In conjunction with California Coastal Horse Rescue (CCHR), the Conejo Valley Art Museum will produce a new exhibit of horse-themed art, entitled “A Dream of Equus.” 
 
Artists are encouraged to submit original equine-themed paintings, photographs, sculptures and multi-media to the Museum for consideration.  All entries must be received by the Museum on or before December 30, 2016.  Artists should send a CD of 10 images of the works they are entering, including the title, medium and size of each piece.  CDs should be mailed to the Conejo Valley Art Museum, P.O. Box 1616, Thousand Oaks, CA 91358.  A panel consisting of members of the Conejo Valley Art Museum Board of Trustees will judge the entries and make the final selection of works to be included.
 
A special fundraising event, The Night of the Horse: A Dream of Equus, to benefit California Coastal Horse Rescue will be held at the Museum on Thursday, February 23 from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.  “We are honored to be partnering with the Conejo Valley Art Museum to create this unique equine exhibit,” said Adri Howe, President and Executive Director of the California Coastal Horse Rescue.  “We are excited to have the opportunity to host our annual fundraiser at such a beautiful venue, and look forward to sharing our mission with an even broader audience and raising funds for the care for our horses.”
 
“We are pleased to be able to promote the genre of equine art and welcome submissions from artists of all disciplines,” said Maria Dessornes, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Conejo Valley Art Museum.  “Our exhibit will provide both accomplished and emerging equine artists an excellent showcase for their work.”
 
“A Dream of Equus” will debut on Tuesday, February 7 and will run through June 11, 2017.  The Conejo Valley Art Museum is located at 275 North Moorpark Road, East, Thousand Oaks in the Janss Marketplace.  www.cvam.us.  

CCHR is thrilled and so very honored to be the recipient of a $10,000 grant from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) in recognition of its 2016 ‪‎Help a Horse‬ Day event this past April.

Thank you to the ASPCA for this grant, its continuing support of CCHR and for making the protection of equines a critical part of its work since its founding by Henry Bergh 150 years ago.
​
Thank you to everyone who helped to make CCHR's Help a Horse Day such a life-affirming, happy day for all. From our volunteers to our friends and families, to our exhibitors and local community groups, everyone pitched in and worked so hard to make our event a very special one. Thank you for your devotion to the cause of horses in need and for showing such support of the horses who have found sanctuary through CCHR.
​
We simply would not be able to do what we do without the support and generosity of our entire community. What Help a Horse Day so beautifully illustrates is that California Coastal Horse Rescue is truly a community undertaking and that the mission of the rescue is continually made possible by kind and generous people and organizations who care deeply about horses in need. 

Wow... What a day it was!

You can sum up CCHR's Help a Horse Day in three simple words: horses, community, and fun!

With great live music from the band Swing Cheese playing, our guests enjoyed equine care and training demonstrations, could visit with a large variety of exhibitors and other local groups, and enjoy a variety crafts and games. The cart rides for kids were certainly a highly anticipated and greatly enjoyed part of the day! Folks also enjoyed some great food, beer (and cupcakes!). The horses received a lovely gift in the form of a new carrot patch from the Girl Scouts, and we welcomed our newly adopted barn cats. Smiles were definitely the hot "look" for the event and laughter the most witnessed accessory of the day! 

As for all of us at CCHR? We are left with such happy, warm and safe feelings in our hearts and souls.  We simply would not be able to do what we do without the support and generosity of our community. At the end of the day, it's so touching to know that California Coastal Horse Rescue is truly a community undertaking and that the mission of the rescue is generously supported by such an amazing community of volunteers, friends, supporters and donors. 

Thank you for always being there for the horses of CCHR and for helping to make every day Help a Horse Day.

​In conjunction with national “Help a Horse Day,” Ojai Mayor Paul Blatz has issued a proclamation announcing commendation for the lifesaving work California Coastal Horse Rescue (CCHR) provides to area equines.
 
CCHR in Ojai will celebrate “Help a Horse Day” from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, April 24 with an open house and family fun day at the ranch. The community is invited to this free event, which features vendors, food, games, a silent auction (including theme park tickets), pony cart rides for children, other animal rescues and, of course, the stars of the day – the CCHR horses.
 
