Why Support PonyUp4Kids Foundation?
You Help Second Chances Begin—for Horses and Human
You don’t have to ride, own, or even like horses to support PonyUp4Kids. Because what we do isn’t just about animals—it’s about human dignity, public safety, and community healing.
- We’re Fighting a Criminal Pipeline That Affects Us All
The horse slaughter pipeline is a front for drug trafficking, human smuggling, and sex trafficking. Horses are used to move narcotics across borders. Victims of trafficking—often women and children—are hidden in livestock trailers alongside slaughter-bound animals. Supporting PonyUp4Kids means helping expose and dismantle this system of exploitation.
- Our Programs Heal People, Not Just Horses
Rescued horses at PonyUp4Kids go on to help children, teens, veterans, and trauma survivors through equine-assisted learning and wellness programs. These horses become partners in healing for people facing PTSD, anxiety, grief, and abuse, recovery. Your donation helps fund life-changing experiences for horses and humans.
- We Give Second Chances—to the Forgotten
These horses were discarded, abused, and nearly killed. Now they’re being trained, rehabilitated, and given purpose. They become teachers, companions, and healers. Supporting PonyUp4Kids means restoring lives—human and animal—that society left behind.
- Every Dollar Has Impact
Donations go directly to:
- Horse care, feed and hay
- Veterinary care and rehabilitation
- Training for adoptability
- Equine-assisted programs for vulnerable individuals
- Advocacy and education to help put an end to the brutal atrocity
You don’t have to be a horse person to be a humane person. Support PonyUp4Kids because they’re fighting cruelty, healing trauma, and giving hope—one horse, one human, one story at a time.
Click here to make your tax-deductible donation today.
Help Us Save Lives
The very animals once discarded by society become teachers, companions, and healers. Their journey from near-death to purposeful partnership is not only inspiring—it’s transformative. As they learn to trust again, they help humans do the same. It’s a cycle of redemption that proves every life—human or horse—is worth saving.
Right now, three rescued horses are waiting to enter our rehabilitation program. They’ve survived the pipeline, but they can’t be adopted until they receive the training and care they need to thrive. Tens of thousands of dollars have already gone into their rescue and recovery—but they need more.
Your donation helps us give them that second chance. It helps us keep our programs running. It helps us protect the vulnerable—both animal and human.
It’s not just rescue. It’s restoration. And it starts with you.
Secrets Behind the Barn Doors
HORSES, HEROIN, AND HUMAN TRAFFICKING: THE DARK REALITY BEHIND AMERICA’S HORSE SLAUGHTER PIPELINE
What begins as a livestock auction in rural America often ends in a nightmare of cruelty, crime, and corruption. Tens of thousands of American horses—many young, healthy, and once loved—are being funneled into a shadowy system known as the horse slaughter pipeline. But this isn’t just an animal welfare crisis. It’s a criminal enterprise.
According to investigators and rescue organizations, the pipeline is increasingly being used as a front for drug trafficking, human smuggling, and sex trafficking. Horses are not only being shipped to slaughterhouses in Mexico and Canada—they are also being exploited as drug mules, with narcotics hidden their uterus or abdomens, or even surgically implanted in their bodies. Many of these animals die en route, their suffering unnoticed and unpunished.
Alongside these animals, women and children are being trafficked, crammed into trailers under the guise of livestock transport. These victims are voiceless, and invisible—treated as cargo, not as living beings. Women and children are forced into sexual slavery, moved across borders in the same trucks as slaughter-bound horses. The conditions are unspeakable: no food, no water, no ventilation. Just fear, filth, and silence.
Despite a ban on domestic horse slaughter in the U.S., the export of horses for slaughter remains legal. In 2022 alone, over 20,000 American horses were shipped to foreign slaughterhouses, often enduring more than 24 hours without food, water, or rest. Many are treated with medications banned for human consumption—yet their meat is sold abroad, and sometimes even in the U.S. UC Davis reports have confirmed horse meat in American markets.
Kill pens—temporary holding facilities near the border—have become hubs of criminal activity. Horses are packed into overcrowded trailers, often alongside illegal cargo. Some never make it to the slaughterhouse, dying from injuries, dehydration, or drug-related complications.
In Dutchess County, New York, PonyUp4Kids Foundation is just one of the nonprofit organizations in the United States working at the intersection of rescue, rehabilitation, education, and advocacy. But, like many, their work is at risk.
“We rely on donations,” says a representative from PonyUp4Kids Foundation. “Every bale of hay, every vet bill, every mile driven to rescue a horse or advocate for change—it all depends on the generosity of people who care.”
Right now, three rescued horses are waiting to enter the PonyUp4Kids rehabilitation program. These survivors narrowly escaped slaughter and have already endured immense trauma. Tens of thousands of dollars have been invested in their rescue and medical care—but their journey isn’t over. They cannot be adopted until they receive the training and emotional support needed to rebuild trust, gain confidence, and thrive in a loving home. Rehabilitation isn’t optional—it’s the bridge between survival and a second chance.
But the impact doesn’t stop with the horses.
At the PonyUp4Kids Foundation, rescue is just the beginning. Once rehabilitated, some go on to be competitive, valuable show horses, some are adopted to loving families as recreational riding horses and some of these horses become partners in equine-assisted learning and wellness programs that serve children, teens, and adults, veterans, individuals facing anxiety, PTSD, grief, abuse survivors, recovery, and emotional trauma. They help people who were outcast with autism, special and diverse needs, developmentally and physically challenged. These programs offer a safe, nonjudgmental space where healing begins through the quiet strength and empathy of a horse.
The very animals once discarded by society become teachers, companions, and healers. Their transformation from near-death to purposeful partnership is not only powerful—it’s life-changing. As they learn to trust again, they help humans do the same. It’s a cycle of redemption that proves every life—human or horse—is worth saving.
Supporting PonyUp4Kids means more than saving horses. It means giving them the tools to heal—and to help others heal, too. It’s not just rescue. It’s restoration. And it starts with you.
The foundation is currently seeking funding to continue its operations. Without your support, more horses will be lost to the pipeline—and more criminal networks will go unchecked.
How You Can Help
• Donate to PonyUp4Kids Foundation to support advocacy and education. rescue and rehabilitation efforts
• Share this story to raise awareness
• Get involved with PonyUp4Kids Foundation
These horses carried us. They trusted us. Humanity was built on their backs. Now it’s our turn to carry them.
CHANGING LIVES IN DUTCHESS COUNTY
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