Hope for Horses

Hope for Horses is unusual among horse rescues because because they take on horses with extreme medical problems and stay the course until they are fixed. They don't always succeed but as long as the horse is willing they keep trying. The value of the horse, the cost of treatment and the thousands of hours required do not deter them. They are healers. I started with them and a group they formed called Foal-Team where we supported a local vet hospital with teams of two people round the clock who sat in the stall with a baby and mother horse in trouble. We were there to keep the mare from stepping on the foal or help the foal get up when it needed to. The best times of my life. I have agreed to start documenting some of this and I hope soon to be able to contribute to their web site some of the many stories of just plain heroic work by their staff and volunteers.

Based on my experience, and that of several of my coleagues- this group seems to perpetuate a common thread of disturbing behavior, seemingly fueled by the root of all evil. By all outward appearances, they seem like a pretty normal outfit- until you jump off the boat, so to speak. I could think of a much better way to truly help the crisis our country is facing with unwanted horses- and donating to this organiazation is NOT one of them.

I have been involved with horses since I was 5 years old. Through 10 years of 4-H I was educated on many aspects of horse care and experienced to a wide variety of training methods. For the past 11 years I have owned and cared for my own horses. My orientation at Hope for Horses was shortly after they had gotten the 15 horses that were in such terrible condition from Pierce County. My first impression of this organization was how deeply all the members cared for the horses, and how passionate they were about making changes to prevent neglect and abuse from happening. In the year and a half that I have volunteered I have only witnessed excellent care of the horses. They are all on an appropriate feeding schedule, get groomed regularly, and have clean and dry living quarters. When horses are taken in they get necessary care from a veterinarian and farrier. My favorite part about this organization is their community outreach. I was impressed to learn that Hope for Horses works with local animal controls to educate them on how to handle equine cases. Hope for Horses also actively engages in discussions about changing legislation to prevent horse neglect and abuse, and hold offenders accountable for their actions.

I have personal experience with S.A.F.E, PHH, Pasado's and this one: Hope For Horses (HFH) (Seattle area rescues). Either as a Volunteer or multiple open house attendee. Only Hope for Horses has any active comments so I'll start here. First PHH and Pasado's are drowning in money. Both places actively solicited my money during my time there. SAFE and HFH were the opposite. They were glad to see me and never mentioned donating - I like that. But HFH and SAFE clearly need your money. Both are running very tight operations, no waste no fluff. Hope for Horses was the nicest of the 4 places. I really had a good time there, they made me feel comfortable and used my time in a worthwhile manner. I left feeling that I had contributed something worthwhile. I have never been around horses who were as well mannered and still affectionate before. Every horse ran to see me (a stranger), stopped, walked slowly up to me and stood waiting to be scratched or brushed. A wonderful experience (not the same at the other places) My other observations: All the horses were healthy and the fields were picked clean of poop. I easily give my highest recommendation to Hope for Horses and am now a donor.

Do your homework before donating to this group. There is some well documented evidence they have had some serious problems in the past.

What an interesting group Hope For Horses must be to generate such passionate feelings. No in between attitudes here. I only know what I have read and that makes me want more than ever to find out about them. I have always said that if everybody likes you you are not trying hard enough. Hope for Horses seems to be trying very hard, perhaps too hard. My general impression is of a very bold group that regularly steps on toes and alienates people. If that is true then I will support them. To me what matters is the state of the horses at this moment. Are they happy. Have they recovered, are they adoptable, is Hope For Horses actually adopting horses or are they just some sort of non-profit hoarder. In the end all that matters is the horses and they do not lie.

Hope For Horses (WA) is an incredible group. With very limited resources and remarkable dedication they work not only directly in the care and rehabilitation of neglected and abused equines, they also educate the public and animal control officers, assist public agencies with pending prosecution of cruelty and abuse cases, and have started to delve into making positive changes to legislation. I have been at least a weekly volunteer with them since January 2007 and have never doubted the integrity, purpose, degree of care, and dedication of Jenny and John. Plus, they are just wonderful people. I have witnessed the miraculous recoveries and tremendous efforts that go into rehabilitating starved or abused horses. I have never had reason to give pause to anything going on at the barn or the office. Everyone involved puts 110% in. They are a wonderful organization that uses their dollars wisely, knows how much they can handle on their plate (they're pretty small), have made big strides with local animal control offices, and are tireless in their passion for assisting horses in need. I wish all charities worked on the level HFH does.

I took part in a large fundraiser for this organization. It was very successful and netted a significant amount of money. I was responsible for the accounting of the money, and my job was to advise the executive director how the money should be handled as far as the designation and placement of the funds. My recommendations were not followed, and it became quite "muddled" as to the final destination of where the funds actually ended up. The director became quite defensive when a accounting of this quite large sum of money became an issue. I no longer participate as a volunteer for them.

