Horse Feathers

It was an image that Cheri White
Owl could not shake. After taking one look at Maddie, White Owl could tell that
the neglected and abused horse would die if she did not intervene. Her frail
bones poked out through her body and buyers at the 2006 auction in Jones, Oklahoma,
were not willing to pay for the malnourished animal. White Owl was already an
experienced horse rescuer for a number of states, but after falling in love
with Maddie with just one glance, she knew that she would be settling in
Oklahoma to provide a voice for the beautiful creature and other neglected
horses. 

“I just had to help her,” says
White Owl. “I knew that no one would want her so I bid on her and got her out
of there.” As she speaks about Maddie, her voice is full of love and her
nurturing tone lets you know that the horse received the best care
available.  Maddie would be the first of
many horses that White Owl would help in Oklahoma. White Owl and her team of
experienced horse rescuers provide a safe and stable home for neglected horses.
Many of these animals would potentially be abandoned or on their way to
slaughter houses if it were not for the care, medical attention and sanctuary
that Horse Feathers Equine Rescue provides.

“We do rescue and rehab,” says
White Owl. “We get in emaciated horses, horses with injuries and all types of
health issues. We rehab those horses and we decide then whether or not that
horse is going to be in sanctuary here or if it’s eligible to go through our
adoption program.” Horse Feathers is currently caring for 18 horses and White
Owl says that these animals would have limited options if their services were
unavailable. “They would have wound up dying from starvation and neglect or
they would have gone to an auction and eventually to slaughter.”

Through Horse Feathers, White
Owl provides an opportunity for everyone to care and speak up for neglected
animals. They currently offer a volunteer program where people can help clean,
groom and feed horses. White Owl is also concentrating on giving horse owners
the necessary tools that they need to help their animals. “I focus a lot on
education—on educating people on the proper way to care for horses.”

Horse Feathers also provided
help to horse owners following the severe weather and tornadoes that impacted
Oklahoma in May 2013. White Owl and her team visited disaster areas and
provided horse owners with the items that they would need to help their animals
fully recover following the storms. “We drove through the outlying areas, going
from place to place just assisting people where they needed it.” Workers at
Horse Feathers provided hay, grain, water tanks, medical supplies and other
items to displaced horse owners. They are continuing this service by being one
of the go-to places for these owners as they continue to seek assistance for
their animals following the devastation.

White Owl and her staff are
currently prepping horses for the upcoming winter months. They’re also letting
volunteers come out and bond with the animals at their 2013 Fall Work Days.
Participants can camp out, enjoy a bonfire and interact with the horses from
9am-5pm on Saturday, September 28, and from 9am-3pm on Sunday, September 29.

As long as there is a horse in
need, White Owl will be there to provide unlimited TLC.  She is also encouraging volunteers to also
help with the warm efforts at Horse Feathers. “Come out and visit! We’re always
in need of donors and people who want to sponsor older horses and the ones that
are not adoptable.”

For more information, visit
horsefeathersequinerescue.org or call 260-7281.