Animal Posse Humane Society of LA - Saving Mardi Gras Horses - Animal Posse

Episode 4

Humane Society of LA - Saving Mardi Gras Horses

Published on: 21st February, 2025

From the grand parades to forever homes! Join us as we talk with Rena Sweeney of the Humane Society of Louisiana about the crucial work they do with the Mardi Gras horses. This episode shines a light on the rescue and adoption process, highlighting the challenges these horses face and the dedicated individuals who help them transition from parade life to a loving family. If you're an equine enthusiast or simply curious about the fate of these magnificent animals, this is a must-listen.

For more information on the Mardi Gras Horse Program visit the website Mardi Gras Horse Adoption Program or Facebook

Transcript
Dixie:

Welcome to Animal Posse, the podcast dedicated to the

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people and rescues making a

difference in the lives of animals.

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Hello everybody.

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Today we are joined with Rena

Sweeney, and she is a board member

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with the Humane Society of Louisiana.

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And she is here today to talk

about the Mardi Gras horse program.

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But before we get started with that,

Rena, can you tell us a little bit

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about the Humane Society of Louisiana?

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Rena: Of course.

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So we fight for animal rights.

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Rights here in our state.

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For all animals, not just dogs and

cats, but farm animals, the wildlife.

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So we advocate for anything that

falls into those categories, including

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dog fighting getting shelters for

communities that don't have them.

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spay, neuters, vet care

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Anything you name it.

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That's really our goal is just to help

benefit all the animals of Louisiana.

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Dixie: And how long has the Humane

Society of Louisiana been around?

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Rena: We have been around since the

80s and this program for the Mardi

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Gras horses was just started in 2017.

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So this is actually one

of our newer programs.

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Dixie: I didn't know it was that new.

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I know I recently found out

about the Mardi Gras horses.

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So I was really glad when you

reached out to me about talking

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about the Mardi Gras horse program

because it's kind of surprising

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Rena: it is a lot of

people don't know about it.

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And to be honest, we didn't know

either until it came to our attention.

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And that's what prompted

us to start the program.

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So I think you're right.

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It's just something that

most people don't consider.

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You're out on a parade route, having fun.

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Someone's riding a horse.

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It just doesn't really dawn on you

that, that person may not own that

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horse or the krewe itself own it or

someone in the krewe own it and borrow

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it, so it took us by surprise as well.

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Dixie: Can you give us an

overview of the program?

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Rena: Yes.

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So the horses are brought in by a stable.

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And so Cascade Stables in Audubon

Park goes to a broker and purchases

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horses for the Mardi Gras krewes to

rent from them to use for the parades.

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And typically that's anywhere from

maybe 15 to 20 horses per year that

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they supplement their own horses with.

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So they have horses, of course, that

they use for that purpose, but They

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don't need that many horses year round.

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So they go to a broker and all

the horses they have come from

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various backgrounds and it's just

like any other rescue animal.

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You really don't know their history

or why they ended up with a broker.

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It could be that there was some behavioral

situation that the owner Just didn't have

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the ability or patience to deal with.

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Maybe the owner couldn't afford

them or care for them any

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longer for whatever reason.

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So by whatever circumstances

have happened in their life, they

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ended up with the broker and.

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When you're with a broker,

your future is uncertain.

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You could get purchased

and go to a loving family.

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You could get purchased for slaughter.

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There is a market for horse

meat, especially in some of our

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neighboring countries, and so

that is not uncommon as well.

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So, The stable purchases the horses and

they house them and have them checked by

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a vet And use them in Mardi Gras and then

typically they would get sold back to the

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broker So they're still in that cycle of

uncertainty and when we found this out We

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decided to step in and create a program

and work with the stable So that every

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year Instead of going back to the broker

the stable works with us to help get all

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of these horses adopted into homes You

And once they've entered the program,

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we have committed to them for life.

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So just like any other rescue group with

a dog or a cat where we have the adopter

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sign a contract, and if they ever can't

keep the horse in the future, for any

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reason, it comes back to us and we have

several sanctuaries that we operate.

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So we can always put the horse there or

try to get it rehomed into a new family.

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So that's sort of.

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The big overview.

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Dixie: Now just to understand everything.

