Lexington, KY – Hundreds of people in the southern states are opening their barns, their hearts, and in many cases their homes, to assist horses and their owners affected by the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. To date, the response has been overwhelming, with more than 5,000 people willing to offer assistance nationwide. The next step in this massive effort is to spread the word to those in the equine world who have been hurt and stranded by this national tragedy. Please help us in this effort.

A list of volunteer caregivers and farms can be found on www.usef.org, by clicking on the Hurricane Katrina link on the right side of the homepage, or by going directly to http://www.usef.org/documents/relief/HurricaneRelief.pdf. (Do not include a period after pdf) Volunteers are listed by city, state, and ability to provide veterinary care and a trailer for transportation. Because we have been inundated with volunteer requests and because we want to make relocation as easy as possible for these horses, we have limited our list to include Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, Alabama, Texas, Georgia, Florida and Tennessee.

While we are doing everything possible to share the news of these pledges of assistance with those in need, the more hands and voices we have to carry this message, the more help we’ll be able to provide.

~~~For more information, please contact Sarah Lane, Public Relations Manager at (859) 225-6974 or via email at [email protected]. USEF press releases are available on our web site – www.usef.org.