Proud Spirit Horse Sanctuary

Looks like a few members of the herd are thinking about some things. Pondering life perhaps...? #readtheproudspiritbooks

Dragon and Spur playing (what I call) "Nippy Face"... Where they spar back and forth, weave and dodge up and down pretending they're going to bite each others ...face. It's always so fun to watch. And yes! Horses play. They need to have the freedom to play with a familiar and trusted companion. And this concept - honoring the bonds that horses form - is an integral cornerstone of Proud Spirit. The horses who come to our sanctuary are never separated, this herd is a family and they have a home for life. ##readtheproudspiritbooks See more

This is Honey... Her abusive former owner put a tight halter on her when she was a baby and never took it off. As Honey grew, the skeletal structure of her skul...l was deformed, and ultimately, the halter became deeply embedded in her face. It had to be surgically removed under sedation. She came to the sanctuary in 2009 and she had many years of peace and freedom. Thank you to everyone who believes in what we're doing here. #ReadTheProudSpiritBooks See more

We have dapples...! #ReadTheProudSpiritBooks

Spring is in full swing at Proud Spirit! We're almost done putting out hay. And we are grateful...! Hay is our biggest expense, and the most labor intensive cho...re here at the sanctuary. How do we know when to stop providing hay? When the horses walk away from the bales and no longer clean them up. We always ensure the herd is happy, healthy, slick and dappled. They are our number one priority - and we are so deeply grateful to everyone who believes in what we're doing here. #ReadTheProudSpiritBooks See more

Jackson and Dixie... Living in peace and freedom at Proud Spirit Horse Sanctuary. #readtheproudspiritbooks

Sanctuary... Horses living in Peace and Freedom #ReadTheProudSpiritBooks

30 years... 100s of horses... from every gruesome/brutal situation you can imagine. After all this time, all these horses, I can tell when one is "shut down" - ...when they simply no longer engage, because engaging brings the equine equivalent of heartbreak. Don't get me wrong. There are have been dozens and dozens of starved/abused horses who have come to this sanctuary and thrived. No baggage. They want our attention, they want to be with the herd, they seemingly have moved on from their past without a bit of baggage. But every once in awhile a beaten-down horse arrives who simply has no more... they're done trying. The name on her paperwork was Lady. Her entire life had been one of being shuffled around, owner to owner, like a piece of furniture. She came to Proud Spirit for a final place to find peace. And we hope she had that for the few weeks she was with us. Such a gut wrenching short time - but we hope she had some peace. Run free, Lady, run free... See more

Extra hay today! Tending the herd doesn't take a holiday. It's going into the 20s at the sanctuary tonight - that's pretty darn cold for us Southerners. I'm jus...t getting in from taking a walk to check on the horses. I put my hands on all our elderly ones, making sure no one was shivering and that they were warm between their legs, inside their mouths and under their manes (which means they are regulating their own body temperature and are comfortable). All is well...! We'd like to send out a great big "Thank You" to everyone who believes in what we're doing here at Proud Spirit. And we hope you've had a peaceful day. See more

Dragon... He came to the sanctuary as a stud; feral, unhandled, wary of humans, wanting nothing to do with us. He was gelded (of course as we are so adamantly against breeding). And he's been living in peace and freedom for nearly 15 years. #ReadTheProudSpiritBooks