When a family faces a sudden loss, friends—and even friendly strangers—step up to help pick up the pieces.
At the end of January 2025, Ximena Herriges-Dalsing received a call from Ashley Early. Early’s lifelong family friend had succumbed to cancer, and the family didn’t know what to do with the horses left behind. Being newer to horses herself, Early looked to the barn owner and operator where her niece takes lessons for insight.
“I’ve never owned a horse, but I’ve always loved them,” Early shared. “My niece’s coach suggested Vindicate Horse Rescue & Training. They were amazing—I couldn’t have done this without them.”
The eastern Washington winter didn’t make it easy to get the horses to their new temporary home at Northwest Trails in Deer Park.
“We were in a very muddy situation,” Herriges-Dalsing, Executive Director of Vindicate Horse Rescue and Training, said. “We’d had a week of downpouring rain, and then we had a hard freeze. But we got them out and relocated within three days.”
Northwest Trails provided free board and care for the horses while Herriges-Dalsing quickly worked to use her network to place each equine. She first went to her list of people who’ve expressed interest in adopting a horse, aligning the adopters’ situations to the horses’ needs. From there, she took to social media and Equine.com, where people who are interested in a posted horse can complete an application to see if they’re a good fit to consider. Herriges-Dalsing then evaluated videos of the potential living situations, looking for hay, fresh water, good fencing, and shelter. Finally, the potential adopter could come meet the horses. Vindicate serves its home state of Washington, as well as Idaho, Montana, and Oregon, so the potential for adopters was wide.
“We had all the horses rehomed within 45 days,” Herriges-Dalsing said. “We had limitations on costs, so finding good homes quickly was a top priority.”
Early appreciated the expertise Herriges-Dalsing brought to the situation—one that could’ve been overwhelming during an emotional time.
“Having such a good experience was amazing,” Early said. “It’s crazy how small the horse community is. I don’t do social media, so I couldn’t have done this without Vindicate. The outreach they have is amazing.”
“Helping Ashley was so gratifying,” Herriges-Dalsing shared. “I’m so happy all the horses are in good homes, but helping Ashley was very fulfilling. She was so willing to step up to the plate without really knowing what to do. When I was able to help, she was so grateful. It really changed the whole feeling around a sad situation. Rehoming horses can be stressful—there are so many calls and circumstances to consider. Rehoming a herd of seven is even more stressful. But she took it on and made it easy for us to step in and help. We’ve all been new to horses at some point in our lives, and we know how scary it can be.
—H&R—
