Beautiful Pepito has been rescued, rehabbed and is ready to go out for training soon!
WHAT DO WE DO HERE?
It’s sometimes difficult for people to understand what we do at SFHR (and what we don’t do here) so I will gather my thoughts and explain a few things now.
Horses, ponies, mules and donkeys of every type come to SFHR. Some of these animals are trained, healthy and ready to go on to their forever homes. So we wait for an approved adopter to come forward and give these animals their second chance. Some times that is exactly how it works.
Other animals come to us with needs. Some have physical and/or mental problems that can be helped and they also may go on to a forever home. They may need some riding time or handling time but are otherwise healthy.
And then the animals come to us that we know will never leave here. They are either very old, very lame or sick and need that one last place to rest in peace. Literally. If their life is too hard and they are struggling and not making much progress then we humanely let them go. It is all part of our job here and the hardest part of our lives. But we handle it and we just keep moving forward.
There are many equines that we just can not take in. Behavioral problems that are dangerous to us or volunteers or visitors can not be allowed. Another hard fact is that we can’t take them all in and we try to direct people to places that might be able to. Every single animal that we turn away is heartbreaking to us. But we must do this so that we can sufficiently take care of what we have here and to make sure that we do not become overcrowded (and overwhelmed). We give them all the love we have (it’s free!) but we have to draw the line on the number here.
Rescue work is extremely rewarding. It is exhausting and frustrating many times but it is a great life believe me. Bringing an animal back from starvation or health problems is such a great feeling and it’s hard to put into words. It becomes part of your soul and you want to protect them with everything you have. When people say things like, “Well, after all, it’s just a horse” it is apparent to us that they have never had any meaningful time spent with a horse. They are so much more than that. Of course there are people who try to humanize the horse. This is a mistake and I’m sure the horse feels it is a step backwards anyway!
Horses have a keen sense of self preservation and they know the order of things as well. The body language that they display is nothing short of incredible IF you take the time to learn some of it and study what goes on in the pastures. Just like us it would seem that someone has to be in charge or there is not real order in the herd.
Here at SFHR, we really do represent the horses. At times we will remove animals from their adoptive homes in accordance with our contract. It does not happen very often but it’s something to keep in mind. If the adopters are not upholding the contract and the animals are not properly cared for according to our guidelines (and state statutes) and the adopter is not showing a willingness to comply or they are not submitting a yearly health report the animals will be safely brought back to SFHR and a better home will be found. We owe these animals no less than that.
I just wanted to share a few random thoughts on what we do here and our feelings toward our friends, the equines. They come in all shapes, sizes, breeds and colors. They share one thing though - they need us. I hope you will join us on this journey and support the horses in any way you can. I feel you will never regret it!
Example:
Jane N. and adopted filly, Sadie
Jane joined our adoptive family here at SFHR over four years ago when she adopted Nakia. She later adopted Firecracker and finally Sadie. Sadie was part of the Trempeleau 27 horses that were horribly neglected and starved. Jane took her in as a foster horse to nurse (Jane is a R.N.!) her back to health. This before and after picture speaks for itself. She has since adopted Sadie and has given her a wonderful future!
Thanks Jane - we love ya!!
