Horse2Heart.org is a horse rescue resource center sharing information and education about the rescue, rehabilitation and re-training of unwanted horses. For local help with Horse Rescue search our list of Horse Rescue Organizations by state.
Nutrition is an integral part of the rescue process and the “Horse Health & Nutrition” category is where you will find this vital horse nutrition information.
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Aspen Valley Horse Rescue (AVHR)
Imagine if you will a spotted foal, who’s eye to eye with you. At six months of age and still covered in thick baby hair, it looks at you with wonderment. Imagine now, that he is part of a group of 24 foals, the youngsters of Mothers that have stood pregnant confined in stalls giving to better the lives of human mothers. Imagine now, after being pulled from their mothers they are rounded together and quite terrified, forced up into a giant metal box with wheels. The box is pulled onto the road and the engine gears wind out across the countryside. Ahead there is a fork in the road. One road goes to the killers, the other to the wide rolling pastures of Colorado. Imagine now a group of human Mothers calling out for the foals, giving back to the equine sprits in gratitude and compassion. Now you can see the foals, loose in the grass to learn of the caring touch of the human and of their new destiny of continued life as companions.
This is how it worked out for this group thanks to the efforts of the Aspen Valley Horse Rescue (AVHR).
The AVHR was founded by a dozen Colorado women’s support efforts focused on former PMU (Premarin) mares and foals at-risk of slaughter, as the ranches they are on closed due to a crumbled economy up north.
The women of AVHR collaboratively agreed that these particular mares who – at some point in their lives, whether that was 1 year or 5 years ago, stood in the PMU collection barns for 1 year or 5 years – have given years in their lives bettering the lives of women and therefore deserved a second chance at life.
Mary Bright, who is supplying pasture in Aspen, Colorado told Horse2Heart, “We have homes for 60 mares on Dude Ranches where they can have their last babies and become trail horses. We have raised the money for 20 and need to raise the rest. We are buying the pregnant mares at $500 dollars each before they go to slaughter auction houses”.
Imagine now, you want to help these horses too. You can. Donate or adopt.
The foals have been gentled by natural horseman Tim Pearce of Wickenberg, Arizona. These foals are not wild but they are not trained. Many are Appolossa or crossed with light draft horses.
Contact Mary Bright by email at zzmbright@aol.com
