The Equine Sanctuary

11/11/2024

To all our Veterans- 2 and four legged… We thank you for your service and sacrifice for this country🇱🇷🐎🙏

27/10/2024

Could not have said it better….

25/09/2024

To risk another chance on connection, to open your heart to
trust again, and maybe even to love again...especially yourself, takes a courage few can truly understand.

After being shattered by betrayal or pain, the thought of vulnerability feels like stepping into the unknown, with no guarantee of safety.

Yet, it's in this very risk, in choosing to trust once more, that real healing begins. To love again, to believe in yourself again, is a radical act of hope.

It’s proof that no matter how deep the scars, the heart has an infinite capacity to heal, to grow, and to embrace the beauty of life again.

24/09/2024

There is a profound bravery in the choice to turn your deepest wounds into triumphs. To rise from the ashes of betrayal, abandonment, abuse, and trauma, and say, "I will not be defined by my pain.”

It takes extraordinary courage to face the darkest parts of your soul, to transform heartbreak into strength, and to rewrite your story. True healing begins when you choose to reclaim your power and rebuild what was broken.

That is the essence of resilience. That is the essence of triumph.

08/09/2024

Jewel - An Unwanted Racehorse's Story: Part 2 - A Divine Date with Destiny

"Hello again... my name is now Jewel, and I want to share more of my story—a story of survival, hope, and the light that finally found me in the end...which has become a new beginning...

I remember the first time I was led into a stall at just two years old. It became my entire world—a small box of 3 walls and a gate, where the only view I had was a never-ending parade of horses and people passing by in the aisle way. Every morning I’d be taken out, groomed, bathed, and trained. There was this machine they called a 'hot walker,' a contraption that made me walk in endless circles. I tried to be patient, I really did. But I always preferred the company of my own thoughts—dreaming of freedom—so I resisted that dang machine and most people...I became known as the difficult one... but, as difficult as I was... I sure could run... and most importantly to them...I would win!

I always knew when Race Days for me were near. The air grew thick with tension, the humans around me buzzing with anxious energy that seeped into my skin. I was jittery & anxious by nature, but on Race Day, I could escape...I could run—run until my legs burned and my chest heaved, until the world blurred, and all the fear and uncertainty faded behind me. Whether I won or not, that night I’d sleep deeply, too tired to let my worries keep me awake.

But then the days after would come—the soreness, the tightness in my muscles, the ache deep in my bones and my hooves throbbed. And just when I thought I might have found some comfort at one track, just as I got used to the rhythm of things, I’d be loaded into a trailer and off we’d go to yet another racetrack, another place that didn’t feel like home. Always moving. Always wondering if I’d see familiar faces, horse or human. Often, I didn’t. Friends would vanish, replaced by new ones who would vanish in their turn.

In that world, it wasn’t easy to trust anyone. People came and went, sometimes kind, sometimes rough, and I learned to guard my heart. I longed for connection, for someone who would stay by my side, someone who could understand the heart that beat wildly beneath my chest. But instead, I found myself growing more aggressive, pushing away those who saw me as a burden. No one wanted to care for me anymore, except I could run... and win for them.... but, I had dreams, though. Oh, I had dreams.

I dreamed of a life where the sun kissed my face, where I could feel the rain without a halter & lead line or bridle holding me back. I dreamed of roaming endless fields of grass, the wind tosseling my mane, and the sound of birds singing their carefree songs.

I dreamed of being free. Not racing, not running for someone else’s thrill, but simply living and running for the sheer joy of being alive. But that dream seemed so distant, like a star too far to ever touch.

Until one day... fate stepped in.

I was taken to a place they called The Equine Sanctuary, and it was there that I finally found what my heart had longed for. The walls fell away, and in their place, there was sky. Instead of machines and trailers, there were open fields and pine trees that whispered in the breeze. And for the first time in what felt like forever, I could just be. I could rest. I could heal. I could learn to trust again.

Now, when I feel the warmth of the sun or the gentle brush of wind, I am reminded that my dreams were not in vain. My journey, long and difficult, led me to the freedom I always believed in, even when the world told me to stop dreaming.

