5/27/2009

Stefanie Hargreaves

RFDTV star Clinton Anderson’s Wahl Walkabout Tour is taking the United States by storm with its non-stop, no-holds barred approach to equine education. For his June 6 – 7^th Puyallup, Washington stop, Anderson invited People Helping Horses, a Washington State rescue organization, to participate in the event.

PHH will host a booth where tennis balls may be purchased on both Saturday and Sunday for $5 per ball. On Sunday evening the Wahl ball toss will take place and three lucky winners will receive quality Wahl prizes. “Interacting with the public and spreading the word of our important work is always enjoyable,” said PHH Founder and Executive Director Gretchen Salstrom, adding that  “with all of the profit from the sale of the balls going to PHH, this is sure to be an event to remember.”

Tickets to the Wahl Walkabout Tour’s Puyallup, Washington stop on June 6 – 7^th, 2009 are available at Anderson’s website, www.downunderhorsemanship.com. Come on out, learn from a world renowned trainer, and support a worthwhile cause. You’ll be glad you did! 

5/9/2009

Stefanie Hargreaves

When the Stillaguamish Tribe, located in Washington State, heard of People Helping Horses’ need of open pasture for the coming summer, they graciously offered twelve acres of pristine land for the organization’s use.

“We have a number of yearlings whose growing bodies need room to roam as well as three mares that will be foaling soon,” said PHH Founder and Executive Director Gretchen Salstrom. “Access to a larger pasture setting will make all the difference for these horses and free up stall space in the barn for more rescues. Unwanted horses have always been a sad reality, but with the current economic climate has come a drastic increase in the need for our services. Add to this the troubling news that our donations for the first quarter of 2009 our down 62% from what they were a year ago, and we now find ourselves in the unenviable position of having to say no to horses and people in need. With the Sillaguamish Tribe’s help, more horses will have a chance to find their forever homes. We are extremely thankful for the tribe’s generosity and proud to be partnering with such kind and thoughtful individuals.”

The organization will take possession of the acreage June 1, 2009 and will be allowed to use the land for one year while the tribe’s buffalo herd graze on alternate land. PHH staff and trainers will visit the site on a daily basis to insure that all is running smoothly. Salstrom added, “green grass, plenty of room to run, and a mild Northwest summer. What’s not to love?”

People Helping Horses is a nonprofit horse rescue, education, and community support organization located in Arlington, Washington. In existence since 2002, the PHH staff and volunteers bring a wealth of knowledge, integrity, and passion to all that they undertake. PHH is committed to saving lives, one horse at a time.

4/26/2009

Stefanie Hargreaves

The earth shook on Friday, April 24th, when two Bureau of Land Management trucks and trailers pulled into the drive of People Helping Horses. Approximately twenty Mustangs had arrived for the BLM Mustang adoption, and they were hard to miss! From yearlings to six-year-olds, the living legends were brought up from Burns, Oregon for the two day event in the hopes that they'd find permanent homes.

The festivities started at 8:00am with the general public being allowed to view the Mustangs available, including 10 yearlings that were reserved for the Youth and Yearlings event. The YAY program partners youth 18 and under with a Mustang for three months. The youth will gentle and train the 10 yearlings then bring them back to PHH in July for a second adoption event.

The day also included two gentling demonstrations by Jamie Thomas, an Extreme Mustang Makeover trainer, and representatives from the Washington State Border Patrol were on hand to show off the Mustangs that they use in their work.

While only five horses were adopted, Gretchen Salstrom, PHH Founder and Executive Director of PHH, was optimistic that the July event will see increased numbers of adopters. "We had quite a turnout today and my hope is that those who didn't adopt a horse at this event will come back in July ready to make the committment."

4/24/2009

Stefanie Hargreaves

People Helping Horses Founder and Executive Director Gretchen Salstrom was recently made aware of the need in the community to serve children with disabilities through therapeutic riding. After careful consideration and much discussion, Salstrom and the PHH Board of Directors agreed to partner with NARHA certified instructor Laurie Grow in the launch of a new program, Leg Up for Kids Therapeutic Riding.

The program officially commenced on April 1^st, 2009.  It is run at Half Trak Farm, a beautiful facility located in Stanwood, Washington. Quiet and calm, the staff feels that this location is perfect for therapeutic riding and is confident that the participants and their families will too. Classes are offered for four-year-olds and up, Monday through Saturday, 9am – 5pm. Sessions run on a monthly basis with payment for each month due by the 5^th of the month.

