she "let us adopt for thousands and I mean THOUSANDS each" she used them for money and starved them nearly to death to pocket our payments. Sick. Now being with us, our mare and gelding, they're ofcourse happy and full figured with lots of love and kisses never to go back to that nightmare again. Beware of greedy drunks. read more

I recently acquired a rescue horse from Whispering Meadows. The horse was a 6 yo. her name Whiskey. My family and I spent alot of time researching and looking for the perfect horse. Whiskey was not only a perfect horse but was also cared for by an amazing family at Whispering Meadows. Everyone was extremely helpful, kind, knowledgeable, professional and most importantly caring. They had a good number of horses on property and all of them well taken care of. It has been a about 4 weeks since taking ownership of the horse and Whispering Meadows still makes them self available for questions we have about Whiskey. I am not an power Yelp user, rarely do I leave reviews, but recently noticed a negative post about Whispering Meadows and thought it was important to set the record straight. The review mentioned they where treated rudely, I can not stress how erroneous that comment is. These folks care and love for these horses more then any place I have seen or experienced, being rude is not in there DNA. I would encourage you to visit Whispering Meadows to experience for your self on how professional and kind they are. John read more

Both of my children had their first riding lessons here today, and the experience was wonderful. The children learned not only learned about riding their horse, but also about safety and caring for them. My children had a wonderful experience, and can't wait to return. UPDATE: Unfortunately, I had to downgrade my experience from 5 stars to 3. We made our second appointment online (like they ask you to), and on our way to the appointment, we called to say there had been an accident on the interstate, and we were running about 5 minutes late. The owner told us that she did not have us down for an appointment that day. We told her that we received confirmation and even received a reminder notice via email. She apologized, and said that there had been some issues with her online reservation system. She asked us to please return to the website and rebook an appointment, which we did. We made new reservations for 7am on a Saturday morning. It takes 45 minutes one-way for us to travel to the location, so we got the kids up super early and arrived at the location to find the Whispering Meadows Ranch gates locked with a chain and a lock. We sat outside the gates until 15 minutes after our appointment time, and the gates remained locked. We called the number for the Ranch, but no one answered. We hung up and tried again. This time, we left a voicemail message. No one ever returned our call or apologized. We really liked this place, and my kids were really disappointed. read more

Had a great experience here. They helped me find my heart horse around 5 years ago when I spent some time volunteering at the ranch. They were very helpful in showing me the ropes to taking care of an injured OTTB and making sure that we were on the track to a full recovery and the road to overall success. Just recently they helped me find my second horse. Very hands-on and informative during the whole buying process. Segrid and Dusty love what they do and want what is best for all of they're horses and have gone above and beyond to care for each and every horse they have. They helped me find two extraordinary and one of kinda horses and I'm so thankful to them! read more

We have purchased two amazing horses from whispering meadows over the last five years for our daughter! Segrid and the staff were extremely helpful in the entire process. Based on my experience along with multiple referrals having successfully purchased horses from them.....they do a great job in delivering opportunities for a rescue. The fact that they rescue and rehab ottb horses is admirable! Segrid was more than accommodating in the vet check process. My multiple experiences with whispering meadows makes me really question the validity of a few of the prior reviews. Thank you Segrid and whispering meadows. read more

Segrid has been awesome with helping me and my horse. I was fairly new to riding and my thoroughbred (Charger) has been my best friend thanks to Whispering Meadows! I learned how to have great ground control and soon moved into the saddle with the same confidence. Because of the foundation I learned through this awesome family ranch, my horse and I have a wonderful relationship! I couldn't be happier! These guys are pros and know horses inside and out! The experiences in horses is clearly seen and I absolutely trust them for all my horse needs. read more

I wrote about my experience with Whispering Meadows to warn others. Dusty L. comments that it was not a true customer experience. I never had any contact with a Dusty L., so I guess from their experience it wasn't. The only person I had contact with was Segrid. No, the gates are never open. I called and made an appointment to see the horse and then made another for my vet. I am not a young girl starting a rescue. I have no need to slander them. I am an experienced rider that likes to trail ride on OTTBs. I've always gotten them from rescues. No friends and few reviews means that I do not usually bother to mess with reviews. But a horse is such a huge investment, both in time and money, that I couldn't let Segrid do that to someone else. Too bad Dusty L. felt the need to slander me just because he/she didn't like my review. read more

