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Laeva Schwertfeger
Vice President

My experience with horses began before I could walk. My father used to set me up on the horse with him and we would set out for the day on the ranch. I grew up in the Los Angeles area in the early years of 1930’s. I quickly graduated to my own pony then to a horse. After the sale of the ranch I had to board my horse and knew one day that I would have a home that I could have my horse with me all the time again. Well one year my husband asked which I preferred – a diamond ring or a horse. It is easy to see that I chose the horse, and the rest is history. I have horses, cows, burros, goats, chickens, cats, and dogs on my ranch in Acton. All of our animals are older now, horses are in their 30’s and so are the burros. The cats and dogs are up in their teens and the goats are too. The chickens don’t live as long but ours are really up there in age too. We had to have these animals on the ranch for my grandsons to grow up with and they are still close to all the animals.

I have done lots of animal rescue in my day too. As a matter of fact here is a story about how I came to get my burros. I started out with one, she belonged to a neighbor and back in those days there weren’t any fences to divide us. Well Ginny and her boyfriend and son would get loose and wonder around the mountain and get into everybody’s gardens and make a mess of everything. One day a neighbor said that he was going to shoot them the next time he caught them on his property. Well I only had the pens for my horses then so I would put my dogs in the house and put the burros in the dog’s pens where they would stay until I contacted their owner. As time passed I finally talked the owner into letting me buy his remaining burro, Ginny, who he had drug back up the hill behind his truck the night before! I paid $35 for her but I got the better deal because he did not know that she was pregnant. Well neither did I until it was a lot later into her gestation! So I got a two for one deal! And I had Buttons, her daughter for over twenty years when she had to be put down due to a result of  her trying to eat the wire fence and cutting her tongue so badly that she could not be saved. Ginny is living out her days with a burro rescue because she needs to have company and she has many girlfriends there. They are all in one huge pasture and I go see her all the time. It was what was the best for her that I was interested in, not just my own happiness. We have to do what’s right for our loved ones.

Both of our children and their children have animals in their lives too. It is something that I just cannot imagine myself living without. The love that we share has gotten us through so many hard times in our lives such as my son’s motorcycle crash, my daughter’s marriage and leaving home, my husband’s heart problems , and finally my own heart issues. If I didn’t have my animals I would have no reason to get up and go outside. I would probably just sit in the house and wait for the times to go visit with my children and grandchildren. What a sad life that would be! No that isn’t for me, I have to be active. That’s what life is about. I just love to see children interact with the animals. They are so free with showing how they feel when they are around them. They also learn how to behave with animals too that translates into interactions with people.

When I was asked to get involved with Vickie and Leonard and Horses Care I jumped at the opportunity. I have so much to share about business and horses and feel fortunate that I can share my knowledge with others. My husband and I have been married over 55 years and we have many properties and businesses that we have developed over those years so I have a lot of business expertise to share; along with my love of animals and kids.