Horse Rescue in Florida

Horses Without Humans Rescue Organization

This horse rescue is the real deal, they’re mission to helping horses shines bright in everything that they do. The facility is well kept, the staff is friendly and informative, and the horses are well taken care of. Horses Without Humans Rescue Organization is a wonderful place to be, I had a great time learning about them, their mission, and how they’re able to do the things they do… I even got to meet a lot of the horses! Horses Without Humans was founded by Yvonne Barteau of KYB Dressage. Originally based in Illinois, they have been relocated to Bell, Florida for the past few years. Horses Without Humans is a partner to the ASPCA and recently completed the “Help a Horse Home” competition. This is a competition against yourself where you try to out-do yourself from the previous year with adoption rates in two months. Horses Without Humands had an outstanding 1400% increase in adoption rates this year! They’re also a partner of “The Right Horse Initiative” which is an umbrella that partners with rescues throughout the US with a goal to maximize social media efforts, specifically using the #righthorse hashtag to spread awareness.

Watching the rescue process is no easy task. Often horses come in emaciated, in poor health, and are sometimes injured. It truly takes a special soul to care for these horses. The manager, Jen Cefalu, mission is to “rehab, retrain, rehome”. Once horses are of good enough health to be ridden, Jen will begin working with them. She evaluates every horse to see what they know, what they’re capable of, and what they’re best fit to do. Being a professional rider Jen can train the horses in whichever discipline is the best fit for them. The goal for each horse to be walk/trot/canter and safe before leaving the rescue. Training rescue horses is something that most rescues don’t have the means of doing, but it’s a very important step in getting the horses a new home. Not only are they easier to adopt out once trained, but it sets them up for a successful life in their new home. The training opportunities are endless for the Horses Without Humans. If a horse is really excelling, Jen will find shows to take the horse to so they can gain experience.

If you’re interested in adopting a horse now, or in the near future, reach out to Horses Without Humans! They currently have an ongoing list of people who may be interested in adopting and what they’re seeking. For example, one potential adopter was wanting a cow horse. After some time a horse came into the rescue that Jen thought would be suitable for the job. The adopter met the horse, agreed, and Jen started training. Since every horse needs to be walk/trot/canter before leaving, Jen started training the horse with cows during his time at the rescue. By the time the horse was able to be adopted, his new owner had a walk/trot/canter and cow broke horse to take home.

The adoption process is pretty thorough. Rescue horses are a “different breed” of horse, most of them take awhile to trust humans, most of them need a little extra work and a little extra grain. In order to be sure that the rescue horses never end up in a bad situation again, a reference list is required to be checked out. Horses Without Humans requires vet, farrier, and professional references as well as a facility check. Adopters are also required to tell the “plan” for the horse, what their intentions are as far as training and what the horse will be used for. Jen tries to keep the adoption process really personal with open communication. She wants the adopters to feel as if she’s a friend willing to help them with their new horse. If the new adopter needs lessons with the rescue horse, they can make sure that happens. If the adopter needs a place to keep the horse, they can set that up. If the horse goes to it’s new home and the adopter has questions, Jen is only a phone call away. Jen also stresses that if for any reason the new home isn’t going to work out, the horse is welcome back to Horses Without Humans no questions asked.

The rescue currently has 30 horses on site with 15 ready to find new homes. They have everything from Paso Fino horses to Thoroughbreds, trail horses to competition horses. If you’re in the market, be sure to check out Horses Without Humans, there’s a #righthorse for everyone! You can contact Horses Without Humans Rescue Organization at horseswithouthumans@gmail.com Website: www.horseswithouthumans.org

If you have a barn that you would like featured on the Barn Tour, contact shellywilliamsphotography@gmail.com

Head trainer and manager, Jen, with her own adopted horse. A few months ago an entire barn of Paso Fino horses were seized in Florida. Horses Without Humans now has seven Paso Finos still left for adoption.