Humane Agents and Sanctuaries

The Equine Protection Network, EPN, has compiled this list of contacts. A listing here does NOT mean that the EPN endorses any of these individuals or organizations.

"As a practicing veterinarian, the bonding and companionship role between horses and their owners has been very evident to me, and is unquestionably as strong as that which occurs between humans and their pet dogs and cats."...Robert M. Miller, D.V.M.

Cruelty Officers Experienced with Horses

Humane Society Police Officers,(HSPO) in PA are governed under Act 135 0f 1994, Humane Society Police Officer Enforcement Act,Title 3, Section 456.1 et seq.and Title 22,Section 501,et seq.Detectives and Private Police.

PA Humane Society Police Officers have the authority to enforce the cruelty section of the PA Crimes Code, Title 18, Section 5511.

This information has been provided to the EPN by the agencies listed below.

• Report Cruelty Cases involving horses in Berks, Chester, Delaware,Lancaster Counties to:

  Large Animal Protection Society- 610-869-9880
  
  

Note: It is unlikely that LAPS will respond to complaints regarding New Holland Sales Stables. LAPS is no different than the other law enforcement agencies that finds some excuse not to do their job at New Holland Sales Stables. The PA State Police is the only law enforcement agency that performed their duty without excuses. PSP did their job so well that Senator Noah Wenger from the town of New Holland, and also the chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, used his political power to prevent the PSP from doing their job in New Holland.

Every Humane Society Police Officer contacted by the EPN regarding the enforcement of the cruelty law at New Holland Sales Stables and other auctions, sooner or later responded with, "Why don't you get badged and do this job!" The PA State Police never responded to the EPN in that matter - most likely because they knew their job and with assistance from a person familiar with horses they knew the questions to ask to prove the elements of the crime. The PA State Police was the first law enforcement agency to enforce the law against selling sick, lame, and debilitated horses at New Holland Sales Stables because the EPN provided the right question for the troopers to ask the vet to prove the elements of the crime. A question that no PA Humane Society Police Officer with their state mandated training and other training, including experience with horses, knew to ask.

For years the question asked was, "Can the horse make the trip?" The response was almost always, "Yes, as long as the horse is gated separate from the other horses." The EPN pointed out that the correct question to ask was, "Would it be cruel to work or use this horse in the condition it is in right now at the time of sale?" If the answer is "No", then the horse cannot be sold, nor can it be transported unless it is to the nearest appropriate facility for medical care, humane keeping, or destruction. An auction does not meet that definiton, nor does a slaughterhouse hundreds of miles away. Neither does a rescue that is hours away, because it is not, "the nearest appropriaite facility."

• Report Cruelty Cases involving horses in Erie County, PA to:

  Hooved Animal Welfare Council (HAWC)
  
  P.O.Box 7154, Erie, PA 16510
  
  Humane Society Police Officers- Sandy Blount - 814 774-2800
  
  Linda Wheeler
  
  

• Report Cruelty Cases involving horses in Monroe County, PA to:

  Pocono Animal Rescue, Inc.
  
  Monroe County,PA
  
  Humane Society Police Officers-Eileen Pasquin and Boyd Gannon, Sr.- 570-476-1464
  

Racehorse and Pony Horse Retirement Programs

R.A.C.E Fund, Inc

Turning For Home - Philadelphia Park

P.O. Box 300
Bensalem, PA 19020
Barbara Luna
Program Administrator
215-272-6716

turningforhome@patha.org

Sanctuaries

The EPN defines a sanctuary as a 501c(3) non-profit organization that accepts the donations of horses. The horses remain at the sanctuary's facilities until the horse's death. Sanctuary's do not do adoptions of horses.

• Ryerss Farm For Aged Equines
  
  Oldest and largest non-profit organization of its kind in the United States.
  Sanctuary for Retired Horses. Horses Must be 20 Years or Older. Donation Required.
  
  
  Pottstown, PA
  610-469-0533
  Joseph Donahue

The EPN regrets that we can no longer provide an up to date listing of horse welfare/rescues for several reasons:

• Horse welfare/rescues changing website servers resulting in numerous broken links on the rescue listing page.
  
  
• High volume of new and developing horse welfare/rescue organizations.
  
  
• Welfare/Rescues not incorporated as not for profit corporations and/or 501(c)3 non-profits.
  
  
• Lack of an accreditation program for horse welfare organizations requiring that an affiliated organization meet certain accepted equine industry management practices and or standards.
  
  

The EPN's website is maintained by volunteers. The EPN does not have the means to investigate all the "rescues" who wish to be listed, nor is it in our scope of operations to do so.

We believe in fairness to all the horse welfare/rescue organizations in existence, that in lieu of listing horse welfare/rescues here on our website, the EPN recommends that people interested in becoming involved with a horse rescue on any level use the following resources:

1. Internal Revenue Service, IRS for a current list of 501(c)3 non-profits.
   
2. Guidestar, and do a search on horse welfare/rescue organizations. Financial information is provided on Guidestar.
   
3. State Bureau of Charities
   
4. Better Business Bureau
   
5. State Department, Division of Corporations