TheBakersfieldCalifornian.com

Tracy Totton-Martin tried to harden her heart as she and her husband drove toward Arvin, an empty horse trailer clattering behind their pickup.

The owner of a male Tennessee walking horse and a female Arabian had called Totton-Martin in early March to say he no longer had the means to care for the pair of aging equines -- and could she please take them off his hands.

Totton-Martin has become well-known over the years as the founder and owner of Bit-O-Heaven Horse Rescue Ranch, a nonprofit hospice of sorts for horses in need of love and care and what she calls a "forever home."

But with the cost of feeding and caring for horses rising faster than she can keep up, Totton-Martin knew taking in two more horses to add to the dozens at the ranch was not a wise move, financially speaking.

When Totton-Martin and her husband, TR Martin, arrived at the Arvin-area home, rather than being hardened, Totton-Martin's heart melted.

"As soon as I saw those horses, I started tearing up," she remembered.

By all appearances the pair of horses had been subsisting on little more than the weeds growing wild in their enclosure. They were skinny from lack of proper feed, their teeth were showing signs of disease and their manes were matted with "witch's knots."

Suffice to say the horse trailer was not empty for the trip back to Bit-O-Heaven. Totton-Martin had two new additions to her retirement home.

Homes for horses

Kern County Animal Control officials say they've seen a significant spike in the number of neglected and abandoned horses in Kern County as the cost of feeding and caring for the big animals has more than doubled. And news coverage of a horse found near death after being left tied to a tree in an orchard last month "has really started a fire under people," said Christian Comeau, a veterinarian at Bakersfield Veterinary Hospital.

Animal Control is looking for area residents with enough property and experience to volunteer as lifetime foster caregivers for homeless and abandoned equines. It seems like a natural fit for Bit-O-Heaven, except for one thing. It simply can't adopt more rescue horses without additional funding or support in the form of donated hay.

To that end, The Californian has begun publishing a series of ads at no cost to the ranch to raise awareness in the community about its needs. Checks made payable to Bit-O-Heaven Ranch can be mailed directly to The Californian (see information box) or may be dropped off at the newspaper's downtown location.

In addition, Totton-Martin said someone is always present at the ranch to accept deliveries of donated hay, grains or other feed. And volunteers are always welcome.

Longtime Bakersfield resident and horse enthusiast Virginia King became a believer when she visited the rescue ranch a few years ago. Since then, she's given whatever she can to help further the mission.

"It's such a worthy cause," she said. "Tracy treats those horses like they're her own children."

FOR HORSES AND HUMANS

When you operate a nursing home, losing friends and those you love can be a terrible burden. The Martins have had to say goodbye to some 37 four-legged friends over the years.

A wooden sign near the ranch office reads, "Gone from our sight; Forever in our hearts," and includes such names as Dolly, Cookie, Butter and many more.

"I cry every time," Totton-Martin said.

But she also takes comfort in the knowledge that she helped each horse feel loved and needed during their time at the ranch.

Apparently it works with people, too.

Tony Russell, the ranch foreman, had been through five separate rehab centers for years of drug and alcohol abuse before he was invited to stay in a trailer at the ranch nearly four years ago.

He's been sober for four years this June.

"These horses are the ones nobody wants," he said. "I can associate with them. They were the ones who were thrown away."

The 43-year-old discovered he has a special way with horses, especially some of the most emotionally damaged ones. Horses that shy away from strangers, horses that rebel at being ridden, will let Russell come close enough to cuddle.

"You met Betty, one of the crazy ones," he said of one of the more difficult rescue horses. "I can hug her and it's not just Betty. I have a gift with them.

"I've lost two daughters because of my drinking," he said. "This place, it's family."

JIM AND CARRIE

Since they were adopted in March, the Tennessee walker and the Arabian have each gained about 100 pounds. Their teeth have improved and their coats shine again in the morning sun. The way they move and play together across the turnout is impossible to describe except to say it seems like a kind of wild and beautiful dance.

And their eyes. Their eyes reveal all. The fear and uncertainty they must have felt for so long is still there. But there's also a playfulness and, as Totton-Martin says, gratitude.

"These two," she said of the pair she renamed Jim and Carrie, "I can't describe the amazement in their eyes when they are fed twice a day.

"They look at you like they are saying, 'You're kidding. You're giving us more food?'"

Totton-Martin lays her hand on Jim's massive neck and strokes him gently.

"These are creatures with souls," she said. "They need love and kindness just like us."