High Hope Haven

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Eugene, OR
High Hope Haven

Learning life skills through horsemanship. Our Beginning

My name is Pamela Kinion and horses have always been a healing gift in my life. I had that!

Through them, I have learned so much about myself and the world around me. My heart cries out for those less fortunate than I and my desire is to provide an opportunity for any individual who wants to experience this magnificent animal with the chance to do so. I used to believe that I had to have my life completely organized in order to do this and was overwhelmed by the prospect of stables, volu

nteers, and herds of horses to manage. Until someone told me, "If you have the heart, a horse, and a little time, you can make a difference." And with prayer, came many precious students. After a few years of operating in this simple way, Haven is now beginning a new phase. Perhaps one day we will have big stables and herds of horses and a full staff of volunteers. Even though faith is not required to spend time with the horses, we firmly believe that Haven is a gift from God and all growth and healing is from Him.

09/17/2023

It's never a dull moment around here! On August 3, we had a fire very close to us. The trailer was hooked up and the horses were standing by as we awaited possible evacuation and watched the planes flying overhead dropping pink retardant. The horses were so good! They were brave as the planes flew, the fire engines roared by, and the smoke got thicker. Thankfully, we didn't have to evacuate and we shakily returned to life. Then, just 9 days later, another fire started on the other side of the road. It was not as close to us but it did block the only way out. Again, the firefighters were heroes and got everything under control.

On lighter news; summer coats have shed out and the horses are beginning to get fuzzy! Summer went by so fast! We are expecting another wet winter (hopefully not as wet as last year) and are having rock work done in the paddocks in preparation. We also continue to work towards getting Haven recognized by the state of California; a prerequisite before we can begin our important work. It comes along slowly.

We hope you have had a wonderful summer and are excited for the coming fall!

05/22/2023

It's hard to believe that when we left the Pacific Northwest, we believed we had left the rain as well, only to experience crazy atmospheric rivers (31 in CA this winter!). Having just a few months to prepare for winter, and being told winters are mild, we were not ready. Horses blanketed for much of the time, huddled in small shelters, and slogging through mud. Pamela trying to keep the hay dry (that's right, we don't have a barn here) and her boots on as she also slogged through deep mud to deliver hay to the critters. Trenching paddocks to divert the water flow. It was so fun! We appear to be on the other side now. The mud has dried, the horses have shed their winter coats and fly season has begun. The horse tailer (AKA the hay barn) has been pulled out of the mud in which it was stuck. Blankets have been washed, dried, and stored. And so we move forward. This week we will begin taking steps for Haven to operate legally in CA. Finally doing something more than simply surviving! We also are making good progress on the design of our permanent home. The horse facility design is fairly nearly complete and we have chosen a contractor to install that part. Soon, we will be waiting on permits.

Praying that you all are well!

10/14/2022

Hello everyone! Whew! What a crazy few months this has been. We successfully got all horses to California but the boarding facility where they were staying was not ideal. It was over an hour away from our house and so there was considerable stress (and commuting!) while we made fence building at our house a top priority so that we could bring them home. And they are home! They have had vet checkups, hooves trimmed, and the various wounds they acquired are healing nicely. First load of hay has been delivered. All is calm. So, we continue to settle in but the ponies are right outside our back door as we do so. Feeling VERY blessed indeed!

08/25/2022

A quick update to y'all. Java and Abby made the trip to CA at the beginning of the month. The two seniors (Java is 24 and Abby is 23) did very well but were quite tired (and hot!) upon arrival. They are living at a large stable in Tracy, CA. It's about and hour and fifteen minutes from the house but it is full care and there is lots going on to keep them busy. We are working as quickly as possible to build the horse fences at the house so they can join us soon after our final arrival.

Picante and Chachi are preparing for the big trip. We leave on Friday and arrive on Saturday after an overnight halfway. We appreciate your prayers as we take this final horsie trip. The rest of the house and barn moves down next week!

