Agate Cove Inn Keepers & Horse Whisperer (104)First, meet Nancy and Dennis Freeze, who were once corporate go-getters in search of a peaceful existence. Before getting married, they set a 10-year goal of owning and operating their very own bed-and-breakfast. The Freezes ultimately realized their goal with the purchase of the Agate Cove Inn in picturesque Mendocino, Calif.
Next, travel farther down the California coast near Santa Barbara to meet Neda DeMayo, a Hollywood fashion stylist turned horse sanctuary owner. DeMayo always dreamed of incorporating her love of horses and concern for the plight of mustangs to develop a place where man could commune with nature. She finally turned her dreams into reality with the founding of Return to Freedom (RTF) Animal Sanctuary and Educational Retreat. The 310-acre sanctuary is now where DeMayo and her family care for 40 wild horses, two burros, and scores of other animals in need.
Agate Cove Facts:
- According to local legend, mendocino meant "path to the sea" in the language of the native Pomo tribes.
- Mendocino is located about four hours north of San Francisco. Locals refer to it as "Mendo."
- Agate Cove sits on more than one acre of land.
- Room prices range from $129 to $289.
- High season at the inn is from June to October.
Contact Information:
Agate Cove Inn
Nancy and Dennis Freeze
11201 N. Lansing Street
Mendocino, CA 95460
800-527-3111
707-937-0551
www.agatecove.com
Resources:
The Upstart Guide to Owning and Managing a Bed & Breakfast
by Lisa Angowski Rogak
California Association of Bed & Breakfast Inns
www.cabbi.com
Professional Association of Innkeepers International
www.paii.org
Horse Whisperer Facts:
- A century ago, approximately two million mustangs (wild horses) roamed the US. That number is now fewer than 50,000.
- The wild horses in the US are descended from Spanish horses originally brought to the country in the 1500s.
- Some paleontologists believe that horses are some of the oldest living above-ground mammals to survive the Ice Age.
- In 1971, the Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act was passed unanimously by both houses of Congress to preserve and protect feral equines.
- Donations and grants are the key revenue sources for the sanctuary.
- RTF is the only sanctuary in the country that keeps family herds together.
Contact Information:
Return to Freedom
American Wild Horse Sanctuary
Neda DeMayo
PO Box 926
Lompoc, CA 93438
805-737-9246
www.returntofreedom.org
Resources:
The American Mustang Guidebook : History, Behavior, and State-By-State Directions on Where to Best View America's Wild Horses
by Lisa Dines
National Wild Horse and Burro Program
1-866-4MUSTANGS (toll-free)
www.wildhorseandburro.blm.gov
KBR's World of Wild Horses and Burros
Large collection of information about wild horses and burros.
www.kbhorse.net
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