Montana Horse Sanctuary

WE ARE HAPPY TO REPORT OUR PROGRAMS ARE STRONG AND WE HELPING HORSES THROUGHOUT THE STATE. THE SANCTUARYS MISSION NOW IS TO HELP MONTANAS IN-CRISIS AND ABUSED HORSES BY PROVIDING FI-NANCIAL AND EDUCATIONAL SUPPORT TO RESCUERS, HORSE OWNERS AND ANIMAL CONTROL AGENCIES. WE PROVIDE GRANTS, EDUCATION AND HANDS-ON SUPPORT. READ ON TO LEARN HOW WE ARE DOING.OUR GRANTS HELPED 178 HORSES IN ONE YEAR!WE GAVE A VETERINARY GRANT TO A HORSE OWNER AND LATER RECEIVED A LOVELY THANK YOU NOTE FROM HER. HER BELOVED YOUNG HORSE HAD DEVELOPED A SERIOUS COLIC (LIFE-THREATENING DIGESTIVE UP-SET) AND THE VET BILLS WERE BEYOND HER ABILITY TO PAY ENTIRELY. I AM HAPPY TO REPORT THAT (MY COLT) IS DOING VERY WELL WITH RECOVERY AND THAT I GET TO GO PICK HIM UP TOMORROW. HE STILL HAS A LONG RECOVERY ROAD AHEAD OF HIM, BUT I HAVE HIGH HOPES THAT HE WILL BE JUST FINE AND HAVE A HAPPY HEALTHY LIFE AHEAD OF HIM. I'M SO EXCITED TO SEE HIM AND BRING HIM HOME!! THANK YOU ALL AGAIN FOR YOUR KINDNESS! IT'S NICE TO KNOW THERE ARE STILL NICE, CARING AND THOUGHTFUL PEOPLE IN THE WORLD AMIDST ALL OF THE CRAZINESS THAT OUR COUNTRY IS GOING THROUGH.THE PROCEEDS FROM THE SALE OF THE RANCH WILL HELP HORSES FOR MANY, MANY YEARS TO COME, AS LONG AS THE MONEY IS CAREFULLY SPENT. BUT THE NEED IS STILL BEYOND OUR FINANCIAL ABILITY AND WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT. THE GRANTS WE GIVE ARE TIMELY DUE TO A NUMBER OF FACTORS WHICH INCLUDE THE CURRENT ECONOMY AND INCREASED COSTS OF HORSE CARE. HAY PRICES SHOT THROUGH THE ROOF FROM $180/TON IN 2020 UP TO MORE THAN $800/TON IN SOME PARTS OF THE STATE IN 2021. MANY HORSE OWNERS AND RESCUERS ARE IN DIRE FINANCIAL STRAITS. HERE ARE THE NUMBERS FOR THE 12 MONTHS FROM NOV. 2020 - NOV. 2021. SINCE AUTUMN 2020, AFTER THE SALE OF THE RANCH, WE HAVE SPENT A TOTAL OF $21,218.69 HELPING 178 MONTANA HORSES.GRANTS HAVE PAID FOR VETERINARY, HAY, SUPPLEMENTS AND HOOF CARE AND HAVE BEEN DISTRIBUTED ACROSS THE STATE TO: 31 HORSES LIVING WITH 6 HORSE OWNERS IN FINANCIAL NEED = $3,185.99 103 HORSES LIVING AT OR ASSOCIATED WITH 4 NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS =$2,923.52 23 HORSES LIVING IN 6 PRIVATE RESCUES = $10,459.18 25 HORSES SEIZED DURING ABUSE INVESTIGATIONS BY FLATHEAD AND MISSOULA COUNTIES = $4,650.00 ADOPT-BACK AGREEMENTS STILL VALIDWHILE WE NO LONGER ACCEPT HORSES, WE STILL HONOR ADOPT-BACK AGREEMENTS. LAST YEAR WE ACCEPTED A DONKEY NAMED RUTH BACK INTO THE SANCTUARY WHEN HER ADOPTER COULD NO LONGER CARE FOR HER. WE FOUND A FABULOUS NEW HOME FOR RUTH WITH THE SAME FAMILY WHO ADOPTED DONKEYS RUSSELL AND BUNNY. SHE IS DELIGHTED TO BE REUNITED WITH DONKEYS SHE KNEW YEARS AGO. ALL THREE WERE ORIGINALLY PART OF THE 2010 HOT SPRINGS HERD OF 108 HORSES AND DONKEYS