I shall
Gather up
All the lost souls
That wonder this earth
All the ones that are alone
All the ones that are broken
All the ones that never really fitted in
I shall gather them all up
And together we shall find our home.
Gather Up poem written by Athey Thompson
 
The poem ‘Gather Up’ describes what our volunteers do on a daily basis. In the past 12 months we have assisted 188 horses and owners in Victoria, taken in 18 horses and helped 25 horses find new homes.
 
One of those is Ollie - 20-year-old black/brown mini gelding. Covered in lice, riddled with worms, the most chronic case of rain scald that almost had his spine coming through his skin and his back legs were failing him due to complete muscle wastage and extremely emaciated from long term neglect. His respiration was noted to be at least 3 ½ times normal which suggests lung and or heart issues.
The vet attends and her shock of his condition was evident. She body scored him a 1 with zero fat coverage at all – he was just bones with skin over them. His heart was struggling, his lungs were struggling and blood tests confirmed the results of long-term neglect and a prolonged inflammatory condition. Red and white blood cells count were alarming - either indications of heavy parasitic worm burdens and or tumours. Another day or two and Ollie would have died.
Ollie was given every chance to regain his strength and have a pain free life with PHHWV. After some 3 months of acute care and expert management Ollie came back to his old self – full of life, surprises and antics. Oliie is now leased to one of our dedicated/experienced members. Ollie’s prime role is to be a friend to a dear pony whose mate passed away. The two of them are bonded and fill the days with walks and a few bucks as they go on their adventures together.
 
This is one of thousands of stories that Project Hope Horse Welfare comes across in its almost 50 years of providing help and hope to horses.It comes at a great cost financially, physically and emotionally. On average each horse that goes through our rehabilitation costs approximately $4000 and can be greater when there is training and medical procedures involved ($8 – 10 K) – this figure does not include items like transportation and other miscellaneous costs to govern a non-profit charity with ACNC.
 
We are acutely aware of the rising costs of living and how that is impacting the lives of many horses and people in our community. The price of feed and veterinary care has soared and it is making it harder to provide the essential care our rescued horses need.

 
What we do.
Project Hope Horse Welfare Victoria is committed to providing hope for equines through education, rehabilitation and advocacy.  Our aim is to improve the well-being of horses and safeguard against neglect by educating people with the knowledge of 5 Domains guiding us.
 

How you can Help
 
Your donation today can make an immediate difference. Here’s how:
$25 – can assist in worming a horse
$80 – can cover a farrier trimming
$150 - can provide a month’s nutritious feed for one horse.
$500 - can fund emergency medical treatments for horses in critical condition.

We invite you to join us and transform the lives of horses. together.  Please visit to make a secure online donation. 
You can also help by becoming a MEMBER