What is your business, and what do you do?
We are a non-profit (501c3) Equines Rescue. We currently provide sanctuary to 10 horses, 3 donkeys, 1 sheep, 6 cats, and a lot of farm birds! We take in animals who are sick, hurt, or destined for illegal slaughter, animals who wouldn’t thrive in traditional homes with typical expectations. Most of our equines can’t be ridden and have unique medical needs, 2 of whom are blind, one is neurological, a few are retired from a hard life of labor, and some come for extreme behavioral issues. Traditional homes aren’t able to provide them the extra care they need, so they come to us for some time to be spoiled and shown love and given a humane end of life when the time is right. We are run by local kids and teens who volunteer after school and on weekends to care for, train, and help support our special animals. These kids learn life lessons about empathy, compassion, and treating life as precious, not disposable. The daily care for these animals is a lot of heavy physical work and quite expensive, but with our wonderful community we are able to help many animals in need.
Tell us about the “AHA! Moment!” that led you to start your business.
As a kid, I was just like our young volunteers, helping out at a local rescue on weekends. As I grew up I knew this was my passion and my calling, this is who I am meant to be. So when the owner of the rescue, very much a mother to me, developed Cancer, I knew I was meant to carry on her mission. When she passed I took on her last few horses and built our rescue up from there.
As a young adult, I worked as a carriage driver in Boston, it was the only job I could be with horses while living in the city. But I could see the problems, I couldn’t ignore the dangerous and inappropriate lifestyle our horses lived and worked. So I started banking all the money the horse I drove earned for me every weekend. When I finally had enough, I bought his freedom and he began my passion for rescuing draft horses who had worked a life of hard labor.
What do you love about your job?
The community for sure! We have such an amazing community, from little kids to retirees who support us locally and from around the world. Our kids have formed a unique blended group of “farm family”, all different ages, cliques, personalities, even people who live with mental health challenges, and they come together as friends to work for one special mission, provide love for animals. We host classes for local horse owners to learn about various aspects of animal welfare, on weekends and have a wonderful team of educators and learners, all coming together with the same passion. It’s a beautiful thing to see and be a part of!
What makes you different from others in your industry?
Two things really set us apart. The first is that we primarily focus on animals who can’t be adopted out, animals who have issues so serious that other rescues wouldn’t see the benefit of taking them on, as long term expense knowing there is no adoption at the end. We provide sanctuary and hospice to animals who have been used up and thrown out by society.
The other thing that makes us unique in the horse world is that we use and teach positive reinforcement training and handling techniques. This is common with zoos, marine mammal parks, and dogs, but very new to the horse world, who is deeply rooted in traditional. Positive training is science-based, reward-focused, training that puts the animal learner in control of earning rewards. We use this as opposed to the usual punishment and pressure/release focused approach.
What’s your Service Area?
We rescue animals from all around the east of the country, as needed. We provide a fun place to be and work with animals for people of all ages in York, County.
Where can customers learn more about your business?
We have a website, www.EmpoweredEquines.com, and we are on Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok, and Youtube all under our name “Empowered Equines”. You can learn about our mission, follow our rescues, and enjoy the fun videos of the animals learning and playing with our volunteers!
What’s the best way to contact you for more information?
The best option is our E-mail, [email protected]