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So in a Mardi Gras parade,

you have the horses that are

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in the like the riding clubs.

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Sometimes you will have just

krewe members riding horses.

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Because I know we'll see that where

some of the dukes or something

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like that will ride a horse.

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So are those horses that are

the ones that would be rented?

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And then going from parade to

parade, is it the same horse that's

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rented kind of over and over?

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Rena: They do rotate them so the same

horse is not going to, be in back to back

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parades every day or anything like that.

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So they do rotate them so the

horses are resting in between.

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But yes, the horses that you would

see, like a duke or some of the

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royalty of the court riding on, With

those big krewes, those are the horses

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that are rented from the stables.

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They don't own those horses.

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And most of the time you'll see them being

walked by a handler because the people

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riding them don't really know how to ride.

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They're just sort of sitting

there while the horse is being led

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by, the person from the stable.

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Dixie: And what about the riding krewes?

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Cause I know there's quite a few

riding krewes where you'll see,

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people riding about 20 to 30 horses.

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Rena: Well, my understanding is

that most of those are owned.

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I honestly, I could not

speak to all of them.

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There might be some that aren't,

but I think typically those are

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people that own their horses and

they're coming out as a group.

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They're, just like the

krewe of Dolly is all.

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Dollywood Parton fans.

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These are all horse

owners that get together.

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And so that would be my

understanding of those.

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It's typically just the big krewes

that are using the rental horses.

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Dixie: And how did it

come to your attention?

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Rena: Jeff Dorson, who started the Humane

Society of Louisiana, along with Dana

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Nesbitt it came to their attention.

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I'll be honest, I don't know exactly how

that came to be, but I'm on the board.

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I didn't say.

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It kind of word got passed on to us

and it was something that we were

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all just completely floored about.

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We had no clue that that was happening.

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And we all live here and they're natives,

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Dixie: yeah.

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Rena: It's shocking when

you find out about it.

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It really is.

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I had absolutely no idea.

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We're really appreciative that this

stable is willing to work with us.

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There are certainly.

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In the area.

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I'm sure many other stables

that have to bring horses in

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or maybe do similar things.

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So we're very appreciative that this

stable works with us to do the program.

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And we passed the hundred

horse mark last year.

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So we are really, really

excited about that.

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It's a lot of horses who've

had their lives changed.

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Dixie: Are you fortunate enough to

find homes for all of the horses?

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Rena: Yes.

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We do on occasion have.

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So last year, for instance, we

had like a horse that was sick

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and it went out to our sanctuary.

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But typically they're

all in good condition.

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But again, once they enter the

program, we're committed to them.

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So if a horse does come in from

the broker and the vet or the

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stable deems that it's not.

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Able to be ridden in the parade

for whatever reason, health or

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just temperament we are still

committed to taking care of it.

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So we will get at veterinary care.

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If it needs to, it can live out at

our sanctuary until we can find it a

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home, or if it just needs to be, what

we call a pasture ornament and just

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live out its life, hanging out in

the pasture and having a good time.

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Dixie: What is the adoption process?

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And how long too, is the whole process?

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When do you get involved with the stable

and then when do the horses find a home?

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Rena: It is super fast paced.

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This is definitely the fastest

program I have ever been a part of.

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The stable typically starts

bringing them in within a week.

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Four or five weeks ahead of Mardi

Gras, and they come in groups.

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So, for instance, this year,

we just got our first group of

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horses in, and there were seven

of them, and we expect 20 total.

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So we'll still have probably another

two groups of horses come in.

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So as soon as they get to the

stable, they get their first bite.

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Brushed and cleaned up a little bit and

a vet sees them and we photograph them

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and Start to get them posted so that

people can begin sending in applications

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and Once an application has been

received we do all the vet references.

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We check with your farrier check

to make sure that you have a plan.

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You're not just thinking you're going

to bring this horse home to, your house

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in Metairie and put it in the backyard.

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And so once we've confirmed all of those

things that you either have the property

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or you have a stable you're going to

use you have a vet and a farrier lined

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up or that you've used frequently your

applications approved and then we work to

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get you matched up with the right horse.

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And that's really the most important part

of the process because just like with

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any other Animal, a dog or a cat, maybe

even more so in some cases, they're very

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smart and they have a lot of personality.

