This is the saddest rescue I have ever had the displeasure of driving pass. Large sections of fencing is missing, allowing the animals to roam free on the road. I witnessed a herd of goats roaming free, one with it's head stuck in the fence. When I did exit the car to help the goat no one at the rescue was willing to help. On a separate occasion geese were free roaming, hissing and chasing people as they walked by, or in their cars. I have reached out to law enforcement, but really hurting animals should not be sent to a new place to continue they miss treatment.
I rescued a horse from horrible living conditions in 2016. He was very thin and hadn’t been out of his enclosure for 10 years.
Fortunately the people who owned the property gave him to me when I asked why he was living the way he was. They signed him over to me and I ponied him a few miles back to where I board my horse.
My good deed was met with a ton of drama and stress when I got him to the ranch. I found myself suddenly having a horse and needing somewhere to take him immediately. I was so stressed out!
A friend of mine told me about Therapony and I reached out to Lana. I cannot how much relief I felt when she told me to bring this horse right over. I did.
Alvie was welcomed into Therapony. They got him veterinary care, including teethe and many xrays. They spared no expense caring for this horse. When he was well they had him trained and eventually he found the perfect home.
I will never be able to repay Lana for all she did yield me and all she did for Alvie. She is truly a saint and helps horses nobody cares about. She is honest and actively involved with these horses making sure they get everything they need.
Horses that would have never had a chance get wonderful homes or retirement through Lana. The world is a better place because of her.
I did a fundraiser with them for Help a Horse day. Absolutely love the work they do especially their neurtering campaign.
We’ve worked with Therapony for almost 4 years now to foster horses for them, and volunteer on their ranch. They do amazing work and truly do what is best for the horse. We also have been blessed to adopt a horse from them and they’re supportive and helpful even after adoption. They’re simply the best!
TheraPony is a wonderful non-profit that helps all kinds of horses in need. I have seen, personally, the help that they have provided these horses. There were very malnourished horses that they have rescued and brought back to full health. They have taken in horses that needed extensive veterinary care and followed through with every possible treatment available and has had numerous success stories. TheraPony is truly devoted to helping abused and or neglected horses through their journeys of recovery. They have also helped other animals in need. TheraPony is truly a blessing to have in our horse community.
I cannot say enough wonderful things about TheraPony. I started volunteering in July as a way to get out of the house, escape the kids for a few hours, have some me time and enjoy being around the animals. I never knew that this place would become so much more to me. What initially was a quick escape from the norm has become my happy place.
TheraPony is home to several “thrown away” horses and other discarded animals. Animals that were rescued by this organization so that they may have a second chance at a wonderful life. These horses suffer from a multitude of ailments and syndromes. Many were abused and neglected while others have health issues that require daily medications and treatments. I can speak from experience when I say that everyday is a new battle to keep afloat. From horses trying to cross the rainbow bridge, finding new injuries and just not enough time and funding to accomplish daily maintenance. IT IS NEVER ENDING WORK! However, through it all, this place busts their butt to make it happen! The dedication and commitment from Lana, her family and very small group of volunteers, is inspiring. They work from dawn to dusk in 100+ temperatures and in the pouring rain trying to provide for these fur babies. Their efforts and love for this rescue is relentless and obvious from the first visit. Keep in mind that this is all accomplished in addition to their other daily obligations such as families and careers.
TheraPony has been such a wonderful place to take my family and friends and has become an important part of my life. I leave there feeling like I received so much more than I could ever give. I could go on and on, but don’t just take my word for it. Stop in for a visit and see for yourself!!!
This family has dedicated their every day lives to caring for these beautiful creatures. Yes, there are volunteers, however, at some point the volunteers go home. For the Russell family, this is their home and all of the animals are family members. Every day, all day. Their dedication is inspiring, informative and motivational. Although their days are consumed with caring for the animals, they continue to find ways to grow their rescue so that they may care for more. The Russell family is doing what many individuals wish to do and are doing what other individuals cannot or can no longer do.... providing healthcare, shelter, rehabilitation and love. They are completely selfless and I have such an admiration for them. TheraPony is a wonderful organization and a blessing for the animals in need.