For more information on Leg Up for Kids Therapeutic Riding, including sponsorship opportunities, please visit the website, www.legupforkids.org.

3/3/2009

Stefanie Hargreaves

It’s not every day that you get the chance to round up wild horses. Most having gone the way of the buffalo, wild horses no longer roam our proud nation with the exception of Mustangs that live on BLM lands.

And, it turns out, eight horses who’ve called Rockport, Washington home for several years. Consisting of three stallions, three mares, and two yearlings, the patchwork band has managed to eek out an existence in the small town just off SR530, fending for themselves in good times and bad with very little human intervention.

A plan was discussed to round up the horses once the weather allowed for it. The Skagit County Sheriff’s department enlisted the help of Gretchen Salstrom, Founder and Executive Director of People Helping Horses, an Arlington, Washington based horse rescue organization. Salstrom and her team, including Ken McNabb Master Apprentice Kyle Churchill, struck out for Rockport in the early morning hours of February 26, 2009, prepared for the worst but hoping for the best.

Rounding the bend towards the dilapidated property, they were surprised to see the entire band standing behind aged barbed wire fencing, watching the approaching trucks and trailers wearily. The team parked their vehicles and slowly approached. The rusted wire fence was clipped and the team proceeded to set up the panel pen that would be used to round up the horses in preparation for loading. The activity clearly alarmed some members of the herd, the stallions in particular, though the smell of hay and grain that lined the interior of the pen won the thin horses over, all but one entering the pen without incident. Trainer Kyle Churchill doubled back and was able to bring the final stallion in and within a short amount of time all eight horses were loaded safely onto the trailers and heading out for their new homes.

The stallions will be fostered nearby where Churchill will work with them until they’re deemed safe enough to be kept at the PHH barn. The mares, two of which are confirmed in foal, and two yearlings will live at People Helping Horses, where they will undergo extensive training before they are eligible for adoption. “We’re proud to have been involved in the rescue of the eight horses,” Gretchen Salstrom stated when asked about the experience. “Without our help and that of the Sheriff’s department, these beautiful animals would have, in all likelihood, died. They have a second chance at life, and we’re excited to see what the future holds for them.”

2/28/2009

Stefanie Hargreaves

PHH’s darling mascot, JoJo the mini mare, made her way to University Child Development School, a private pre-K through elementary school located in Seattle, Washington, where she captured the hearts and minds of hundreds of delighted children and adults. The reason for the trip? To promote the school’s annual auction, an event that the rescue had graciously donated to with the ultimate in green items: eleven yards of composted manure for use in gardens and planting beds.

“I feel like Santa Claus!” Gretchen Salstrom, Founder and Executive Director commented as the children gleefully petted JoJo and asked endless questions about the gentle mini mare and the rescue. The parents were excited to meet JoJo and ask questions as well, and one of the UCDS auction co-chairs stated that JoJo’s visit had truly been one of the best promotional events yet.

For many of the children in attendance, JoJo’s visit was the first opportunity for them to meet a horse. “It was such a wonderful opportunity to interact with the community and educate them about what’s going on in the horse world, especially as pertains to the reality of rescue work,” Salstrom said, adding that the rescue would like to make more educational trips to schools and organizations across Western Washington.

So keep your eyes and ears open—JoJo may be coming to a town near you!

1/26/2009

Stefanie Hargreaves

As the economy worsens and individuals struggle to care for their horses, nonprofit rescue organizations such as People Helping Horses, located in Arlington, Washington, prepare to take in a record number of horses in 2009. In January alone, PHH opened its doors to 10 new rescues while an additional 17 await stall space in the organization’s crowded barn.

Founder and Executive Director Gretchen Salstrom knew that the dramatic rise in need for quality care would eventually exhaust donor dollars and put a strain on the organization’s ability to help more horses, which led her to investigate the possibility of grants and other types of funding from outside sources.

To that end, Salstrom applied for an ASPCA emergency hay support grant. The grants are given to those organizations that either provide rescue or sanctuary to horses or to those groups who act as a food bank of sorts, giving out hay to needy owners. A total of $3,000 was awarded to PHH, a figure that will feed over 20 horses for a month. "We're so thankful to the ASPCA for their generosity and proud to be working with an organization of their caliber."

