For the Love of Horses

Equine Advocacy of Louisiana by Mimi Greenwood Knight

GROWING UP between Virginia and Louisiana, Alysia Thomas-Maloney can’t remember a time she wasn’t obsessed with horses. By age five, she was happier on horseback than anyplace else. Now, as founder and president of Equine Advocacy of Louisiana, she spends her days giving back to the glorious creatures who’ve given her so much love and enjoyment. On her website at EquineAdvocacyofLA.com, Maloney describes the mission of the non-profit as rescuing, rehabilitating and rehoming horses, as well as “bringing awareness and positive change to the equine industry in Louisiana by not only supporting the horses but all those that love and care for them.”

Mornings start early on the farm she shares with her husband, Robert, and their two teenage daughters in Amite. But you won’t hear her complain. For one thing, she gets to work alongside her daughter, Mia, an accomplished horsewoman herself who does most of the therapy and training of the rescue horses. For another, she can fall asleep each night knowing she’s making life better for the horses of Louisiana.

Maloney was 16, like Mia is now, when she first became aware of how many horses leave racetracks in this country no longer able to race and are headed for kill pens in Mexico and Canada. There they’ll be butchered and sold to countries where horse meat is considered a delicacy. (It’s illegal to kill horses

for meat in the United States.) According to the website EquineRescueNetwork.com, over 160,000 horses in this country are at risk of slaughter this year alone, and more than 92 percent of these horses are serviceably sound for continued use. Maloney has made it her life’s work to see that as many of these horses as possible find their way to loving homes.

“I’m not anti-racing—far from it,” says Maloney. “I know some wonderful trainers and owners. But the number of horses being sent to kill pens is unacceptable. There are thousands of people in this country who want a horse and tens of thousands of outstanding horses being slaughtered each year. These are incredible athletes with exceptional minds. They can still go on to become very successful as hunter/jumpers, in dressage competitions or as family pets. These can be good trail riding horses or barrel riders, too. When we come across a horse that isn’t ridable anymore, we look for a nice home where they can retire with dignity and still be wonderful companion horses. And on the rare occasion when a horse needs to be put down, we pay for humane euthanasia, which is much kinder than sending them on a 12-hour transport to Mexico for slaughter.”

Word is out about Equine Advocacy of Louisiana, and Maloney stays busy fielding calls from trainers, horse owners, veterinarians, sheriff’s deputies and others asking for her help in rescuing, retraining, rehabilitating and rehoming these outstanding animals—to the tune of 50 to 100 horses a year and a price tag of well over $100,000. While she’s occasionally able to rehome a horse directly from the track to a loving home, more often than not, the horses spend about a month at the farm as Mia works to retrain them and just generally let them know they’re loved. She says, “It’s not only retiring racehorses that need a home. We hear about far too many cases of horses being abandoned, abused or not receiving the care they deserve. Some people acquire a horse without realizing how expensive it will be to maintain. There’s no shame in that—but allow us to find them a home with someone who can give them everything they need. We also receive horses from people who may have become ill or gotten too old to keep their horse.” Two of the luckiest animals to arrive at the Maloneys’ farm are Half and Panther, who won the horsey lottery when they got to stay and become Mia’s horses.

The Maloneys don’t rehome their rescued horses with just anyone. “We have an adoption contract and do a thorough background check, including vet references and personal references,” says Alysia. “We visit the farm to see where and how the horse will be living, check in on them for the first six months and offer a buy-back policy if anyone takes on a horse and then realizes it’s too much for them.”

Last August, when Hurricane Laura hit, Equine Advocacy of Louisiana was instrumental in evacuating over 50 horses to foster farms in Alabama and Florida and was called upon after the storm to rescue others that hadn’t been evacuated. “That’s not really our focus,” says Maloney, “but when we started receiving calls, we started looking for volunteer transporters. We have an amazing network of volunteers who lent their time and horse trailers to help evacuate and others who volunteered their farms to house them until they could return home. But we want to get the word out to horse owners to please evacuate ahead of a storm so we don’t have any more emergency evacuations or rescues. There are people who will help you before the storm, but don’t wait until it’s too late.”

Of course, Maloney’s heart doesn’t go out only to horses. A recent morning saw her scrambling between cars on the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway rescuing a family of stranded kittens who returned to the farm with her to await adoption. She also loves spending time with children who can benefit from a little equine therapy. “We don’t advertise it, but if we know of a child who’s been bullied or is going through another trauma, we’re definitely open to having them come spend time around the horses,” she says. “It’s a win/win. The horses love the kids, and the kids love the horses. Just spending time grooming them or mucking stalls goes a long way—for everybody. Horses are the best therapists.”

Although Maloney occasionally rescues dogs and cats and makes them available for adoption, the horses are her first love. She says, “When I started riding, thoroughbreds were the go-to horse everybody wanted, and they’re still my favorite. They’re very athletic and are all heart. They’re the best sport horse and they’re highly intelligent. But we don’t discriminate by breed. We’ll rehab and rehome any horse that needs us. My biggest regret is that I can’t take them all, and I wish the sport were more affordable so more children could benefit from it. Our adoption fees are very reasonable—between $1,500 and $4,000 depending on a lot of factors. But we’ve also waved the fee when we’re able to. We do a lot of groundwork with the horses, though, to make sure they leave here well trained. So, by the time they’re adopted, we’ve put $6,000 to $10,000 into it. If we didn’t have such generous sponsors, we couldn’t do any of it. But we can always use more support—and definitely more experienced volunteers.”

Maloney is working on legislation to help protect horses from abuse and neglect and to curtail overpopulation. She’s called upon to testify as an expert witness in animal cruelty and neglect cases. And she’s working to increase cooperation between equine non-profits such as Pegasus Equine Guardian Association, which advocates for Louisiana’s wild horse population and is a proud Bissel Pet Foundation partner. “We want to keep open lines of communication with others who are doing what we’re doing elsewhere in the state or around the country and build the community of equine non-profits. When we help each other, we help the horses.”

Equine Advocacy of Louisiana has horses available for adoption, but there are many other ways you can help. “We’re always looking for foster farms to house rescued horses,” says Maloney. “We need volunteers to help transport horses and experienced volunteers to help work on the farm. We need people to report equine abuse, abandonment or neglect they witness. And of course, we accept all financial donations and corporate sponsorships. Not everyone can take on a horse, but everyone can give to help us find them homes with people who can. My dream is to someday have a sanctuary property where older horses can live out their lives and be loved. I’d also love to incorporate equine retirement facilities with retirement homes for seniors who can benefit from being around the horses.”

If you’d like to help support this worthy cause in any way, you can reach Alysia, see pictures of these gorgeous animals, or find out more about Equine Advocacy of Louisiana at EquineAdvocacyofLA.com. While you’re at it, check out PegasusEquine.org and BisselPetFoundation.org for other ways to make a difference.