Horse rescue group forced to move or shut down

MONCKS CORNER, S.C.—Since 2010, H.O.P.E. Acres Rescue has made it its mission to rescue horses near death, neglected and abused, and it is the only organization of its kind in Berkeley County dedicated to saving these precious creatures.

“We take in horses in all stages. Some of them don’t look like they’re emaciated or underweight, but they may have medical needs that you can’t see,” stated Tracey Sawyer, the organization’s founder. “When we make the commitment to care for these horses, we’re making a lifelong commitment which can be twenty, thirty plus years.”

For the last several years, Sawyer has leased approximately twenty acres of land on Dairy Farm Road for the rescued horses to roam freely. However, for reasons she can’t discuss, that is all about to change. Sawyer says she has been forced to find a new place for the horses to live or shut the organization down.

“Just this week, we got calls to take in five more horses that we’ve had to turn away because of the situation,” stated Sawyer. “Having to look for a new place is limiting our ability to take in horses at the moment.”

Ideally, Sawyer is hoping to move fifteen of the rescued horses on a farm located on Highway 6 near Kitfield Plantation. The problem is to purchase the 46 acre property would cost the organization around $100,000—money it does not have.

“We, individually, have tried to get together the funds to put down on the property but we’ve been unsuccessful,” explained Sawyer.

On top of the costs to purchase the property, it already costs the organization approximately $50,000 year to care for the rescued horses.

“On an average, you’re looking at about $200 to take care of a healthy horse and that’s just the bare necessities,” Sawyer said.

The new location would allow Sawyer and her organization to take in more horses and create a much needed sanctuary for them.

“Most of our horses, like Shadow here, is 27-years-old and can never be ridden again, so he will likely live the rest of his life with us, so a sanctuary is something we’ve wanted to do for quite some time, but we’re limited with the space we have,” Sawyer stated.

Sawyer says she has about sixty days to raise enough money to keep H.O.P.E. Acres Rescue running. Otherwise, she will be forced to find the horses new homes and stop rescuing horses in need all together.

“If we can garner the monetary support, we’d like to have the opportunity to continue helping Berkeley County,” Sawyer stated.

To donate, Sawyer has created a page on GoFundMe.com. To donate, simply click here.

Any donation, no matter how big or small, is greatly appreciated.

For more information on H.O.P.E. Acres Rescue, click here.