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And so it is really important

to make sure that we match up.

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What's your lifestyle?

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What are you looking for in a horse?

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Are you just, are you willing to rescue an

older horse that can just hang out on your

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ranch and be a buddy to your other horse?

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Or are you looking for something to

ride and what's your skill level?

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So it's very involved and

we're lucky to have a lot of.

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Horse knowledgeable people that

volunteer with our program.

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Some of whom have adopted from us in

the past and then loved it so much that

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they wanted to come back and volunteer.

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And once your application's approved

and we've matched you with a horse they

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pay a deposit to the stable itself.

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And then after Mardi Gras, we

give the horses some time to rest.

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They get a couple of days off

and then towards the end of

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Mardi Gras week, people come.

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To the stable and start picking

up their horses to take them home.

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Dixie: You said that they'll

do a deposit to the stable.

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So the adoption fee essentially

goes to the stable, is that correct?

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Rena: Yes, really the, that fee you're

paying You're covering the cost of, the

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horse being purchased from the broker.

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Right.

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This is not, definitely not a

moneymaker for the humane society.

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We, we're doing this as a labor of love

for our community and the horses that,

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Help run this huge festival in our city.

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So, we're not making anything off it.

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We're all run by volunteers, and

we're just giving our time and

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trying to help the horses out.

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And the stable is really just

looking to recover what they've

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paid the broker to get the horse.

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And the horses have been

vetted and of course, fed and

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cared for while they're there.

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So all the way around, it's a labor

of love just to make sure that these

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horses are kind of out of the system

and don't end up back there again.

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Dixie: And what is that fee usually?

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Rena: It depends on the horse, many

different factors age and, breed,

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how big it is, all of those things.

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But usually it's anywhere from

to:

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It just, like I said, it kind of depends.

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Dixie: Now if the horses like in

years past weren't adopted, then

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essentially what would have happened

is the broker would have just

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bought them back for that price.

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Is that how it normally worked

before y'all got involved?

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Rena: Yes, exactly.

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And again, then when they're with the

broker, anything could happen to them.

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So the, at this point though, like

I said, once they enter the program,

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they're taking care of for life.

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So if they don't get adopted for some

reason, Then they'll go live at our

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sanctuary and then the Humane Society of

Louisiana now owns them and is housing and

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feeding and caring for them until we can

find someone to adopt them or if they're

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not adoptable for whatever reason just

to let them live out their life there.

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Dixie: And what about your sanctuaries?

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Where are your sanctuaries located?

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Rena: They're both out in rural parts

of the state, closer to the Mississippi

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border, and we have all different

animals, dogs, cats, farm animals.

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As you can imagine, servicing

the entire state, we get a

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lot of calls for farm animals.

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Animals as well, because many parts

of our state are very rural, so we

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just have kind of a big conglomeration

of animals out there that our staff

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takes care of and just make sure that

they're all living their best life

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Dixie: now at the sanctuaries.

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Is that something like the

general public could go visit

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or make an appointment to visit?

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Or is that just strictly

just to house the animals?

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Rena: It's to house the animals,

but they certainly, if they were

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interested in going out they could

reach out to us to come see them, but

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they're not open on a regular basis.

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As like an attraction or something where

people can buy a ticket and come in.

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philip: I believe I may have

met a couple of your horses.

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Because we have our rescue

is in Mount Hermon.

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Yes.

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And I know a couple

miles from us Oh, yeah.

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There's a few horses.

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One of

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Rena: our sanctuaries is in Mount Hermon.

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Yes.

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philip: There's about a half dozen horses.

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I think three or four donkeys

are currently out there and

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they're all beautiful animals.

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Rena: And we do have donkeys.

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The horses in New Orleans

are at Cascade stable.

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And so usually once the people that are

interested in adopting are approved for

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an application, they can go out to the

stable at that point and meet the horses

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and see them in person and kind of check

them out and make a final determination,

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which one they think they'd like to adopt.

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Dixie: How long will the stable hold them

before they have to be out of the stable?

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Rena: Typically, we like to have

them all out of the stable within

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a week or so of Mardi Gras.

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They are taking up, obviously,

their own space from their

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facility to house the extra horses.