1/18/2009

Marc Ramierz - Seattle Times Staff Reporter

Horse-rescue operations are filling up as a result of the recession, which has complicated a situation created by overbreeding, the rising cost of horse care and, some say, the closing of U.S. slaughterhouses.

LynnD Stiles from Phoenix Rising Sanctuary in Duvall gets a kiss from Killian, a Nakota horse she uses to teach manners and appropriate behavior to the younger rescue horses. Killian is also used for Stiles' summertime girls' and women's programs at the ranch.

The cost of feeding horses has dramatically increased at Phoenix Rising Sanctuary in Duvall, as the cost of hay has risen.
Enlarge this photo

The cost of feeding horses has dramatically increased at Phoenix Rising Sanctuary in Duvall, as the cost of hay has risen.

About a year and a half ago, Katie Merwick noticed the phone starting to ring a lot more at Second Chance Ranch, the horse-rescue outfit she runs in Elma, Grays Harbor County, 30 miles west of Olympia.

I don't want my horse anymore, callers would say. I can't afford it. Can you take it? What do I do?

"People are panicking because of the economy," Merwick says. "They're losing their jobs, and their homes. Boarding prices have skyrocketed, prices of hay and gas have gone up — I have 10 times the number of horses needing homes."

Now, instead of several calls a week, she says, she gets 40. Her 33 stalls are full and when she can't find other shelter space, she's offered to buy hay for owners who say they can no longer afford their horses. "People are panicking, and they need to ride this through."

For her and others in the industry, the effects of the recession are exacerbating a situation prompted by a mix of other factors, including overbreeding, the rising cost of horse care and, some say, the closing of U.S. horse slaughterhouses.

Tom Lenz, chairman of the Unwanted Horse Coalition (UHC), a program of the Washington, D.C.-based American Horse Council, says those who see horses as luxury items are questioning whether they really need them.

Meanwhile, more committed owners are having to give up their horses because of growing expense and debt.

It's a sensitive issue, partly because of the difficulty of measuring its magnitude and the emotions provoked by slaughterhouses. Some deny a problem with unwanted horses exists at all.

"It's hard to define what an unwanted horse is," says equine-protection specialist Stacy Segal of the U.S. Humane Society. "A horse that's unwanted to one person could be absolutely wanted to another. Every horse out there could potentially find a home if the owner's willing to take the time."

With e-mails and phone calls on the rise, the UHC is trying to put some measure to the problem. So far, a survey distributed to horse-industry members across the country — owners, vets, farriers and so on — has drawn about 25,000 responses. The coalition expects to release results by early March.

"I don't sit there and pass judgment," says LynnD Stiles of Duvall's Phoenix Rising Sanctuary. "Hey — you have to make a tough choice. It doesn't make you a bad person if you have to choose between feeding your kids and feeding your horses."

One ton of quality hay has gone from $150 to $350 in the last year or so, Stiles said.

Still, with fewer options now available to owners, "horses end up suffering until animal control has to do something about it, and (owners are) being charged with animal cruelty," says Gretchen Salstrom, who runs Arlington's People Helping Horses. "It's a vicious circle we're in."

All but three of the 46 horses she took in last year were animal-control seizures, she says. The year before, two were seizures. "I have the ability to help, but I can't go bankrupt doing it," she says. And with most horses needing six to nine months of rehabilitation, "the challenge isn't space. It's funding."

In Duvall, on her 60-acre grounds, Stiles raises rescued Thoroughbreds, polo ponies and even Nakota stallions — the wild Plains horse of Chief Sitting Bull — among her 55-horse operation.

Every year, she'd travel to Canadian ranches to outbid purveyors buying horses for meat. Last fall, she'd planned to do the same, but decided to stay put when evidence of the economic crisis was hitting home.

"The writing was on the wall," she says. "A crappy economy, hay prices through the roof ... I had a strong feeling that everyone who could help would be needed in our own backyard."

Others felt it, too. Before the recession, most of Salstrom's rescues in Arlington were from newbie owners who didn't realize what they'd gotten themselves into. "The factors are different now," she says.

She says she's seen a 35 percent drop in charitable donations, which limits how many horses she can take in. Currently, she has 18 — six of them in the last few months. Stronger animal-protection laws mean more seizures of neglected horses — but no funds to accompany their relocation to shelters.

The UHC estimates basic care for a horse at $1,800 to $2,400 a year; some local owners say it's more like $2,400 to $3,600. Meanwhile, the cost of euthanizing and disposing of a horse can run $500 to $1,000 per animal, depending on the location.

