Horse Shepherd Equine Sanctuary

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Horse Shepherd Equine Sanctuary

Horse Shepherd Equine Sanctuary - the home of horses donkeys and ponies in need of Rescue and Rehabilitation About us.

Horse Shepherd Equine Sanctuary is a specialist Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre for all Equines. Located in the rolling green hills of Gordon Western Victoria. Horse Shepherd Equine Sanctuary (HSES) believes that it isn't always enough to just 'rescue' a horse but we strive to restore both physical and mental health. We have a number of horses permanently 'retired' to the sanctuary for various re

asons that we believe make them unsuitable for rehoming. However the vast majority of our horses are or will be available for adoption. We strongly advocate the benefits of adoption from the sanctuary - ongoing support as well as the option to return the horse if circumstances change.

13/03/2026

Paddock check roll call yesterday:
HSES Rasa, HSES News and HSES Pete — all present, all opinionated, and making sure we didn’t miss anything.

12/03/2026

It was a cold day in Gordon, but we caught a very sweet moment between HSES George and HSES Louie — a little kiss right on the lips.

Just another reminder that even on the chilliest days, there’s always a bit of warmth (and friendship) around the paddocks here.

11/03/2026

A lovely visit in the sun with HSES Walter and his bestie Victor

04/03/2026

SOLD Pending Payment! Wow we have been gifted this beautiful original art piece to sell with all proceeds to Horse Shepherd. Message us to buy!
The artwork is original by Monika Kusnierz in mixed media .
50 x 70 cm. Acrylic paint on canvas. 😍👍🏻🙏🏻💙
Price- $250

03/03/2026

Available for Adoption – Beautiful Sugar

This lovely Arab mare is ready for her next chapter. Although dont plan to photograph a white mare on a day its rained and then the suns come out!

Sugar came into our care after being collected on behalf of the RSPCA. Since arriving at Horse Shepherd Park she has been carefully rehabilitated and given the time she needed to settle and regain condition.

We have been so impressed by her gentle, affectionate nature. She is soft to handle, respectful and enjoys human company. Although she has never been broken in, she has been well handled throughout her life and is comfortable with routine care.

Sugar would make a wonderful companion horse. She is approximately 16 years old, her teeth and feet are up to date, and she is in good health.

We are looking for a knowledgeable, kind home where she will be valued for who she is and given the care she deserves.

If you feel you could offer Sugar a suitable forever home, please contact us to discuss further.

26/02/2026

Well HSES Queenie - didn't you get the love you deserved! Now a companion to Spencer and they love each other! Thank you community.

19/02/2026

A pile of hay makes for the most unlikely of friendships.

Donkeys shoulder to shoulder with ponies. Camels reaching over the top. No politics, no pecking order — just noses buried in the same pile, content and peaceful.

There’s something grounding about watching them all eat together. Different species, different stories, different pasts — yet the same simple need met in the same moment.

Right now, the paddocks are dry. Very dry. We’re all looking skyward, hoping for proper rain to freshen the ground and take some pressure off the feed bills.

In the heat of a drought, hay becomes more than just feed — it becomes our safety net. And as the grass disappears, the cost of keeping everyone well fed climbs steadily with it.

Rain would help.

17/02/2026

Welcome everyone to the Year of the Fire Horse - part of a 60-year cycle in the Chinese zodiac, often associated with courage, momentum, independence and renewal.
It’s Sarah here, and after 7 years with HSES, I can honestly say those words describe the team at the Sanctuary no matter the year.
How fitting that our newest rescue candle, Fire Horse 🐴🔥 is inspired by Roh. Many of you already know that Roh raced as All-in-a-Roh, but life after the track was not kind. He came to Horse Shepherd in December 2023 emaciated, exhausted, and with a devastating injury to his right wither.
Thanks to this incredible community, we raised enough funds for the operations that gave Roh his second chance.
Our rescue candles are designed to bring light into the world - literally and figuratively. Each one is hand poured to order by our wonderful candlemaker, Kate Lampe. We tested a number of fragrance blends for this very special candle, wanting it to symbolise warmth, strength and new beginnings.
HSES Roh Fire Horse fragrance : Bright mandarin and petitgrain bring lift and energy, clary sage adds herbal strength and clarity, softened by white tea and grounded in a warm amber glow.
Every candle helps fund safety, healing and hope for horses like Roh.
Check our website to view our tried and trusted range of elegant fragrances across floral, fresh and gourmand.
Thank you for supporting the sanctuary, you can purchase yours now via our website, the link is the profile.

15/02/2026

Around 10–15 years ago the culture around equine rescue in Victoria was very different. Rescue often involved urgency and emotion. The typical story was the last-minute dash to a sale yard, or the phone call that “the meat man is here tomorrow.” People fundraised overnight, bought the horse, and everyone felt a life had been saved. And sometimes it absolutely had.
But what most didn’t understand was that system quietly created a secondary market.

Sale-yard rescuing didn’t reduce the number of unwanted horses — it stabilised the price of them. When rescues and private “savers” regularly bought horses at the bottom end, the market adapted. A horse that otherwise had no economic value suddenly had one. Breeding decisions didn’t slow. Disposal responsibility didn’t change. The supply stayed high.