This is an awesome rescue with lucky animals and caring people! The animals are well cared for, they have plenty of food and the best vet care. Please ignore the 1 star rating from Lynneq. She is a mentally unstable animal hoarding individual that is trying to smear this rescue's good name.
This October, TheraPony is celebrating 10 years of providing forever homes and lifetime commitment to horses in need, with over 50 horses calling TheraPony home over the years. Most horses arrive at the rescue with medical conditions and special needs. Maggie, pictured here, arrived at 11 months old with both hind legs so severely cowhocked that it baffled the vets (the condition is easily fixable when addressed at a young age). Now at 5 years old, Maggie is ready to start looking for her forever home, after she gets xrays to ensure she is able to be ridden. With physical therapy, PEMF and massage treatments, and magic worked by the farrier over the last 4 years, Maggie’s legs are pretty straight and she moves sound. Your generous donations ensure horses like Maggie will continue to receive care, be it for a month, a year, or forever. Thank you for your love and support
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This is an amazing rescue that was started by a teenage girl that wanted to make a difference! Animals are her priority and she continues to save them from their ultimate fates with her intervention.
On a Friday evening in January 2017, Friday the 13th to be exact, my wife Allison and I were having dinner at Boll Weevil. She started telling me about an ad she had seen for someone trying to rehome 3 horses in Lakeside, CA where we live. Having bought our home in Lakeside, complete with empty horse corral, 3 ½ years before we thought maybe it was time to get some residents for that corral. After discussing the issue we realized we were not ready for the responsibilities that come with horse ownership, nor did we know enough about horses to care for them properly. So we would not be getting horses!
Two days later, as we were watching a football game, our daughter Erin told us there were two horses available from an organization called Therapony that would help with the care of the horses, they just desperately needed a home. I skeptically called the number from Facebook at halftime and had a long conversation with Lana about Rex and Sunday and what they needed. It was decided that we would go meet the horses the next day late in the afternoon.
Our corral was nowhere near ready for horses to move in, the dirt in the corral was littered with rocks. The next morning I got my neighbor to come scrape the top 8” of dirt out of the corral and had 20 tons of DG delivered to spread in the corral. While he was finishing off this task we went to meet the ponies. Rex and Sunday were beautiful Appaloosas that were related somehow, but not mother and son. Their owner had passed away a few months before and the family could not take the horses so they needed to be rehomed. Therapony had been trying to find the right place for them for 3 months.
Rex and Sunday took to Erin very quickly and the decision was easy, they would be coming to live with us! On January 18th, 2017 the horses came to live with us and it started to rain, for a WEEK! The first few weeks with the horses was a learning experience, mostly for us but also for them. We formed bonds with the horses quickly, Sunday LOVED Allison and Rex LOVED Kevin. We received Sunday’s registration papers and pictures from the day she was born and realized that she was born on the same day and same year as our daughter Erin, it was meant to be.
As we grew and learned with the horses, our friendship with Lana and her family and Therapony also grew, we quickly realized what a fantastic job they do for “unwanted” horses who still have so much love to give. We volunteer at Ranch Days, we host fundraisers online, and we support Therapony financially as well as taking on the cost of feeding our horses. We quickly learned that horse rescue is hard work and takes money to keep going, the money doesn’t just fall from the sky to support these beautiful animals, Therapony works hard every day to raise money.
October 9th 2017 was a very sad day for us and for Therapony, Sunday had become unable to walk without excruciating pain due to arthritis and other factors. That day Sunday “crossed the Rainbow Bridge” and part of us went with her, she was truly loved!
The very next day Bellagio VF (Gio) came to live with Rex at Off the Wall Acres (what we call our little place) and took up where Sunday left off. He bossed Rex around and likes Allison way better than Kevin. Rex just continued to be Rex, a 1200 pound “dog” that followed Kevin wherever he went in the corral and always wanted to “help”.
