Happy New Year!

As we say goodbye to 2024 and welcome a new year full of possibilities, we’re excited to share some of our accomplishments with you. Thanks to your unwavering support, 2024 was an incredible year for Horse Plus Humane Society, allowing us to help 2,984 animals in need. In 2025, we will be launching new initiatives that will significantly impact animal welfare. We’re thrilled to share details about the new programs we’ve developed over the past year. Let’s dive in and explore these new initiatives, then we’ll review the incredible number of animals we helped in 2024.

Last chance to donate in 2024!

Horse Plus Legislative Coalition

We are thrilled to announce the formation of a 501(c)4 organization, the Horse Plus Legislative Coalition, dedicated to influencing legislation and securing crucial legislative action for the protection of horses. This initiative was born out of the realization that the horse rescue community’s fragmentation has hindered progress on key issues like the Save America’s Forgotten Equines (SAFE) Act, which would ban horse slaughter.

While the 501(c)4 status doesn’t permit us to provide tax deductible receipts to donors, it allows us to collect donations that will be used to further our lobby work in Washington DC as we advocate for horse welfare issues and encourage decision-makers to prioritize them.

Please visit Horse Plus Legislative Coalition’s website and sign up for our email list to stay informed about important issues and opportunities to contact your representatives. Together, we can create a united front to end horse slaughter, combat inhumane treatment, and ensure a better future for all horses. Stay informed by following the Horse Plus Legislative Coalition on Facebook.

Horse Plus Legislative Coalition

Wild Horse Rez, affectionately called her “Very Important Project” by Tawnee Preisner, our co-founder, came about almost a year ago through her shared love of horses with actress Dawn Olivieri.  What began as a training challenge idea has evolved into a multifaceted project showcasing the extraordinary skills of Navajo horsemen and women while saving reservation horses.

With over a dozen celebrity endorsements, Wild Horse Rez is rapidly gaining momentum for 2025 and is poised to make a significant positive impact on the lives of reservation horses while creating jobs for the remarkably talented Navajo horse men and women. The first part of this  project will launch a Wild Horse Training Challenge and we are currently getting contestants to participate in this challenge, just take a look at this flyer.  This is such an exciting project! Follow the developments of this amazing project on the Wild Horse Rez Website and Facebook page and see what 2025 unfolds!

Horse Plus PAWS

(Providing Animal Welfare Services)

Horse Plus Humane Society is incredibly grateful for Bob Barker for including us as one of the 40 organizations in his estate. His generous gift of $100,000 was divided between two programs at Horse Plus, one being Horse Plus PAWS, our new small animal division.

Horse Plus PAWS will focus on providing much-needed animal welfare services to the underserved Middle Tennessee area, which is why we relocated from Northern California a decade ago. Thanks to Bob Barker, we will open a spay/neuter clinic and small animal shelter 3 miles from our main facility. We hope to have the new facility fully functional by late spring/early summer. Please follow our Facebook page, Horse Plus PAWS, for updates on this project!

Horse Plus Education

Thanks to Bob Barker’s generous estate donation, Horse Plus has been able to expand its educational programs, including a mentorship program established in 2019. This initiative led to the creation of the Full Circle of Life Horse Shelter Network, which now consists of nearly 30 horse rescues across the United States.  We provide ongoing mentorship and support to these organizations to enhance their effectiveness and save more horses.

With the addition of a new education building at our main facility, also made possible by Bob Barker, we can now offer regular educational opportunities to both the public and other organizations. Our goal is to promote better animal care through a variety of educational events.

In 2025, we have a number of exciting educational programs planned. These include a workshop for horse rescue organizations interested in joining our Horse Shelter Network and a new program for individuals who want to start their own horse rescue. We will also host animal control training programs to improve law enforcement’s skills in animal care. Be sure to follow us to stay informed about all of our upcoming educational initiatives!

