What has 76 feet, 19 hearts and a thousand stories?  That would be Heaven Can Wait Equine Rescue and Sanctuary in San Miguel, California.

In 2003 a former western show champion realized that horses everywhere were suffering.  From the show and training rings to the backyard corrals, horses and donkeys needed help.  That’s when Susan Schwartz started rescuing needy equines and discovered she couldn’t stop – the job was too important, the need too great, the opportunity to help society by improving the lives of animals too precious to waste.

So 14 acres later, Susan and her husband Mark found themselves with a non-profit rescue organization that provides medical and psychological care for unwanted equines while giving them a chance to live out their lives in comfort and safety.  It sounds easy, but have you ever thought about what an animal rescue/sanctuary involves?  The challenges both physical and financial can be intimidating – to someone less passionate than Susan, that is.

There are now 19 horses and donkeys being cared for affectionately and their unique needs met every day at HCW.  A young and growing organization, HCW recently recruited an all volunteer Board and Executive Director to work on sanctuary accreditation, fundraising projects, community outreach and the eventual goal of providing educational tours to school children from the surrounding communities.  Knowledge is the greatest weapon we have to fight animal abuse; animal abuse goes hand in hand with human abuse.

HCW can only keep doing what it knows how to do best with increased and stabilized funding, so that’s a huge and a top priority.    Please log onto www.heavencanwait.us and let the rescue residents tell you some of their thousands of stories.  You will be inspired.

At Heaven Can Wait, neglected and abused horses receive compassion, love and care, something that most of the equines have never known before.

On Saturday, the non-profit organization, founded by Susan Schwartz and Julie Boskovich, hosted an open house event at Independence Ranch in San Miguel, which is home to the foundation’s 18 rescued equines.

Heaven Can Wait is committed to providing neglected, abused, and unwanted equines with quality of life and quality care for their remaining days.

The open house, which got under way at 11 a.m., was a way to drum up support for the organization and raise funds to the continued care and treatment of the neglected animals. According to Schwartz, the organization, which subsists primarily off of donations, is in constant need of funding.

When new horses arrive at the ranch, most have undergone years of abuse, neglect and have lived in sub-standard conditions. As a result, many of the horses come to the ranch with problems ranging from starvation to misshapen hooves, physical wounds and both treatable and untreatable diseases. In addition, because of the horses’ past experiences with their caregivers, many of the equines that come to the ranch are extremely distrustful of humans, Schwartz said. The animals need to be treated by a veterinarian and carefully cared for and rehabilitated. Through this process, many of the animals, at least partially, regain their sense of trust.

Aside from treatment costs, the founders also require money for the horses’ day-to-day care. Feeding costs alone average out to $2,500 per month.

More than 100 people came to the open house to support Schwartz and Boskovich’s efforts. Patrons of the event enjoyed barbecued hot dogs, free popcorn, wine tasting and a raffle. The open house also featured a “like-new” clothes and tack sale, with items donated by a late friend of Schwartz who was active in the quarter-horse circuit. Schwartz will still be selling the items and encourages those interested to visit the ranch.

The open house also featured a demonstration in natural horsemanship, by Schwartz’s foster-son, Steven. Natural showmanship means that no whips or spurs were used on the horses while showing the animals.

Though financially the open house merely broke even, Schwartz said that she achieved her primary goal.

“I wanted people to become aware of me,” she said.

One of Heaven Can Wait’s newest additions is Beatrice, a 15-year old miniature donkey that Schwartz rescued from poor conditions. Because of the previous owner’s lack of knowledge about proper equine care and nutrition, Beatrice’s quality of life was poor. The mini donkey’s feet had not been trimmed in over a year, and as a result the animal’s hooves were overgrown and misshapen, making it painful for her to walk. In addition, Beatrice was extremely overweight and distrustful of all humans.

“[Beatrice] had been neglected for well over a year,” said Schwartz. Schwartz took ownership of Beatrice in July of 2007 and immediately began treating and rehabilitating the donkey by putting the animal on a specialized diet and taking proper care of her feet. With work, Beatrice’s condition has improved over time.

“She’s fabulous, but she is still shy around people,” Schwartz said.

Schwartz and Boskovich take in horses from all over the country, each with a different case history and different treatment needs. Some come from families that can no longer financially afford to pay for the proper care and upkeep of the animal. Some of the horses have been rescued from pack trains or summer riding camps, in which the horses worked all day in poor conditions and with inadequate care. Some of the animals were simply abandoned by their previous owners, while others were considered useless because they were lamed or not able to be ridden.

Among the horses in Heaven Can Wait’s care is Pair O Docs, the grandson of Triple Crown winner Secretariat. The horse was bred to follow in the footsteps of his famous grandfather, but his racing career ended when he ran in and lost three races.

Pair O Docs was sold as a packhorse. During a trip, Pair O Docs fell off of a cliff, into a tree and onto the ground. This traumatic injury altered the horse forever, and he is no longer safe to ride.

“I keep him happy and comfortable, and that’s all I can do for him,” Schwartz said.

Three of the horses in Heaven Can Wait’s care were slated to be euthanized instead of correcting their treatable ailments. The organization also prevents the animals from going up for auction. Horses at auctions, especially those seen as undesirable due to age or condition, may wind up being sold to equine slaughterhouses, Schwartz said.

Part of the mission at Heaven Can Wait is educating the public about proper equine care. According to Schwartz, the primary cause of abuse is that most horse-owners aren’t educated in the proper treatment of horses and don’t know how much money is required to adequately care for their needs.

“Most rescue people, like me, have the ability to teach,” she said. “My goal is to educate people.”

Schwartz is always looking for “people who love horses and want to be around them” to serve as volunteers. She said that her foundation is the perfect place for kids who want horses but cannot afford to take care of them, and for those who are involved with 4-H clubs or pony clubs.

“I want those people to come here,” Schwartz said.

Those that don’t have the time to come out the ranch but still want to help with the rescued horses can sponsor a horse through Heaven Can Wait’s Web site, www.heavencanwait.us. Those who donate can pick out a specific horse whose upkeep they want to help pay for. All donations are tax-deductible.

For more information of Heaven Can Wait, visit its Web site or contact Schwartz at 368-5702.