07/29/2022

Hello faithful followers! It's been quiet on our page because big things have been happening. A while ago, my husband got a job at Google in the Bay Area. We knew that, at some point, we would be relocating to CA but expected it would take a while for all the pieces to fall in place. Well, everything crashed into place in a big hurry and we are in full swing relocating! High Hope Haven will become a California nonprofit and the plan is to continue the very important work that we do in our new location. While we are so sad to say goodbye to the beautiful Pacific Northwest and all of the friends that we have made here, we are extremely hopeful for what this change will bring. The weather will be more accommodating for more months each year and there are many communities that will benefit from our program. We expect to be very busy! In fact, Pamela presented an overview of our program to the Bay Area Anti-Trafficking Coalition and was very well received; there are many who are anxiously awaiting our arrival. Please continue to support us and pray for this next exciting step. And follow along right here on this page!

The picture in this post is the future home of High Hope Haven in San Jose, CA.

04/15/2022

Have you ever fallen asleep at your desk? I bet most of us can relate. Well...a lead mare's job is to stand watch while the rest of the herd sleeps and raise the alarm if there is something that causes concern. Abby takes her job very seriously (Java is lying flat out behind her and the other two are in the paddock closer to the camera, also snoozing). But on this sunny afternoon, with all the zzz's happening, Abby had trouble staying awake on the job! Enjoy a little Abby humor and happy spring/Easter!

12/03/2021

Well, it's been a year since I posted. You probably wondered what is going on at High Hope Have. In summary, not too much! We were open for sessions with vaccinated participants at the beginning of the summer but when we got a big Covid spike in our area decided that the closeness of what we do might make it unsafe to do even that. Now that things have eased, the weather and short days are against us. So we are staying safe and waiting and I hope that you are all safe as well!

Chachi is continuing his education as a lesson horse and is making great strides. He has come from not even knowing how to be haltered to LOVING the attention of the participants and trying very hard to be a good boy. He is going to have a wonderful career here!

So, we will continue to feed, clean, and train and pray for spring when we can, hopefully, begin again. Thank you for the support you have continued to send (remember smile.amazon during your holiday shopping). I will try to be better about posting!

Pamela

12/29/2020

Chachi and Picante are excited about 2021! We are all hopeful that the new year will bring the healing and growth that the world so desparately needs right now. We know that 2020 has been so challenging for everyone and pray that you are all safe and staying strong for a little bit longer. We are looking forward to positive change and being able to see you again soon!

At Haven, we anticipate being very busy when things begin to open up since our mission is to support those who are struggling with life's challenges. Goodness knows, there have been many! We have some new ideas in mind to implement when we are meeting again. Included in this is to offer as many scholarships as possible so that we can maximize our impact. Stay tuned!

If you would like to come alongside us, the best way is to simply send a check to High Hope Haven, PO Box 5901, Eugene, Oregon 97405. We are a 501(c)3! Also, please remember to use smile.amazon.com and make sure your purchases benefit High Hope Haven. It costs you nothing and makes a huge difference to us!

Thank you for all you do and have a Happy New Year!!!

Love from Pamela and the 4-legged critters.

11/21/2020

Picante and Chachi are thankful for apple and carrot bobbing on sunny fall afternoons. Picante is showing Chachi how to grab the apples off the top and then... dive! for the carrots. Looks like he's learning. Enjoy the happy munching and slurping!

What are you thankful for as we head into this unusual version of Thanksgiving? Share below! Even in hard times, there are still many blessings. Please be safe and stay healthy wherever you are. Looking forward to being able to see you face to face one day!

11/05/2020

We continue to have a mild fall here in Eugene. Here is what we've been up to!

10/20/2020

We are blessed to live in a country where we have so much freedom. There may be work to be done, but we have persevered in the past and can do it again. There is hope. No matter where you stand in this election, your voice is very important! Please vote!

10/14/2020

Chachi update! When our ever-talented hoof trimming expert Carrie first spent time with Chachi they fell in love with each other. Chachi was only brave enough to allow his front feet to be held very briefly and couldn't offer his back feet much at all. Yesterday, Carrie came back and look at the progress! Lots of practicing and a handler who is trustworthy makes magic! Chachi has a very cute pedicure now.

Address

Eugene, OR

Website

http://www.havenoregon.org/

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