Hope for Hooves Rescue

08/30/2026

Today I got a little teary-eyed updating our Candid nonprofit profile. ❤️

View it here: https://app.candid.org/profile/9918954/hope-for-hooves-rescue-84-4317694

I went into it thinking this was just another administrative task on my very long nonprofit to-do list. But somewhere in the middle of it, I realized I wasn't just updating a profile. I was looking at the story of how far we've come.

I could see the growth. The programs we've created. The children we've served. The horses we've rescued and cared for. The mentors and volunteers who have stepped forward. The partnerships we've built.
And the dreams that once lived only in my head that are now actually happening here.

And that's when I got emotional. Because we didn't do this alone. Every bit of that growth has been possible because YOU believed in what we were doing enough to support it.

Whether you have donated, sponsored a child,
bought something from a fundraiser, shared a Facebook post, volunteered, prayed, or said to me, “I believe in your vision. Keep going”, YOU are the reason for our success!!

Little by little, year after year, those acts of generosity built something.They built Hope for Hooves.

This week alone, I have spent countless hours doing the parts of nonprofit work most people never see: updating our Candid profile, writing grants, developing programs, purchasing program supplies, documenting our impact, paying bills, and, yes, fundraising.

And I want to say something about that last one. Fundraising isn't something I'm ashamed of. It's part of running a nonprofit. 😃

When we ask someone to sponsor a child, we're not simply “asking for money.” We're asking our community to help make something possible that otherwise might not be.

Programs cost money. Horses require care 365 days a year. There are supplies, insurance, training, veterinary expenses, facility expenses, background checks, program materials and a hundred other things behind the scenes.

Behind every couple of hours you see us serving children at the farm are countless hours you don't see. Curriculum is written, mentors are recruited and trained, applications are reviewed, Grants are researched and written, expenses are tracked, outcomes are measured, records are maintained, horses are cared for....and funds have to be raised to make all of it possible.

One reason I spent so much time updating our Candid profile is because transparency matters to us. If you entrust Hope for Hooves with $5, $50, $500 or $5,000, I want you to be able to look us up. I want you to see what we're doing. I want you to know what we're building. And I want you to know that your support matters.

So yes, you'll see us fundraise. You'll see us apply for grants. You'll see us ask for sponsors. You'll see us tell you when the horses need hay or when a child needs a sponsor, because hope may be priceless, but providing it isn't free.

Today, looking back over the years, I was reminded of something even more important,
every time we've asked, YOU has stepped forward.

And when I look at how far Hope for Hooves has come, I don't just see what we have accomplished. I see what all of YOU have made possible. And that is what brought tears to my eyes today.

Thank you for believing in my vision and the work God has entrusted to us.

You are part of this story. ❤️🐴

xoxo,
Michelle

Hope for Hooves Rescue (EIN 84-4317694) — nonprofit profile, financials, and Form 990s on Candid.

08/28/2026

🐴 We’re looking for a few more Healing with Horses mentors to walk alongside some pretty incredible kids this fall.

You don’t need horse experience.
You don’t need special training.
You just need a willing heart and the commitment to show up.

Sometimes mentoring looks like grooming a horse together. Sometimes it’s walking through the paddock, sharing a laugh, listening, encouraging, or simply being a safe and consistent person in a child’s life.

Could you show up for one child?

If your heart is saying yes, apply here: https://forms.gle/kcRG67PVLv8Wou1T7

If your heart is saying maybe, send us a message. We’d love to talk with you. 💛

Can’t mentor? Please share this post and pray that God sends exactly the people these children need.

xoxo,
Michelle

08/27/2026

😭 WE DID IT… AND THEN SOME!

Our goal was $2,400, and because of YOU, we raised $2,593! That’s $193 OVER our goal! 🙌

I wish I could put into words what it feels like to have this weight lifted from my shoulders. Every donation, every share, every prayer and every word of encouragement reminded me that we are not doing this alone.

