Home for the Herd

Free Rein Rescue & Rehab is a 501(c)3 nonprofit equine rescue and sanctuary nestled in the White Mountains of New Hampshire's North Country. Founded in June 2023, we are dedicated to rescuing horses, ponies, and their farm friends from slaughter pipelines, providing them with compassionate rehabilitation, and offering them a safe and loving forever home. But our mission goes beyond the animals; we are building a place where horses and humans come together for healing, growth, and joy.

Every animal in our care arrives with a story. Hersey is a 28-year-old pony who spent his life as a therapy horse, giving comfort to others before it was his turn to receive it. Now managing Cushing's disease in his senior years, he has found a soft landing with us. Lily, just seven years old, is full of life and possibility, her whole future ahead of her. Both came to us through a partnership with the SPCA after their devoted owner faced a sudden life emergency and had no choice but to find them new homes, a heartbreaking situation that so many horse owners fear. We were there to help, and we are glad we were.

At Free Rein, we believe that rescuing a horse is only the beginning. Each animal receives individualized care, including veterinary attention, farrier services, proper nutrition, and the patient, trust-building work that helps horses who have been through hardship learn to feel safe again. We work with each animal at their own pace, honoring who they are and what they have been through.

Our vision for the future is ambitious and community-centered. We are actively developing equine therapy programs for veterans coping with PTSD, adaptive athletes, at-risk youth, elderly individuals, and survivors of trauma. We are building school partnerships to bring children face-to-face with horses for hands-on learning, and we are working toward a permanent facility, an 8-stall barn in Coos County, that will allow us to serve more horses and more people than ever before.

Since our founding, we have been proud to show up for this community. Roman participated in Bethlehem Summerfest, Franconia Old Home Days, both parades, and greeted neighbors at the Vintage Market in the Mountains. We were honored to be named a Littleton Coop Partner of the Month, where we earned the highest monthly revenue of all 2024 program participants, proof that this community shows up when it matters.

We are a small organization with a big heart and an even bigger purpose. Our work is sustained by donations, grants, and the dedication of volunteers and supporters who believe, as we do, that every horse deserves a life free from suffering, and that the healing that happens between a person and a horse is unlike anything else in the world.

This NH Gives season, your support will help us feed, care for, and rehabilitate horses in need. It will help us build the infrastructure to expand our programs, and it will help us say yes the next time a horse needs somewhere to go.

When they come here, they're home. Help us keep the door open.