Some frustrated rescue operators have instituted owner-surrender fees. "What happened to planning?" Salstrom says. "... You chose to breed a horse. It's your responsibility. You don't give up your kids just because you can't afford to keep them anymore."

The Humane Society urges people to find ways to hold on to horses they can't sell, give away or afford to euthanize, and it supports pending legislation prohibiting U.S. horses from being exported for slaughter.

More than 100,000 horses were slaughtered annually in the U.S. for human consumption, the organization says, before the last few processing plants were closed in 2007. Now, thousands of horses destined for slaughter are instead sent to plants in Mexico and Canada.

Amid pressure from animal-rights groups, horse slaughter virtually ended in the United States in 2007, as courts upheld state laws banning it in Texas and Illinois, home to the nation's last three horse slaughterhouses.

Lenz says that while more responsible breeding is called for, unwanted horses pose a reality that must be addressed. "A horse is always going to get old or be lame or not be pretty or athletic enough," he says. "As a country, we're going to have to come to grips with what to do with them."

Locally, some express frustration over a lack of organized leadership to address the situation. Rescue operators urge those who want to help to research individual operations, as their programs vary; some, for instance, also rescue dogs and cats or offer equestrian programs for youth, and so on.

Salstrom says one recent caller told her she had 50 people ready to donate but uncertain where to direct their money. "At some point we have to band together and make it happen," she says.

Marc Ramirez: 206-464-8102 or mramirez@seattletimes.com

Copyright © 2009 The Seattle Times Company

1/15/2009

by Stefanie Hargreaves

It all started nearly a year ago, when Bella and seventeen of her pasture mates were seized by King County animal control from an abusive and neglective owner and brought to People Helping Horses, a nonprofit horse rescue organization located in Arlington, Washington.

Founder and Executive Director Gretchen Salstrom knew that taking on so many horses at once would be a challenge, made even more so by the size of a number of the horses; Bella and four others are Percherons, a very large breed, known for their gentle giant-like demeanor.

Unfortunately, the five Percherons had suffered abusive treatment for so many years that their mistrust of humans made it very difficult for them to be handled. But Salstrom didn't give up, assigning trainers to each of the large horses and insuring that they receive the gentle yet firm interaction that was necessary for their progress.

In time, the five came around, their trust and affection for people restored thanks to the quality training they received. They began to find homes, Bella being one of the first to go. Her new owner was committed to Bella and providing a life-long home for the deserving mare.

Unfortunately, this is not where Bella's story ends. Her new owner became gravely ill and was forced to return the horse to PHH.

Bella came back healthy yet depressed, the loss of her person clearly a blow to the newly confident mare. She couldn't have known what was waiting for her only a few months down the road.

Carla Dimitriou is an artist and co-owner of the popular live music and dinner venue Jazz Alley, located in the heart of Seattle. A woman of true passion and committment, Carla also makes time in her busy schedule to work with the Washington State Animal Response Team, a highly trained group that provides assistance to distressed animals in times of natural disasters. When her five rescue horses needed a sixth to fill the last stall, Carla contacted PHH. She was looking for a horse in need of a home where no expectations would be placed on the animal other than just being a horse.

Salstrom and PHH Adoption Coordinator Laura Laney agreed that Bella would make a good candidate, and arranged for Carla to meet the mare. It was love at first site, and Bella was transported to her new home within days.

Finally, a forever home for the truly beautiful Bella.

1/15/2009

Stefanie Hargreaves

The seizure, which took place in Skagit County on January 8, 2009, was a month in the making, beginning with a series of complaints from concerned citizens that prompted Officer Diaz with animal control to visit the site. Finding the horses located on the property to be thin, Officer Diaz gave the owner a warning and left.

During a follow-up visit, the owner was very uncooperative, not allowing Officer Diaz to see the horses. One warrant later, Officer Diaz was given full access to the property where she found eight live horses and one deceased.

The owner reluctantly agreed to release three of the horses, Julie, Doxie, and Little Red, to the county, and the hope is that the remaining horses will eventually be turned over to the county as well.

In the mean time, the three rescued are being cared for at People Helping Horses, a nonprofit horse rescue organization located in Arlington, Washington. Despite having more horses on their hands than is ideal, Founder and Executive Director Gretchen Salstrom agreed to take on the three, knowing that the love, training, and care they'll receive while at the facility could mean the difference between life and death.