3 Sisters Equine Refuge was born on a cold November day in 2013, as an emaciated horse was pulled from a Washington feed lot.
Lance, as he became known, spent the following two weeks in the ICU at Bend Equine Medical Hospital fighting for his life. He is alive and well today — and is an example of the suffering, abuse, and devastation of the slaughter pipeline.
We learned first-hand the horror: over 100,000 horses every year are sent over our borders (Mexico and Canada) and slaughtered for human consumption. The suffering is unimaginable, and we set out to change that one horse at a time.
We privately funded the rescue and rehabilitation of three more horses before receiving our non-profit status in the fall of 2014.
Shortly after, 3 Sisters Equine Refuge rescued six horses from a feed lot, all sick and terrified. We began the intensive task of quarantine and healing each horse’s body, mind and spirit.
Today, we continue to rescue horses who are at-risk.
Once rescued, we assess each horse before moving forward with healing and training, with the goal of adopting to a loving, permanent home.
Here at 3 Sisters Equine Refuge, we utilize the gentlest practices of horsemanship and patience to allow equines the time to recover both physically and emotionally. This process of reversing trauma can take up to a year or longer. Our horses can come to us deeply traumatized from separation from their owners or herds or suffering from stress and abuse from auctions, feedlots, mass transport, and neglect.
The process of rehabilitating and training our horses is a soulful journey for us and them. If a horse is unable to be rehabilitated or is medically fragile, we move them to sanctuary or give them a respectful passing.
Our adoption process is arduous. We strive to ensure that every horse is matched to the right owner so that they never find themselves in harms way again.
