All About Equine Animal Rescue, Inc. has been rescuing and rehoming horses since 2009. Starting as a very small backyard operation, they quickly realized there was a much larger need than originally anticipated. Not only was there an abundance of horses in need of rescue and care, but there was also an overwhelming need from the community to support these animals through volunteer service and rehoming.
Horses come to All About Equine for many reasons besides abuse or neglect. Sometimes it’s due to financial distress, job loss, military deployment, housing issues, or health crises, and often the death of the owner. Sometimes they come from inexperienced first-time horse owners who didn’t anticipate the level of care required, or the horse is old or has been injured and can no longer be ridden, or the owners can’t afford to care for the animal. No matter how they come, All About Equine provides a safe and caring environment for rehabilitation with the goal of eventually finding the animal a new home that fits the specific needs of each animal. By helping at-risk horses, All About Equine provides invaluable support to the community, as well.
A typical day at All About Equine consists of a morning volunteer shift and an afternoon/evening volunteer shift involving different duties based on the needs of the day and the animals currently being cared for. Medications and treatments are administered, the animals are fed, watered, groomed, and the stalls and paddocks are mucked. Sometimes there are new intakes, and sometimes an animal will leave All About Equine for a new home, which is always bittersweet for the volunteers who have developed a connection with the animals and watched them, in some cases, grow from neglect and malnourishment into the magnificent creatures they were meant to be.
Some days are harder than others. Arriving animals that have been the victims of abuse, neglect, and malnourishment will absolutely break your heart. In contrast though, seeing an animal regain its spirit and its health at the hands of the care and love that you are providing, there is nothing else quite like it. If rehoming is the destination, then rehabilitation is the journey, and the rehabilitation needs are specific to the animal. Many of the animals will have special needs for the rest of their lives as a result of traumas or injuries they have suffered, and it is for that reason that All About Equine has a very rigorous process for ensuring the new home and new family is first a good fit for the animal and the animal is a good fit for the home and the family. Many of the rehabilitated horses will never be fit to ride, and that can make them difficult to find a home, but All About Equine has had great success finding homes for non-riding horses.
All About Equine is currently housing over 50 animals including horses (wild and domestic), a few cows, a couple of pigs, and even a tortoise. Other animals such as goats, sheep, chickens, and alpacas have been cared for, as well. Their capacity for taking in animals is only really limited by their volunteer and donation resources available at any given time. The abundance of space they enjoy is due to a recent move to a new property and with this move, All About Equine looks to improve the efficiency of rehabilitative care they provide, thereby allowing for more animals to be served each year.
The ability to serve more animals each year also hinges on their ability to successfully rehome, a process that is much more rigorous than that of adopting a new cat or dog. Candidates fill out an adoption inquiry and are evaluated based on what the adopter is looking for in an animal. All About Equine then determines if they have an animal that meets the needs of the candidate. If there’s a potential match, an appointment is scheduled to introduce the adoptable animal(s). Horses are lifetime commitments and candidates must be prepared for that commitment before adoptions are approved.
All About Equine doesn’t just rescue, rehabilitate, and rehome, they have also managed a number of different horse/human programs for kids, seniors, and veterans to interact with the animals, and they have also provided small scale support to the community during the Caldor Fire. The horse-human programs help to educate, comfort, and/or provide therapeutic benefit to members of the community. The animals also provide a benefit to the volunteers of All About Equine who often describe working with these majestic creatures as their own personal therapy. Most of these additional programs have had to be put on temporary hold due to their move to the new property, but they will be reinitiated again soon and then expanded upon as time goes on.
The move to the new property, however, has afforded All About Equine an opportunity to expand their facilities greatly, including the planned construction of rehabilitation barn for animals coming in with special needs and to provide ongoing care for senior and special needs horses, keeping them sheltered and protected from the environment (e.g., rain, wind, mud, excessive heat, etc.). After the barn, their next project will be building a covered arena to help facilitate year-round horse/human programs, training, adoption events, and more in an environment safe from the elements.
All About Equine is looking forward to being able to expand their facilities further but they are also always looking for enthusiastic new volunteers! If you are interested in volunteering, visit https://www.allaboutequine.org/volunteer.html. Their annual Boots & Bling event is also right around the corner and you can support them by attending or simply making a donation.
All About Equine would not be where they are today without their donors and their volunteers. The lives that have been changed and saved as a result of generous givers of time and money cannot be understated. Thanks to all of those individuals for everything they do to make All About Equine tick.
This is a wonderful history of this program. I believe I can relate to some of its beginnings since my sister is very involved in the administrative side of the program now. It is a big responsibility, and many volunteers and so much time spend making this a working day to day effort to give the animals a second chance at a better tomorrow. Continued Blessings to Your Program forever. Can’t wait to see the new facility when I can get back out there from Dallas.
Joan Jones (Sister to Judy Graham)