An Advocate’s Awakening

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I never planned to become an advocate for horses. I was a health-minded woman who believed deeply in the body’s ability to heal through nutrition, movement, rest, and prayer. When I approached menopause, I began researching natural ways to support that transition. One quiet evening of research changed everything.

As I learned more about hormone-replacement therapy, I discovered that one of the most commonly prescribed drugs — Premarin® — was derived from the urine of pregnant mares. What began as medical curiosity quickly became moral awakening. I couldn’t reconcile how a woman’s health could be supported through the prolonged confinement and exploitation of horses — or how the foals produced in that system were treated as disposable by-products. 

The discovery struck at my conscience and would not let go. That moment became the beginning of Voice for the Horse.

Once seen, some truths can’t be unseen.

In 2007, I created a single page on my equine-therapy website titled A Voice for the Horse — simply to share what I was learning. Within a year, after rescuing my first PMU foal, Angel, I realized this work needed its own space and its own voice.

VoiceForTheHorse.com was born not as an organization, but as an offering — a place to speak with honesty, compassion, and respect for the horse.

 As awareness grew, I encountered other realities facing horses:

• slaughter following the U.S. plant closures
   
• long-haul transport across borders
   
• premature training of young horses
   
• drug residues in horses entering the food chain
   

Many dedicated organizations confront these issues directly through investigation, litigation, and protest. I honor that work — but I also knew my own path had to look different. My role was not to document suffering alone, but to change how people see the horse.

Voice for the Horse became rooted in education, storytelling, and music — reaching people before cruelty becomes normalized.

Through children’s writing programs, original music, and creative storytelling, I’ve sought to plant compassion early — helping young people form relationships with horses based on empathy, respect, and understanding.

I believe:

• the horse is not cattle
   
• the horse is not a commodity
   
• the horse is a flight animal deserving of dignity
   
• and awareness must begin before harm occurs
   

This approach has shaped every chapter of Voice for the Horse.

Advocacy, for me, has never been abstract. It has been shaped by the horses I’ve known — including my Thoroughbred, Jimmy, whose damaged hooves told the story of a body pushed before it was ready; and Angel, whose life bridged awareness and healing.

Horses have carried humanity for centuries. They have also carried many of us — quietly — through grief, recovery, and transformation. This work honors that relationship.

Voice for the Horse continues to evolve as a creative platform — one that includes:

• equine-inspired music
   
• youth writing and storytelling
   
• educational resources
   
• community reflection
   
• and a growing archive of lived experience
   

The work moves at the pace of integrity, not urgency.