Purpose / Goals

Dancer’s Legacy Foundation was formed to prevent cruelty to horses and promote advocacy on their behalf.

The organization’s goal is to promote both direct and indirect rescue resources for horses which suffer in situations of abuse and neglect with particular emphasis on removing horses from the slaughter pipeline. Dancer’s Legacy Foundation will work toward supporting efforts which remove horses from needing “rescue” in the first place while also working to strengthen qualified and legitimate programs which remove or keep horses from abusive situations.

The organization will provide educational efforts to prevent horse cruelty by supporting responsible horse ownership programs and those which give horses safe and humane alternatives to slaughter. Such programs could include equine assisted therapy, wounded warrior programs, therapeutic riding, or re-training and re-homing services. Other programs may include, but not be limited to, emergency situations such as fire/flood or other disaster where short-term assistance is needed for temporarily displaced equines.

Dancer’s Legacy Foundation initiates programs with veterinary practices across the country to provide discounted services for gelding stud colts and stallions as well as dental care.

Participating veterinarians host discounted clinics during the year to clients and horse owners in their area. Castration clinics assist with population control as there is a strong need to curb unnecessary or irresponsible breeding in the horse industry. Dental care is critical to maintaining horse health and when not provided contributes not only to health conditions but can create training issues as well. These types of discounted services are a win-win for horse owners, horses and veterinary clinics. Horse owners with financial issues often cut back on health care needs for horses. Veterinarians lose business during tough economic times. Horses lose out when presenting health and/or training problems. Offering discounts allows vets to examine horses they might not have seen for some time or at all; owners can resolve issues which might ensure they can keep their horse in a safe home.

Dancer’s Legacy Foundation will serve to strengthen the infrastructure of the horse industry in the equine welfare field by offering some of the above-mentioned programs as well as other strategies to keep horses in safe situations.

It will also work to support training services which offer horses a second career or other opportunities which remove them from less than ideal circumstances or the road to slaughter. From time to time, Dancer’s Legacy Foundation will offer grant assistance to pre-selected equine rescues or sanctuaries around the country to help strengthen their work to protect horses. This assistance is limited to specific expenditures and organizations are only pre-selected; there is no general application process.

Dancer’s Legacy Foundation welcomes the opportunity to partner with humane officers/animal control around the country on projects which promote equine welfare (i.e., gelding services, humane euthanasia when required, short-term emergency feed assistance).