Will you help us save Pilgrim?

Every year, thousands of horses are shipped from the US to Mexico and Canada for slaughter.  It is an awful fate that no sentient being deserves.  It is heart wrenching to us on so many levels.  We can't save them all but we can help where we can, and one we can help is Pilgrim.

Pilgrim landed himself in a kill pen in NC about 14 days ago.  He was an Amish workhorse before that.  For one reason or another they couldn't or wouldn't keep him any longer and so, as many Amish horses do, he wound up at an auction where he was purchased by a kill buyer.  You see, Pilgrim is a Belgian draft horse, so he is a very large horse!  His size makes it harder to find a home for him and more valuable at the meat market which means it costs more to bail him out.  

About 5 days ago, we saw him on our news feed and were immediately drawn to him.  There was just something about him.  We started following him and praying that someone would step up before his time was up.  We watched and waited, until today, when we saw that his time was coming to an end this weekend.  We asked some more questions about him and heard he is one of the calmest and kindest horses on the lot.  While no horse deserves the fate awaiting Pilgrim, not being able to save them all doesn't mean we can't start with one very deserving horse and so, we want to be the answer to our own prayer and step up for this gentle giant.

Taking on a project like this is a huge undertaking and we need the support of our community to make this happen!  We needs to raise initial funds to pull Pilgrim, have him transported to the lot and brought to quarantine for 30 days where he will also get his initial vet visits.  He will also need to be transported to the sanctuary once quarantine is over. Just these initial expenses to get him safe will cost around $2000.  

During that 30 days we will be working hard to create an area for him here at the sanctuary.  We have already chosen the area across from the other horses.  We will need volunteers to help us clean up an old collapsed building and we will need volunteers and building materials to build him a fence and a shed.  We will also need to complete our arena area so that we have a place to bond and work with him...and for all of you to come meet (and possibly ride!) him once he is ready! And as a bonus, anyone who donates $100 or more will be gifted a private tour to come and meet him and all of the animals once he is ready (we will contact you to schedule this when he is out of quarantine).

Over the years in rescue we have learned that there is never a "perfect" time.  While we already have SO many things going on at the sanctuary, we know that NOW is the time for Pilgrim.  We believe in what we can do when we all come together and we know that with the support of this amazing community, we can save him!  We are sure that Pilgrim will bring you and all of our visitors joy for years to come.