Hacienda De Los Milagros, Inc.

Target demographics: Our equine residents (donkeys, burros, horses, mules, hinnies) range in age from young to seniors. (HDLM dogs are all seniors!) There are those who because of neglect and/or abuse arrive in dire need of care. Some arrive ill. Others are sold for almost no value at livestock auctions. There are many ways to describe "unwanted"! Some are very much loved and cared for by their families. (It is a family's life-changing event - like serious illness, or loss of job or home - that creates the need for safe placement.) There are a number who lived in the wild until rounded up. (A few arrived here pregnant, so their babies were born at the sanctuary.) The mix includes former athletes (racehorses and veterans of equine competitions), riding horses, and horses that are untrained or never ridden. Being older or having conditions that prevent them from being "usable" for riding may devalue their worth in others' eyes, but they are all loved and respected at Hacienda de los Milagros.

Direct beneficiaries per year: The number of direct beneficiaries (the animals) per year varies. For many of our residents, HDLM is their forever home. An animal may be adopted or pass on during the year. New residents join the sanctuary as funding and space allow. Needless to say, HDLM is generally a full house!

Current Residents (as of 1/12/2012) = 139 animals. These include 127 equines: 30 horses, 89 burros, seven (7) mules & hinnies, and one (1) pony! We also care for two (2) senior dogs and feline residents that include seven (7) feral barn cats and three (3) house/barn cats.

Someone who had 3 hours of volunteer time could: make new four-legged friends by brushing burros or horses . . . clean and replace bedding in barn stalls . . . muck community paddock areas . . . add fresh water to the donkey and horse water troughs . . . cart hay . . . fill feed buckets . . . clean up the grounds . . . help out at a fundraiser . . . put on a fresh coat of paint . . . cut carrots and make tons of new friends in a single toss . . . help with a variety of ongoing or time-limited organizational and animal needs, based on your interests, abilities, special skills, availability, and willingness to learn!