A message from President & Founder Susan Wagner on our 29th birthday. Equine Advocates was founded on February 27th, 1996.
Dear Friends,
Every year on February 27th, we celebrate another year carrying out our vital mission to protect horses from going to slaughter, as well as preventing equine abuse and educating the public about it.
Horses in jeopardy come to our equine sanctuary in Chatham, NY every year, including many directly out of kill pens. Once here, they get to live out the rest of their lives receiving the veterinary care and loving homes they always deserved. Their stories help shine a spotlight on other equines in similar situations who are also in need of rescue. We provide tools and helpful information to students and the general public through our literature, social media outlets, and our Humane Education Program about how to recognize and report equine abuse when they see it. We also focus on the special needs of horses and what every horse guardian needs to know about providing the best and most humane homes for horses.
I am so proud of the work we have done, but I have to admit that I am also somewhat frustrated. Passing federal legislation to ban the slaughter of America’s wild and domestic equines has been a painfully slow process. While there has been some good progress over the years, the problem is that the longer it takes, the greater the possibility that parts of that progress (and even all) could gradually (or suddenly) be overturned. Sadly, we have been seeing that tragedy play out with the wild horses and burros on our Public Lands.
My birthday wish for Equine Advocates is a large and ambitious one. We have several projects planned in 2025 to help grow our organization’s rescue and rehab work. I explain some of it in the birthday video produced especially for today, which you can watch by clicking the image above. However, always know that everything we do as an organization to save and protect horses from harm is based on ending horse slaughter, the issue which still, after all these years, remains the biggest threat to wild and domestic equines in America.
On this birthday, I plan to spend as much time as possible with our remarkable sanctuary residents who bring me endless joy and make me smile each and every day. I pledge our continued commitment to end horse slaughter and all forms of equine abuse.
Most sincerely,
Susan Wagner, President
If you’re feeling generous and would like to give us a birthday gift, we’d love to receive a celebratory donation of $29! Or perhaps $290, $2,900, or any amount you wish to contribute. Every donation helps us meet our mission to advocate for and rescue equines from slaughter and abuse, as well as give them a safe and loving home.