But I need your help to keep this dream alive—not just for me, but for so many others like me. Horses who are still stuck in that endless cycle, who need a sanctuary, a place to rest and heal.

With your support, we can give them the life they deserve—a life of peace, love, and freedom and a second chance.

Will you help us continue this journey of hope?

With gratitude,
Jewel – once an unwanted racehorse, now free and loved."

04/09/2024

" I once had a name celebrated at the racetracks, a name shouted by eager crowds. But now, I go by Jewel - like the mythical unicorn from C. S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia - he was kind and gentle when he chose to be, yet always a fierce warrior.

But my journey wasn't always a tale of valor & grace. The world I knew before this Sanctuary was a brutal one, where kindness was a language I never learned, and trusting humans was a luxury I could not afford.

I became a very dangerous horse to handle .... as Fear & Fury became my armor.

However, I am beginning to heal. I am learning what it means to be truly seen & heard, to be loved, to trust and heal on a deeper level than I ever imagined possible and as time passes, I am learning to help humans heal as well."
Jewel - unwanted racehorse

The Equine Sanctuary is where once forgotten Racehorses are transformed into powerful healers, providing therapy and solace to US veterans and members of the community.

When you support The Equine Sanctuary, your generosity creates a lifetime -

You are becoming part of a larger mission. A mission where many horses like Jewel , veterans, and those who bear their own scars, can recover hope and healing.

Together, we are rewriting their futures.

Together, we are rebuilding lives .

07/05/2023

Please tell your friends and neighbors
to NOT feed your horses their grass clippings…..

Feeding lawn clippings will dramatically upset the balance of microbes in the hindgut, potentially leading to colic or laminitis, as the amount of highly fermentable carbohydrates in regularly clipped lawns is dangerously high.

18/04/2023

Good to have a best bud

You can always lean on your best friend ❤️

26/12/2022

So worth the read ….

Because of Love...

A brother and sister had made their usual hurried, obligatory pre-Christmas visit to the little farm where dwelt their elderly parents with their small herd of horses. The farm was where they had grown up and had been named Lone Pine Farm because of the huge pine, which topped the hill behind the farm. Through the years the tree had become a talisman to the old man and his wife, and a landmark in the countryside. The young siblings had fond memories of their childhood here, but the city hustle and bustle added more excitement to their lives, and called them away to a different life.

The old folks no longer showed their horses, for the years had taken their toll, and getting out to the barn on those frosty mornings was getting harder, but it gave them a reason to get up in the mornings and a reason to live. They sold a few foals each year, and the horses were their reason for joy in the morning and contentment at day's end.

Angry, as they prepared to leave, the young couple confronted the old folks "Why do you not at least dispose of The Old One? She is no longer of use to you. It's been years since you've had foals from her. You should cut corners and save so you can have more for yourselves. How can this old worn out horse bring you anything but expense and work? Why do you keep her anyway?"

The old man looked down at his worn boots, holes in the toes, scuffed at the barn floor and replied, "Yes, I could use a pair of new boots. His arm slid defensively about the Old One's neck as he drew her near with gentle caressing he rubbed her softly behind her ears. He replied softly, "We keep her because of love. Nothing else, just love."

Baffled and irritated, the young folks wished the old man and his wife a Merry Christmas and headed back toward the city as darkness stole through the valley. The old couple shook their heads in sorrow that it had not been a happy visit. A tear fell upon their cheeks. How is it that these young folks do not understand the peace of the love that filled their hearts?

So it was, that because of the unhappy leave-taking, no one noticed the insulation smoldering on the frayed wires in the old barn. None saw the first spark fall. None but the "Old One".

In a matter of minutes, the whole barn was ablaze and the hungry flames were licking at the loft full of hay. With a cry of horror and despair, the old man shouted to his wife to call for help as he raced to the barn to save their beloved horses.. But the flames were roaring now, and the blazing heat drove him back. He sank sobbing to the ground, helpless before the fire's fury. His wife back from calling for help cradled him in her arms, clinging to each other, they wept at their loss.

