Welcome

Welcome to Panhandle Equine Rescue. PER's mission is to rescue, rehabilitate and provide adoption services for abused, neglected, and abandoned equines. We operate in Escambia County in northwest Florida. Since PER began in 2005, we have worked 111 cases involving 466 horses. 54 horses have been rescued.

PER is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization depending entirely on volunteers and private donations. All donations are tax deductible.

TO REPORT CRUELTY OR NEGLECT IN ESCAMBIA COUNTY, FL, CALL 850-587-2754. Callers can choose to remain anonymous.

Panhandle Equine Rescue is in desperate need of donations to help pay the vet bills on a rescued Arabian mare. Raven, along with her colt, Racer, were rescued in April (check out their stories here). Both were adopted out, but Raven was returned to us because of her health issues. Since July 8th, her expenses have added up to almost $1200.00. She had to be admitted into the vet clinic again for the second time tonight due to regular bouts of colic. She has been diagnosed with "Grade 2 Ulcers" and experiences pain on a daily basis. She has been started on an oral paste that must be given daily. One tube costs $33.00. She must receive this medicine for 28 days.

Panhandle Equine Rescue has a total of 17 horses in foster care and very little in donations has been coming in. We're planning some fund raisers to try to compensate for our losses, but it may be too late. We are really frustrated at this point, because we know that our services are needed in this county. We rely solely on donations. We do not receive county or state funding, nor have we received any federal grants. In 2005, three of us were approved by a judge to do equine investigations in Escambia County and since then, we have worked 111 cases involving 466 horses. We have rescued 54 horses.

In addition, we are in great need of foster homes. We are at full capacity and cannot take in any more rescues until we have more space and can raise the funds to support them.

If anyone would like to sponsor Raven to help get her through this horrible ordeal in her life, we would appreciate it. A monthly sponsor receives a picture and a quarterly update or you can be a one time sponsor. Donations can be sent to PER, P.O. Box 777, Cantonment, FL. 32533

PANHANDLE EQUINE RESCUE – MYTHBUSTING!
By Alice Harris, Member, Board of Directors

Various myths and rumors abound regarding the activities, behaviors, and motivations of the people who run Panhandle Equine Rescue (PER). As a member of the Board of Directors of PER for over a year, I would like to do some "Myth-Busting."

Myth: PER does not operate on the "innocent until proven guilty" system.
Fact: PER only investigates when abuse and/or neglect has been reported. Objective standards such as Body Condition Index are employed to determine if horses are underweight and site inspections determine whether water, feed, grass and hay are available and whether fencing is horse-safe.

Myth: PER acts as "judge, jury, and executioner."
Fact: PER investigations may reach the legal system through 2 possible routes – criminal or civil. The State Attorney's office investigates and makes decisions about whether a person should be charged with a crime. Civil legal action is taken when PER believes it is necessary to protect the life or health of an animal by removing it from an owner. A judge decides whether to remove abused or neglected equines based on evidence including photographs and reports from PER investigators.

Myth: PER harasses owners when they have not done anything wrong. These owners do not receive any type of compensation or apology after they have been wrongly accused of abuse or neglect.
Fact: PER cannot prevent wrongful accusations and it has an obligation to investigate abuse reports. Only through investigation can PER determine if abuse or neglect exists. If so, PER attempts to persuade owners to properly care for their equines.

Myth: PER uses "strong-arm" tactics to make owners surrender their horses to PER.
Fact: Some owners decide to turn their horses over to PER in lieu of providing adequate care for them. Only if an owner does not provide minimal acceptable care does PER ask a judge to award the animal to PER.

Myth:PER makes money from taking and then reselling horses.
Fact: PER would much rather have the owners maintain responsibility for their equine, as every horse taken in by PER is a financial burden to the organization. Some require extensive medical care and rehabilitation before they can be placed for adoption and adoption fees almost never come close to covering the cost incurred by PER and foster parents. Because equines are adopted out, not sold, PER is ultimately responsible for the equine's well-being for the remainder of its life. PER is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization depending entirely on volunteers and private donations.

Last updated: Wednesday July 23, 2008.