West Wind Stables
Equine Rescue & Rehabilitation, Inc
501(c)3 Non-Profit Organization
Thank you for stopping by our site! West Wind Stables Equine Rescue & Rehab, Inc. is a 501(c)3 non-profit, ALL BREED horse rescue facility in Bellefontaine, Ohio. Owned & operated by Mike & Suzie Holycross, we've been going strong for over 4 years, with over 200 horses accepted into our facility or posted for others. We purchased a neighboring farm in May 06, adding much needed barn space and acreage.
We are 501c(3) non profit approved with both the State & Federal governments. Many people mistakenly believe that being non-profit means we get government funding. That is not the case, being non-profit allows people to donate items or money and write that donation off on their taxes. Since we have gotten our non profit designation, we haven't seen any large increase i donations. We still pay most expenses out of our salaries. We are committed to helping any horse we can, but the expenses & workload can be overwhelming.
Our goal at West Wind Stables is to prevent horses from going to auction or slaughter by placing them in permanent adoptive homes. We try to keep adoption fees low ($0-$600), just enough to help cover purchase price (if any), vet expenses/vaccination costs. Some horses adopt at higher fees if we've had to buy them at auction or we've sent them for professional training. There is an adoption agreement to be signed, and we do follow up on horses we've placed.
Most horses sold for slaughter in the United States are not used for dog food as many people believe. Horse meat is used for human consumption overseas. The spread of Mad Cow disease has prompted an increase in the consumption of horse meat, & the conditions at slaughter houses are nothing less than disgusting. WARNING: The following link contains graphic images of slaughterhouse practices from the Equine Protection Network.
While we're glad there is finally action on slaughter, a hard stop is likely to cause many problems. With no outlet for unwanted horses, thousands annually will now have no where to go. Humane Societies and Rescue groups are likely to get overrun. We're already seeing people panicking and trying to unload horses in large quantities. This is bound to get worse. Please do your part to reduce overpopulation, BREED SELECTIVELY!!
2-7-10 The snow out here was crazy! We couldn't get the horses out at all Saturday, so stalls were a mess. I actually had to clear snow out of the old barn before I could start on poop scooping, blew in from the eaves. We've never had that happen before. Pic above is where our driveway should be.