This review was originally posted a few years ago but my yelp account was hacked and it was deleted. For the sake of the horses I think the truth needs to be told. Just like other reviews, my experience with Whispering Meadows was one of total disregard for this rescued horse's welfare. I purchased a horse on dreamhorse listed for sale as a jumping prospect which later had a vet report stating from seller no prior injuries. After buying said horse and having delivered out of state, it was obvious horse had prior injuries. X rays confirmed this. Turns out this horse had been adopted out by the owner of Whispering Meadow's to her "long term friend" as soon as WM received the horse in as a rescue. Obtained pictures of horse in wraps for injury to verify prior known injury. WM did not rehab the horse at all, just passed the horse on as soon as possible even though WM gets grants from CARMA to help injured racehorses that CARMA place with WM. . WM did no on site follow up of injured horse ( horse was given to WM with a fractured sesamoid from track). I also have texts from WM to verify this. WM relied on phone conversations with adopter to check on "progress" of horse despite horse being close by in same town. Adopter sold horse without approval from WM. The horse had apparently been kept in a small shed at adopters for a long time with no rehab vet care. Horse arrived at my place with horribly overgrown feet, teeth that looked like they had never been done by a professional and a gut full of ulcers. Yep. That's the home WM chose for an injured horse. And when WM was notified by me that the horse had been sold out of state? They had no idea the horse was sold much less moved out of state. And I was told that my horses former "owner" ( WM adopter) was about to get another horse from WM. Also verified in text. At that point I have in text WM telling me if I am so unhappy with the injured horse I can send it back to the adopter!!! Yes, the adopter that gave it NO care . WM does not demonstrate care about all the rescues it takes in- they just want them gone asap. They have few public posted records of adoptions or updates on where the 1000 or so horses they claim they have helped place are . I knew my horse would face a much worse fate going back- similar to Nikki P's review. I continue to rehab and care for a horse for the rest of its life- that no one else would. read more

After many months of searching we found a perfect horse at WMR. Having been involved in recreational horse riding for many years we are wary of the "issues" that can arise when trying to find a good horse. WMR accurately and honestly represented the horses which met our needs, demonstrated them, and allowed us to try them out in the arena. We returned to pick one up about a week later. It's important to know what you're getting into with a rescue horse and WMR was honest and forthcoming with the horse's history and condition. Ask the right questions, do your homework, take your time, and you're much more likely to walk away with a good match. WMR worked with us on some specific concerns we needed adjusted in the contract and made sure we could get the horse on our schedule. This adoption worked out well for us and I recommend them with confidence. read more

Shameless lies at the horses expense. I was discouraged from a vet check as my horse had just come off track and the vet reports were just an email away. 3 years and numerous emails later, I never received anything. Segrid also wanted the horse moved the same week since there was such a "high demand" for space. HUGE RED FLAG. A year after my purchase I started having problems under saddle, got my horse checked out, and discovered an old injury making her unsuitable for riding. Got her checked by multiple vets and body workers who all said the same thing. I held on for 2 more years, hoping I could give her some time off to heal and she would come out ok. No such luck. Remembering the contract, I sent a message to Segrid asking if she would be able to find my horse a soft landing. She agreed and I brought her back to Whispering Meadows, hoping they would do right by her. I could not have been more wrong. When I dropped her off, Segrid was so nice to reassure me of how many horses she had rehabbed when they were weeks from being put down and how all the lengths she had gone to with past horses to diagnose injuries. I was also told that my horse was originally sent to her for a 6 month layup, a fact I was NEVER made aware of through any phase of the purchase. My fears were put to rest with this lovely speech she had given and I left feeling that my horse was in good hands. I WAS SO INCREDIBLY WRONG!! A few weeks later, my friend sent me an ad on Craigslist for an "all around mare" which claimed the horse I had returned 2 weeks prior was now miraculously a 3' jumper with 3rd level dressage training. The video posted was a 9 second clip of this poor horse being ridden with her nose tucked into her chest and an extremely active tail. Broke my heart seeing proof of my greatest fear come true. My best friend of 3 years being treated so poorly by none other than the owners daughter. This woman has no shame. I'm so upset that she can lie so easily at the expense of these horses. Be cautious doing business with her if you choose. She has refused to answer any of my emails asking for the return of my horse. I had even offered to pay a fee since they "retrained" her in hopes that money might be some motivation, but she never answered. I suppose she would much rather hope to make $5000 on a lame horse that had been given to her rather than know the mare would be safe. Terrible buisness experience. Terrible person. Shame these horses are the ones to pay... read more

Segrid Lunde helped us adopt our thoroughbred gelding Hazar. We have now had him eight years and he is an absolute puppy dog. We love him. These off the track thoroughbreds are in desperate need of help and Segrid matches up potential adopters with the right horse so the horses' lives do not end in slaughter. Thank you. read more

