Zuma's Rescue Ranch - Littleton, Colorado

Courtney B.

Removes truthful negative reviews with numerous photos (only added a few here) documenting horse malnourishment and mistreatment. Also made 2 Facebook posts about the review saying it was all false and created an INACCURATE, naive reason why the review was posted. The ranch does not tolerate opinions different than their own and will openly blast you on social media (for being unhappy with the horse care and trying to advocate for better care). Hoping that the malnourishment and mistreatment is a thing of the past…

Edit: The second to last 2 photos of Ezra in the trailer and on grass are from his last day at a top notch show barn before leaving for Zuma’s, he was not in bad shape and all of us staff were happy about him going there based on what we read online!! The photos of him at Zuma’s were after months of him being there. Others have seen this decline happen with other horses there too and have also received the gaslighting responses from the ranch for speaking their opinions about it as you can see in reviews on greatnonprofits. I am a proud rescue supporter and donor, but be careful and really do your research before supporting this rescue!

6/6/24: the business made another Facebook post about this, yelp review of this taken down (for not being firsthand experience even though it is) and I was called “pathetic” and “small minded” by the business owner. Super shady like they’re trying to hide this and other things going on there. Avoid before you experience this too with this business!

Response to Business: Ezra’s owner and our staff, including myself who rode Ezra frequently, trusted Zuma’s with his care. Us, and her, were let down and disappointed with his clear and not “unfounded” malnourishment causing near emaciation that happened at Zuma’s. These true, evidence provided claims have a right to be shared and 2 more photos from before his time at Zuma’s have been added to show the difference.

Emily D.

Just hosted my 2 year old son and 5 year old niece’s birthday here. We couldn’t have had more fun! We had a large range of ages in the kids that came and every one of them was entertained the whole time. The littles ran around in the dirt, the older kids did obstacle courses with the horses and mini horses, we all got a tractor ride and fed the donkeys. They made us feel welcome and safe. Plus we’re helping support a wonderful rescue. So delighted by today.

Emily H.

I’ve been going to Zuma’s 3 days/week since July 2023 and have seen first hand how much they care for the animals. Every animal has their own individualized diet based on their needs, and the needs of the horses are put before those of the humans. I think this can sometimes be frustrating to humans, but goes to the core purpose of a rescue like Zuma’s. I spend a lot of time with Ezra and he’s an amazing horse and companion. He is healthy (not malnourished) and happy and just got 2 brand new blankets to keep him cozy over the winter.

monica T.

Working Through Behavior Challenges Clinic
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Ari and Naomi, horse trainers at Zuma's for a very insightful and beneficial clinic dealing with behavioral challenges of working with horses and providing valuable knowledge of training techniques to use when working with them. Ari provided a slide presentation of how horses show signs of stress in both ground work and riding, how your body language and energy effect your horse's behavior and the types of training techniques one can use to work/train a horse. It was extremely helpful to practice on individual horses what was discussed with the guidance of Naomi and Ari . Since I work with Cassia ,who can be a challenge, I have a better understanding of how to work with her with Naomi's help and different ways to reward her for doing positive things. I would highly recommend this clinic to anyone working with horses whether it is ground work or riding. Naomi and Ari are awesome instructors and I thoroughly enjoy working with them and appreciate their patience and expertise.

Diane M.

Zumas is hands down the best rescue in Colorado. Not only is this my opinion but my vets! It is always clean, the staff are lovely, the founders give their heart and souls every day for all the humans and animals who come to the property. Animals that live outside are a 365 day commitment. They are their holidays weekends all day every day and I admire organizations like zumas that commit every day for the higher good of the community, underprivileged and abused neglected or abandoned animals! Thank you zumas. Keep up the good work!

H. C.

Zuma's Rescue is amazing! The horses are taken care of and so well- loved. From their meticulous diets, to medical issues which are attended to, many horses go there when no one else would take them. This rescue responsibly takes in rescue horses, then often offers therapeutic care, medical treatment, even massage for horses with injuries . The staff advocates for the welfare of horses in general, not just their horses. I am an amateur, but the staff has been patient and I've had the opportunity to take classes to learn more about horses and how to interact with them. I can volunteer for free or pay very little to take classes and learn. The donations for classes go to the horses. I'm then given an opportunity to meaningfully interact with horses under the guidance of a veteran teacher. There are options to take riding lessons, too. This rescue has been life- changing for me in the way I'm able to interact with horses. The people who work and volunteer there are terrific, too. Don't be afraid to help, even if you have no experience. Volunteers make horse's lives better by helping, and horses make our lives better by honoring us with their presence. I can't recommend Zuma's enough! I'm so grateful I found this rescue.

Sarah S.

Sharing from a yelp review since I'm sure the founder, Jodi, has blocked the poster and is trying to silence her.

"A beautiful barn but the owner of the barn is very difficult and a bully to children and adults. I don't recommend riding here especially if you are a beginner or kid. The staff changes frequently.

Edit: Adding to this post based on Jodi's comment. The full story is we leased a horse at Zumas and it was a great experience until he started acting strange. I asked Jodi about his behavior and she looked at the horse and said, "Wizard, stop acting stupid!" She laughed and walked away. I wouldn't let my daughter get on the horse. He continued to act strange and everyone saw this. He also bucked a child off and when I asked about that she lied and said the rider fell. When I tried to talk to the owner again she told us to take more classes and bond with the horse. We took ALL the classes, she just wanted more money and was not holding up her end of the lease by helping us out. We did not receive professional advice from the owner, just the trainers who were all amazing but unfortunately left because of Jodi. She continued to blame this situation on me and my daughter and after a lot of tears from my daughter, we left.

Also, week after week we would show up for lessons and the staff would be injured (broken nose, broken foot, concussion, etc.). Also several of the staff told me she wasn't paying them so it was hard for me to support the barn knowing this information. One of the instructors told me none of the horses should be in a riding program. I didn't want to post all of this initially but Jodi continues to tell me it's my daughter's fault. My daughter was 9 years old at the time. She also tried to tell me how to parent my child by telling me I wasn't doing a good job parenting her and she wasn't going to be a successful adult. She continued to insist my daughter was the problem.

Stay away from this place, it's a mess as another review said. I originally posted something similar to this on their social media page but Jodi immediately blocked me so I couldn't post."

Mrs. B.

I am thankful to God for the person that has been helping me with my situation she is amazing caring and she just wants to help not shame but actually help families succeed when they are struggling to take care of their animals. Thank you God bless