GRAFTON, Ohio — Angels Haven Horse Rescue in Grafton has been giving abused and neglected horses in Northeast Ohio a second lease on life since 2006.
President Heidi Sandrev told News 5 that her agency has saved dozens of horses over the past 17 years, with its more than 120 volunteers helping horses recover from a wide variety of physical and mental issues.
“We’ve seen where they are emaciated, where they’re not being properly fed or not fed at all," Sandrev said. “We’ve seen a lot of abuse cases; a lot of times, they will come in with trust issues.
Sandrev said current Ohio law makes it difficult for the Animal Protective League or any other agency to take a neglected horse from an irresponsible owner, and she believes today's economy and inflation are one reason why more horses are falling into distress.
“It’s a huge issue, in the State of Ohio, horses are looked at as livestock, so there is nothing you can do unless you can see that a horse is deceased on a property," Sandrev said. "The cost of care for a horse is about $350 a month per horse and that does not include your vet bills. So that’s why we’re big proponents as our secondary mission of educating the public on rehabilitation, rescue and horse care because we want people to understand not only the cost that goes into owning a horse but also the responsibilities that come along with it.”
Sandrev told News 5 that some of the rescued horses get adopted by good local families, or they can be cared for by families through the Angels Haven Horse Rescue leasing program.
Carly Edmonds and her family adopted Deuces Wild, a rescued horse who was found abandoned on an Ohio farm.
“They were abandoned on a breeding farm and kind of left to fend for themselves, he was malnourished, he had worms, he had all kinds of skin diseases," Edmonds said. “All the good work I’ve seen happen, it’s been amazing. It really changed my life, I’m 20 and I got my little baby horse.”
Dana Bell, who is a mother of five children, is another Angels Haven Horse Rescue success story. Bell told News 5 that she has all her children involved with the horse rescue, leasing multiple horses and putting in volunteer time. Bell said the agency is teaching her children valuable life lessons like responsibility, teamwork, reliability and compassion.
“It’s very emotional and my kids get very emotional talking about the rescue stories of these animals," Bell said. “And the idea that somebody could so callously and cruelly mistreat these animals, it breaks their hearts. But this is hugely important, this is my families happy place, so we are out here 3 days a week."
Sandrev told News 5 that the horse rescue also works with a wide variety of community agencies, giving the horses public exposure that helps adults, children and recovering horses.
“It takes a significant amount of time and a lot of slow working with them, as well as tender loving care, to make sure they know they’re in [a] safe spot,” Sandrev said. “We work with agencies like Positive Education Children, Youth Outdoors; we do community service work with people that might be troubled and need some type of assistance, we do things with autism and PTSD."
Sandrev said anyone who is interested in becoming a volunteer, member, or donor can get involved with Angels Haven Horse Rescue through its webpage or through a visit or phone call.
Finally, Sandrev said it is crucial for residents to not be afraid to report suspected horse abuse or neglect.
“If you see something, say something and we certainly would be more than willing to make the right things happen to make sure it’s assessed and investigated," Sandrev said. "I just think that they deserve to have the chance to have a quality of life, just like any animal or any person, so definitely I think Ohio laws need to be changed.”
