How it began
A long time ago a friend of mine told me about two horribly thin horses at a stables in Houston. A visit to the stables and some very heated words with the stable owners led to the two horses in the back of my trailer. One of them, an old Shetland, we had to pick up and carry to the trailer because she couldn't walk. Once word got out that we were willing to take in neglected and abused horses, more cases started showing up. Trying to help those horses, with all the associated medical cost, convinced us that serious horse rescue and rehabilitation couldn't be done on a normal family income. After a lot of effort and the aid of some wonderful supporters, effective October 1998, Habitat For Horses became a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation chartered by the State of Texas.

During the process of becoming a 501(c)(3) we studied the current animal abuse laws in Texas, contacted the county officials in Galveston and surrounding counties and did our best to come up with a plan that would offer some protection to the horses in our area.

Our philosophy is based on the belief that since we domesticated horses, must take full responsibility for their life. By using a horse only as long as it fulfills our needs, then subjecting it to both physical and mental abuse and eventual death, either in some forgotten pasture or on the slaughterhouse floor, is an affront to the sanctity of life. In other words, it's flat out wrong.

Right next to that is the problem of retired horses, horses that become sick or injured and unable to work, horses that are very much loved, yet need to go somewhere else because the owner can no longer take care of them. All of them need a home, a sanctuary.

"So what you're saying is...?"
The purposes of Habitat for Horses, Inc. are:

1) To promote and secure the safety and well being of all horses.
2) To encourage education concerning the physical and mental health of horses.
3) To explore and establish connections with young adults who can benefit
     emotionally from involvement with horses.
4) To promote the proper training of horses through positive training techniques.
5) To provide a home for those horses who are no longer able to be productive.

At Habitat for Horses, we are assuming the responsibility of our horses for the remainder of their natural life. Our concern isn't limited to the physical condition, it also calls for us to provide the best environment possible to promote their mental growth and development.

"How do you do that?"
We've designed programs that help the horse resume an active and productive life, based on the realization that all horses have needs in common and that each horse will have certain special needs. The reintroduction of rescued horses back into productive use involves a lot of retraining. Often they suffer from extreme fear of humans. While many horses seem to enjoy human contact and maintain a great ability to forgive, we realize that some will never again trust us. Those, as all our horses, deserve to live and will be treated with the respect and kindness that was denied them before their rescue.

People and Horses - The Magic
One of the greatest abilities of a horse is their magical power to bring happiness to both children and adults. Our efforts to return horses to productive work are centered on their utilization as therapy horses for children and adults. It is our belief that a common sense of understanding exists between people and horses. We also focus on bringing young adults into the circle of volunteers. The personal growth experienced by many people when involved with horses leads us to commit a large portion of our efforts toward bringing them together in a safe environment. Our youth volunteer program is designed to increase their responsibility for a horse's welfare in programmed steps, leading to the volunteer's emotional growth. We continually seek the help of psychologists in defining these programs.

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