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So, within a week or so, we try to

have them all either in their new

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homes or moved out to our sanctuaries.

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Dixie: Is the, amount of horses that

they get kind of a consistent number

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or does that kind of change depending

on like the size of the parades

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and new parades or stuff like that?

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Rena: Yeah, it does change.

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Some years we've had less, 12-15

this year, they expected maybe 20 or

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21 horses were going to be needed,

so it does fluctuate per year.

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This is definitely one of the bigger

years that we've seen, but since covid,

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I do feel like the number of horses

needed has been on the higher end.

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Dixie: Now the COVID year, I

would imagine that's a year that

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was skipped because of COVID.

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Rena: Yes, that's correct.

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They, they didn't have horses

that year and, and so the program

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was kind of at a standstill.

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So, since 2017 including a

break for COVID, we still have

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adopted out over 100 horses, so.

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Dixie: Wow, that's a lot.

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Rena: Yeah.

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Dixie: Yeah, because I would imagine

it's a lot harder to find them homes than

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it would be to find a dog or a cat to

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Rena: it is.

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I think it's, it's very involved.

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However, I will say we have been

very lucky that a lot of people in

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our community, just like you guys

have helped us get the word out.

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So we've slowly seen.

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Our following increase over the

last few years and last year, we

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just, we had so many applications.

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We were really struggling to get

through them all and process them.

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And so, luckily, this year, we

have extra volunteers on hand that

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are helping us do that because

it is such a fast paced system.

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We only have a few weeks

to get 20 horses adopted.

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And that's, considering someone

might be interested in one horse.

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But then we realized it's

not a good fit for them.

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And that's really the only

horse they were interested in.

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And so then we go back to the drawing

board and it's, it's pretty involved.

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It's a lot of work and

it, it does move quickly.

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So it's a labor of love.

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. philip: I know a lot of people

that wind up buying a large

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track of land and they'll decide,

Oh, I think I want a horse.

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Right.

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And then they'll wind up realizing how

much vet care can go into a horse, how

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much hands on work go into a horse,

and then they wind up backing out.

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And I can see that being problems.

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Rena: Yeah.

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It's like I said, that's kind

of the hardest part about making

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sure you have the best fit.

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That's the hardest part

of the adoption process.

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And we obviously want everyone

to have the right horse for them.

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But if for some reason that

doesn't work out, then again,

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we're committed to the horse.

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So, we would take the horse back.

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We just want to make sure that they

never end up back in the situation

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where, they don't have an owner

and they're with a broker again.

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Dixie: Now, you said that you had

like a lot of applications last year.

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Do you keep those applications

on file for the following year

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if it's like a good application

or do they have to apply again?

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Rena: They do have to reapply.

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They You know, situations change.

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Circumstances change.

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So if someone comes back and wants a

horse for a second year, even if they

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had an application in previously, we

just asked them to fill out another

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application just so that we have

all their current information and.

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Pictures of their land or

property and all of that.

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Dixie: Have you had anybody from

the city requesting a horse?

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I'm just curious.

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Rena: Yes, we definitely have

people that live in urban areas,

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not even just New Orleans.

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We've, I mean, we've had people

from all over the United States

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and we are open to that as well.

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Of course they have to arrange for the

transport, which can be costly, but.

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Otherwise, we are definitely open to

people that live in suburban areas.

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Typically when they do, they'll

house their horse at a local stable

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and, go, go visit it every day or

every other day, take it for rides.

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So that's no problem either.

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Just as long as we know the horse

is going someplace where it's

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going to be loved and cared for.

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No high rise apartments.

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philip: Well, I know that there's a

couple of smaller towns around us like

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Harahan, where you can still own a horse

if you got a big enough piece of land, but

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that's getting a lot smaller and harder

to do, but I've seen a couple of horses

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out and for listeners that don't realize

where Harahan's at, but I can't see it

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being very conducive for horses, but.

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People seem to do it.

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Dixie: Yeah.

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And for a long time in Kenner, they

had stables at the end of the lake.

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It was just a last couple of years,

really, when they got rid of those

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Rena: yeah, there are definitely still

some pockets of land and especially

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like on the North shore, there are

areas where you can be, in, in what

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seems to be a pretty populated area and

still have a good chunk of land too.

