This fall marks the start of the 20th Anniversary of the EQUUS Foundation. Founded initially to serve a handful of equine charities located in Connecticut and the New York metropolitan area, the EQUUS Foundation has emerged as the only animal welfare charity in the United States that is 100% dedicated to protecting America’s horses from peril and strengthening the horse-human bond.
Actress Beth Behrs with her rescued horse, Belle
What sets the EQUUS Foundation apart from other equine welfare organizations is the active participation of equine organizations partnering with horses to improve physical and social well-being of people.
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“We are proud to announce a landmark expansion in the direction of the EQUUS Foundation as not only a grant maker but also an accrediting body with the establishment of the EQUUS Foundation Mentor Accreditation,” said Lynn Coakley, EQUUS Foundation President.
Over the course of the last twenty years, the EQUUS Foundation has developed the most comprehensive and impartial verification process to identify and invest in equine charities with the end goal to ensure that:
- All horses involved in any role and in any capacity – as athletes, companions, teachers and healers – are treated with dignity as partners and not as commodities; and
- All horses are able to naturally transition from one chapter to the next without risk of abuse, neglect and slaughter.
EQUUS Foundation Mentors
In achieving recognition as one of the top equine welfare organizations in the United States, EQUUS Foundation Mentors will receive priority in the EQUUS Foundation grant making decision process and in new programs under development.
Mentor representatives will have the opportunity to represent their interests as members of the EQUUS Foundation Equine Welfare Advisory Group — established to help identify challenges, long term goals, and emerging trends that could affect America’s horses and explore ways that Mentor organizations can assist other organizations seeking to operate at the highest standards for business and equine welfare practices.
View our Mentors here
Horses bring joy to millions of people and help make those with the deepest of wounds whole again, but tens of thousands of horses are abused, neglected and shipped across our borders for slaughter each year. NO HORSE should be subjected to the inhumane fate that awaits them – especially because there are solutions within our reach.
What sets the EQUUS Foundation apart from other equine welfare organizations is the active participation of equine organizations that partner with horses to improve the physical and social well-being of people. In addition to competitive and recreational programs involving horses, programs providing equine-assisted therapeutic services offer endless opportunities for careers for horses in transition.
“To mark our 20th Anniversary, we have set an ambitious goal to raise $2 million to double our investment in the equine charities we support and double our endowment,” continued Coakley. “We’ve identified four focus areas and will be reaching out to the equestrian community for support. At the core is communication — communication among charities, communication within the equine industry and communication with the public at large”.
- Establishing and supporting local and regional safety net programs, such as hay banks, emergency funds, veterinarian help, gelding clinics, and end-of-life care and increasing ways to connect horses in transition with organizations seeking program horses;
- Publicizing the EQUUS Foundation’s equine welfare standards and expanding the recognition of equine organizations – both non-profit and for-profit – that adhere to these standards. In addition to the Equine Welfare Network for equine charities, the EQUUS Foundation Forever Farms program will recognize private farms and equestrian facilities;
- Providing scholarships to students pursuing equine careers by reaching out to the over 200 educational institutions on the EQUUS Foundation Equine Education Network that offer undergraduate and graduate equine studies programs;
- Continuing the education of the public on the positive impact of horses through collaborative storytelling and building consensus within the equine industry to embrace solutions for horses in transition other than shipping them across our borders for slaughter.
STAY TUNED for more news of our 20th Anniversary plans!
ABOUT EQUUS FOUNDATION: The EQUUS Foundation, a 501(c)(3) public charity established in 2002, is the only national animal welfare charity in the United States 100% dedicated to protecting America’s horses from peril and strengthening the bond between people and horses. Donations are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law. Contact the EQUUS Foundation, Inc., at 168 Long Lots Road, Westport, CT 06880, Tele: (203) 259-1550, E-Mail: mail@equusfoundation.org, Website: www.equusfoundation.org.
Press release by Lynn Coakley