10/10/2026
🐴 When They Come Here, They Come Home ❤️
This is what I see every morning.
Around 5:30, while most people are still sleeping, Bruce and I head outside and start chores. We walk from barn to barn in the early morning light, checking on everyone, putting out hay and getting grain ready.
And some mornings, I stop for a minute and just look around.
The horses are quietly munching their hay. They’re relaxed and comfortable. As we get closer with the grain, we hear those familiar nickers letting us know they’re waiting for us.
And you can just tell…
They feel safe here.
They aren’t wondering where they’re going next. They aren’t wondering who will feed them tomorrow or who will take care of them when they’re old, sore, or need a little extra help.
They know this is home.
One of the hardest decisions a horse owner can ever make is deciding what happens when they can no longer give their horse the time, care, or life they believe that horse deserves.
Sometimes it isn’t about money.
Sometimes it isn’t about wanting to let go.
Sometimes you love them so much that letting go feels almost impossible.
That is something we understand.
At Ivelolharele Retirement Sanctuary, when a horse is accepted into our sanctuary, this becomes their final home.
They are not brought here to be resold. They are not passed from home to home. They aren’t waiting for someone else to come along.
They are home.
From that day forward, our responsibility is to make sure they are safe, comfortable, cared for and loved for the rest of their lives.
We learn who they are — their personalities, their habits, their favorite scratches, their quirks and the friends they choose in the pasture. We know when something isn’t quite right, and we celebrate the days when an old horse feels good enough to kick up their heels again.
They receive the hay and feed they need, farrier care, veterinary care, medications and whatever special attention they may need. But caring for them goes far beyond those things.
They become part of our family.
And we understand the people who love them, too.
Giving up the daily care of a horse you’ve loved for years doesn’t mean you stop loving them. It doesn’t mean you stop worrying about them. And it certainly doesn’t erase the bond you have with them.
That’s why one of the greatest things we can offer is something you can’t put a price tag on:
Peace of mind.
Peace of mind knowing where your horse is.
Knowing who is caring for them.
Knowing they are loved.
Knowing they are safe.
And knowing that tomorrow, next year and years from now, this will still be their home.
There are horses standing in our pastures today whose people trusted us with that responsibility. Some of those people can still visit and see the life their horse is living. Others are no longer here to do that.
But the promise remains the same.
We don’t take that trust lightly.
Because to us, sanctuary doesn’t simply mean providing a place for a horse to live.
It means giving them a home where they can grow old with dignity. A place where they are known by name, loved for who they are, and cared for through whatever the years may bring.
And tomorrow morning, we’ll walk out those doors again before daylight. We’ll hear the nickers, fill the hay, carry the grain and start another day.
And all around us will be horses who know exactly where they belong. ❤️
Here, they are safe.
Here, they are loved.
Here, they are home.
— Jody & Bruce Tveit
Ivelolharele Retirement Sanctuary Inc.
501(c)(3) Nonprofit