I have been a volunteer for HFH for 3 mos. now. Since the first day I started, John and Jenny made me feel like I was part of the family. When I first started, I knew absolutely nothing about mucking stalls, feeding, saddling-up or the health maintenance of these beautiful animals, only the fun part of riding. By watching and listening to veteran volunteers, John and Jenny, my respect for these amazing animals increased tremendiously. I did not realize how much maintenace is involved with horses. I can see why John and Jenny teache the police and animal control officers about their health care. They are a team totally committed to the welfare of these animals and want to be sure they receive the proper care. I wish every organization was as dedicated,caring and concerned about the needs of horses as HFH. If a person who knew nothing about this organization came to HFH, they would never know these animal were ever abused. These animals are thriving under John and Jenny's care. They are happy, spirited and loving animals, who are not afraid of human contact any longer. In regards to the organization - Jenny is extremly well organized and runs HFH with great care and pride. John and Jenny face many challenges when it comes to caring for these abused horses, yet always seem to rise above them. Their whole life is committed in the care and love of these horses. Their horses come in abused and neglected and hesitant of human contact. I have witnessed over the past few months that these wonderful yet traumatized animals come to love and trust John and Jenny and their devoted volunteers. I continue to recruit my friends and family to help in any way they can at HFH (even donating feed helps tremendously). If I had any concerns about the way this organization was run, I would quit volunteering. I am happy to say, this is not the case. This is the most inspiring, well-run organization that I have ever volunteered for and I will keep on volunteering for John and Jenny as long as I am able. Coming here every weekend is my therapy. The horses and people lift my spirits to a high that lasts the whole week. I look forward to every weekend knowing that I will be in the company of great people and some of the most spirited creatures God created. Thank you John and Jenny for this amazing experience, I am truly grateful. Always your friend JA.

Hope For Horses was a very fun a grat place to volunteer at. You could tell that they really loved and cared for all the animals they had there, they were constantly trying to make there barn and property better for the horses. When I was there I didn't feel like they were forcing me to do anything. It was totally casual. I asked what they needed me to do and they would tell me but they didn't force it upon me. They were grateful for our help weather it was 1 hour or 5. Jenny and John are very nice people and fun to be around. They brough pizza for everyone and drinks. I was worried about going there and meeting them because I didn't want to do something wrong or have that akward feeling that they are judging your every move. That wasn't how it was at all. I felt totally comfortable there and if I had a question they were more than happy to answer. They were all around nice and fun people and there is no doubt that I won't be back. I would love to help there again.

Hope for Horses is a wonderful organization. They rescue abused and neglected horses. They are so kind and caring, and they are able to rehabilitate many of the horses into foster and adoptive homes. The facilities consist of a barn with individual stalls for the injured or sick ones, and several large paddocks and a very large green, grassy field with lots of trees and a pond. The horses come in, often traumatized and very fearful, but they soon learn that everyone there will treat them gently and with love, and they respond quickly, showing their love and gratefulness with mutual grooming and horse kisses. I've volunteered there for almost 2 years now and have been really impressed with the entire organization.

Hope for Horses is the best thing that has happened to me! I heard about HFH on KMPS about 3 years ago and put off joining just due to daily activities. One day my girlfriend mentioned to me that they needed volunteers for an auction and if I was interested. I’ve been an active volunteer ever since. I wash buckets, muck stalls, groom horses and do whatever else needs to be done around the barn. HFH is my serenity place. If you haven’t had the opportunity to hang around such a beautiful animal you need to try Hope for Horses. Fact, come on my days and I’ll show you the ropes! These beautiful creatures come to HFH scared of humans, under weight, abused, broken and most of all feeling unloved. Hope for Horses barn manager John and Executive Director Jenny turn all this around for these horses. HFH adopts and fosters the best pet your family could have. John, the barn manager, tends to each horse case very specifically. Each horse that comes to HFH has its own individual challenges. If I was in a position to foster or adopt a horse, HFH is the first place I would go. Their Executive Director Jenny teaches police and animal control officers about equines. Horses were considered live stock and now are the family pet. Any further education I feel I need about horses and their care, I know that John and Jenny would teach me accurately. Hope for Horses is a positive environment for humans and animals. If you don’t have time to volunteer, please donate a bail or hay or two on the web site.

Hope for Horses is an amazing organization. I have been a volunteer for them for a few years and they do such great work rescuing battered, abused and neglected horses. This is an organization with integrity who knows how to truly put the animals first! Thanks HFH for all you do!!!

