Under the guidance of the LVMA, HfH/LSER brought in nearly 170 of the 400 rescued horses and around 150 dogs, cats, birds and two iguanas that ended up at the Expo Center. To date, all but four of these horses have been claimed by their owners. During the next three weeks, the organization’s members put in around 10,000 man-hours doing everything from making phone calls to pulling dogs out of attics.

With Hurricane Rita aimed at the home base of Habitat for Horses/Lone Star Equine Rescue in Galveston, Texas, the majority of volunteers pulled out of Gonzales and started the evacuation of their own horses and a number of those on Galveston Island to the Travis County Expo Center in Austin. During the week after the hurricane, volunteers put in another 7,000 man-hours transporting horses, cleaning stalls and delivering supplies to various areas in SE Texas and SW Louisiana. One member, Terry Fitch, was placed in charge of the center for rescue and recovery efforts from Hurricane Rita in New Iberia, LA. Under her skillful guidance, 80 horses were recovered and returned to their owners.

If the aftermath of the two storms, HfH/LSER was responsible for the delivery 10,480 bales of hay and 125 tons of feed, some being delivered to those in Texas under the direction of the Texas Animal Health Commission while the majority went to those in need in Louisiana under the direction of the LVMA. An estimated $130,000 worth of donated supplies, including everything from halters to grooming tools to medical needs were given through the organization to be utilized both in Texas and Louisiana.

HfH/LSER presented the LVMA with a check for $10,000 to help cover the cost of equine veterinarian care at the Lamar-Dixon Expo Center, acknowledging the fact that LSU, the LVMA and many of the veterinarians who donated their own time to help save the many horses that were recovered suffered severe financial loss. Jerry Finch, President of the organization, said, “It was an honor to work beside Bonnie Clark, President of the Louisiana Equine Council, Dr. Rusty Moore and Dr. Dennis French of the LSU Veterinarian Medical School and the many vets and vet assistants involved in the rescue and recovery efforts. We are deeply in debt to our members who gave selflessly to the recovery efforts in both Louisiana and Texas, some sacrificing many sleepless hours to save and extract both horses and pets and to keep our efforts organized.”

Habitat for Horses/Lone Star Equine Rescue is a 501.c.3 nonprofit covering Texas,. Louisiana and Oklahoma with around 1,000 dedicated members. The organization provides equine rescue services to law enforcement agencies throughout the state of Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma, an active equine adoption program, an equine education center and equine-assisted services to youths and adults. For more information, contact HfH/LSER toll free at 866-HfH-LSER (866-434-5737).