HAPI Trails Rescue & Rehabilitation Ranch

Teton Valley needs HAPI TRAILS
Teton Valley is a ranching community and many residents come here to fulfill a dream of living in the West and owning horses. For most this dream comes true.  But for some, thier lives or fortunes change and their horses often pay the price.  Some owners age, pass away, or find themselves in difficult financial or physical situations, no longer able to properly care for their horses. Some folks take on more horses than they can handle or know how to handle.  Our Volunteer rescuers are often called upon to intervene by neighbors or law enforcement.

Since we began in 2009, we have rescued fifty horses and remain  ‘at capacity’  with horses in our care. We work regularly with Teton County Sheriff’s office to collect rogue horses and provide care and housing for impounded or lost horses. We maintain two emergency spaces for these agencies. We have, on average, five horses in foster care in our network at any given moment.   Sadly we have had to turn away horses that really need our help because we just do not have enough space or funding to take care of them. But through a generous donation of just the right property, this is about to change. 

HAPI Trails Rescue & Rehabilitation Ranch (HT-RRR) is a new facility opening this summer in Teton Valley
Early in 2016, The Teton Saddleback Homeowners Association (TSHA) approached Valley Advocates for Responsible Development (VARD) requesting help to revitalize their abandoned Equine facility. VARD suggested they partner with us. Hapi Trails now has a 10 year renewable contract with Teton Saddleback Homeowners to build our dream  facility on 17 acres at the Teton Saddleback Vistas community.

This opportunity will help us expand our services to meet the urgent need within Teton and other rapidly growing surrounding Counties in Idaho and Wyoming to home abused horses (donkeys and mules).  We can now build a ranch dedicated to emergency rescue and rehabilitation of horses; an Equine Therapy program, and provide a community center for education about horse care.  We are planning to phase in the building of HT R&R Ranch so that we can get started immediately with limited resources:

Phase 1 ($60,000) will provide the basic infrastructure: fencing, gates, panels, shelters, electrical & water and a small, portable office/feed and tack building. We expect to complete this by November 2017.

Phase 2 ($240,000) Build a modular barn system so that we can add stalls as finances and capacity permit. The initial build includes stalls, a ‘vet and wash’ area, tack room, and office/volunteer area. This approach will allow us to start building as soon as funds permit and expand as funding increases.

Donations are not at risk. Teton Saddleback Vistas Homeowners Association (TSVHA) and HAPI Trails (HT) are committed to this being a permanent facility, but our contract states that should either party decide to end the contract TSVHA will buy back all of the HT investment.

Our General Operating Budget has risen steadily since we began in 2009 in relation to the number of horses we care for. As of the 3rd quarter of 2016, we are caring for 15 horses on a budget of around $25,000. We are planning on hiring a staff person to insure the organization's ongoing stability and daily running of the HAPI Trails Ranch

HAPI Trails R&R Ranch benefits the community
Having this facility will allow us to stabilize our services and expand our capacity to meet the real needs of the community as follows:
• for emergency care of horses, increasing our annual capacity up to 25 horses;
• to provide and expand the Equine Assisted Therapy (EAP)which engages people with horses to heal both;
• to provide public education and outreach programs in partnership with 4H and other Valley groups; and
• to provide workshops and clinics on site, which will earn income for the organization.

Having a professional permanent facility, will allow us to dramatically stabilize and strategically expand our services, including our ability to earn income. We are already being asked to host workshops and events which will become possible in our new center.   Our Volunteers have worked hard since 2009 saving horses in our region.  Having a home base for our work and our horses is a Western dream and a community responsibility.    We welcome your help and interest.   Thank you for your support.