Square Peg Foundation

We’re just 12 days away from the final giving day of Coastside Gives 2025, and while we’re not yet close to our $50,000 goal, we believe we can get there—with your help.

Once again another generous donor has stepped up with a $5,000 matching grant for this final stretch!

Your support will directly fund:

• Hay, feed, and medical care for our rescued and retired Thoroughbreds

• Scholarships for families who rely on Square Peg’s inclusive programs

• Instructor development and training for our adaptive approach

• Joy, purpose, and healing for neurodivergent youth and their families

We still have time. We still have heart. And we know our community can come together to make this happen.

Let’s finish strong—for the horses, for the kids, for the future we’re building together.

With gratitude and hope,

#TeamQuirky

We’re reaching out with open hearts—because we’re falling behind on our $50,000 goal for Coastside Gives, and we need your help to get there.

Every dollar helps us rewrite the story—for horses and for humans.

If you believe in the power of second chances and the impact of a caring community, now is the time to stand with us.

We can’t do this without you, and together, we can change the lives of both the horses and the humans who rely on Square Peg.

This is more than just a campaign—it’s an opportunity to create something lasting, something that truly matters.

Will you be part of this journey?

This year, Square Peg is setting an ambitious goal—to raise $50,000 to continue our mission of providing a safe and joyful space for retired racehorses and neurodiverse families.

Coastside Gives 2025 Giving Day is May 1st, but early giving starts April 1st—let’s make this our biggest year yet!

How You Can Help:

 Donate – Every dollar brings us closer to sustaining and expanding our mission. 

 Share Our Story – Amplify our message by sharing our campaign with friends and family. Your voice can help us reach new supporters!

 Fundraise for Us on Social Media – Coastside Gives makes it easy to create your own fundraising page and rally your community to support Square Peg. A few clicks can go a long way!

 Get Involved – Volunteer, attend our events or visit us and experience the magic firsthand.

Square Peg is so proud to present to you the most precious gift we have to offer – the gift a life changing moment provided by the horses.

Emma Bond tells the story with grace and kindness.

We hope this fills your heart with the peace and the joy of the season.

Content Creator Mike has information that Square Peg’s horse Freddy may be leading a double life……

Giving Tuesday sparks the beginning of the year end fundraising season. Now more than ever, Square Peg needs and appreciates your help as we grow to address the growing need for services. We promise to make you proud to be a Square Peg Supporter!

Davis Finch Shares His Story of Watching How This Amazing Horse Changed Over Time

When I first toured Square Peg, back in 2011 at Canyon Creek ranch off
highway 92, I met several horses. One of the most memorable was an excitable 9-
year-old chestnut son of KingMambo with the barn name Stan. An exquisite
gelding who raced under the name Irresponsible King, I was told he was so
dangerous only Joell could ride him, and even she could not always stay on. When
I went to pet LeRoi, an older paint gelding who gave me my first ride, Stan butted
in and bit him in the face. Even then, he wanted to be the center of attention.

Once I got to know him better, I learned that while he was a handful, he was also
quite friendly and was eager to please, given the right circumstances. Still, I never
dreamed that someday I would ride him.

During our almost ten years at Kastl Rock ranch, Stan aged and probably
mellowed out a little, but still had his antics. He had a penchant for jumping, was a
presence in the arena and if he got loose, let’s just say it would be an exciting
afternoon. However, he also grew more trustworthy under saddle, so much so that
Joell started letting teenage volunteers ride him. Eventually she even started using
him in lessons. He was reliable on the lunge line and developed a nice trot. By the
time Square Peg left for Ocean View, he was the “old man” of the off-track
thoroughbreds but still had plenty left.

Since coming to Ocean View and living in a pasture full time, Stan has
become a schoolmaster. He is now nicknamed “grandpa” and his quirks have
become more endearing than dangerous. He loves the supplements I feed him and
greets me at the gate each time I arrive. I have started riding him and have
discovered his trot to be wonderful. While trail rides are not his thing, he is one of
Square Peg’s best horses in the arena with a good walk/trot/canter and often a calm
and happy demeanor. As the patriarch of the herd, he will show younger, more
recently arrived horses who is boss in the pasture, especially when there is food
involved. With people he is usually gentle and loves attention, snuggles and treats.

_{Author Davis Finch riding Irresponsible King aka: Stan}

Even though he is calmer than he once was, he is still a sensitive
horse. The good side of this temperament is he is highly responsive under saddle
and reciprocates emotionally when I ride him. He is also very intelligent and
will be waiting at the gate closest to me, even if he has to cross the pasture to be
there. There are still moments when the fire that got him dubbed “the terror of Bay
Meadows” in his racing days shows through, but it is rare enough that it seems
almost quaint. Due to an old palate injury from the racetrack, he has always
roared, but now it more of a sweet purr. He is Square Peg’s beautiful and quirky
grandpa.

Coastside Gives is right around the corner! Please donate and/or share! https://www.coastsidegives.org/organization/SquarePeg