Then came events like the Bulla situation, which really shook confidence. It exposed something the public hadn’t seen before:
Rescue is not just compassion — it is logistics, land management, veterinary planning, staffing, and long-term funding.
Horses are not dogs. A horse you “save” at 8 years old may live another 20+ years. One decision can become a 25-year commitment. And this is where the sector quietly changed.

Around a decade ago there were 44 small, active rescues across Victoria. Many were run by very good-hearted people. But good-hearted is not the same as structurally sustainable. Over time, burnout, land costs, council compliance, and sheer financial pressure closed them. Not dramatically — just slowly. One by one. People aged. Leases ended. Hay doubled. Vet costs rose. Donations withered.

Now, the uncomfortable truth:
the number of unwanted horses has not decreased — but the number of organisations capable of responsibly absorbing them has.
At the same time, the economy shifted.
Donations are the first thing households cut.
Feed is the first cost a struggling owner struggles to meet.

An equine rescue operates on a commercial level in an agricultural market. You’re no longer just running a charity — you’re effectively running a livestock operation with a welfare mandate and no commercial product to sell.
And then another change quietly occurred: knackeries began charging. This is actually a major turning point in the welfare landscape. Historically, they were part of the unwanted horse management system. Not pleasant, but functional. Now disposal has a cost, which means owners delay decisions longer. Horses deteriorate further. And the calls to rescues increase — not earlier, but later.
So rescues now face a moral triage problem.
The hardest reality — and one many people struggle to accept — is that for some horses, humane euthanasia at home is the kindest outcome. Particularly very old, chronically lame, or behaviourally unsafe horses.

And sanctuaries must think not about a single emotional moment, but about lifetime welfare across the whole herd.
Every horse taken means another cannot be.
And that is where sustainability comes in.

An equine rescue cannot operate on crisis response forever. If intake exceeds long-term capacity, the rescue itself becomes the welfare risk. The paddocks degrade. The staff burn out. The finances fail. And when a rescue collapses, dozens of horses suddenly have nowhere to go — which is actually worse than saying no earlier.
So how do you decide?
Responsible rescues quietly shift their criteria from urgency to outcome:
• Can the horse be rehabilitated and rehomed?
• Does it have a realistic quality of life?
• Will taking this horse reduce the welfare of the ones already here?
• Is the owner avoiding a necessary euthanasia decision?

This is the ethical weight of modern rescue work. It is no longer about saving every horse. It is about preventing suffering across the greatest number of horses over time.

So what would happen if there were no equine rescues?

We will keep doing this work, and we have plans in place to ensure Horse Shepherd's sustainability. But the reality is that horses eat every single day, whether donations come in or not. Hay, veterinary care, farrier work and fencing are constant — and they are rising faster than support.

If you believe horses deserve somewhere safe to land, this is where the community matters.
You can help us continue by donating, sponsoring a horse, or even sharing this post. Every contribution — no matter the size — directly becomes feed, care and time for the horses already here, and gives us the ability to say “yes” when the right case comes along.

Because rescue isn’t one dramatic moment.
It’s the quiet, ongoing promise that the horses already saved will never be at risk again.

12/02/2026

Our stags coming down the lane to meet Amber for breakfast was a sure sign that all was not well with the fence! A few hours of girl team power and she looks like new and all the stags back on the right side!

10/02/2026

The update we have been looking forward to posting - beautiful HSES Queenie, stitches removed, well adjusted to one eye and pain free! Thank you to everyone that donated and well done to Dr Rachel Forefront Equine Veterinary Services for the removal and post operative care.

30/01/2026

Yesterday was already a tough day, and to follow it with the loss of our beloved Kya today feels almost unbearable.

Kya was a beautiful rescue from Homeless Hounds Animal Rescue Australia. In hindsight, farm life wasn’t the easiest adjustment for her, and in the early days she needed close watching as she found her feet. But over her 11 years, this stunning Bull Mastiff–Wolfhound cross grew into a big girl with an even bigger heart. It was that big heart that failed in the heat. Once again thank you to Dr Alastair from Gordon Vet Clinic your kindness again is appreciated.

On our walking tours, we discovered something special about Kya — she seemed to instinctively seek out children who needed extra love, comfort, and calm. She had a gentle presence that people were drawn to.

Tonight the sanctuary feels especially quiet without her.

Rest peacefully, Kya.

Address

160 Gascards Lane
Gordon, VIC
3345

Telephone

+61400743188

Website

http://www.horseshepherd.org.au/

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Our Story

About us. Horse Shepherd Equine Sanctuary is a specialist Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre specialising in Horses, Ponies and Donkeys. Located in the rolling green hills of Gordon Western Victoria. Horse Shepherd Equine Sanctuary (HSES) believes that it isn't always enough to just 'rescue' a horse but we strive to restore both physical and mental health. We have a number of horses permanently 'retired' to the sanctuary for various reasons that we believe make them unsuitable for rehoming. However the vast majority of our horses are or will be available for adoption. We strongly advocate the benefits of adoption from the sanctuary - ongoing support as well as the option to return the horse if circumstances change. HSES is proud to be selected to support both RSPCA and Racing Victoria in past large neglect cases. These horses almost broke our hearts however rehabilitation is complete and finding loving homes is now our priority.

Horse Shepherd Equine Sanctuary is also home to surrendered sheep, goats, alpaca, donkeys, peacocks, turkeys, numerous roosters, geese and ducks.

The support from our sponsors and ongoing donations from friends of HSES is critical to our ongoing activity and we thank you sincerely.