Special Horses

Since 2009, we have been a trusted, accredited 501(c)(3) equine charity. Honesty, fiscal responsibility, and transparency are important to us and we understand that these characteristics are the foundation of your support. Special Horses is a member of the Homes for Horses Coalition, has been a Great NonProfit since 2015, and has Platinum level transparency on Guidestar.

2023 ACCOMPLISHMENTS
* $20,942 distributed to 15 different 501(c)(3) rescues
* 10 Online Fundraisers
* 9 Emergency Fund Gifts
* 4 organizations requested assistance with grants
* 1 organization requested assistance with promotional materials
* Approximately 84% of our expenditures in 2023 went to programs and services

Special Horses executes its mission by running online fundraisers for 501(c)(3) equine rescues located across the United States. To be supported by Special Horses, these rescues need to be fiscally transparent and in good standing with the IRS and their state. Our focus is on small organizations with limited resources; Special Horses provides educational resources, promotional materials, and assistance with fundraising to fill in the gaps when needed. We help by creating promotional brochures and flyers, by helping organizations learn to craft grant applications, and by assisting with navigating other funding opportunities.

Special Horses' operating costs are minimal: state registrations (we assist organizations throughout the United States and therefore register to solicit in almost every state), accountant, postage, website domains, fundraising platforms, and hosting. Since its inception in 2007, we have helped over 80 rescues across the United States. We rely upon public support to cover costs for the website and fundraising platforms. We also have a separate program, the Special Horses Emergency Fund, that offers $100 to equine welfare organizations with budgets $100,000 or under who have an unexpected financial emergency and who need funds for cash flow.

The inspiration for Special Horses began with one horse: Ted (Zen's Secret ReaZen). He was born March 20, 1992 and his breeder and trainer, Oscar Wells Sr., named him Zen's Secret ReaZen in honor of an illustrious linage that included Secretariat, Zen, and Hail to Reason. While Ted's pedigree was exemplary, his racing career was not. He had only one win, one place, and one show in 27 starts at Fairmount Race Track in Illinois, and he passed through a few hands before Wendi Neckameyer, Founder and Executive Director of Special Horses, came across a small newspaper ad listing him for sale. She purchased him in April 1998. Through her contacts in the horse community, she discovered that many racehorses are regularly sent to auctions and end up in slaughterhouses. Ted was one of the lucky ones, as the Cavel Slaughterhouse (which is now closed) was one of the worst and was located a short distance from the Fairmount track in Illinois where Ted raced.

Wendi realized her beloved Ted could have ended up at the Cavel slaughterhouse, so she decided to start Special Horses to raise funds to help the organizations that rescue equines that have been abused, surrendered, or abandoned. Many of these organizations expend their resources on rescue and rehabilitation and have limited knowledge and experience with fundraising. Starting from its humble beginnings with a "Secret Santa" fundraiser on the Chronicle of the Horse Forums in 2007, Special Horses grew and was granted tax-exempt, charitable status in March 2010. Special Horses now runs numerous fundraisers throughout the year, helps with grant submissions, and creates flyers and other marketing material for equine rescues, all at no charge.

Ted had been diagnosed in 2016 at the age of 24 with Cushing's Disease, and he passed on April 19, 2019. He may not have won the Kentucky Derby, but he was the inspiration for Special Horses. Niles (Beyond the Nile, Sire Pioneer of the Nile, Dam Beyond Price, born March 25, 2014), now serves as the Equine Advocate for Special Horses. Niles was adopted on May 11, 2019 from the Secretariat Center, a Thoroughbred rehoming facility in Lexington, Kentucky. He promotes adoption of all equines needing new homes and a safe landing.

Our primary goal for GiveSTLDay 2024 is to generate revenue for our fundraising platforms and for the Special Horses Emergency Fund.