The Wings Programs, Inc.

12/03/2025

Please nominate Wings to help support equines in the Bitterroot Valley! Thank you to all our supporters!

12/02/2025

On this Giving Tuesday, please help us continue to support local equines find new homes or sanctuary with Wings.

Many ways you can donate. Click the button on this post, paypal, or venmo. Winter is coming fast and we appreciate your year end support.
Please share this post and help us spread our visibility on FB.

11/30/2025

This is a long but important article. Please read.

The horse industry and its attempt to rebrand irresponsible animal ownership as… something else.

Every year I see elderly and/or lame horses being offered for “free to good home” on the sales websites.

Every year, I see riders rehoming “heart horses” because they “can’t keep a horse that they can’t ride.”

The unrideable horse is often an unwanted horse.

Even the people who’ve had the horse for years and gotten to know their personality often still don’t have it in their hearts to keep them when something results in the horse no longer being suited to riding.

“Horses are expensive!”

“A lot of people can’t afford to pay for a horse that can’t be ridden and still get a riding horse.”

Excuses are made to downplay what it actually means for horses to be discarded at the rate that they are when they can no longer be ridden.

But no excuse changes the reality.

We already have an unwanted horse problem.

Too many horses, not enough homes.

Unrideable horses and horses in their senior years are even less “desirable” when they’re pawned off by the very people who should be caring for them at their most vulnerable.

It isn’t responsible animal ownership to discard animals when they no longer serve you and when they’re even harder to find long term homes for.

There are not enough willing retirement homes out there to accommodate the number of horses being discarded.

Yet, we see this continue to happen at a high rate because it’s easier for people to hang onto the illusion of giving a horse away to a better home than it is for them to make a final responsible decision and euthanize to ensure the horse doesn’t end up somewhere poor.

Because euthanizing the unrideable horse is a far clearer admittance that the person would rather end a life so they can get a rideable horse than pay for the retirement.

It feels a lot more icky.

But, it’s a more responsible decision than giving your vulnerable horse away.

Because if you don’t have it in your heart to retire and care for the horse you already know, the odds of a stranger doing it are slim.

And these types of horses are most “valuable” when sold at auction. Often for meat.

This attitude isn’t justified or accepted with virtually any other animal.

If I tried to give my dog away when hits her senior years and said that it was because I couldn’t have two dogs and that I wanted a young puppy who could do more, people would lose it.

And rightfully so.

Ironically, many of the people who would see an issue with that are the same who may defend the same actions when seen with horses.

There’s a disconnect between how horse people perceive actions relating to horses, simply because “they’re expensive.”

But we need to have this discussion.

Because, ultimately, if many horse people care more about riding than they do the horses that they have, they’re better suited leasing or taking lessons than they are owning.

You shouldn’t take on a horse to own if you aren’t prepared to pay for the horse into retirement or euthanize them if you refuse to care for them when they’re vulnerable.

Few people may find the miracle retirement home when giving these horses away but there are not enough of these homes and any rescues that frequent auctions can attest to that.

So, examine what your actions say about you.

You knew the expense of the horse when you got it.

No longer being rideable often does nothing to change the cost.

The only thing that’s changed is the use of the horse.

If their value depletes to the point where you no longer want to pay for their care, simply because you cannot ride them…

Well, that does expose where priorities lie.

And it shows a greater love for riding than it does for the horse.

If hearing that makes you feel angry and you don’t feel it represents you, reexamine your actions if you’re still defending this type of behaviour.

11/30/2025

All the kids are having fun meeting the mini-donkeys at the Living Nativity in Hamilton tonight! Here’s Poco meeting a new friend. 😊

11/28/2025

Wings president Laura Weise is out there in all kinds of weather to make sure our equines have what they need to be comfortable. Today spreading fresh dry shavings in the shelters. It's raining and blowing something fierce today!

11/27/2025

Happy Thanksgiving to all of our supporters!

And a special THANK YOU to the Dover's Chair organization for their very generous grant supporting our Healthy Equine Fund! This fund covers farrier care, dental care and monthly medications for our rescues.

Dover's Chair provides micro-grants to small animal rescues to help them grow and make a bigger impact in their communities. Their support means we can focus more resources on rehabilitating our adoptable equines and providing lifetime care for our sanctuary equines, as well as continuing to support the local equine community.

You can learn more about Dover's Chair at www.doverschair.org

11/24/2025

Many ways you can donate. Click the button on this post, paypal, or venmo. Winter is coming fast and we appreciate your year end support.
Please share this post and help us spread our visibility on FB.

11/23/2025

Found all the horses napping in the pasture this afternoon. These beauties always put a smile on my face! ❤️

11/18/2025

November Newsletter.
Enjoy and consider a year end tax deductible donation.

11/18/2025

WISH LIST:
Our minis are all insulin resistant and most have Cushings Disease so they benefit greatly from slow feeding. We have found these type of bags much safer than the traditional hay nets. Our minis and full size horses would love a couple more of these to allow them to eat small amounts for longer periods of time. They are available at several outlets, not just Chewey but this is a good photo and description of what we are looking for.

Buy Tough1 Slow Feed Web Hay Horse Feeder, Red at Chewy.com. FREE shipping and the BEST customer service!

11/18/2025

A magical moment at Wings! Even more magical is the $20,000 donation of stock to our capital fund! With this donation we are much closer to being able to make an offer on our leased property. Thank you to our special, very generous donor. You can still help make a difference too - every dollar counts!
https://www.wingsprograms.org/wings-capital-fund.html
www.gofundme.com/ahomeforwings