Eugene, Ore. — A year and a half after putting out a call for more donors, Oregon Horse Rescue is still kicking.
The nonprofit received a $10,000 grant from the Right Horse Initiative to pay for training and a trio of donations tied to specific purchases — a new truck, a new horse trailer and a new hay barn. The family of Jens Andrew Andersen III, a Eugene accountant who died in 2015, donated the money for the truck and trailer, said David Kelly, the group’s president.
But the rescue and sanctuary continues to face financial challenges to cover the cost of feeding its horses, and ensuring the animals have proper health and hoof care.
“We are still not where we need to be,” Kelly said. About 30 to 40 people regularly donate to Oregon Horse Rescue, but to be sustainable the nonprofit would need a couple hundred.
In an effort to achieve that goal, the rescue has made some significant changes.
Lea Brayton was hired as programs director and media consultant in August and the organization held a “family day” earlier this month at its 70-acre property off Crow Road. Previously, the Eugene-based organization — started in 2012 — kept its location private.
“That visibility is really important,” Brayton said.
Brayton’s mission is to introduce Oregon Horse Rescue to more people and explain what it does. That was the point of the family day, which may happen again next spring, and also of a new emphasis on marketing. The group’s logo is on the truck and trailer, and was boldly printed on the T-shirt Brayton wore Tuesday.
“It’s important that the public knows who we are and how to distinguish us from other organizations,” she said. A horse owner and competitor in horse eventing — a three-day competition of dressage, cross-country and show jumping — Brayton holds an English degree from Montana State and an English master’s from the University of Oregon. She’s combining her communication skills with her love for horses in her new job, having previously taught writing at UO.
Horse rescues offer a place for a horse that has had a hard life — be it neglect, disease or lasting injury — to recover and become available for adoption. Horse sanctuaries provide peaceful pastures for horses that won’t be able to be adopted due to temperament or specialized needs.
About a dozen of the nearly 30 horses under the care of Oregon Horse Rescue are available for adoption. Adopting a horse costs from $150 to $1,000, varying by horse.
There are other ways for people to support Oregon Horse Rescue, Brayton said, including volunteering or becoming a sustaining donor. Volunteers familiar with horses can help in the stables a couple of times a week. Volunteers not familiar with horses can take part in work days once a month, mending fences and doing other chores.
The sustaining donor program, modeled after such efforts by public broadcasting outlets, is a new offering by the group, Brayton said.
