Rescued horse gets a new lease on life with mounted deputy division

Once malnourished and near death, Maverick now has a job with Riverside County

- BY JASMINE MENDEZ

Photographs by CHRISTINA HOUSE Los Angeles Times

MAVERICK and Riverside County Sheriff's Deputy Bryan Hubbard get a shopper's attention as they patrol outside a grocery store.

When authorities found the malnourished horse, he had so little body fat that his hip bone poked against his skin, which made it painful to lie on his side.

A year later, the rescued Andalusian horse dubbed Maverick has fully recovered from his poor diet and neglect to take on a new life as a member of the Riverside County Sheriff's Mounted Enforcement Detail, whose deputies on horseback search for missing people and patrol shopping centers, riverbeds and mountainous areas.

But recovery for the 9-year-old horse was a long, difficult road.

Maverick was one of several dozen animals rescued from a private property in the 5000 block of Esperanza Road in Cabazon on Aug. 14, 2024. He was emaciated, his ribs piercing, nearing death. He was among five horses, four dogs, six puppies, 45 hens and roosters that were adopted by either Riverside County rescue partners or private adopters, according to Sgt. Sean Fazio from Riverside County Animal Services.

"I believe all the horses that we took went to adopters, so they’re living on and they have a purpose," Fazio said. "Maverick probably has the best purpose of all of them."

Months of back-and-forth led to the rescue operation, Fazio said. In 2023, authorities received multiple animal welfare complaints about the Cabazon property owned by 59-year-old Rafael Leal, according to a Riverside County news release.

Fazio first visited the property on July 23, 2024.