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[video:7324]EDWARDSVILLE – Happy Hooves Equine Rescue Center is a nonprofit sanctuary for horses in need of a home. Visitors can get a firsthand look at the work they do and the horses they house at three upcoming Open House events set for Aug. 11, Sept. 8, and Oct. 13, 2024, each from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the sanctuary, located at 7026 State Route 140 in Edwardsville.Founder Mary Morrison and Susan with Happy Hooves shared more about the organization and the work they do on Our Daily Show! on Riverbender.com.Happy Hooves’ mission, indicated by their slogan, is to continue “giving horses a chance at a better life.” Morrison said some horses who come into the rescue show signs of neglect or malnourishment, though she noted such mistreatment isn’t always intentional.“You see the lack of care, but … a lot of these people, they don’t mean to do it,” she said. “Some of it is lack of education, some of it is that they believe their horse is being cared for by somebody else that they’ve hired, but it’s not following through.”She added that many horses come to Happy Hooves from those who are terminally ill and have no other place for their horses to go.“We try to help the horse owners that … they’re not sure where their beloved animal is going to go, and so we try to give them an option,” Morrison said. Morrison likened Happy Hooves to a sort of retirement community for horses, where they can find new purpose in their lives.“A lot of the horses at our place are technically retired, so imagine all of your moms and dads who’ve retired – now they’re looking for something to do,” she said. “They can’t do, or won’t do, or don’t want to do, the job they did before. How do we make them feel useful? How do we make them feel wanted and needed and loved and cared for? Because that doesn’t stop when they can’t do their job anymore.”While there’s more than enough space for plenty more horses to roam around at the sanctuary, Morrison said space isn’t the issue – it’s the finances involved in maintaining the horses. Susan estimated (conservatively) that it costs about $50 per horse per day to maintain the 27 horses currently housed there, which totals about $1,350 per day.Much like post-pandemic grocery prices, the costs of hay and horse feed have grown exponentially due to inflation in recent years, making the nonprofit’s worthwhile mission a costly one. Morrison said necessary conversations are had with each horse owner to see if they can financially contribute to the horse’s well-being, even for a set amount of time – but whether a horse owner or just a supportive community member, Susan said there are plenty of ways the community can help Happy Horses continue its work.“The important thing is that we want to raise awareness that we’re there,” Susan said. “We’ll take any kind of donation anybody wants to do – we are always open to having volunteers come, that’s helpful. Horses need love, they need affection – if you don’t know how to curry a horse and how to clean their hooves, we’ll teach you.“Any kind of donation is welcome. We have sponsorships – you can sponsor a horse, we have sponsorship levels, so you don’t have to adopt it or pay for room and board, but you can sponsor a horse.”Both commended the hard work of the volunteers at Happy Hooves, with Morrison emphasizing that each cent that goes into the center goes right back into helping each of the horses there.“We’re a great group,” Susan said. “I just have to say, we have a great group of people, we have young volunteers … helping us out.”“Every dime that comes in is all to expenses … there’s no paid staff whatsoever – zero,” Morrison said. “I own the place and I don’t get paid for this.”She credits the sanctuary’s success over the years with the passion for animals everyone has at Happy Hooves, as well as the support of the community, who are welcome to see the animals and more at Happy Hooves during their upcoming Open House events on Aug. 11, Sept. 8, and Oct. 13, 2024, each from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.To find out more about Happy Hooves, the work they do, and ways to support its mission, visit their website or Facebook page or see the full interview with Morrison and Susan at the top of this story or on Riverbender.com/video.