Virginia Range Horse General Information Links

USESR is proud to have coordinated the largest rescue-assisted seizure of horses in the U.S.!!!

In the fall of 2004, USESR was contacted by a friend and member of Wild Horses in Need, a California wild horse rescue organization. We were asked to coordinate the placement of 300 Virginia Range (also known as "Comstock") horses which the State of Nevada had turned over to Slick Gardner. The herd was taken to Slick's ranch in California, and Santa Barbara County was about to seize them. The reason they had not been seized yet was because of the county's projected expenses of feeding and caring for that many horses.

California is one of the most humane states in the U.S., and the only officially anti-slaughter state in America. There are many, many equine rescues in the state of California. Some are sanctuaries and the sanctuaries were all full already. Even the wild horse rescues were full. Everyone was already straining to save as many wild horses from slaughter as they could. Jean-Marie Webster saw a way to ensure this particular herd would not be slaughtered or placed in substandard homes where they may not be safe. Her idea was for 501(c)(3) equine rescues and sanctuaries across the country to take in small groups of these horses, at no charge to them. Normally, rescues who do not deal with wild horses, abstain from doing so because not enough wild horses are in need in their particular area. Shipping them is difficult and very expensive. Transport costs are the main reason more rescues can not take in wild horses. For Jean- Marie's idea to work, transport of these 300 horses had to be free to the rescues.

USESR volunteers got busy screening and contacting qualified rescue organizations and began a fundraising campaign for the "Hitch-Hiking Horses". Santa Barbara County wound up paying for most of the transport themselves. With the help of the participating rescues, we raised funds towards the cost of transport.

USESR wishes to thank all of our donors and the participating rescues who made all of this possible. Without your support, there is little that we could have done!