Equus Mission
Creating a more humane world, one heart at a time

Grandpa had a blown knee, a banged-up and scarred face and since he was very aged, required a special diet. Since he was physically vulnerable, he could not live with other horses in a pasture. So Grandpa could not be ridden and he could not be a pasture companion to another horse. Grandpa just doesn't make the grade, in any way that would make him useable again. Although he took up so little room because he could no longer perform, he was even denied that space and a final and ironic use for him was found. He was sent to the slaughterhouse feedlot to endure all of its terrors, so that he could be food for the tables of Europe and Asia and profit for corporations. But Grandpa was one of the lucky ones; money was raised, arrangements were made and Grandpa was removed form the feedlot and spent his retirement years in peace and safety at our Sanctuary.

Horses like Grandpa - the aged and infirm, crippled and blind, barren or pregnant, pony and draft horse, famous and the forgotten - have all passed through our gates. Each one represented the multitudes of nameless horses we could not save. Horses who spent their lives serving people only to be thrown away when they became vulnerable. We provide sanctuary for horses like Grandpa in order to speak to the importance of a world where there is room for imperfections and where kindness is still more important than competence. Because there is a place of safety, hope and healing for the Grandpas of this world, with all of their imperfections, then maybe, just maybe, there is also a place of safety, hope and healing for the rest of us.

Equus Sanctuary is a project of DreamCatcher Wild Horse and Burro Sactuary, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, and operates as an animal welfare organization serving the community in equine recovery, rehabilitation and technical rescue.

Equus Mission Strategy
To save horses is to save ourselves

And just how does one change the world one heart at a time? At Equus we do it by creating a place of beauty and serenity, where people and animals come together to share quiet times of healing and nurturing. We believe people can learn about their own value and importance in the world by hearing the stories of the animals, how they were once wounded, abandoned, terrorized and have been healed and learned to trust again despite their histories. Visitors and volunteers alike are encouraged to participate in the lives of the animals at the sanctuary by helping with their care, beautifying the grounds and improving the living areas. It is through this one-on-one interaction that people learn to appreciate the Grandpa's of this world for who they are and not what they can do. An important message for our disposable results oriented culture.