A message from President & Founder Susan Wagner on our 30th birthday. Equine Advocates was founded on February 27th, 1996.
For 30 years, Equine Advocates has been a second chance at life for thousands of equines in need. Over the last three decades, our organization has seen numerous changes, but our mission to protect horses, ponies, donkeys, and mules from slaughter, abuse, and neglect has remained the same. We couldn’t have reached this milestone without your incredible support. To all the donors, sponsors, volunteers, and animal protection organizations we’ve worked with – thank you! Here’s to 30 more years of protection, advocacy, and unconditional love.
A Horse Made Me Do It!
It all started back in 1993 with the rescue of a horse named Gandalf. In brief, my job at the time was to help care for him and other animals at a zoological institution where I had worked. One day, he was deemed by zoo management to be “old and crabby” and “not good with children…” Consequently, the decision was made to transfer him to a horse dealer who would sell him for meat at a slaughter auction.
That was the first time I ever heard about horses in the U.S. being slaughtered for their meat for export for human consumption abroad. I was shocked, outraged, and in complete disbelief. So, three years later, on February 27, 1996, I founded Equine Advocates with the main objectives of exposing and ending horse slaughter and rescuing as many horses as I could from that horrific fate.
My sister, Karen, who volunteered and donated her time from Day One, joined me in co-running the organization when we established our horse sanctuary in Chatham, New York, in 2004. There are some truly amazing people to whom we owe a debt of gratitude for their generosity and belief in our mission over these past three decades. You know who you are, but I would like to single out Jeffrey Tucker, whose involvement and strong support for the past 28 years have been nothing short of extraordinary!
Rain Man was one of our founding horses, along with Gandalf. He has a very special place in the history of this organization, as well as in my heart. Both horses came into my life in 1993, three years before I founded Equine Advocates. Gandalf was already aged, but Rain Man was only three years old at the time. Today, he is the oldest equine at the sanctuary. He will be celebrating his 36th birthday on April 1st of this year.
Birthday Wishes
If only this birthday wish could finally come true!
I, along with other advocates and organizations, have strongly called for adding two amendments to the SAFE Act to finally ban the slaughter of horses without loopholes. As currently written, the SAFE (Save America’s Forgotten Equines) Act bans the slaughter of horses strictly for human consumption. It needs to cover slaughter for consumption of any kind, including pet and zoo food. Without that amendment, the bill merely exchanges one type of slaughter for another. As we all know, to America’s wild and domestic equines, slaughter is slaughter no matter who is consuming them. The cruelty, suffering, and brutal deaths will continue, and that is not what most Americans expect or want from a federal horse slaughter ban. Click here to learn more about the vitally important amendments that need to be made and how to take action. Also, please note there may be movement on the SAFE Act in Congress this session, so stay tuned for any alerts and news we post if that happens.
We have more exciting plans and projects for Equine Advocates, which include launching our campaign to fund our new Rehabilitation Center. It will include a separate barn for retired Military Working Horses and a special program we are developing to benefit local veterans and the equine veterans retired at our sanctuary.
In 2021, Tyler became the first former U.S. Army Caisson Horse to be retired here. We held a special ceremony on Veterans Day and welcomed local veterans who came to thank and honor Tyler for his service. It was because of him that we decided to offer retirement homes to more equine veterans. That idea has since evolved into something even bigger. We plan to build a new barn to house an additional eight veteran horses as part of a new program we are developing to benefit both veterans and former military working horses.
A Big Thank You
Finally, I would like to acknowledge our incredible staff for their dedication and professionalism. Each and every one of you plays an integral part in our success. Thank you so much! I also want to express my heartfelt appreciation to our Board of Directors for sharing the vision and helping us carry out and support our mission.
Many thanks also to all of our loyal supporters, both new and those who have been with us for years. Please know that we could not do this work without you. On behalf of everyone at Equine Advocates, I want to express our deepest appreciation and gratitude.
Now, it’s on to reaching our next milestone!
Most sincerely,
Susan Wagner, President
If you’re feeling generous and would like to celebrate with us, we’d love to receive a tax-deductible birthday donation of $30, $300, 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.
Important moments in Equine Advocates’ history
1996
In 1996, Equine Advocates was founded by Susan Wagner after she rescued her first horse from slaughter. His name was Gandalf. Since that time, we have rescued thousands of horses, ponies, donkeys, and mules from slaughter, abuse, and neglect.
2003-2004
Between October 2003 and March 2004, Equine Advocates conducted our largest rescue to date. We traveled to Manitoba and purchased 46 Canadian PMU mares, most of whom were in foal, thus preventing them from being sold for slaughter. Some of those PMU mares and their offspring still live at our sanctuary.
2004
In 2004, we established Equine Advocates Rescue & Sanctuary, a *140-acre facility in upstate New York from which we now operate. It is an equine village where horses get to live out their lives in a natural environment that allows them to socialize with each other.
2006
In 2006, we opened our Humane Education & Welcome Center, where we welcome visitors of all ages to learn about equine issues, how to advocate on behalf of horses, and how to recognize and report equine abuse or neglect.
2010
Bobby II Freedom, one of our most famous equine residents, was a former New York City carriage horse rescued from slaughter on June 25, 2010. Shortly after, the New York Times published the first of many newspaper and magazine articles, TV reports, and social media posts about Bobby’s story. He was proof that NYC carriage horses were, in fact, sold for slaughter when they “outlived their usefulness,” despite New York City carriage horse operators and drivers denying it.
Every year on June 25th, we threw a party for Bobby at the sanctuary where he would hold court for his admirers. He sadly passed away on June 14, 2022, but his legacy lives on.
2021
On January 18, 2021, Tyler became the first Military Working Horse retired at our sanctuary. For nine years, he served with the U.S. Army’s Caisson Platoon and helped escort caskets of fallen service members to their final resting places at Arlington National Cemetery. Tyler was always ridden and performed as a lead horse, a swing horse, and a section horse. Since his arrival, we have welcomed more retired Caisson Horses to our sanctuary and now host an annual Veterans Day event, where local veterans can meet our equine veterans. We are extremely honored to provide them with permanent retirement homes after they performed so many years of faithful service to this country.
2023
In 2023, we achieved a long-time goal that we thought would never happen. We acquired 33 additional acres adjacent to the sanctuary, expanding our property to *173 acres. This allows us to build more turnout pastures and barn structures, which means we can rescue more equines in need. Sometimes dreams do come true!