A non-profit horse rescue in Southern Vermont
The Dorset Equine Rescue is an approved 501(c)(3) non-profit organization located in the beautiful Green Mountains of Dorset, Vermont. We are dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation and re-homing of neglected, abused and slaughter bound horses. Horses come to us from a variety of situations, including many from owner surrenders. Our organization gets contacted regularly by people who wish to surrender their horses to us for many different reasons. In some cases, there has been a loss of job, serious illness, divorce, foreclosure or death of an owner. Due to lack of funds and space, we are forced to focus on the ones who are in the most dire situation.
We are happy when we can help not only the horses in these tough situations, but also the people who have fallen on hard times and have no other option for their horses. By intervening, we prevent the horses from ending up in a worse situation or going to auction which would put them at a high risk of shipping to slaughter. We also receive horses through law enforcement who seize animals due to severe neglect. When we have room, we also pull horses from auction or kill pens to prevent them from ending up on a slaughter truck bound for Mexico or Canada.
Often these horses arrive at the slaughterhouse seriously injured from transport due to the extreme overstocking of trailers. It’s common for them to be severely dehydrated having had nothing to drink or eat for days. It’s an exceptionally long and grueling trip for them. Slaughter is a terrifying and brutal end to a horse’s life and is not the answer to the overpopulation of our horses. Horses have played a major roll in building our country and deserve better.
We invite you to join us in our journey as we continue to make a difference in the lives of neglected and at risk horses. To sign up for our mailing list, please click here: http://www.dorsetequinerescue.org/contact/
The Dorset Equine Rescue runs entirely on private donations made by the generosity of people like you. The horses that come to us come from situations of abuse and neglect. Watching them heal mentally and physically throughout their rehabilitation with us is incredibly rewarding, but we need your help to continue our life saving work. If you would like to make a contribution to support our mission, please use this link:
www.dorsetequinerescue.org/donate
Thank you for your support!
Jen Soderberg Straub was born with a passion for horses. After years of pleading, she acquired her first horse at the age of nine. Ever determined to do all she can to help the creatures she was born to love, Jen has brought this commitment full circle with the inception of The Dorset Equine Rescue.
Jen Straub: Founder and President
Connie Blatchford: Vice President
Dorie Morgantini: Treasurer
Alison Stannard: Secretary
Janet Dunnington: Board Member
Chip Straub: Board Member
Denise Tuttle: Board Member
Vice President
Connie grew up riding and continues to enjoy spending time in the ring and on the trails with her horse Koda. Connie has served on the Board of Directors of The Dorset Equine Rescue since 2014 and her farm serves as one of our two locations for our rescue horses. Connie is employed as a Workshop Leader and Coach for PowerWeek, a business that assists small businesses and non-profit leaders with their marketing and social media efforts. She also serves on the Northshire Regional Advisory Board for Southwestern Vermont Health Care.
Treasurer
I come to The Dorset Equine Rescue with a new found love and curiosity for horses as well as a long history of non-profit service. I have been on the board of The Dorset Equine Rescue since February of 2018 and currently split my time between raising my 3 children, serving as the Treasurer for The Dorset Equine Rescue and The Dorset Field Club and running a bookkeeping business. Previously, I was the Treasurer of the Bromlely Outing Club, The Junior League of The North Shore of IL and The OGRCC (Old Greenwich Riverside Community Center) of Greenwich, CT. In my spare time I love volunteering my time tending to the rescue horses, as well as my own two adopted miniature horses. I also enjoy weekly riding lessons, needle pointing, skiing, playing platform tennis and, of course, spending time with my family and friends.
Secretary
Alison Stannard is a retired school teacher living in Manchester with her husband, Bob. She has loved horses since she was a tiny child. Alison enjoys spending time with her 4 grandchildren which includes introducing them to her horse friends. The Manchester branch of the DER opened just after she retired, ½ mile from her home, which has given her the opportunity to become involved volunteering at the barn and helping equines be rescued and adopted to their forever homes.
Board Member
Born and raised on the water in Savannah, Ga., Janet’s love of the water and boating led to a career in Sailing. For 15 years, Janet sailed throughout the Caribbean, eastern seaboard, Bahamas, Central and South America, the pacific earning her 100-ton Captain’s license and was support vessel for the 1980 and 1983 America’s Cup in Newport, RI.
Wanting to settle in one place, Janet landed in Manchester, VT where she worked in the hospitality industry starting out as an Inn keeper, then moving on to the Equinox Resort as Food and Beverage Manager and eventually as the Conference Manager where she found her love of planning corporate events.
Janet opened her own event planning company and planned events throughout New England for the next 25 years until her retirement in 2017. She spends her free time donating her time as the Event Chair and board member for The Dorset Equine Rescue.
Janet’s other free time is as an advocate for Wild Horses and Burros and spending time with her husband, two cats and a horse.
Board Member
Chip was born and raised on the Jersey Shore and enjoyed spending his free time fishing and boating. He ran a landscape company for several years in NJ. Chip spent 5 years in Northern California and worked in the building materials industry. Chip eventually moved to Manchester, VT and worked in construction building homes. In 2009, he had the opportunity to build his own home in Dorset, VT which is the main location of The Dorset Equine Rescue. He is a certified home inspector, and has also been a volunteer firefighter. Chip currently works in the Renewable Energy field. He has been serving on the Board of Directors of The Dorset Equine Rescue since its founding in 2012. In his free time, he enjoys helping out at The Dorset Equine Rescue, spending time with his wife, Jen and their two children, and 2 dogs, 2 cats and 3 horses.
Board Member
Denise was lucky enough to ride horses every day after school with a friend while growing up in Manchester, VT. Her friend moved away in 8th grade and life got busy with school and then work, and having a family. Spending time taking silversmithing classes for a couple of years with Jen, founder of DER, and watching the horses outside the windows reminded her of her childhood love for horses and this began her volunteer time, behind the scenes, shipping packages and mailing thank you notes for DER. Denise is a Paralegal at McCann Morgan and Getty in Rutland and lives with her husband, Buck, in Dorset, VT. She has two wonderful adult sons, Gunner and Kyle. Over the years she has spent time volunteering or serving on boards for Northshire Day School, Northshire Hockey Association, Equinox Lacrosse Association, The American Red Cross, Manchester Rotary Club, Burr and Burton Alumni Association and was the Clerk/Treasurer for the Dorset Fire District/Dorset Water District. Denise is a licensed Zumba instructor, enjoys camping, boating, family time, furniture restyling, silversmithing, reading, and spending time with her yellow lab Ella. She has a love for all animals and is looking forward to continuing to help out DER’s rescue horses who so greatly deserve it.
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