How it all began: My name is Hilary Keys, I am the founder and director of Horse Haven. I was born and raised in Michigan but I moved to Mexico shortly before marrying my husband Jose. Rancho Paraiso, in Tekax, Yucatan, Mexico, is the home of our horses. It belongs to my husband’s family and is immense in size. I decided to start doing something for our equine friends after my experience with my first horse, Principe. I met him the first time I came to Yucatan to study Spanish. When I returned to Mexico to live, Jose and I spent a lot of time at the ranch where I developed a bond and fell in love with Principe. One day, a couple of men came to the ranch that wanted to buy Principe for the purpose of meat, at that time he was quite skinny. As Principe was property of Jose’s father, Jose immediately informed his father of the situation and told him that they couldn’t take this horse because I had fallen in love with him. With that, Principe became a permanent resident of Rancho Paraiso and we began feeding him horse feed and getting him veterinary attention. Principe is the noblest animal I have ever met, he is so happy and gentle; even the smallest children in our family ride him! After Jose’s father saw how much we loved Principe and how well taken care of he had become, he brought us two more horses that were rescued directly from the line to the slaughterhouse. After they too had been rehabilitated I decided that we should do it more often!! There is nothing more gratifying than seeing a sad, skinny, hopeless horse become healthy, happy, and full of life.About our horses: We buy horses that were going to be killed for meat and we pay by the kilo. We can only select horses that have potential to be good candidates for adoption, meaning horses that can be ridden, even if only lightly. Unfortunately, we cannot take the ones who are wild or severely injured as we aim to adopt them after rehabilitation. There are several things that need to be understood about the difference between our horse rescue and horse rescues in the United States. Mexico is a third world country which changes just about everything. It is very difficult for us to ask for volunteers or donations from the people here as there are big issues with the quality of life for many them. Also, very few people would adopt a horse with special needs or that cannot be ridden. This limits us in many ways, and the only way that we can make it work is help from my fellow Americans. Being a third world country also changes the living conditions of these horses before they are rescued. I have personally visited and seen the slaughter houses where our horses come from. They are a nightmare. Aside from all the flies and the stray dogs feeding from remains left on the ground they are treated horribly. They are poked, pushed, people throw rocks at them, they are forced into tiny corrals with tons of other horses, and they are killed very inhumanely; in a lot of cases with a knife to their spinal cord. All you have to do is look at their faces to know their pain. I cannot even imagine how horrible it must be for them in a strange place with tons of other horses and the air thick with the smell of death. Many of them are sold for slaughter because they were injured, they are old, or they weren’t well taken care of and have become too skinny. They used to have a home and a family, and then all of a sudden they are waiting to be destroyed.
Important note: We are not political activists. We are not fighting against the slaughter of horses. We are just saving the ones we can from being slaughtered, paying slaughterhouses what they ask for them, and allowing everyone hope for a better future. The reason why we are treating the symptom and not the problem is because of economy issues. As much as I love horses and as much as I hate to see them killed, the industry of horse meat creates jobs and puts food on tables. As sad as it is, it is reality. Horses put horses before humans, and humans put humans before horses, it’s only natural. Under no circumstance will we release the source of our rescued horses for the sake of the families who are supported by meat workers and those who eat the meat.
About Rancho Paraiso: Ironically, Rancho Paraiso is Spanish for “Paradise Ranch,†and that’s exactly what we strive to give our horses; paradise. We currently have capacity for eight horses and we hope to expand as our support grows. Upon arrival to the ranch we take photos and assess the condition of the horse. We make notes on any broken skin, the amount of ticks (ticks are a big problem here in our tropical climate), their general demeanor, we check the conditions of the hooves (usually it has been quite awhile since they’ve been trimmed), we check for any signs of lameness, and if they seem up to it, we take them on a light ride to check their riding temperament. We begin their treatment with an exam from a qualified veterinarian to assess anything that we might have missed, an appointment with the Ferrier to trim their hooves and shoe them, and begin their de-worming program as they all come with a pot belly full of parasites. They are fed horse feed twice a day and enough fresh hay to eat all day and night if they please. We also add liquid vitamins and vegetable oil to their feed to help them put on some badly needed weight (beet pulp is not available here). Another very important part of our program is helping the horses regain trust in humans. Just about every single one upon arrival wants nothing to do with humans, at most, they’ll tolerate us. To re-teach them that we’re not all bad, it’s important for us to make sure we have lots of time for bonding. Our goal is to get them ready for adoption in six months. After six months has passed we do another thorough evaluation like the one they received when they arrived. We then make a decision whether the horse is ready or not. If he is not ready, whether it be that he still hasn’t been able to achieve a healthy weight, a remaining health issue, or he still hasn’t come around to trusting us, we will keep him with us the time necessary to help him be an excellent companion that someone will cherish.For more information on what you can do to help, please contact
[email protected]
