If big things do indeed come in small packages, a 32-inch-high horse named Charlie Brown is a perfect example.

The pint-sized horse has the distinction of being the 500th horse to benefit from the help of the ASPCA Equine Transition and Adoption Center (ETAC), now located in El Reno, Oklahoma, since the program began in 2019.

From left: Charlie Brown with Exclusively Equine Veterinary Services’ Dr. Charlotte Kin, Ahna Cabrera, Kelly Merk, and Stephanie Hasper.

Charlie Brown enjoyed his celebrity status among staff from ETAC and two key partners: Exclusively Equine Veterinary Services and Nexus Equine. He even got his own homemade carrot cake.

“His massive personality and rock-star good looks add to his charm,” says Libby Hanon, ETAC’s Equine Adoption and Marketing Specialist. “He struts with confidence, oozing both energy and pride. At 10 years old, he’s full of spunk but can nuzzle at a moment’s notice.”

In the summer of 2022, Charlie Brown’s previous owner contacted ETAC requesting Charlie be gelded (a surgical procedure to ensure a horse won’t sire offspring). ETAC’s veterinarian, Dr. Charlotte Kin, performed the procedure free of charge as part of our program offering free equine vet care up to $600 for practical services including vaccinations, dental work, gelding and humane euthanasia.

When Charlie Brown’s owner assumed the role of primary caregiver to her sister, she could no longer care for Charlie Brown and reached out to ETAC again—this time, for help finding him a new, loving home.

Charlie Brown arrived at ETAC in July 2023.

“Our equine work has grown to meet the needs of vulnerable horses like Charlie Brown,” says Christie Schulte-Kappert, the ASPCA’s Senior Director of Equine Welfare. “We offer safe relinquishment so horses can be placed in new homes through adoption.”

When Logan B. began searching for an equine companion for her family’s horse, Eclipse, her mother-in-law suggested she consider adoption. No sooner had Logan gotten online when she found Charlie Brown’s profile on the ASPCA’s My Right Horse website.

“He sounded like just what we needed,” says Logan, who completed an application and got a call from Libby the following day. “We were pretty sure we wanted him, and he seemed like a good match for Eclipse.”

Eclipse is a one-year-old Galiceño, a rare and endangered breed with fewer than 200 horses remaining. The breed was developed in Mexico from horses brought from Spain by conquistadors. Like Charlie Brown, Galiceños are small in stature and are said to have big hearts. 

Logan and her husband, Geer, along with their two-year-old son, Kestral, borrowed a truck and trailer, and made the 385-mile drive from their home in Menard, Texas, to El Reno over two days in November.

“The ETAC team had Charlie Brown ready for us,” says Logan. “He was on a halter and easy to be around. Kestral had been talking about Charlie Brown ever since we said we were going to adopt him, and they took to each other right away.”

On their 75-acre farm, Logan and Geer raise dairy goats, chicken, turkeys, and ducks, and have three dogs and two cats.

Logan and Geer introduced Charlie Brown to Eclipse with a fence between the two horses for a few days.

“When we put them together, Eclipse tried to show Charlie Brown who was boss, but Charlie gave him a little kick,” Logan says. “Eclipse backed off. Now they’re in the same paddock on 10 acres and get along well.”  

Kestral helps care for Charlie Brown, taking on chores like feeding, and hopes to be able to ride Charlie Brown soon.

Logan recommends anyone interested in acquiring a horse look into adoption, like she did. 

“Charlie Brown is calm and was trained, with a good track record,” she says. “He showed us that it’s possible to find what you want or need in a horse through adoption.”

Charlie Brown’s celebrity status was celebrated by staff from ETAC, Exclusively Equine Veterinary Services, Nexus Equine, and Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health. Front, from left: Tom Persechino, Dr. Charlotte Kin, Stephanie Hasper. Back: Scotty Bruggeworth, Mindy Hole, Rita Hoch, Kelly Merk, Kylie Solis-McGarity, Libby Hanon, Ahna Cabrera, and Troy Williams.