CCHR’s open house is being held as part of ASPCA® (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®) “Help a Horse Day,” a nationwide challenge for equine rescues and sanctuaries to raise awareness about abused and neglected horses.
 
In addition to raising awareness, participation in national “Help a Horse Day” allows CCHR to compete for a share of $100,000 in ASPCA grant prizes, which is vital to the work they do year-round to care for horses, many of which have been abused or neglected.
 
“The ASPCA ‘Help a Horse Day’ contest is a wonderful opportunity for our team to welcome Ventura County residents and businesses to our ranch and help spread the word about at-risk horses in our community who are in need of loving homes,” said Adri Howe, president and executive director of California Coastal Horse Rescue. “Horses are majestic, loving animals. We hope everyone will come out on April 24 to learn about our work, make new friends, have some fun and help us win as much as $25,000 so we can continue saving horses for years to come.”

​An all-volunteer, 501(c)3 non-profit organization, CCHR’s mission is to rescue abandoned, abused, neglected and slaughter-bound horses and provide them with a second chance at living healthy, happy and productive lives.
 
CCHR has rescued horses from throughout California since 2000. Once horses are brought back to physical and emotional health, volunteers work to find them loving, permanent homes.
 
This year’s “Help a Horse Day” celebration is in honor of the ASPCA’s 150th Anniversary. On April 26, 1866, ASPCA Founder Henry Bergh stopped a cart driver from beating his horse, resulting in the first successful arrest for the mistreatment of a horse. 

​The 2nd Annual Night of the Horse benefit for California Coastal Horse Rescue will take place on February 25, 2016.

​Providing a perfect location; Bright Star Saddlery in Agoura Hills is once again generously providing a lovely venue for the event. 

Guests can expect to enjoy wine and other beverages as well as flavorful hors d'oeuvres as they mingle, bid on silent auction items and learn more about CCHR and the horses it offers rescue, rehabilitation and refuge to.

​​We are also very happy to announce that The Zmed Brothers will be performing their music LIVE at the benefit!

​Please make plans to join us for an evening dedicated to helping horses in need. We look forward to seeing you there!

As we celebrate the fifteen year anniversary of the founding of California Coastal Horse Rescue (CCHR) one particular word keeps coming to mind: Hope.
 
Fifteen years ago CCHR made a promise. It promised to always be there for horses in need. To save them from neglect, abuse, and slaughter, to advocate on their behalf and to be their voice. As part of this promise, CCHR has played a role in saving over 600 horses by finding them new homes or letting them live out the rest of their lives at the Rescue.
 
We get to see that where there was sadness, doubt, pain all that now is replaced with happiness, certainty, and peace. We see that lives can be turned around and there is no better fuel for hope to continue burning. 
 
Incredibly, we are not the only ones doing the saving or the rehabilitating. Each day we are touched by these treasured animals, and they are our teachers, guides, and healers. The horses are always finding more ways to give back to us. Through the CCHR education program and the Pony Tales Reading Club (where children read to the CCHR equine residents), the horses are teaching children about compassion and empathy early in life which can help build moral character, reduce violence and create a sense responsibility.
 
The lives of the horses who are saved by CCHR often reflect a cruel world of abuse, neglect, and ignorance. Sadly, to many, horses are merely commodities that are meant to be used and then disposed of when no longer wanted. However, as these horses are saved by CCHR it also reflects what can happen if people start to want to make a difference even on a small scale. It's what can happen when people say "the misery and despair stop here." Thank you to all of the volunteers, donors, and sponsors who have made a commitment to the horses (and the Rescue) over the last 15 years and helped provide care and support. Your generosity has played a direct and critical part in the lives of so many horses and, indeed, the life of CCHR.
 
There aren't too many places where you see examples of hope all around you on a daily basis. CCHR is one of these special places. Hope that comes from knowing any life can be given a second chance at happiness and security and a life where these horses know that they are wanted and are loved and cared for. This is the simple basis of what we do at the Rescue with the horses who we do find new homes for and the ones who will live out the rest of their lives in peace in the sanctuary of the Rescue.
 
With your involvement, you will allow more of these stories to happen. With your generosity, you will help us to continue with our never-ending promise to rescue, rehabilitate and offer refuge to these magnificent animals. And with your continued support, we will create a long-lasting legacy of care and devotion for all horses in need.