The Animali Farm is nestled in the back hills of Santa Maria. Though it was built with the intention of saving horses from Canada, many animals either just show up or are taken in to become a member of the family.

 

“Yeah,” said Jennifer Johns, co-owner and co-founder of the Animali Farm. “I’ve always seen myself taking on a venture like this one, though I never imagined that Sheryl and I would work to put Premarin out of business.”

 

Started in 1999 by Jennifer and her business partner Cheryl Forbes, the Animali Farm houses over 30 horses and has placed thousands since its inception. The farm’s mission is to save horses that have been bred for the Premarin business and place them in loving homes. Premarin is a hormonal drug that is prescribed to women to treat the symptoms of menopause. It’s created from pregnant mares’ urine.

 

After it was found that Premarin causes a variety of diseases in women, ranchers suddenly had too many horses on their hands and most if not all were going to slaughter, Johns said.

 

“Premarin went from being one of the most widely prescribed drugs for hormonal treatment in the U.S, to not really being prescribed at all,” Johns said.

Because the Premarin industry is mostly based in Canada, Johns and Forbes travel to Canada once a year to take pictures of horses they want to save and make deals with struggling ranchers.

 

Though the Animali Farm is thriving Johns and Forbes said they started off small.

“It was frustrating because after rescuing only a small number of horses, there were still hundreds we wanted to save because we knew where they were going,” Johns said.

John still remembers the first 17 horses her and Forbes placed. She also recalls how the two raised money to make their non-profit business successful.

“We went to our friends and did gardening,” Johns said. “We even sold jam we had made from the fruit our friends would donate. We did anything we could do so the horses wouldn’t go hungry.”

 

Their determination continues to pay off. Between 2004 and 2006 the farm placed more than 1,000 horses. The farm has placed over 200 horses so far this year.

“I am amazed not only at what we are able to do continuously,” Forbes said. “But also at how happy we can make other people by giving them others’ throw-away things.”

Xira Bartz is amazed too. She is an intern from Germany who is taking equine classes at Monty Roberts in Santa Ynez.

 

“If I hadn’t had the experience I had here I probably would not have continued to do work in this field,” Bartz said. “It’s been a really positive experience.”

 

Olaf Lange, John’s and Forbe’s neighbor said he feels inspired by the two.

“I’ve always like their compassion,” Lange said. “It’s a rare thing to find people devoting their time and lives to serve such a noble cause.”

 

While both obviously love saving horses, John and Forbes say the future holds infinite possibility and  would like to be involved in the movement to make horse slaughtering illegal in the U.S.

 

Starting horse riding and educational programs are also a vision they share for the future.

“The future holds infinite opportunity and possibility,” Forbes said. “There are many things we can and will do.”

 

For more information about the Animali Farm or an adoption application, call 805-938-0174 or visit the Web site at http://www.theanimalifarm.com.