On New Years Eve as 2018 was becoming 2019, Kevin went out and found Rex laying down, not wanting to get up. We finally got him up and a Vet Visit and X-Rays confirmed that our beloved boy had Laminitis. Over the course of the next 2 month we babied him and did whatever we could for him and on 28 February 2019, he told us he was ready to leave. We made the gut-wrenching decision with the Vet and he crossed the Rainbow Bridge very peacefully.
A few months later we ADOPTED Alvie, an OTTB, from Therapony and he and Gio are both still with us and the “Equine Stars” of the Farm Tours that Allison does for families.
Allison and I encourage ANYONE interested to come out and see what Therapony is all about, come to a Ranch Day and meet the ponies. You don’t need to know ANYTHING about horses, you will learn! Can’t come to Ranch Day? Support Therapony and the ponies through a weekly or monthly donation, its tax deductible and will be a tremendous help to the rescue!
We look forward to meeting you at a Therapony event soon!
Kevin and Allison Wall
Therapony Foster Parents/Volunteers/Supporters
Dedicated to the permanent (and expensive) care of rescued and special needs horses, this rural non-profit works themselves to the bone with very little resources or assistance. They have learned how to maximize every penny, but like so many organizations, important projects remain unfunded. Please consider a $5 monthly contribution. These donations allow them to get a better price on bales for instance, so never think your amount doesn’t help tremendously. My husband and I partner with other supporters to sponsor Amaris, the Peruvian Pony. You can read about his incredible journey from complete isolation and fear with predators closing in, to safety, resolution of critical health issues, and happiness. Is that not the face of a horse worth saving? Please join me in supporting TheraPony so they can continue their work.
I have volunteered at TheraPony about 4 years. It is a safe landing for horses and ponies (and any other animals) that have been abused and/or neglected. They are truly part of the family there, and are all much loved and cared for.
TheraPony is also active in the community, helping out animal owners that are struggling, in order to prevent their pets from needing to be rescued.
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TheraPony is a wonderful place, not only for the animals in it's care; but for people of all ages. All are welcome to come care for the horses, rabbits, and other animals, and in doing so, receive care themselves!
My company has chosen Therapony as one of our preferred charities for many years. I have seen first hand how they work tirelessly to rescue, rehabilitate and retrain unwanted horses. They are amazing and always put the animals needs first, often above their own. I cannot say enough good things about all the work that they do and the passion and love they have for horses never wavers.
I love Therapony! Being able to volunteer here has been a pleasure. Lana and her family are such hardworking down to earth people who have huge hearts! So glad I can help be apart of their program! My kids love it as well!
While this organization may do great work fulfilling its mission statement, they don't do a very good job on the administrative side of things. Its current status with the CA Secretary of State is FTB SUSPENDED. Per the Franchise Tax Board's website, here's what this means.
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There are three primary ways an organization may become suspended:
*Failure to file a Statement of Information with California Secretary of State's (SOS) office.
*Failure to pay an amount due.
*Failure to file any past due returns with us.
An organization cannot legally transact business, defend, or initiate an action in court, protest assessments, or file a claim for refund of paid amounts when we or SOS suspend it. It also loses the right to use its name.
An organization remains suspended by SOS until it meets all revivor requirements.
We revoke an organization’s tax-exempt status the day either we or SOS suspend it.
(FYI - This is at the state level.)
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Its status with the State of California Department of Justice's Registry of Charitable Trusts is DELINQUENT because they have not provided this department with their federal tax returns for 2015 and 2016.
The IRS' Exempt Organization Business Master File for the state of California shows the last return filed was for 2014. This data was last updated on 12/15/2017. Their federal tax exempt status will be automatically revoked for not filing a Form 990-series return or notice for three consecutive years.
You can easily check these things yourself at the following websites.
CA SOS: https://businesssearch.sos.ca.gov/
Registry of Charitable Trusts: http://rct.doj.ca.gov/Verification/Web/Search.aspx?facility=Y
IRS EO BMF (you can download the file for CA):
https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/exempt-organizations-business-master-file-extract-eo-bmf
A 501(c)(3) nonprofit is a business and should be run as such. It's so much more than just fulfilling its mission statement. I hope this organization corrects its standing with the state of California as this has been an ongoing issue for years.
