Scrolling through TikTok the other day I stumbled across a video from the user, @farmersmechanic, where he shares his “unpopular opinion” about nonprofit horse rescues. I watched the video a few times and I will admit that I took his opinion personally and it bothered me. I read the comments and was blown away to see the feedback. There were several hundred comments from people praising his opinion, saying things like, “Amen!”, and “dog food and glue”. I spent a few days thinking about the video, the comments, and why I was bothered by it. I don’t think what we do here at Freedom & Whiskey Equine Rescue is irresponsible, unethical, immoral, or reliant on donations. You can watch the TikTok video below for context and then check out the reasons I provide below for why I don’t think he’s talking about Freedom & Whiskey Equine Rescue.
Who I Think He’s Really Talking About
I want to be clear that this is my opinion, and I am not speaking for @farmersmechanic in any way. However, after watching his video a few times and reflecting on what he’s saying, I think his “unpopular opinion” is aimed at rescues that take on more than they can handle. Taking on horses is a huge responsibility and it takes a lot of resources, time, and money to do effectively. Rescues that take on more horses than their land can support do more harm than good. Rescues that take on more horses than they have the money to support, do more harm than good. I think these are the rescues that @farmersmechanic is upset about. While the video does call out nonprofits that “beg for money” to care for their animals, I believe that the specific context is for rescues that don’t have the ability to care for their animals without donations. Again, I am not speaking for @farmersmechanic in any way, for all I know he could think we are part of the problem too.
We Support Our Rescues Without Donations
Wendy and I have been actively rescuing horses for almost ten years, which predates the establishment of our nonprofit. When we started with our first rescue, and for every rescue we have in our possession today, we have provided top-tier care out of our own pockets. For those that don’t know, Wendy and I have day jobs, unrelated to the rescue, that afford us the money and resources to rescue horses and provide the highest standard care for them. This standard of care includes high-quality feed, equine dental treatment, veterinary care, medications, and of course farrier services. On average we spend over $30,000 per year on the animals that we rescue here at Freedom & Whiskey Equine Rescue.
We Don’t Take On More Than We Can Handle
Due to the fact that we have spent a long time rescuing horses out of our own pockets, we have learned not to take on more than we can handle. However, money isn’t the only resource that rescues have in short supply. Taking on more horses than your land can support is also problematic. There is a term for this, it’s called “carrying capacity”. Carrying capacity is the amount of animals that a specific quantity of land can support for grazing. Depending on the animal and their size, the carrying capacity can fluctuate. For horses, a good rule of thumb is 1 horse per 1.5 acres. Some cities have hard limits set by statute or law where other cities don’t have any guidance on the topic. Since horses graze we have always paid attention to the number of horses that we can support on our land. If our horses eat all of the grass in our pastures we are forced to supplement their diet with hay, which gets very expensive very quickly.
We Rescue With Our Brains and Our Hearts
Most rescues start with a noble purpose, helping defenseless animals in need. Some rescues leave something to be desired in their execution, especially when that execution is fueled by more heart than brains. Leading with the heart at the exclusion of the brain can lead to taking on more than you can handle and it can lead to making poor decisions about which animals to rescue. When we are deciding to rescue an animal, we work together to balance the brain and heart to make sure we are making good decisions. Our primary goal is to rescue animals that stand the best chance at rehabilitation and finding a forever home, so we evaluate their age, health, temperament, and appearance to make the most logical decisions about which rescues come to our farm.
We Prioritize Education & Awareness
One of the most important parts of our rescue operation is spreading awareness about horses and horse rescue and providing our community and volunteers with education about how to care for horses as well as how to run a working farm. Almost every volunteer we have had at Freedom & Whiskey Equine Rescue has remained not only a friend but a part of our family. Most came to us with no farm or horse experience and each now has a set of new skills and experiences with large animals that they can claim. We’ve had some amazing reviews left for us by volunteers and farmhands here: https://greatnonprofits.org/org/freedom-whiskey-equine-rescue.
We’re a Nonprofit, Not Because We Have to Be
Yeah, we are a nonprofit. Since March 2022 we have been a nonprofit, 501(c)(3), horse rescue. However, we aren’t a nonprofit because we need donations to function. We are a nonprofit because we understand that there are wonderful people that believe the same things that we do and have not only the resources but the inclination to help animals in need. We have met tons of people in our travels that love and appreciate the work that we do with Freedom & Whiskey Equine Rescue. We meet many supporters who state that they would love to have a similar operation of their own, but can’t for myriad reasons. We know that very few people who say they want this lifestyle will actually succeed in doing it in real life so we give them a way to support a cause that they believe in without having to take on the burden, the mountain of work, and the risk of failure. Each supporter that connects with our mission and wants to support our rescue gets to do good with their money while simultaneously reducing the financial commitment Wendy and I have to make. It’s a win-win-win. Our donors get the win of supporting horses in need, we get some financial relief for doing what we love, and the animals in our care have multiple people helping to ensure that they have the highest standards of care and the food that they need to thrive.
In Conclusion
To wrap this up, @farmersmechanic has an unpopular opinion, but I don’t think he’s necessarily wrong. I also don’t think that his diatribe is aimed at organizations like Freedom & Whiskey Equine Rescue for the five reasons provided above. As for the commenters arguing that any unwanted horse should be “glue or dog food”, that’s a topic for another blog post. So, what do you think? Do you think that what Freedom & Whiskey Equine Rescue does is worthwhile, moral, ethical, or beneficial to society? Let us know in the comments what you think and where you stand on @farmersmechanic’s video.