Thank you for believing in Hope for Hooves. Thank you for believing in these children. And thank you for believing in the work God has called us to do here. ❤️

You showed up for us, and I will never forget it.

From the bottom of my heart… THANK YOU. 🐴❤️🙏

xoxo,

Michelle

08/26/2026

❤️🐴 WE ONLY NEED $115 MORE!! 🐴❤️

Y’all, we are SO CLOSE to reaching our $2,400 goal! We have raised an incredible $2,285, and I truly cannot thank you enough!

Can we raise this final $115 before midnight tonight and officially say WE DID IT?! 🙌

Thank you for believing in these children, this ministry, and what God is doing through Hope for Hooves. ❤️🙏

xoxo,

Michelle

08/25/2026

Y’all… we are SO CLOSE!

We have now raised $1,885 of our $2,400 goal, which means we only need $515 more! 🙌🐴

That's 2 more children!! Only TWO children need a sponsor! Will you be the one??

I cannot begin to tell you how much of a weight has lifted off my shoulders with every single donation. Knowing that so many of you believe in these children, this ministry, and what God is doing through Hope for Hooves means more than I can put into words.

From the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU. ❤️

Can we raise this final $515 and wrap this up by Wednesday night?! 🙏

We are almost there! 🐴❤️

Venmo:

Cash app: $hopeforhoovesrescue

Zelle: 803-292-0496

Check: Hope for Hooves
45 Van Rd
N. Augusta, SC 29860

08/25/2026

❤️🐴 WE ARE GETTING SO CLOSE! 🐴❤️

I truly don’t know how to say THANK YOU enough.

Our original goal was $2,400, and because of the incredible generosity of you who believe in what God is doing here at Hope for Hooves, we have already raised $1,535!

That means we only have $865 LEFT TO RAISE! 🙌

Every single donation matters. Whether it was $25, $50, $100, $500 or more, each gift has moved that thermometer higher and brought us one step closer to fully funding this need.

To every person who has donated, shared our posts, prayed for us, encouraged us or quietly cheered us on...

THANK YOU.

You may never fully see the ripple your generosity creates, but we do. And I promise you, it matters more than you know.

🐴 $2,400 Goal
❤️ $1,535 Raised
🙏 $865 TO GO!

We're 64% of the way there!

Let's fill this thermometer all the way to the top. ❤️

xoxo,
Michelle

08/24/2026

For those of you who don't know me, let me introduce myself.

My name is Michelle, and I am the founder of Hope for Hooves Rescue. My husband and I have been married for 32 years, and together we have raised three children and have two beautiful grandchildren. Our life has been full, beautiful, and at times incredibly hard.

I am a four-time breast cancer survivor.

Cancer first entered my life in 2013, and over the years I have faced recurrence, surgeries, radiation, chemotherapy, and the uncertainty that comes with hearing the word cancer more than once. In 2017 I even heard, 'You have 3 months to live'. There were seasons when I was fighting simply to get through the next day.

But somewhere in the middle of my own story, God began turning pain into purpose.

Hope for Hooves Rescue grew from a desire to give unwanted, neglected, and hurting equine a second chance. What I did not fully understand in the beginning was how much those animals would rescue pieces of me, too.

There is something powerful about standing beside an animal that has known fear, neglect, rejection, or uncertainty and watching that animal learn to trust again. I understood that kind of healing. I understood what it meant for life to suddenly look very different from the one you thought you were going to have.

Over time, our rescue became more than a place for animals to heal. It became a place where people could heal alongside them.

Today, through Hope for Hooves, rescued horses and other farm animals help us reach children who have experienced trauma and other difficult circumstances. We also serve adults with disabilities and neurodivergence by helping them discover their abilities, confidence, purpose, and potential.

I have watched a hurting child find courage while standing beside a horse. I have watched someone who felt different discover that they belong. I have watched horses, once considered unwanted themselves, become part of another person's healing.

Perhaps that is why this ministry means so much to me. Cancer changed my body. It changed my plans. It changed the way I see time and the life I have been given. But it did not get to decide what my story would become.

