Boots Off The Ground

Greetings! Based on your suggestions and insight, we are posting profile photos and biographical details on all our equine partners. We will post what is ready, when it is ready. I hope you enjoy getting to know them all!
Meet Our Equine Partners
Every horse—and every mule—who joins our program brings a story, a personality, and a unique set of gifts. Some arrive highly trained. Others require patience, trust, and time. All of them have something important to teach us.
Our equine partners have worked cattle, competed in the arena, carried law enforcement officers, participated in search and rescue, supported therapeutic programs, and introduced countless people to the joy and confidence that comes from working with a horse.
Most importantly, they have learned to trust us—and we have learned to trust them.
Meet Our Equine Partners
Every horse—and every mule—who joins our program brings a story, a personality, and a unique set of gifts. Some arrive highly trained. Others require patience, trust, and time. All of them have something important to teach us.
Our equine partners have worked cattle, competed in the arena, carried law enforcement officers, participated in search and rescue, supported therapeutic programs, and introduced countless people to the joy and confidence that comes from working with a horse.
Most importantly, they have learned to trust us—and we have learned to trust them.

Scooby Doo
Shire × Fell Pony | 17 hands | Approximately 1,500 lbs.
Who is 17 hands, 1,500 pounds, and moves like a cat?
You guessed it: Scooby.
Scooby was trained by a competitive Californios-style roper, and he approaches cattle work with the athleticism and determination of a much smaller horse. He drops his front end and gets low to the cow, earning him the reputation of a 1,500-pound cat.
Our Founder, Tim, purchased Scooby at the Jake Clark Cody, Wyoming Sale several years ago. Together, they have competed in CSHA Trail Trials, Team Penning, and Team Sorting, earning their fair share of top honors along the way.
Scooby's talents extend far beyond competition. Each year, he traveled to Norco, California, to help teach Mounted Patrol to law enforcement officers from throughout California and beyond. His calm, steady nature earned him a reputation as an exceptionally reliable police mount, and he has successfully completed all POST-certified mounted riding classes.
Today, Scooby and Tim serve as primary members of the Marin Sheriff’s Mounted Posse, participating in search and rescue, parades, color guard, and fallen-officer funeral details. Each year, you can find them riding in the Petaluma Veterans Day Flyover Parade.
And then there are the things that simply don't bother Scooby.
Gunfire? Fine.
Fireworks? Fine.
Smoke? Sirens? Fine.
A zombie apocalypse?
Apparently, also fine.
(I don’t recall the details of the apocalypse, so please don’t ask.)
Scooby accepts new riders, ground handlers, and passersby with remarkable ease. He has carried many, many heroes on their first rides and beyond. Tim confidently rides him alone in wilderness areas, trusting Scooby to take care of both himself and his rider.
Scooby is the kind of horse who gives you confidence simply by being there.
He is THAT kind of mount.

We have been quietly providing our services to those who seek us out. I believe the total number of those served has exceeded 50 (since we started tracking back in March, 2026). Since what we do is considered therapeutic (the animals are the therapists), we are reluctant to show the sessions in a public forum, such as FB.
We are planning to post photos and bios on our equine partners. Would that be something worth seeing? They are an amazing bunch! As far as content in general goes, is there anything you would like to see us post online (that we aren’t doing so already)? Your input is encouraged and valued. THANKS.
As a result of your comments, we will be filming a mock session, involving a person with little or no horse experience. This will probably get posted on YouTube, with a link to our FB page and web site (www.bootsofftheground.org). I am a bit nervous about this, because I will have to watch and listen to myself. I think it’s a great suggestion, which I recognized the moment it was suggested to us from a trusted friend.

On July 29th, we brought a horse, mule and two mini donkeys to a Veterans home in central Santa Rosa. Seven residents participated in handling, leading and providing care. If I get photos, and permission to post them, I will.

We added a page on our web site, to put faces and profiles to the people that make Boots Off The Ground work. Here are some screen shots from that page…

We were invited to sponsor a hole today at a Golf fund raiser in Windsor for Tunnel To Towers. Here are some of our board members and advisors waiting to greet the golfers.

We chose to honor a fallen hero, a man who died in the line of duty back in 1989. John Blessing was a true legend. Several members of Boots Off The Ground worked with him and remembered him to be a quiet leader. We made sure the golfers remained hydrated while we told them about John and his ultimate sacrifice.

Boots Off The Ground has created a Brochure,which we intend to distribute to potential donors, and the various organizations where the Heroes we serve can be found. Take a look…

To promote healing, resilience, and reconnection among military veterans and first responders through equine-assisted programs that restore trust, confidence, and well-being.

We want to acknowledge the great sacrifice so many men and women have made, defending the freedoms we all enjoy as Americans. Those sacrifices range from the loss of life, the loss of a loved one, to the trauma many survivors carry. To those dealing with PTS, we honor you. We invite you to join us for a respite from the every day norms. Horse time can’t solve your challenges. It can help you see those challenges differently, through the human-equine connection. For more information, look us up at www.bootsofftheground.org
Have a peaceful and somber Memorial Day

Boots Off the Ground We are made up of current and retired LEO’s and Equestrian Professionals with extensive experience.