Local rancher battling saturated fields after last week’s rain storm in Solvang

SOLVANG, Calif. - Tobey is one of 80 horses who survived last week's rainstorm at the Happy N Ranch in the Santa Ynez Valley.

"I gotta hand it to the horses. They were troopers. They handled it remarkably well. They were patient with me. It took me hours on end to feed and medicate," said owner Lisa Novatt of Happy N Ranch.

Last week’s heavy rainstorm left Novatt with every horse in her care.

"The river crested. My employees cannot get to work. My husband couldn’t get home so I was left here alone," said Novatt.

But she wasn’t completely alone. She scared for the hretired orses averaging between 20 and 30 years old.

"It’s very difficult … too much rain … last few days … a lot of mud … I’m busy cleaning the drains and the crops because there’s a lot of mud," said foreman Greg Uribe of Happy N Ranch.

Despite the inclement weather, Novatt said the horses did "remarkably well."

"We had a lot of mud, but thankfully were on a hill, and so we were feeding a pice of the horses could actually eat dry hay for the most part I did get landlocked when the freeway shut down," said Novatt.

The biggest job now is just getting rid of all the mud left behind.

"Thankfully there were no emergencies … now we’re just drying out," said Novatt.

Lisa Novatt of Happy N Ranch Equine Retirement Ranch runs two ranches with 120 retired horses.

The horses average between 20 and 30 years old.

Overall she says the horses did "remarkably well" during the rainstorm.

But right now she's concerned about her overall business.