10/09/2026
As I sit here writing this post for our fundraiser I have some many thoughts on my mind yet I can’t seem to type them out into words. There is so much that I want to say and tell you but I can’t find it in me.
I feel mentally broken right now. The rescue world is hard. Just hard. Down to every aspect of it from the losses, to the financials, to the darkness of social media. The physical labor, well that doesn’t break me down like the mental part of this equation does. In fact the physical labor helps me escape from the stress of the mental struggle that rescue takes on a person.
Now I know that with rescue comes losses. It’s part of life. If we are gonna have them then we are gonna eventually lose them. But that reality doesn’t make each loss any that less impactful and it damn sure doesn’t make it any easier. We love these animals dearly and with each loss comes heartache because we give them everything including our hearts. And I think I will always feel like I could have given more or done something different with each loss because that’s the part of me that’s always giving and trying to help. Maybe that’s a flaw of mine but that’s me and my heart and I can’t change that.
Social media. I’m gonna be honest. I hate social media. I used to love it because I could connect to so many people and share our lives and stories and it was a place that brought everyone together. I was always amazed that no matter how far we were apart the internet and social media brought us closer and connected us.
I don’t see it that way anymore. In fact I see it as the complete opposite. Social media has torn us all apart. It has disconnected us from reality and each other and it has divided us so far apart. It has made it too easy to sit behind a screen and scrutinized, criticize, and attack each other without any consequences. It has caused people to forget or just flat out not care about the human beings that are sitting on the other side of the screen and how their words impact their lives.
I could go on and on about social media but my newsfeed is filled with nothing but cries for help, depressing stories, animals in abusive and neglectful situations needing saved, barbaric and inhumane roundups. My notifications are filled with pages of tagged posts for each and every kill pen page with dozens of horses needing saved every day before their ship date. It’s overwhelming. It’s heartbreaking. And it mentally breaks a person down knowing there is nothing I can do to save them all.
Then the comments. Oh the comments from people who think they can do it better. The people who always have something to say about everything you do or don’t do. Every decision you make or don’t make. Their negativity and hatred is toxic. It slowly seeps into your heart and makes you second guess everything even though you know you are doing everything you feel is right.
Those people forget that behind the name and the organization we are people too. People who have feelings and emotions. People who truly love and care about these animals. People who are sacrificing everything to give everything. Just to try to make a difference in some of these lives. Or maybe those people just don’t care that their comments hurt the people that are trying to help. Maybe it’s their ego. Or maybe they just don’t have a moral compass.
It’s come to a point that the block button is my best friend. I have come to realize that our supporters don’t want to see or read that crap and it’s just easier to put a stop to it immediately. I used to leave room for opinions and debate but I don’t have time to babysit the comments and anymore I’m so mentally checked out I don’t even care to deal with those people. I will never understand why someone would want to go to a page just to start trouble to begin with. It takes more energy to do that than to just scroll on by. Some people just have nothing better to do.
The last thing I want to bring up, at least in this post because truthfully I have so much more to say and eventually I will, is about donations. Donations are at an all time low. It seems to be the same handful of people making consistent donations and that’s just not enough to keep us going. This organization is a 501c3 nonprofit run off of charitable contributions by the public. Yes that means we ask for donations to make this organization run and work. Please if you don’t like that fact then this isn’t the group for you. Too many times I see people complain about us asking for donations. Believe me I hate asking for donations but it’s the reality of what we do. And we literally can’t make any of this work for so many horses in need without the donations.
My frustration lies in that fact that so many people say they want to save the horses and help the horses and make a difference but then there is no substance to their words. No action. No support for the organizations who are doing exactly what they say they want to do. We have to have monetary support to care for the horses that we save and that means when we ask for donations we really do need them. We aren’t just asking because we can. We are asking because there is truly a need. And our biggest need and biggest expense is always hay and grain.
Yes Facebook pays us for the comments, likes, and shares of our posts but even that’s a struggle these days to get people to do that. We have jogged our brains to the point of going crazy trying to come up with ideas on how to get people engaged, involved, responsive to our needs and requests, active and participating in our fundraisers and auctions. It’s literally a full time job and I’m stretched thin. It truly feels like the weight of the world on my shoulders and the stress of keeping things going makes a person want to shut down.
Add all of these up and I can truly understand why rescues don’t last. I now understand why rescues close their doors. It’s a mental game more than anything and sometimes it becomes too much. I feel like I’m on that edge. With the challenges we have faced over the last year on multiple fronts it’s just all stacked up against us. I truly feel like we are being tested. And then I have to ask myself…. Is it all worth it? Because the sacrifices go beyond everything anyone could imagine.
So if you have read this far, and believe me I know it’s a lot but it’s all been weighing so heavy on my heart I needed to share, then I’m asking you this:
First and foremost we need your monetary support to carry on our mission. No donation is too small. We see every donation and the generous person behind it. Your contribution goes directly into the fund for the ongoing care for our resident mustangs here at the sanctuary in order to provide them with the best care that they need and deserve.
Secondly please engage with our posts. This is the easiest way to help us receive monetization through Facebook which in return also helps us feed and care for our residents here at the sanctuary. That means liking/loving, commenting, and sharing each and every one of our posts.
Third please be kind. Emotions are running extremely high here after our losses and with the added stress of the lack of donations recently. We are running emotionally thin and your kindness, understanding, and support goes a long way during this time.
There are many many things for us to consider that this time and we are looking at different avenues and how we want to approach things if donations don’t pick up. We aren’t a large organization supported by huge grants or Hollywood celebrities or any big names for that matter. We bust our butts day in and day out trying to reach our average everyday supporters. People like ourselves. Those are the types of people that are our foundation and we are deeply grateful for those who contribute to our mission and support our mustangs. If you contribute regularly and support us whenever you can you know who you are and so do we! And we just want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for always making a difference!
Today we are asking for your help to support the ongoing lifelong care for the resident mustangs that call the sanctuary home. This is where we truly need support for the everyday expenses such as hay and grain. And for some reason this is what we truly struggle to fundraise for. I will never understand it.
Here are ways you can donate:
PAYPAL:
https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=7AFSM4MD3HD8N
VENMO:
https://venmo.com/code?user_id=3407759131279360708&created=1695992517.419598&printed=1
STRIPE (debit or credit card):
https://buy.stripe.com/5kQ5kDh2s9Ii4rt3aq6g802
MY GIVING CIRCLE:
https://mygivingcircle.org/windwalker-ridge-mustang-sanctuary/free?iv=share_13PkPvskjc
CASH APP:
$windwalkermustangs
If you prefer to mail a donation you can do so to:
Windwalker Ridge Mustang Sanctuary
24130 W State Highway 8
Potosi, MO. 63664
**We are a registered 501c3 nonprofit organization. Donations made to our organization are tax deductible.**
EIN 87-3345790