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Dixie: Well, I'm glad to

hear that y'all started this

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program for the horses though.

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Cause like I said, I had no idea and when

I heard about it, it was, very upsetting.

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Very, very upsetting.

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Rena: Yeah.

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It's like I said, it's something that

we didn't even know about and we've

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been doing this since the late eighties.

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And so I think it's just not well

known and every year with the coverage

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that we get, we have more and more.

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Information out there for the public

to kind of see and understand.

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But it's something that at this

point is so ingrained in the culture

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that it's really not going to change

unless it's a cultural change, unless

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the krewes themselves decide we're

not going to use horses anymore.

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Until that day comes, if ever, the

horses are going to be in demand

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and it's going to keep happening.

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So we're really hoping to be

able to continue the program.

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It is difficult because like I

said, it's, It's a loss for us.

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We are putting money into the program.

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And we're not making anything off

of it, but we really are trying to

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keep it volunteer based so that we

can all help the horses and be able

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to continue to do this every year.

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Dixie: Like you said, it, would be

a cultural change . Has there been

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any talks with any of the krewes

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Rena: That's been a discussion

in the past for sure.

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I think that, that's something that the

krewes themselves probably would need

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to internally make the decision that

they would want to not do that anymore.

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Dixie: How do people see the horses

that are available for adoption?

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Rena: They can go to our

website, mardigrashorses.

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com.

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And we also have a Facebook page.

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It is linked through our website as well,

but it's a Humane Society of Louisiana's.

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It's Mardi Gras horse adoption, and

either of those places they can see the

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horses, they can put in an application,

they can message us to ask questions,

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and just if you're interested, don't

wait, because the horses go quickly like

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I've mentioned, it's a very fast paced

program, so if you think you might be

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interested, go ahead and just put an

application in and get the ball rolling.

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Dixie: are the horses up on the website

now, or they get listed later on?

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Rena: They are, they, we just

got them listed today, actually.

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So this is perfect timing.

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Yes.

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So the horses the first seven that we

have are up on the website right now.

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I'll give a little shout out to Daphne.

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She's my, my current favorite.

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I love that horse.

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She's very sweet.

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She's a beauty too.

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These horses you'll see

also on our website, a.

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Testimonial from someone that adopted

last year and just seeing the difference

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of the before and after photos when

they come in from the broker, they're

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almost always skinny, sometimes, a

little ragged and just need a little TLC.

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And of course, they're at the stable for

such a short period of time during Mardi

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Gras that they're getting fed and, cleaned

up, but you really see the difference

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when you come back later and they've been

in their home and they've had a stable

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loving environment and have been fed

well for the last year and had vet care.

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And so seeing those before and

after photos is really satisfying

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to see just what, what some love

and time can do in an animal's life.

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philip: Okay, let me ask you this.

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For someone who's very new to horses and

they're just wondering what would be the

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annual expense to take care of a horse?

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But what would they expect

to, to try to spend per year?

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Rena: I think that would vary widely

based on, if you were housing it

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at a stable or yourself at home.

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But you know, that's something that

we do encourage people to look into.

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We also recommend that these not be

your first horse that you ever own.

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We really prefer for them to go to

somebody that's already familiar

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with horses, whether they have them

currently or have had them in the

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past because, they are rescues.

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So we also encourage All of our adopters

to hire a trainer and work with the

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horses once they get them home, give

them some time to unwind and settle

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in, just like you might adopt a dog

and bring it home and it might be

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skittish or scared and take a little

bit to settle in and become comfortable.

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Horses are the same way.

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So we really Prefer to have people

that are horse knowledgeable and have

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either worked with them in the past or

own them in the past or currently, and

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that's typically the best situation.

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And they are social.

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So having more than one just like with

cats, more than one is always great

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because then they'll have a buddy as well.

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Dixie: Where did you say we could

see the before and after pictures?

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Because I've seen the pictures

of the horses up for adoption.

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And I'd love to go look at

some of the after photos.

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Because, when, when you see them

get into a loving home, you, like

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you said, you can definitely see

the difference in the animal.

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Rena: Yeah, our website, MardiGrasHorses.

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com We have, we have

one story up there now.

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The website is very new, so we are

working on getting more success

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stories up there as we speak.