Horse Plus Foundation

The Horse Plus Foundation, is a program that we have been developing. The Foundation is a strategic initiative to ensure the enduring impact and success of Horse Plus Humane Society. Through the Foundation, we will encourage individuals to plan a lasting legacy that significantly benefits horses and other animals, similar to Bob Barker’s decision to include Horse Plus in his will. Additionally, the Foundation will offer a program that guarantees the care of your animals, should something happen to you. Life may be unpredictable, but you can leave a lasting, positive impact on the animals we all love and cherish.

Sheltering Success in 2025

Let’s look back at 2024 at our Shelter Operations. Thanks to our incredible supporters, 2024 has been one of our most successful yet – we’ve accomplished so much!

At our Shelter, we provided care for 1,902 animals, including 663 horses and other equines. Importantly, over 500 of these horses were rescued directly from the slaughter pipeline! We also extended our care to 1,198 dogs and cats in desperate situations and 41 other animals, from turtles to guinea pigs, who all found a safe haven with us.

Open Admission Shelter Reality

While we celebrate our successes, we also acknowledge the difficult decisions that had to be made. Of the 1902 animals sheltered, 36% were humanely euthanized due to medical reasons, 21% due to behavioral issues, and 9% of the 1,902 animals were humanely euthanized due to capacity constraints. We understand that these numbers may be concerning, and we want to be transparent about the realities of running an open admission shelter. We make every effort to provide the best possible care for every animal that comes through our doors, but sometimes, despite our best efforts, euthanasia is the most humane option.

• Equines: 663 Sheltered | 100% Adoptable Placement | 65% Medical | 12% Behavior

• Cats: 321 Sheltered | 97% Adoptable Placement | 25% Medical | 12% Behavior

• Dogs: 877 Sheltered | 82% Adoptable Placement | 20% Medical | 33% Behavior

• Other: 41 Sheltered | 99% Adoptable Placement | 2% Medical | 1% Behavior

Open admission shelters like ours don’t turn away animals with medical or behavioral issues; we actively seek them out because they desperately need our help.

While we don’t support the “no-kill” philosophy of limited admission shelters that turn away animals in need and are recognized for their 90% or higher placement rate to be considered “no kill”, our dedicated team has achieved a 91% placement rate for adoptable animals in 2024.

Our goal is to save every animal possible, and while the 90% benchmark is a common measure of progress, we strive to exceed it.

Assisting Equines Success

Our assistance program aided 1,082 horses and other equines outside of our shelter operations. This included covering gelding costs for 672 stallions, significantly reducing the number of unwanted horses entering the slaughter pipeline. We also provided financial assistance for the humane euthanasia of 277 suffering horses and helped 133 more horses in urgent needs situations and natural disasters.It’s difficult to imagine what would have happened to these horses if they had not received assistance through our program.

Your Support, Their Hope

Every animal we helped has a story, and every story is a testament to the power of compassion and generosity. Your support makes these stories possible. As we move into 2025, we’re more committed than ever to our mission of rescuing, sheltering, and protecting animals in need. With your continued support, we can write even more happy endings. Thanks to you, 2024 was an incredible year for Horse Plus Humane Society! Your unwavering support allowed us to help 2,984 animals in need. This is a monumental achievement!

Your Year End Donation

There’s only a few hours left in 2024, and it’s your last chance to make a donation to receive a tax deductible receipt for 2024. All donations must be received by 11:59 PM Central Standard Time in order for us to issue you a tax receipt for 2024. If you don’t need a tax receipt, please consider supporting our cause and helping us end the year strong. We have so many exciting plans in 2025, and we want you to be part of them through your support. It’s going to be a wild ride, and we want you there with us, we might have our boots on the ground, but you’re there through your support beside us making it all happen! We’re excited to be working with you in 2025 and wish you a fantastic new year!

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Mail: Horse Plus Humane Society P.O. Box 485, Hohenwald, TN 38462

Horse Plus Humane Society is a 501(c)(3) non-profit animal welfare organization & has been rescuing, sheltering and protecting horses since 2003. Tax ID #20-1156396.

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Copyright (C) 2024 Horse Plus Humane Society. All rights reserved.