Four horses were retired from the United States Air Force in a ceremony at Vandenberg Space Force Base on Tuesday.
The following day, one of the horses headed north to Paso Robles, where he is set to spend the rest of his retirement.
Buck, a horse who served on the patrol team for the past 12 years, found a new home at Redwings Horse Sanctuary.
At the nonprofit sanctuary, Buck will be able to freely roam 141 acres of hillside.
"Fortunately for him, well, he's gonna have a chance to relax," Kyle Young, a U.S. Air Force Conservation Patrolman, said of the move. "We put a lot of hard work into him, and he's given everything he had to the Air Force."
Redwings has existed for 31 years, Linelle Soxman, a board member and development officer for the nonprofit, told KSBY.
The group began in Carmel before moving to Lockwood. In the past year, they have put down roots in Paso Robles.
Right now, Redwings houses about 77 horses.
"Our mission is to rescue—in this case, not rescuing but retiring—[...] as many horses as possible," Soxman said.
Redwings offers tours and takes volunteers. People can also meet Buck at the nonprofit's upcoming fundraiser on Sept. 18—a date Soxman told us coincides with the anniversary of the Air Force.
Upon retirement, Buck was presented with a medal.
"That signifies twelve years of service to the United States Air Force, dutifully and faithfully," Young said.
Information about the sanctuary and the upcoming fundraiser is online.