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But Jasmine is featured on there right

now, and you can just see straight

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away when, even if you aren't familiar

with horses, you can see straight

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away, just glancing at the photo.

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How beautiful her coat looks

and she's filled out and has a

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little more meat on her bones.

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And she is just kind of living her best

life with a horse buddy just hanging

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out in the pasture and having a good

time and a good life being loved.

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She's not really working or anything.

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She's just having a nice,

cozy, cush, posh life now.

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Dixie: So she's a happy horse now

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she

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Rena: is

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Dixie: no idea on her history then other

than she just came from the broker.

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Rena: No, yeah, that's I think

probably the most frustrating part

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for everyone us as well as adopters

because There are so many unknowns.

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Sometimes, they they come in and Just

like again a dog or a cat They might be a

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little skittish with one thing or another

and that's why it really can take time

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to get to know them and their preferences

and maybe you need to saddle them a

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:

certain way or let them run and get some

energy out before you try to ride them.

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They have personalities.

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And so, just like humans and dogs,

cats, any other animal, the owner

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gets to know them and we'll kind of

figure all of those things out and

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what works best with their horse.

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But it is frustrating because we don't

have any of that history to know what

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they've been through or what their

personality is like, and unfortunately.

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Like where a dog or a cat maybe

would have been in a foster family

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or even in the shelter for a while.

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And the shelter workers or the foster

would know a little bit more about

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their personality or preferences.

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We don't really have that option.

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And so it is more difficult.

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And that's why we really encourage

people to give the animals some time

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to settle in when they get at home.

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Don't don't bring it home, load

it off the trailer and try to

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throw a saddle on and ride.

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And also to have a trainer that

they trust and can work with in case

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:

the horse just needs, it may not

have ever even had any training.

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We really don't know.

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Dixie: Yeah.

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:

I mean, it's the same thing with

any animal that you adopt too.

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You have to be willing to

give it time to settle in.

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:

Rena: Yeah.

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Dixie: Before we end the episode, is there

anything else that you would like to add?

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Rena: We would love to

continue to spread the word.

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So even if someone isn't in a position to

adopt a horse, please go to our Facebook

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page and help share and like our posts.

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All of that helps tremendously

with getting the word out there.

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And you never know when a friend

of yours knows somebody looking

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for a horse or something like that.

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So we appreciate all of the

support whether it's a donation

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or even just a like and a share

and a comment on an online post.

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Dixie: We'll definitely include all

your links in the description, too,

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so they can go to the Facebook page

as well as to the, to the website.

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We would love for you to come back

on either you or Jeff, or you or Jeff

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together to talk about the other programs

with the Humane Society of Louisiana, too.

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Rena: We would love that.

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Thank you so much.

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Dixie: Great.

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Great.

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Yeah.

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Cause I know y'all do great work.

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I've known Jeff for a long time.

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I've known you for a long time and

you do have some wonderful programs.

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So there's a lot more than just

the, Mardi Gras horse program.

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This is just one that's very

important too though.

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Because it is something that

I find when more people learn

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about it, it is something that is

shocking when you hear about it.

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:

Rena: So, yeah, and again, I think

it's just a cultural situation at this

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:

point that if people aren't speaking

out or if the krewes themselves

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don't decide to make that change,

then it's not ever going to change.

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:

And we are seeing more krewes

leaning towards sustainable

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:

throws and things of that nature.

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So, the day may come, but unfortunately

we're not There yet, so we still need to

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help get these horses into some homes.

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Dixie: Well, thank you for taking the time

to speak with us today and explain the

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program and we can't wait to have y'all

back on to discuss the other programs.

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Rena: Yeah, we really

appreciate your help.

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Thank you so much.

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Dixie: You're welcome And that's all

the time we have for today's episode.

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If you are in animal rescue, or if

you know someone that has a story that

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:

should be told, please contact us.

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:

We would love to have

you or them on the show

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:

.

Thanks for listening, and please join us next week as we continue to

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explore the world of animal rescue.

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About the Podcast

Animal Posse
A look inside the world of animal rescue
Dive deep into the world of animal rescue with heartwarming stories, expert interviews, and behind-the-scenes insights. From heartwarming adoptions to daring rescues, we'll explore the incredible bond between humans and animals.
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