| Description |
Our largest expenses are those for hay and grain, the veterinarian, and the farrier. We are an all-volunteer organization, and all funds are expended for the care and maintenance of the animals. Not only do we have 60 horses and burros, but also goats, sheep, llamas, ducks, chickens, dogs, cats, and birds. The Arizona Humane Society calls us when they have animals they cannot place (hence the goats, sheep, ducks, etc.), and we bring them to the ranch, rehabilitate them, and endeavor to place them in qualified homes. <br/><br/>We need to purchase hay by the semi-loads in order to save delivery costs as well as to amass hay prior to the prices shooting up. We can save over $400 on six squeezes of hay; we use almost one squeeze per week. With 60 horses on five acres of dirt, we are totally dependent on hay, and it is our largest yearly expense. A semi-load ranges between $4000 and $5000. <br/><br/>These horses have been used in the drug industry, abandoned on vacant properties, neglected, abused, malnourished almost to the point of death, and in feedlots awaiting slaughter trucks. Their needs are great, both physically and emotionally, and we give our all to bring them to a state of health in body and mind. They feed our souls and give unconditional love to all who visit and volunteer at our ranch. They help our at-risk and underprivileged youth and teens, and give them hope and opportunity to love, to serve, and to realize life can always change in a positive environment. This ranch clearly exhibits both the ashes of despair and the rising of hope. |
| Benefits |
Dreamchaser Horse Rescue takes great pride in gentling and training or re-training abandoned, abused, neglected, and slaughter-bound horses. We have active community involvement, with over 1600 volunteers helping on the ranch in this year alone. We work with Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, home-schoolers, and children from group homes. We are approved for community service restitution for both adults and juveniles in the court system. Our facility educates all who come here, both through the hands-on work and the stories of the horses themselves. We regularly visit children's hour at a local library, bringing various animals and explaining care and handling. We also take a Percheron to Sahuaro Ranch for its summer 'history of the ranch' program, and take horses and burros to summer programs that different churches offer. We do this free of charge, in order to expose the children to the value of and need for the animals, as well as to instill respect for all creatures. |
