Iowa Alum Rescues Horses From Harm

PHOTOS COURTESY CAITLIN OPONSKI UI College of Liberal Arts and Sciences grad Caitlin Oponski is pictured here with Zane, an Appaloosa horse whose story inspired her to launch Lucky Break Ranch Rescue.

Caitlin Oponski (11BA) remembers being instantly drawn to Zane, a varnish roan Appaloosa.

“He looked just like the horse I took lessons on when I was a kid,” says Oponski, who purchased Zane for trail rides and is now living on her two-acre ranch in New River, Arizona.

Caitlin Oponski, a UI history graduate, now runs a small business and horse rescue ranch in Arizona.

Zane, who was a slaughter-bound horse, motivated Oponski to launch a nonprofit dedicated to rescuing animals from the horse meat trade. Lucky Break Ranch Rescue, along with several other organizations, has helped decrease the slaughter of horses from over 166,000 in 2012 to around 20,370 in 2023, according to a U.S. Food and Drug Administration report.

“When owners can’t afford them anymore, they get dumped,” says Oponski. “We try to intercept these horses, like Zane, before they end up in Mexico in an effort to rescue, rehabilitate, and re-home them. Every horse is worth it. They’re the same as a shelter animal for me.”

Generous donors and corporate partners—including Boot Barn, Wrangler, and country singer Miranda Lambert’s brand, Idyllwind—have helped Lucky Break Ranch Rescue raise funds to save more than 500 horses over the past eight years. For Oponski, it wouldn’t have started without Zane, now 20 years old.

“Zane inspired us to rescue these horses,” says Oponski. “I owe him everything. I’m fortunate to be a mouthpiece for these horses, and I feel privileged to fight for them.”

“Every horse is worth it.” —Caitlin Oponski