Lone Oak Horse Rescue, Located in Johnson County, Nebraska

Contact Phone: 402-877-4765

Hours of Operation: All Day Every Day Open 8 A.M. to 4 P.M.

Address:
H.O.P.E. Organization, Inc.
62816 722 Rd
Elk Creek, NE 68348

Located in: Johnson County

Website: www.freewebs.com/loneoakfarms

Group Background:
I, Wendy Brown am the Owner of Lone Oak Horse Rescue. My main help are my Family Members, Raymond (my other half) Karl (brother), Jessica, Marshall, Ashley, Cheyenne (my children). I became a horse rescuer after I was given a foal that was going to be destroyed because he was the wrong color and his Dam had died from colic when I was 13 years old. I have been around horses literally all of my life. My Mother had me sitting in front of her in the saddle before I could even hold a bottle by myself while she rode fences and checked cattle. I have worked with horses in every discipline except, jumping and dressage and I specialize in rescue and rehabilitation and rehoming abused, neglected and slaughter bound horses. I also train horses and my specialty is childrens riding and or 4-H horses. I have been rescuing horses just short of 26 years. To date I have helped 742 horses and still continue to do so.

How are Horses Acquired:
I have rescued horses from every situation you can think of-neglect, abandonment, abuse, owners who are no longer willing or are unable to care for the horse, wild mustangs, slaughter bound equine, starvation.

The horses I rescue come from all over from California to Texas to my State of Nebraska. I am often contacted about horses in need and I work with a network of other rescues and law enforcement to insure the safety and well being of the horses and removal if necessary. I am a firm believer in educating the public and horse owners alike about the care needed for there horses. New rescues come in usually weekly during the Spring and Summer months. During the late Fall and Winter the rescue horses seem to slow down so I concentrate on slaughter bound horses. I have capacity and funds to safely care for 20 horses at one given time.

How the Horses Rehabilitated:
Most of the horses that arrive at Lone Oak have trust issues or have been severely abused in one for or another not excluding starvation. Every member of Lone Oak is skilled in safety with horses and everyone is willing to work on an individual horse to regain trust and nuture all of its needs. Unless they are to young to ride all of the horses at Lone Oak have some sort of training before they leave the facility. Volunteers are required to start from the ground up. I must be extremely comfortable with their knowledge of the horses before they are allowed to interact with the horses. They will receive a course in horse handling, welfare and management before ever setting foot around one of the horses.

The horses of Lone Oak must have a full vet check, be UTD on shots and have their hooves trimmed before they leave the facility.

Group Specialties:
I am always available for my past adopters to talk to and am more than happy to answer any questions or concerns that may arrive. I often participate in trail rides, playdays and parades with past adopters. Also my past adopters are more than willing to use there knowledge to make others aware of the plight of the horses and what needs to be done to help the horse and the humans that own them. I fundraise all the time, craft shows, bake sales, garage sales, expos, etc.

Rewards:
I am a private rescue that has never really looked to be in the public eye so to speak. I have never won an award for anything. But when there are activities in the area I am always called and asked to participate.

Typical Day at the Facility:
Our main priority is the safety and wellbeing of the horses. The horses are groomed and med checked on a daily basis. I am here almost everyday all day long. When I am not able to be here there is always another member of the Lone Oak team that is knowledgeable about the activities and feeding programs here and can take care of every need. Horse Rescue is my primary day to day responsibility. We have only had two volunteers in the last year. Ninety nine percent of the effort that is set forth at Lone Oak is by the family members I have mentioned before.

Horses Available:
On average during the summer months anywhere from 5 to 15 horses can be up for adoption in any given month. In the winter the average per month is 2 to 5 horses.

Adoption Procedures:
When I adopt a horse out I will personally do a home visit. If it to far away someone that I know very well and work with on a regular basis may be called in to inspect the facility of a potential adopter. The potential adopter must have proper fencing, room for the horse, past experience in horses that may or may not have issues, the ability to feed the horse, proper shelter. Rescue IS NOT a money making venture. There are times we may put thousands of dollars into a horse. Our adoption fees are never outrageous. We look for the best home situation for the horse not who has the most money to adopt a horse. On average our adoption fees are $400 - $750. The information I request from a potential adopter is Home Address (former addresses if less than 3 years) all phone numbers, farrier number, vet number, 3 references, whether they have ever been charged or investigated for animal neglect or abuse, where they work, income (only to verify that they can afford the horse) photos of property and place where horse will be kept (this is prior to a home visit) photos every three months after adoption.

Testimonials:
I frequently receive letters and pictures in the mail stating how happy the new horse and adopters are and they enjoy telling me what they have been doing with their horse. Especially the children, they love to send pictures with the ribbons tied on their horses that they have won at 4-H horse shows etc. I receive emails on a regular basis asking questions and I am very happy to answer. I have spent hours on the phone answering questions. I have only had one horse returned to Lone Oak and that was because the new adopters husband suddenly had health issues and she felt it was in the best interest of the horse to come back home instead of struggling to try to take care of her.

Donations & Local Volunteers:
There is no maximum or mininum time limit for volunteers to be here all help is appreciated. We enjoy having volunteers just to talk to about horses but we also enjoy the help in feeding, cleaning pens and lots, grooming and on certain occasions riding the horses.

A volunteer can come from anywhere as long as they a love for horses. We are more than happy to educate a new comer to the horse rescue area.

We accept donations via paypal, donation boxes, and through the mail.

Comments:
Before you adopt a horse first you need to sit down and write up a budget to find out if you can actually afford one. Then you need to make absolute sure that this is not just a whim for you because it sounds like fun. You need to be 100% committed to having a horse. Make sure you have the proper facilities and means to adopt a horse including knowledge of your local vet, farrier, feed stores and hay suppliers to make sure they will be able to handle your horses needs.

If you witness a horse or other animal being mistreated never approach that person if you actually are witnessing the act. Call law enforcement immediately!!!! If they do not inform you that they
will check out the situation immediately then contact any local animal shelter or rescue for assistance. Be persistant especially if you feel there is immediate cause to help the animal.