Whisper's Ranch

I've become conflicted as to whether this is a positive or a negative for horses. While it does mean that they hopefully won't rot in a pasture with no food or water for months, I still question if it is really the best we can do for them? Is there really not enough money to house and feed the horses of the united states? A study done in 2009 by the Unwanted Horse Correlation stated that with $50 form every horse owner $163 million would be raised. Is that enough? 

I don't have the answers,and right now it's hard to fathom the great extent of this issue. But if I narrow my view to just Montana alone, which is where the program would have to begin, I can start looking at some real numbers. There are 974,989 adults in Montana according to the census. If each donated $50 there would be $48,749,450 raised. I pay $3000 per year to house and feed my horse, including stall cleaning and facility use. Using these figures we could house and feed nearly 16250 horses. How many unwanted horses are there in Montana? Could there be more than 16 thousand unwanted horses in a state that still believes in the "cowboy lifestyle"?

I'm tempted to say no, after all the Montana Horse Sanctuary only lists five horses available for adoption, and there are no other listed equine rescues in the state. There are also no more than 900 "for sale" ads listed online for the state of Montana. So does that Make Montana the perfect place to start a large scale rescue? I believe so. It is a state with the land and hay resources necessary to feed large numbers of horses, and it is full of people who understand the joy a horse brings to a persons life.

It is my hope that people will read this, and that someone will decide they can help. If not, I will continue to do all I can until I’ve drawn enough attention that it will become impossible to ignore my pleas for assistance. 

-Amanda Copus