I have donated and volunteered for the help a horse day last year. I love that they help horses before they get to a point of needing dire rescue. They do have the best interest of the horses always first.
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We met the new guy and he was the sweetest thing. After 10 years alone and only 3 days with Therapy he wanted all the attention he could get. They are making an impact in the community. I met them during a fundraiser for Help a Horse day. They really are helping horses. Knowing they are making a difference is why I decided to sponsor a horse. Hoping to help continue more horses in the future.
Therapony has given our special needs son a safe place to be able to learn the value of volunteering, in a safe and non judgemental enviroment. He is able to feel a part of an organization which helps one or his favorite things, animals. Thank you Therapony not only for the fantastic help you provide to our community and all the animals but to our family as well.
Our 10 yr. old with special-needs, 7 yr. old, and 4 yr. old all loved learning how to help out the horses and also loved learning how to fix tractors! They can't wait to come help again soon, they all agreed it was their best day ever!!!
While there are many other rescues out there both large and small, Lana Russell @TheraPony and her volunteers impressed me with their absolute dedication to the animals in their care. They are not afraid of hard work and rise to the occasion when a challenge presents itself. They are a small but mighty group who holds to their mission statement and goes above and beyond to help others in their community when approached by horse owners in need of help. Their community based programs help educate and lend support the public.
Great Rescue to be involved with, goes above and beyond to help owners in need of help receive it. May it be a bale of hay or a place to stay while in transition. The Russell family works very hard to make sure these ponies receive the love and attention that is required.
I help sponsor a precious TheraPony horse named Amaris. He lived next door to a mountain lion - he was sick & scared & living in fear. Thank God TheraPony got him out of there! Now he is happy & relaxed, his personality is emerging & he has hope for the future!
The thing that I like best about TheraPony is that it is all inclusive; everyone is welcome here, from small children, the disabled, teenagers, and even able bodied adults. It helps that they are completely transparent, and very frugal with donations-always searching for the best value for money spent. They also have programs to assist owners in need, to help them keep their horses, or assist in rehoming and/or fostering. The horses (and other animals) that land at TheraPony are loved snd cared for as the family members that they are.
There was a pony named Willow. The heartbreaking choice at less than a year was to, place in a hospital or put her to sleep. The rescue went to work immediately raising funds. Fortunately for Willow, enough funds were raised to pay for her hospital stay and then the rescue set about the hard work of returning her to health. Wonderful organization and people, Willow still is not completely out of the woods but is receiving the love and medical support she needs.
I started my affiliation with Therapony about a year ago. I was looking for a place that my family and I could spend some time giving back in our community. My girls and I love horses, so I thought that would be a good way to get their buy-in.
From the initial communication to all the interaction over the past year, Lana has been on top of it. She welcomes everyone to the facility and allows them to help in a way that makes them enjoy their time on the ranch, For me, that is cleaning water buckets and mucking stalls. For my girls, it is grooming and walking the ponies. It is a win-win for everyone.
I would give them a five, but I know that they are always trying to improve! They are trying new ways to raise awareness, fund-raise, get the community involved and is reaching for 5 star status every day!
I've seen a few rescues that do good work but at Therapony the care, attention, love, and skill the horses are afforded is excellent work. This hard working group are true horse savers, not just rescuers.
Nice place to volunteer and it's great to have the kids welcome. Great place to get hands on with the horses.
Terrific rescue that shares so much of what they do, it's very comforting to be able to see and interact with this rescue on all of the updates. So many horses could surely use more as good as Therapony!
We decided to go out and checkout TheraPony for Mavins 1st Birthday celebration. After seeing what everyone does out there my husband and I are hooked! My heart just goes out to each and everyone of the team members.