I had a tbred mare that was just too much for me. I was trying to find her a great home but CraigsList just seems to bring out the crazies. I contacted Whispering Meadows and they took her into a sponsorship program. I paid the bill but they worked with her to make her more adoptable and used their huge network to find her a great home. On my visits, I saw wonderful examples of natural horsemanship and unlimited caring for the well being of all of the animals. I am grateful for Segrid and her family. read more

My daughter had her first ever riding lesson. She not only had a fabulous time, but she learned a lot and bonded with the gorgeous horse, Thomas. Can't wait to go back and see the lovable horses. Thank you guys for taking your time with my little one and for being so patient. Your love for these horses do show!!! read more

My daughter had her first riding lesson today and she loved it! The staff was amazing and so kind! She loved her helper LuluWhat a wonderful experience for the first introduction to horses, so fun ! read more

Sigrid, the owner of this ranch is a total scam artist. Do not trust her. I put a down payment on a horse that she had taken in as a retired race horse. The deal was to keep him at her ranch and acclimate... She was friendly and helpful to me as a potential buyer but as soon as the contract was signed (which she couldn't provide me a copy bc "her printer was out of ink") she was rude and barely acknowledged me the two other times I came to ride this horse. I contacted her several times in the month and a half to come visit the horse, which she either ignored me or let me know the ranch was closed. Then as I was ready to transport the horse to my barn and finalize the purchase, she charged me for boarding fees in which a) I didn't even own the horse and b) wasn't part of the deal and c) she barely let me on her property when I asked to see the horse I had made a down payment on. She's rude and unprofessional and just be careful in dealing with her. On a positive note, her daughters are wonderful and Bridgette who gave me two riding lessons was a delightful girl with lots of knowledge. read more

Very bad experience with this place. Not trustworthy. In my opinion they are more interested in making money than saving horses. Very shady. Almost got law enforcement involved when after making arrangements to drop off a horse and negotiate a trade for one of their rescues... they would not call me back to arrange for a time for me to look at their horses...i would call every day...no return phone call....until days turned into weeks...my horse was still there and i had not heard a word from them. When i finally got a hold of them (when i called from a blocked phone number) and they were "going out of town"--hence postponing the whole ordeal even more and didn't have time to show me their horses to trade (which at this point i was no longer interested) AND would not allow me to pick up my horse until a later date. Anyways...tired of the run around i finally managed to get my horse back (almost 3+ weeks later) AND they attempted to charge me an exhuberant amount for board. (even though from day 1 they avoided my calls) Oh....And they still wanted to "trade" horses after this whole ordeal. Very unprofessional in my opinion. Tried to give them the benefit of the doubt...but Ive had friends who have had similar dishonest experiences with this place. Their website speaks for itself... horses for "adoption" for $10,000, $4500 , $3500 ??? This does not sound like a rescue to me! read more

They advertised a horse for sale that was very thin and sickly-looking. Upon inquiring about the animal (hoping to save it and give it a good home), I was insulted and treated rudely. It seems that this place would rather be nasty to potential buyers than "save" horses. read more

My daughter and I have volunteered off and on at this rescue faciilty for more than a year now. Key words "Rescue Facility". Many of the horses they take in have come from tough situations; auctions, poor owners, abandonment. Using their sometimes limited resources they turn these horses around both physically and emotionally. I have witnessed it firsthand. They are a caring family with good hearts and this is a facility pursuing a very worthy cause. Please bear in mind that you can't turn some of the "harder cases" around without some time and effort. My daugher has had lessons here, we have donated our time and our own resources to aid in rehabilitating these horses that would otherwise not have been given another chance. This is a place primariliy concerned with finding horses a good home--their prices are more than fair and the buyer is getting the opportunity to do something good. read more

My son had never been around horses before and the girls there made him very comfortable and on the second lesson had him doing it all on his own, which I was very proud of. They are very friendly and welcoming. Just wish that we were able to have more available time slots to choose from instead of it picking the time slots for you, other than that we love it read more

My niece was visiting from Alaska for a California get-a-way. We decided to go on a trail ride through the Temecula Wine Country. WOW...it was amazing! We've been on many trail rides before but this was by far the very best! The horses all have an incredible story. Many are thoroughbreds that were injured racehorses and rescued by Whispering Meadows Ranch. They are so loved and well cared for. The Lunde family is extremely knowledgeable and have been in the horse business most of their lives. The horse trainer, Bridget gave us a mini riding lesson before we set out on the trail. We rode through wine country to one of the highest peaks in Temecula where we had a 360 degree view and watched the sunset. The Lundes are very knowledgeable about the area, and a lot of fun. We had the best time ever and can't wait to go back!!! read more