WE RESCUED AND REHOMED. GRACE FINDS HER FOREVER HOME, AT LAST!IN 2015 GRACE CAME TO US FROM AN ABUSE CASE IN BILLINGS. SHE WAS SCARED OF HUMANS AND IN POOR HEALTH. WE BROUGHT HER BACK TO PHYSICAL HEALTH AND SPENCER DOMINICK OF WILSALL TRAINED GRACE AND REHABILITATED HER TRAUMATIZED SPIRIT. SHE BECAME BOLDER AND SOFTER, THOUGH DEFINITELY STILL SOMEWHAT SKEPTICAL OF HUMANS. SHE WAS CLEARLY THE RIGHT HORSE FOR A VERY SPECIFIC KIND OF ADOPTER SOMEONE WHO COULD APPRECIATE THE ABUSE SHE HAD ENDURED AND HELP HER THROUGH HER OCCASIONAL DIFFICULT DAYS. IN SPRING 2021, ONE OF OUR ADOPTERS WROTE AND ASKED, WHAT HAPPENED TO GRACE? DID SHE EVER FIND A HOME? THE ADOPTER HAD RECENTLY LOST HER SADDLE HORSE AND WAS BEGINNING THE SEARCH FOR A NEW MOUNT. SHE SAID SHE HAD ALWAYS FELT DRAWN TO GRACE BUT ALSO KNEW SHE HAD AS MANY HORSES AS SHE COULD CARE FOR. THE ADOPTION WAS SUCCESSFUL AND WE ARE DELIGHTED TO REPORT THAT GRACE AND HER WOMAN ARE A GREAT MATCH HEARTWISE AND ON THE TRAILS! SOMETIMES FINDING THE RIGHT HOME FOR A HORSE TAKES YEARS BUT ITS WORTH THE WAIT. THATS WHAT GRACE TELLS US.TEAMWORK WORKSIN SUMMER 2021 WE RECEIVED A REQUEST FROM ARMY RESERVE VETERINARIAN DR. EMILEE ALMS WHO IS TASKED WITH ASSISTING ANIMALS ON THE FORT BELKNAP RESERVATION. WHILE THE ARMY RESERVE FUNDS DOG AND CAT SPAY/NEUTER, VACCINATIONS AND WELLNESS EXAMS, THEY DONT HAVE FUND-ING FOR HORSES, YET MANY PEOPLE ON THE RESERVATION HAVE BELOVED HORSES. WE TEAMED UP WITH REZQ DOGS OF DODSON WHO WAS COORDINATING THE EVENT. OUR GRANT OF $1,056.52 HELPED 15 HORSES GET DEWORMED, 20 VACCINATED AND 1 GELDED. A LOCAL RESCUE GROUP CONTACTED US WHEN A HORSE ABUSE CASE IN MISSOULA BEGAN IN FEB. 2021. WE COLLABORATED WITH THE RESCUE GROUP AND MISSOULA COUNTY TO HELP CARE FOR THE HORSES SEIZED IN THE INVESTIGATION. WE SPENT A TOTAL OF $4,450.00 BETWEEN FEBRUARY AND NOVEMBER 2021. COSTS WE PAID FOR INCLUDED HAY, SUPPLEMENT, HOOF CARE, VETERINARY EXAMS AND TREATMENT AND OTHER COSTS SUCH AS A GOOD TARP TO PROTECT THE HAY. FLATHEAD COUNTY IN 2021 SEIZED 17 HORSES DURING AN ABUSE INVESTIGATION. BECAUSE WE NEVER KNOW HOW QUICKLY THE WEATHER MIGHT CHANGE WE COLLECTED AND DELIVERED A LOAD OF WINTER BLANKETS AT THE REQUEST OF ANIMAL CONTROL OFFICER PAUL CHARBONNEAU OF KALISPELL. WE THANK THE MANY DONORS OVER THE YEARS WHO HAVE GIVEN GENTLY USED, CLEAN HORSE BLANKETS. AFTER THE COUNTY IS DONE WITH THEM, THE BLANKETS WILL BE RETURNED TO US AND WE CAN USE THEM AGAIN AND AGAIN. JESS HOLLOWAY WORKSHOP IN STEVENSVILLE A HIT:JESS HOLLOWAY OF BOZEMAN IS A HORSE TRAINER AND RIDING COACH. HE HAS TAUGHT NUMEROUS CLINICS FOR THE SANCTUARY AND ALSO TRAINED MANY OF OUR HORSES OVER THE YEARS. HIS WORKSHOPS ARE ALWAYS INFORMATIVE AND FUN. HE TAUGHT A TWO-DAY CLINIC IN STEVENSVILLE IN OCTOBER.