Save a Horse: Rescue and Rehabilitate Mustangs

Dear Supporters,

We are having exciting times at Wild Horse Rescue Center. At the end of July, we hosted “National Meet-A-Horse Day” at our center. This “meet and greet” event was a great success, as it allowed our neighbors and community to get to know our amazing horses. In addition, WHRC is featured in an article in the October/November issue of Florida Country Magazine. We are also very proud to announce that we have had 10 successful horse adoptions in the past three months, and two of our horses have returned from successful off-site saddle training during this time. We are having a very memorable fall at Wild Horse Rescue Center.

Hurricane Irma struck our area in September. We were very lucky that our rescue center did not suffer any damage; however, the hurricane has forced us to make adjustments to our regular routines and plans for special events. Prior to the arrival of the hurricane, we evacuated 14 volunteers and 11 dogs to a horse center in Mississippi, where they had the opportunity to work with other horses for a week, under the expert supervision of WHRC’s former volunteer coordinator, Sophie, and our current volunteer coordinator, Mathilda.

Everyone had a great time in Mississippi, where they were safe from all dangers brought by the hurricane. We also evacuated 24 of our 54 horses to safer locations, while the rest of the horses stayed at the center under the protection of temporary shelters. I remained at the rescue center with the horses to ensure their safety, as the hurricane passed over. Our horses were marked as WHRC horses wit livestock paint, prior to the hurricane, so they would be returned to WHRC, if anyone escaped.Thankfully, none of our horses escaped.

The volunteers, dogs, and some of our horses have now returned to WHRC, and our regular schedule is almost back to normal. We still have 18 horses staying in nearby pastures, as our north pasture is still flooded with waters from the St. John’s River, whose level is the highest that it has been since 2001, thanks to all of the rain that came with the hurricane. These horses will return to WHRC from their “high and dry” locations, as soon as the flood waters recede from our pasture. As you can imagine, the flooding washed away a lot of our soil, which has been replaced by 14 loads of dirt in our holding pens and four loads of shell dirt in our riding arena.

In the near future, we plan to build a railroad tie wall around our pond, to help prevent future soil washout. The hurricane also caused two of our fall events to be cancelled – “F.A.R.M. Days” and “Time to Ride.” The many effects of the hurricane have delayed our plans to build a permanent holding pen for our Horses. We are now hoping that the construction will begin by the end of October; however, this start date will depend upon how quickly the flood waters recede.

Many thanks to our dedicated supporters, who contribute to the many successes of WHRC!

Sincerely,

Diane Delano

President of Wild Horse Rescue Center