Full disclosure- I volunteer for this great group and also am a board memeber. But, I would not continue volunteering or have excepted the board position had I not felt that this was a great group of truly committed people. I have seen horses come in that were is sad shape and watched them turn around- watched them grow to trust humans again, watched them fill out as they were fed a proper diet, watched them run around and play without a care in the world. Running a nonprofit is a tough business in this economy, but the executive director and barn manager are tireless in their efforts. Sure, you can read negative stuff about this group on the internet, but you know what? You can read negative stuff about ANY nonprofit that is trying to effect change because that is bound to rub some folks the wrong way. I encourage anyone who may be considering volunteering thier time or money to actually check out Hope For Horses in person and make their own decision. I have no doubt that once you meet the people running this place, you will see the love and dedication in their eyes and you will know the truth. I did.

Hope for Horses is a fantastic organization and I highly recommend it to everyone. They work to provide shelter, rehabilitation and permanent homes for horses seized by animal control agencies in Washington state. They teach police and animal control officers, who often have no prior equine experience, about how to understand signs of abuse and neglect. They testify in criminal cases against abusers. And most of all, they love horses and provided skilled, gentle care to animals that have had a rough history at the hands of humans. Working with professional veterinarians, farriers and others, they assess each horse and create a unique recovery plan tailored to its needs. They have a large group of committed volunteers who work day and night to maintain these horses, no matter how cold, muddy or rainy it might be--they show up! Their leadership team of Board members if fantastic. I know, I serve on that board now. Their Executive Director, Jenny Edwards, is a consumate professional, who has spent thousands of hours and a great deal of her own money caring for these needy animals. Her entire family is committed to the operation and, having spent many months working closely with them, so am I. They really get it. Despite what one or two detractors in Pierce County have to say, (who appear to have a profit motive for saying negative things), this nonprofit really gets the job done. Hope for Horses spents every penny on services and care for its horses. They need our donations and our support. I urge you to consider volunteering for them.

I am extremley disappointed in the unprofessional way this organization has represented itself and I will not donate any more money to this group what so ever.

Prior to February 2008, I knew virtually nothing about horses, the issue of horse abuse and neglect or the growing problem of thousands of unwanted horses in this country. I wasn’t a horse person by any stretch of the imagination but I had always admired their beauty and grace from afar. One evening in mid February I just happened to catch a news story on Fox News about a cowboy way out in Wisconsin who had just rescued a little nine month old colt that was found starving and freezing to death in a local pasture in subzero conditions and who they had named WindChill. Something about the man and the story captured my attention. Whatever it was, I went online that night to check out the story and those who were telling it. It turned out to be a story that would change my life forever. As a result of this story, I became more and more aware of the terrible problems that exist in our country of horse neglect, abuse, abandonment and worse. I began to ask myself, “What can I do to help?” I checked around my local area near Seattle, WA to see if there were any horse rescue groups that I might contact. In short order, I found one that seemed promising called Hope For Horses just 25 miles from my home. One evening in mid March, 2008 I attended a fund raiser they were conducting, to meet the owners John and Jenny Edwards and to ask a few questions. That night I knew I had made some wonderful new friends and that I wanted to continue down this road with Hope For Horses to see what I might be able to do to help them save unwanted horses in our own area. I began volunteering, mucking stalls and corrals, grooming horses, petting them, feeding them, giving them the human contact that had been denied them for so long by previous uncaring owners. At the same time, I began learning more and more about horses, their wants and needs, their problems and characteristics, and about the issues of neglect and abuse in our state. As I became more and more involved in the work at Hope For Horses, the Edwards recognized my passion and asked me to join their Board of Directors for Hope For Horses. I gladly accepted and am today helping them, in my own small way, work toward accomplishing their goals to address the problems of the unwanted horse. There are currently 30 rescued horses under the care of Hope For Horses. Their mission is to promote the betterment, safety, and well-being of mistreated horses; provide training and resources for animal control officers and horse rescue organizations; and create increased awareness among legislators that will result in improved protection of horses. My experiences with Hope For Horses and the owners John and Jenny Edwards during the past year and a half has been one of true admiration for the work that they do, day in day out, every day of the year, year after year. I am so very pleased to have become a member of their organization, first as a weekly volunteer, which I still am, and subsequently as a Board member and currently President of the Board of Directors. The degree of caring and passion the Edwards have for their rescued horses and the plight of those yet to be rescued is so very evident in the condition of those horses currently in their care. Healthy, happy, relaxed and comfortable with human contact once again, it is obvious that the horses that find their way to Hope For Horses will never again face the abuse, neglect and abandonment that once had been their life. In summary, I am extremely grateful to the Edwards for allowing me to have a small role in saving unwanted horses, and I am proud to be a member of Hope For Horses.

Hope For Horses is exactly what the name implies - an organization dedicated to giving back hope to horses who have suffered neglect and abuse. It breaks your heart to see the poor condition of the horses when they arrive at this non-profit. Then, on a shoe-string, the horses are nursed back to physical and mental health, which makes your heart sing. I've fostered 4 horses rescued by Hope for Horses. After time spent under their care, the horses were all calm, sweet creatures who give back every ounce of love and care given to them. I've adopted 2 - they both captured my heart!