by Shannon Bowman-Sarkisian

Monica Gavin with Bogie and Sammy, newly rescued horses from a kill buyer lot in the Central Valley. Photo: Shannon Bowman-Sarkisian.

September 2011— 
On a windswept stretch of land above Pigeon Point Lighthouse in Pescadero, there was a home for horses with nowhere left to go. Unwanted and abused, the horses and donkeys of the Equine Rescue Center are often on their way to slaughterhouses in Mexico before ERC President Monica Gavin intervenes. “Most of these horses would’ve ended up in shrink wrap in Paris on a grocery store shelf in the meat department,” says Gavin.

Gavin started working with horses at the age of 5. Her grandfather was in a rodeo and the family had a ranch in Sebastopol. “I always knew there was something a little bit different about me because I would sit and spend time with the horses,” says Gavin. “I worked at Friendly Acres as a wrangler when I was 12 and 13. Then I kind of got away from horses when I went to college. After that, I had a tragedy in my life. My sister was killed violently when I was 25 years old. I felt very disconnected from the world. I was a little bit lost. I decided — you know what? I want to go back to what really made me happy; maybe that will help me. And it did.”

Horses enjoying a sunny day at the ERC. Photo: Shannon Bowman-Sarkisian.

Gavin acquired Miss Kitty, a horse she’s had in her life for 15 years. The daily interactions between the two created a strong bond. That connection was a catalyst for Gavin, who found her calling in life. “I had something that turned me around,” she says. “It made me look at myself and try to understand why I’m here. I found it in horses, especially the ones I felt needed a little bit extra.”

The ERC has strict criteria for the equines it rescues. It takes in young horses who have sustained an injury; older, retired horses; and horses from pregnant mare urine farms — mares kept pregnant, confined to stalls, and forced to stand in “pee lines” so their urine can be harvested for hormone replacement drugs such as Premarin, Prempro and Premphase. “I want to take horses that really, really need me,” says Gavin, “not horses that can just be sold and somebody else can have a use for them. I want them to really need us.”

Gavin’s vision for the ERC is to foster mutually beneficial relationships between humans and equines. Its programs serve children and adults with disabilities, and have also served the children of Pescadero’s farmworker community. “They learn the responsibilities of feeding the horses and goats,” says Gavin, “making up the hay and the grain, and tacking up the horse themselves, grooming, learning to get a connection with the horse. It’s not like we’re getting the horse out for a half an hour, the child putts around a circle, and then the groom takes them away. … You can’t change a life with a half hour here and there every other week.”

Suppertime at the ERC. Photos: Shannon Bowman-Sarkisian.

Serving the local community is an integral part of the ERC’s mission. “There was one man who gave me an opportunity at Friendly Acres and he took a chance on me,” says Gavin. “I want to be able to do that for other kids. It changed my life.”

Monica Gavin ensures one of the horses gets a full meal.

Unfortunately for the South Coast, the ERC had to suddenly move to a new location near Hollister. “So far it’s working out much better,” says Gavin. “The weather is milder. There’s plenty of acreage for grazing and movement. It’s very nice. I feel like the horses are so lucky to have this. They’re in bigger herds and we’re going to be taking in more horses.”