This September, local woman Jo Harp received notice of horses needing help in Winnie, TX, east of Houston. Winnie was flooded and horses were standing in water as high as their backs. They were in desperate need of hay, feed and medical supplies. Harp, who runs the local Wings And Reins Equine Refuge in Devine, had just received a generous donation of hay from Chris Jenschke of Poteet, TX and she knew that this was something she needed to do.
Harp is part of the World Wide Equine Disaster Relief Group and has worked with them several times during the hurricanes in Rockport and Florida.
“At this time of year we are working on getting enough hay to feed our rescue horses through the winter but I knew when I got the call about the horses in Winnie, that this is what God intended the hay for” stated Jo Harp.
Jo posted on Wings And Reins Facebook page that they needed help hauling the hay in to Winnie and also needed money to buy grain. Deborah and Rick Stein of Devine contacted Jo and offered to drive a load of hay to Winnie. On 9-24-19 Deborah and Rick hauled 147 bales of hay to Winnie high school where the hay was unloaded and distributed by the Winnie FFA and 4H.
The next day Alma Horvath of Devine Current Events Club reached out to Jo and connected us with her nephew James Ornales. James offered to haul a load of hay to Winnie for us and on 9-30-19, James dad, Gilbert, drove 420 bales of hay to Winnie High School.
Jo, with the help of WWEC Disaster Relief Group and Winnie’s High School Ag teacher, was able to contact all the people with horse flood victims in Winnie and the neighboring town of Anahuac.
“Talking to all those people who had been so devastated by the flooding was sad and beautiful at the same time. To hear the relief and joy in their voices when I was able to tell them that help was on the way is something I will never forget,” stated Jo Harp.
Jo connected with Richard at Safe Haven Equine Rescue who donated medical supplies and 100 bales of hay. Richard was going to Winnie on Friday so he was able to help distribute to those in need.
We received a couple of donations for grain and the WWEC donated the rest of the funds we needed to buy all the grain. The WWEC also talked with Old Security Farm who donated 5 gallons of honey to treat river rot.
“Within a couple of hours on Friday we were able to distribute all the supplies to help 96 horses in Winnie and Anahuac. We could not have helped so many without all the generous people who donated money, fuel, and their time. We cannot thank you all enough. Together we can make a difference and affect change in so many lives.”
Wings And Reins Equine Refuge in Devine operates on the generosity of volunteers, individual donors, sponsors and fundraising efforts.
For more information about how you can volunteer to help or make a donation, please contact: Wings And Reins, PO Box 593, Devine, TX, (210) 471-1377.
