By June Smith
Pregnant Mare Rescue is a temporary horse sanctuary committed to rescuing pregnant mares and orphan foals from abuse, advocating for the humane treatment of all horses through education while enriching the human experience.
Lynn Hummer with mare Princess Indie
In 2006, introducing The Sanctuary at PMR Pastures, Lynn Hummer, founder and owner, said, “Our goal is to keep pregnant mares and orphaned foals out of harm’s way. By moving our 16-year-old rescue operation to a new location in Petaluma, we have created an eight-acre sanctuary here in Watsonville. Our goal is to make our sacred space available to host our healing programs. Our world is in desperate need of resources to help us find love, a safe space, and paths to move forward while violence and hatred escalate at alarming rates all around us. The time to heal and come together in love is now.”
The horses that Hummer rescues and rehabilitates are put up for adoption, and in the past 14 years, she’s found homes for more than 400 mares and foals.
Most become trail or companion horses.
Hummer became hooked on the work after buying a pregnant quarter-horse pony in 2005 for $300, saving the animal from slaughter.
“Then her baby came, and, oh, my gosh…it was just so magical,” she says. “I thought, ‘You know what? I really can do this. I can save these mares.’ ”
She runs Pregnant Mare Rescue on a modest annual budget, and most of that money comes from individual donors, as she doesn’t take a salary.
Lynn and Whiskey visiting summer camp kids at the Capitola Mall.
She says, “The work is incredibly rewarding, we let pregnant mares come in, have their babies, and nurse their young in peace, we know they’ve come from a difficult place. They’re so grateful, with the tails swooshing plus licking and chewing.”
Pregnant Mare Rescue host Denna Kelley has supported many horses through various traumas.
She says, “I have over 20 years working with horses in many disciplines; my love for horses has been lifelong. However, when I began volunteering for PMR, I found the horse’s healing process extremely eye-opening and learned more about horses in nine years of rescue than I had in all my years competing. Working side by side with these horses is a spiritually enlightening journey that I wish to share. The magic that horses offer us… in their grace, beauty and peaceful nature, is undeniable and profound.”
Since the coronavirus hit, “we’re hunkering down,” Hummer says. “Our hay stash is good our bank account is good.”
What’s more, she’s posted to Facebook and sent out a few newsletters, and been rewarded with donations.
“People feel good about wanting to make a difference, every donated dollar goes to keeping the organization running, hauling, vet bills, feed, grain, Internet, and everything else,” she says.
While the world slowly comes out of quarantine, Hummer suspects more people will need the type of magic that horses can bring.
She herself didn’t realize their ability for patience and healing and their therapeutic value until she started PMR. Over the years, she’s seen everyone from grieving adults to children with autism or Asperger’s find a quiet peace around the horses.
“What dolphins are to the sea, horses are to the land,” she says. “They’re able to really touch people on an amazingly deep level.”
The grand opening of the Sanctuary is scheduled for September. Donations can be made at www.pregnantmarerescue.org or www.sanctuarypmr.org
Lynn Hummer’s memoir on her 16-year journey in horse rescue, “For The Love Of Horse,” is available for $16.36 on Amazon.
Horses relaxing in the pasture enjoying the sun.
For info, call 408-540-8568 or email pmrhorses@pregnantmarerescue.com.