Sponsor a Horse
History
BORN TO GALLOP
Horses have evolved alongside us for millennia. Intelligent and sensitive animals, they have always fascinated humans. Born to gallop unrestrained, they show us the path to freedom.
Horses (Equus caballus) are still in search of their ancestor. While it is known that the earliest representatives of the equid family roamed the earth more than fifty million years ago and that the genus Equus (which also includes zebras and donkeys) emerged around five million years ago, scientists are still struggling to identify which wild species gave rise to the horses we know today. Researchers long believed it was the Botai horse in Kazakhstan, but genetic analyses in 2018 proved them wrong. The mystery remains unsolved. One thing is certain: horses have accompanied human history and survival since the dawn of time. Our prehistoric ancestors hunted them extensively for their meat. They also used their skin for clothing, their bones for making tools, and their hair for crafting ropes. Horses also served as models for representation, as evidenced by cave art.
Later, with their domestication, horses continued to serve humans in numerous ways: pulling plows in fields, facilitating transportation and communication, and taking the blows in battles. Today, these animals, with their extremely high emotional intelligence (see sentience file), are still subjected to numerous forms of abuse: exploited and pushed beyond their limits in horse racing, trained and degraded in circuses, blinded and pierced in bullfighting arenas, abandoned or sent to slaughter when they are no longer profitable. Our species shows terrible ingratitude towards those to whom it owes so much.
Friendicoes sanctuary for retired equines in Gurgaon
We support the Friendicoes Lifetime Sanctuary in Gurgaon, India. Managed by our partner Wildlife SOS, this sanctuary rescues horses exploited by riding centers in Delhi. Due to neglect, overwork, and poor levels of care, the equines develop health problems prematurely. When their “owners” have pushed them to the brink of collapse and can no longer profit from them, they do not hesitate to sell or abandon them on the side of the roads. Thus, broken, stressed, and underweight animals are welcomed into the sanctuary. But, thanks to the dedication of the team, they find the support they need to enjoy a happy and dignified retirement.
Animal sponsorships
Totem
Sponsoring Totem means providing him with all the necessary support so that he can finally find respite after years of abuse.
After struggling to survive in a circus, then in a field where his owner had abandoned him for weeks during the harsh winter, Totem was a shadow of himself when we took him in. He was very nervous throughout the rescue operation. However, with a lot of silence, patience, and gentleness, he agreed to let us put a halter on him and guide him safely into the truck.
Care
We transferred Totem to a partner sanctuary in France where we provide all his care. In this place dedicated to the care of neglected domestic and farm animals, mistreated or supposed to go to the slaughterhouse, he is surrounded by all the attention he needs.
Sponsoring Totem means providing him with all the necessary support so that he can finally find respite after years of abuse.
ORION
Sponsoring Orion means restoring his confidence in humanity by comforting him and meeting all his needs.
The circus performer who exploited Orion saw fit to let him wander for weeks without care or food in a field that did not belong to him. After a plea for help from the village mayor, we were able to arrange for his seizure, as well as that of other animals abandoned to their sad fate. Despite his extreme nervousness during the intervention, he eventually calmed down aboard the truck.
Care
We transferred Orion to a partner sanctuary in France where we provide all his care. In this place dedicated to the care of neglected domestic and farm animals, mistreated or supposed to go to the slaughterhouse, he is surrounded by all the attention he needs.
Sponsoring Orion means restoring his confidence in humanity by comforting him and meeting all his needs.
Heera
Sponsoring Heera means providing her with the water, food, and care she so desperately lacked. With your support, she can finally gallop freely without any hindrance!
Heera – which means “diamond” in Hindi – was living her last moments when she was rescued in December 2013. Abandoned for nearly a year by her “owner” on an Indian farm, this mare lay among the corpses of ten deceased peers and writhed in pain. Taken in at our care center in Gurgaon, it took her months to regain the ability to eat normally and recover from her suffering. With all the patience and affection necessary, the caregivers managed to reassure and comfort her. The beautiful horse understood that she was now surrounded by humans who only wanted the best for her. Thanks to them and her own resilience, she was able to heal her physical and psychological wounds. She now displays an optimistic temperament and robust health. She is often seen playing with other animals in the shelter, galloping and neighing happily in the field. Her strength and determination are a model for all.
Sponsoring Heera means providing her with the water, food, and care she so desperately lacked. With your support, she can finally gallop freely without any hindrance!