Always in our thoughts and prayers,
Lynn and Mark Suedel
LasVegas
I run an equine advocacy website for profit and donate 100% of the proceeds to equine rescues. Naturally, I am selective about the organizations that I donate to, and TheraPony is one of the organizations I trust and admire and financially support.
This is an amazing organization with a heart run by a very kind and passionate woman and her family and team of volunteers. Resourceful and frugal, TheraPony is a solid nonprofit and I personally encourage you to consider financially supporting this great little rescue if you are looking for ways to get involved in the cause.
I have been a follower, donor, volunteer for quite awhile. I am very impressed with the attitude of "the rescues come first" and the personal sacrifices that are made weekly in order to give them the best care possible. Most of these are time consuming and difficult cases. Wonderful to see them thrive safely at TheraPony!
I follow (and support where I can) several horse rescues. Therapony feels like home to me. They take on the difficult cases without batting an eye. They and their dedicated volunteers are amazing. If I lived closer, I would be right there with them. Their main goal is to rescue and rehab...ultimately finding the perfect home for their charges. With a great number of followers (especially on Facebook) they do the hard things like always responding to comments and questions. They make you feel like family and are always positive in the face of innumerable situations (as is common in the world of rescue). This organization is well worth your time (and money) to follow, share and help in any way that you can...and it is ALWAYS appreciated!
This is one of the most extraordinary organizations! Therapony lives, loves and breaths horses! Saving one horse at a time, providing loving care, immediate medical attention to each and every horse! Their work is 24/7....NON STOP! Their dedication is beyond belief❤️! Please help by donating your time to help them or by donating any amount of money that you can afford. Please help them....help horses in need! Much love, many prayers, to Therapony❤️
Not all non-profits are created equal. Therapony is a shining example of perseverance and ethics. They are thoroughly devoted to the responsible, long-term care of the horses in their charge. They remain extremely positive even as they face many ongoing challenges and are very appreciative of all help received. Not one dollar is wasted, not one volunteer's efforts goes without acknowledgement. My husband and I are proud to donate to Therapony, a true horse rescue and sanctuary, and we look forward to helping sponsor one of the horses very soon.
I had the great pleasure of being in an equestrian center where Therapony was founded. I watched for over a year how they worked tirelessly to save, rehabilitate and rescue horses...often at great personal sacrifice to themselves. The dedication and time involved with each horse, no matter how difficult, was amazing. Each horse was loved, honored and taken care of with no excuses. This was day and night...sometimes around the clock. Since then, my company has participated in many fund raising events for their charity and will continue to do so.
Therapony is a wonderful organization; a rescue/sanctuary for horses that were refused elsewhere. I have been a volunteer for several months and have seen horses brought back from the brink of death by the tireless dedication of Lana, her family, amazing vets and volunteers. I am constantly learning new things about these wonderful animals, ranging from babies to seniors and yes, I do get to be very hands on, whether it is scooping, walking, grooming or being an extra pair of hands during vet calls. I love it!
Therapony is a truly amazing rescue. I have seen first hand the wonderful work they do with each and every horse they care for. Lana, her daughters and volunteers work tirelessly everyday to ensure each horse has everything it needs to heal and be happy. It's amazing to see what they do and how much they give up physically and financially in order to help the horses they have in their care. The best place for horses in need to receive love and attention.
Have been volunteering for some months now and just love this place. The Russel family does a great job saving horses who are deaths door, and keeping them healthy and happy after. They are hard working, honest and have dedicated their lives to the rescue!
You have to have a HEART, to be involved in rescuing animals of any species. And the larger the animal is and more costly the treatments are to save them, the BIGGER the heart needs to be.
You have to have an even LARGER heart when the animals you are saving have nowhere else to go and there is no guarantee of their survival after all of the efforts.
But because of Therapony's HUGE heart, not only have many horses survived, but they thrive. It is wonderful hearing the success stories, especially since if it weren't for Therapony, many of their stories would have ended.
And while every horse taken in may not be adoptable or able to be ridden, they are happy, and comfortable, and loved and cared for as a family. I am proud to say I am apart of that FAMILY.