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 situated on 166 beautiful acres in Bellefontaine, Ohio. Owned & operated by Mike & Suzie Holycross, we've been going strong for over 3 years, with over 100 horses accepted into our facility. We purchased a neighboring farm in May 06, adding much needed barn space and acreage.
We are now 501c(3) non profit approved with both the State & Federal governments. For the 1st three years. we've paid for all veterinary & farrier care, feed, transportation, vaccinations, worming and other expenses. We're hoping now that we have our non profit designation we can shift some of the expense from our salaries. We NEVER expected the rescue to become what it has. 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 ($200-$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 in the US 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!!
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We are unable to take in "companion only" horses at this time. Space & finances are limited, horses not able to be ridden are very hard to place. We can't fill all stalls with unadoptable horses or we're unable to help those that can be rehabbed. We're happy to pass on info !
5-12-08 The rain this weekend didn't help anything, we rode Molly a bit, but didn't get any riding in otherwise. We did get everyone brushed, trying to shed out winter coats! The economy is really impacting the horse industry. Hay & grain prices are higher than we've ever seen. While our vets & farrier are reporting sharp declines in business, we're getting more calls than ever to take in horses. The vast majority of expenses we pay from our salaries, the rest come from adoption fee's & donations. Donations are rare, adoptions are down. At this time, we are not able to accept additional horses, I am happy to post them on our site for others. Updates on the Available Horses pages.
We've turned the counter over 100,000!!!
Cheyenne & Zip enjoying the sun!
