The Gordon Sanctuary Saving Hundreds of Equine Lives

Gordon’s Horse Shepherd Equine Sanctuary (HSES) is a Victorian organisation aiming to save and enrich the lives of horses in need.

Most of the rescued horses come from owners who are in unfortunate circumstances, or are of elderly age, and no longer have the ability to care for their animals, as well as RSPCA and council seizures.

Jen Best, business development manager of HSES, said that horses are delivered to the sanctuary in varying degrees of health, as some arrive quite healthy, while others are severely ill or emaciated.

“We have taken some horses that are on death’s door, so there is a whole program that we put into place in order to get them back to health. We try to take on as many cases as we can, as our main goal with every animal that comes in is to rehabilitate and rehome them, be that as a companion animal or a riding horse,” she said.

According to Horse Rescue Australia, the average vet, farrier, and training cost for a horse is $17,000 each year, which correlates with the increasing number of animals being surrendered by owners, as many can no longer afford these fees.

However, the sanctuary is eligible for specific government grants in order to receive funding to care for each horse, but also receives a significant amount of donations from ordinary people.

“The sanctuary has a lot of benefactors, as around 60 of the 120 horses are sponsored, as they have outside people who give a monthly or annual donation for the care of a horse, so there are some really wonderful and generous people out there,” Best said.

HSES rescues an abundance of other animals, including dogs, cows, goats, and chickens. The sanctuary is also open to the public, for the purpose of educating people about the rehabilitation process.

Having only been an employee for 3 months, Best expressed how fulfilling this role has already been for her.

“I got the opportunity to come here and do something that I really believe in and love, so to be able to do good in the horse industry is incredible. Getting to share the sanctuary with people and telling them all the stories of each horse, and showing them what we do is the greatest job,” she said.

After nearly 10 years of operating, HSES continues to grow in order to support and care for the lives of disadvantaged horses and animals.