By the time the fire department arrived, only smoking, glowing ruins were left, and the old man and his wife, exhausted from their grief, huddled together before the barn. They were speechless as they rose from the cold snow covered ground. They nodded thanks to the firemen as there was nothing anyone could do now.

The old man turned to his wife, resting her white head upon his shoulders as his shaking old hands clumsily dried her tears with a frayed red Bandana. Brokenly he whispered, "We have lost much, but God has spared our home on this eve of Christmas. Let us gather strength and climb the hill to the old pine where we have sought comfort in times of despair. We will look down upon our home and give thanks to God that it has been spared and pray for our beloved most precious gifts that have been taken from us.

And so, he took her by the hand and slowly helped her up the snowy hill as he brushed aside his own tears with the back of his old and withered hand.

The journey up the hill was hard for their old bodies in the steep snow. As they stepped over the little knoll at the crest of the hill, they paused to rest, looking up to the top of the hill the old couple gasped and fell to their knees in amazement at the incredible beauty before them.

Seemingly, every glorious, brilliant star in the heavens was caught up in the glittering, snow-frosted branches of their beloved pine, and it was aglow with heavenly candles. And poised on its top most bough, a crystal crescent moon glistened like spun glass. Never had a mere mortal created a Christmas tree such as this. They were breathless as the old man held his wife tighter in his arms.

Suddenly, the old man gave a cry of wonder and incredible joy. Amazed and mystified, he took his wife by the hand and pulled her forward. There, beneath the tree, in resplendent glory, a mist hovering over and glowing in the darkness was their Christmas gift. Shadows glistening in the night light.

Bedded down about the "Old One" close to the trunk of the tree, was the entire herd, safe.

At the first hint of smoke, she had pushed the door ajar with her muzzle and had led the horses through it. Slowly and with great dignity, never looking back, she had led them up the hill, stepping cautiously through the snow. The foals were frightened and dashed about. The skittish yearlings looked back at the crackling, hungry flames, and tucked their tails under them as they licked their lips and hopped like rabbits. The mares that were in foal with a new years crop of babies, pressed uneasily against the "Old One" as she moved calmly up the hill and to safety beneath the pine. And now, she lay among them and gazed at the faces of the old man and his wife.

Those she loved she had not disappointed. Her body was brittle with years, tired from the climb, but the golden eyes were filled with devotion as she offered her gift---

Because of love. Only Because of love.

30/05/2022

Sergeant Reckless- a true hero for our country...

As Memorial Day approaches we remember an amazing mare, Sergeant Reckless. This Mongolian chestnut was a Marines war horse during the Korean War. She carried both ammunition and wounded soldiers from the front lines to the return trip. Sergeant Reckless was respected and loved by the Marines she served with. The mare was promoted to the rank of Staff Sergeant because of her amazing performance throughout the war. She was also given two Purple Hearts along with many other military decorations for her service.

SERGEANT RECKLESS (1948-1968) - today we honor you.

29/05/2022

LAND OF THE FREE BECAUSE OF THE BRAVE... THANK YOU

11/11/2021

06/11/2021

The Equine Sanctuary's longtime therapy horse who has helped countless US Veterans and children in need of healing now needs
others to help with his healing.... We thank you in advance for your generosity of spirit....

US Veterans’ beloved Therapy Horse “Eko” was intentionally attacked on September 12th, 20… Alexis Ells needs your support for Therapy Horse Brutally Attacked

25/10/2021

I am humbled by the majesty of "the horse" ....

23/10/2021

I believe this says it all.....

27/04/2021

We are still doing our Hay Drive fundraiser... and it's true... we cannot help everyone, however YOU can help our therapy horses with a charitable gift for their HAY so they can help many people in need of healing..... Thank you in advance for your generosity of spirit!

23/04/2021

Today, April 23rd is my birthday ! I was rescued by The Equine Sanctuary in Aug 2006 the day before I was to ship to Mexico to be slaughtered ...

After 2 years of rehabilitation I became a Goodwill Ambassador and a permanent resident in the therapy horse program ... so grateful I was spared from a terrible end and was able to heal so now I can help others in need of healing ! Xoxoxo Big Red