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HEART OF PHOENIX: MORE THAN HORSE RESCUE IN WEST VIRGINIA.

Heart of Phoenix Equine Rescue began in Wayne County, West Virginia back in 2009; I’m the founder, Tinia.  Back then, I had no idea I'd one day be where I am now. It seemed overwhelming and outside of my plan to try to build a horse rescue in a state where no such resource existed for equines. Barely two years had gone by since the loss of my 14 and 19-year-old brothers and 17 years old sister following an apartment fire in Huntington, West Virginia. I was just months past the death of my father.

Still, somehow, in all of that tragedy, I could still see a huge, unmet need for horses in Appalachia.

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The rescue is named Heart of Phoenix, but we are not in Arizona. Phoenix was a horse rescued from Lincoln County, West Virginia during a flash flood in the summer of 2010; I was too late to save her in the way I had hoped. She could not overcome the abuse and neglect of her past. The day we buried her on my personal farm is the day I penned a blog and gave this effort a name. I didn’t realize how truly apt the name was back then.

I do today.

I thought Phoenix was only the little paint mare's fitting name, but it was far more.

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Founding an equine non-profit in an area of the USA that has significant human challenges and economic concerns has been daunting. Appalachia is the poorest part of America; we often see the highest rates of opioid abuse, children in foster care, below poverty level incomes, combat veterans with PTSD or physical injury and have significant educational challenges.  Because of these things, creating a successful equine advocacy organization, especially during the recession going on back in 2009 seemed impossible. But I pushed and pushed until our message was heard, and it wasn’t very long before others came to help.

That message, “Saving the Horses of Appalachia” has resonated with people across the world ever since. I am so glad it has and continues, as the horses in this region still need all we can give.

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And while over the years, have been featured in magazines like Horse Illustrated, received the ASPCA’s esteemed Equine Welfare Award in NYC, been invited to speak at the American Horse Council’s national meetings, been the subject of a multi-episode documentary on Horse.TV and received T.A.A and S.T.A accreditation for our quality of care and fiscal responsibility and worked on equine welfare legislation at the state and federal level, the most important things we’ve ever done is save over 1,200 equine lives and be a positive impact on thousands and thousands of horse owners.

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While it has become more difficult with the new challenges the world faces with rising costs.

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Nevertheless, we persist. We are always planning and trying to grow in the right ways: As long as there are horses that need help, we move forward, always finding a way to help horse people along the way.

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We have held as many as 170 horses in our facility and foster homes across the east coast. We have horses adopted all over the USA.

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So, what’s next? While we are always looking for ways to help horses, hold more in the organization and grow training partnerships, what I am most hopeful for what is a newer, small grassroots program for foster children in a local group home. These boys visit through the month, interacting with the horses at our main facility outside of Huntington, WV. I believe, as the horses recover, the boys do, as well. Both groups of beings have been through so much.

We hope to continue to expand what is now a glimmer of the program. I know substantial lifelong positive impact will be made on troubled, displaced children through partnership with our horses. Both have pasts that said success was impossible, but at Heart of Phoenix, we know better.

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That is Heart of Phoenix, an Equine Rescue that is saving the horses of Appalachia.