Not every horse that needs help is neglected, abandoned or unloved. Sometimes, a medical emergency, financial hardship, rising veterinary costs, a natural disaster or a change in an owner’s health can suddenly make it impossible to provide the care a horse needs. And when that happens, finding a safe solution can be complicated.
That’s where Colorado Horse Rescue comes in. For 40 years, the Longmont-based organization has been working to create a safety net for horses and the people who love them by rescuing, rehabilitating, retraining and rehoming horses while increasingly focusing on helping owners before a crisis ever occurs.
“Horses can become vulnerable even when they are deeply loved and responsibly owned,” said Katherine Gregory, CEO of Colorado Horse Rescue. “Prevention and early support matter so much.”
For Gregory, that shift from simply responding to a crisis to helping prevent it is central to Colorado Horse Rescue’s vision for the future. She also wants horse owners to know that asking for help before a situation becomes critical is not something to be ashamed of.
“There’s a lot of shame and a lot of pride, I think, with a lot of horse owners,” she said. “We want people to know that reaching out before it becomes a crisis is okay and that we’re a judgment-free zone.”
Horses are also expensive to care for and can be difficult to rehome safely. When owners have somewhere to turn before a situation becomes critical, Colorado Horse Rescue can sometimes help keep the horse safely in its existing home.
The goal of Colorado Horse Rescue’s Leg Up program is to provide temporary financial assistance to owners experiencing a short-term crisis. During a federal government shutdown, for example, Colorado Horse Rescue helped cover boarding costs for horses belonging to TSA agents who were temporarily not receiving pay.
“We were able to keep horses with their owners because that’s where they should be,” Gregory said.
The organization is also expanding its Compassionate Endings program, which helps owners cover veterinary visits, euthanasia and body retrieval when a horse reaches the end of its life.
While it can be difficult to talk about, Gregory believes that helping owners make humane end-of-life decisions is an important part of caring for horses.
“It is the last act of kindness,” she said. “It’s much kinder not to rehome your 30-year-old horse who has health issues to a rescue, asking them to then rehome again to a new home.”
Additionally, Colorado’s wildfire seasons have reinforced the need for better emergency resources for horse owners. Through HorseAlert.org, Colorado Horse Rescue has created a free website that connects Coloradans who need to evacuate their horses with registered drivers who can help. When an owner submits an evacuation request, the system alerts nearby registered drivers who have volunteered to assist.
Gregory describes it as “kind of Uber for horses,” but unlike a commercial ride service, HorseAlert is free for Coloradans. Today, thousands of horses and hundreds of drivers are registered on the platform.
Even as it expands these prevention programs, Colorado Horse Rescue’s traditional rescue and adoption work remains as active as ever. Last year was a record year for the organization, with 93 horses coming through its gates and 67 horses placed into new homes — the most horses the organization has ever placed in a single year.
“We will always be a forever safety net for any horse that comes through our gates,” Gregory said.
Colorado Horse Rescue currently has capacity for approximately 60 horses and maintains a wait list of owners seeking help. Demand is growing faster than the organization’s capacity, creating an ongoing challenge.
“How do we make sure that, as we grow, we never compromise the high standards of care we’ve established?” Gregory said. “Whether that means expanding our programs or one day moving to a larger property, growth has to be thoughtful and sustainable. My job is to make sure CHR is here for another 40 years – and that we continue to increase the impact we can have for horses.”
There are many ways for community members to support Colorado Horse Rescue. People can volunteer, adopt or foster horses, attend events, take a tour of the facility, become monthly donors or sponsors, or connect CHR with potential partners and supporters.
One way to get involved is by helping Colorado Horse Rescue celebrate its 40th anniversary at The Main Event, the organization’s largest annual community event and fundraiser, taking place September 19.
Held on CHR’s Longmont property, the evening offers supporters an opportunity to experience the organization’s work firsthand, with horse demonstrations, opportunities to interact with the horses, food, drinks and stories about the animals that the organization serves.
For Gregory, the future of horse welfare isn’t something one organization can create alone.
“The challenges facing horses are too large for any one organization to solve all by ourselves,” she said. “Our role is not simply to rescue horses after something’s gone wrong. It’s to work alongside owners and vets and first responders and donors and volunteers and community partners.”
“All of us working together is how we’re going to build a better world for horses,” Gregory added.
To get involved or for more information visit: https://chr.org
