Lisa Post administers medication to Ozzy, center, a 10-year-old mule, while Wyatt, an 18- year-old Hanoverian, looks on in a field at the Chestnut Ridge Equestrian Center, Millstone Township. PHOTOS BY FRANK GALIPO Helping Hearts Equine Rescue Inc. needs funds to survive through the summer, according to volunteer Julie Stern.
Helping Hearts is a nonprofit rescue operation based at the Chestnut Ridge Equestrian Center, Millstone Road, Millstone Township.
Stern said Lisa Post, the president and co-founder of Helping Hearts, works tirelessly to rescue horses, mules and donkeys from slaughter.
Stern has been volunteering at Helping Hearts for three years and believes Post’s efforts are inspirational.
“Lisa has been doing this non-stop for over five years,” Stern said. “She has worked night and day to run a valuable and reliable rescue. It takes an endless amount of energy, dedication and perseverance.”
Lisa Post offers a treat to Bonnie, a 12-year-old Welsh pony cross, at the Chestnut Ridge Equestrian Center, Millstone Township. Post and her husband, Chris, operate Helping Hearts Equine Rescue from their facility. Post and her husband, Chris, the executive director of Helping Hearts, have owned and operated the Chestnut Ridge Equestrian Center since August 1999.
The Posts started Helping Hearts in 2008 and have made a mark as a rescue organization that has taken in more than 150 equines and found placements for more than 100 others. Sadly, the have had to euthanize 36 horses because of problems related to physical issues, Lisa said.
“These animals are victims of neglect, starvation and abandonment,” she said. “We are trying to save them and we are trying to get more people involved with supporting rescue efforts.” Helping Hearts has a five-person Board of Directors and about 12 active volunteers. Some animals are waiting for adoption, others will be rehabilitated or become permanent residents due to age or physical infirmities.
“Our volunteers give the horses tender love and care,” Post said. “They provide grooming, baths, and keep the living areas clean. They give the horses a lot of attention.”
Post said she and her husband became involved in rescuing horses privately in 2005 after learning that Butch and Buddy, two horses belonging to the Monmouth County Park System, were being retired to a horse dealer in exchange for a younger pair of horses.
“Recognizing the euphemism for slaughter, we campaigned for Butch and Buddy’s release,” Post said. “They were cared for at (our) farm until a suitable retirement sanctuary was found in Florida.”
After saving Butch and Buddy, the Posts decided to keep the rescue effort going. They initiated an endeavor with the proprietors of Camelot Auction in New Jersey in 2009. This has allowed Helping Hearts and a growing consortium of rescues and individuals to save horses from getting shipped to slaughter.
In the past five years, more than 5,000 horses have been given the chance of a new beginning, Post said.
Helping Hearts is involved in community outreach and welcomes schools, 4-H and scouting groups into the facility for educational purposes.
“The hardest part of rescue is the constant worry over finances,” Lisa said. “I endure more sleepless nights worrying about funding than any other issue. Summer is traditionally the slowest season for donations just as we have more mouths to feed, as monthly costs will outstrip monthly donations.”
For more information, visit the website www.hher.webs.com