God did.

Hope for Hooves is not simply an equine rescue to me. It is the place where second chances meet. Horses and other farm animals receive another chance at life, and people who walk through our gates are reminded that their story is not over either.

I know what it feels like to need hope. Now I have the privilege of helping create a place where others can find it.

My story isn’t over, and neither is yours. And the story God is writing here at Hope for Hooves is still unfolding.

Whether you've followed us for five years or five minutes, whether you've donated, volunteered, prayed for us, shared a post, sponsored a child, loved one of our animals from afar, or simply quietly cheered us on, you are part of this story too.

And if we've never met before, now you know a little more about the woman behind the horses. 🐴❤️

xoxo,
Michelle

08/24/2026

Healing With Horses, where hearts and hooves collide...and healing begins.

08/23/2026

THOUSANDS.

Every year, thousands of children right here in the CSRA are touched by reports of suspected abuse or neglect.

They sit in our classrooms. They play on our ball fields. They live in our neighborhoods.

They may laugh, play and look perfectly fine to the rest of the world.

But some are carrying things children were never meant to carry.

Abuse.
Neglect.
Trafficking.
Bullying.
Loss.
Family separation.
Anxiety.
Fear....

And sometimes you would never know by looking at them.

This is why Healing with Horses exists. 🐴❤️

LET ME BE CLEAR: Healing with Horses is NOT clinical therapy. We don't pretend to be something we're not. Our 'therapists' have 4 legs. 🐎

What we offer is something simple, yet profound:

A safe haven.
A consistent mentor.
A loving horse.
A supportive community.

We might not be able to reach every hurting child in the CSRA, but we will certainly try our best!!

We can't change every statistic, but changing the story one child at a time is an incredible place to start. ❤️ 💙 💜

08/23/2026

Another long post but well worth the read! Forgive me if there are typos as I'm writing this through teary eyes.

I don't even know if thank you feels big enough today. ❤️

Yesterday I shared something that was very difficult for me to share. I admitted my fears.

We needed help....and you showed up!!

In less than 24 hours, you gave $1,210.

Please understand what that number means to me. It isn't just $1,210. I hear you saying, "I believe these children matter."

It's you choosing to invest in a child you may never meet.

Some of these children have experienced things that no child should ever have to carry. Abuse. Bullying. Loss. Trauma. Anxiety. Brokenness that they didn't create and shouldn't have to navigate alone.

For nine weeks, we get the privilege of giving them something different.

Nine weeks of building trust.

Nine weeks of learning that they are worthy, valuable and deeply loved.

Nine weeks of a mentor looking them in the eyes and reminding them that they matter.

Nine weeks of quiet moments beside a horse where maybe, just maybe, a little piece of a guarded heart begins to feel safe again.

And woven through every bit of it is the message we want them to leave knowing:

You are seen.
You are loved.
You have purpose.
And God has not forgotten you.

To every person who donated, shared our post, prayed, sent an encouraging message, or told someone else about what we're doing...

THANK YOU!! ❤️

You didn't just help pay for a program.

You helped make a place for a child.

And when I was looking at the numbers and wondering how in the world we were going to do this, God reminded me once again that I was never supposed to figure out the whole thing by myself. His word says, "We have not because we ask not."

We still have a little way to go, but today I'm not focusing on what we still need.

Today, I'm simply stopping long enough to say...

Praise Jesus for $1,210.
Praise Jesus for every one of you who gave.
Praise Jesus for a community willing to stand behind children who are worth every bit of this fight.
And Praise Jesus for those of you who believe in our mission.

From the deepest place in my heart, thank you for helping us keep the gates open. 🐴❤️

We absolutely could not offer Healing with Horses without you.

God bless each and every one of you,

Michelle

If you'd like to help us wrap this semester up you can donate one of the following ways:

Venmo:

Cash App: $hopeforhoovesrescue

Zelle: 803-292-0496

Check: Hope for Hooves Rescue
45 Van Rd
N. Augusta, SC 29860