Donations are requested to help cover end of life costs. As a sanctuary it is inevitable that we will be burying at some point each equine when there time comes to cross the rainbow bridge after all the love and care of our dedicated volunteers.

The essence of Hay Burr Inn was received in heaven in June. Java Joe our scrappy miniature horse who was ancient, has passed. We don’t really know how old he was, Joe could have been older but not much younger. The estimate is 40ish due to lack of teeth and other signs. We jokingly said he was 900 years old.

No matter what Joe’s age he was saucy and spicy. Joe was the king boss at Hay Burr Inn, and everyone knew it from the biggest horse to the littlest donkey or dog or cat and especially the volunteers. Joe was a quiet kind mini for the volunteers. The first one people gravitated due to his size which was less intimidating. He appreciated hours of grooming; he had beautiful mane and tail. His coat was abundant, except where Kiya groomed him too much. I called him a tiny yak. Java Joe was a beautiful miniature horse with a coffee-colored coat.

Joe was beautiful inside and out. He was one of the first horses at the farm. Joe was part of our family before the barn was built and before HBI became non-profit. He was one of the reasons we started to rescue. His presence will be sorely missed.It seems we are not quite Hay Burr Inn without Java Joe and his girlfriends. Joe had quite a few that he protected over the years. Plus, the donkeys he allowed to share the pen. So many Joe stories can be remembered.

Really Java Joe was the embodiment of what Hay Burr Inn stands for: small, but big in attitude, protective, and ageless. As unrealistic as it sounds, Java Joe was supposed to live forever. Joe’s zest for life will continue at Hay Burr Inn. We will continue remembering his energy, using it to help other equines in need. Little Java Joe’s impact was enormous.Java Joe stole our hearts and took pieces of that heart to heaven with him. We heard thunder in the sky shortly after Joe passed. We knew he made it to heaven and let us know with those tiny thundering hooves.

Join us on Sunday, August 31st at 11 AM to offer your support and share your memories with us.

Hay Burr Inn's Story

Hay Burr Inn has been rescuing horses for over a decade, but only became a Charitable 501(c)(3) Organization in 2014.

We currently house 14 horses and 2 donkeys.

Because the entire staff is family and volunteers, 100% of the money donated by our supporters goes directly to the horses.

Hay Burr Inn has 16 acres of land undergoing pasture reclamation, so it can accommodate a free range for the horses. Our goal is to have a self-sustaining hay field and a full round-a-bout walking track.

Here at Hay Burr Inn Equine Rescue & Sanctuary we practice the “Mustang Method” for our horses. They must walk to the end of the track to get to their hay, and walk back to the barn for their water. Along this track, there are many stations with salt licks and scratch posts. This method helps motivate our horses to get exercise and to socialize with each other. We want our horses to just “be horses”.

We rescue the “unwanted of the unwanted” horses. Horses who no longer serve a purpose for their owners are put up for auction and sold to the highest bidder. Those who are “too broken” to be purchased at the auction are sent over the Canadian or Mexican borders for slaughter. It is our goal to intercept these horses that are bound for slaughter, and take them to our sanctuary. Other horses come to us from severe neglect, abuse and owner surrenders.

Regardless of their origin, it is our goal to take these horses to our sanctuary where they can rest and be rehabilitated. We rehabilitate their health and their spirit- Allowing them a safe place to recover from any medical or mental trauma of their past.

At this time none of the horses at Hay Burr Inn Equine Rescue & Sanctuary are in a condition to be fostered.

Remembering Java Joe - Memorial Fundraiser

Funds to help cover end of life costs