AN INTRO
We are a 501c3 non profit horse and donkey rescue located in Bakersfield, California, with the focus on rescuing horses and donkeys who would otherwise have ended up in danger of being shipped to either Mexico or Canada to be slaughtered.
We started 3.5 years ago when I, Tahlia, rescued a donkey that was in danger of shipping to slaughter. This single donkey, Kevin, inspired
what is now All Seated in a Barn. Since 2018 we have rescued over 500 horses and donkeys, as well as taken in numerous owner
surrenders and horses seized by Animal Control.
It has been a long HARD journey to get where we are today and we would not be where we are without all of our amazing supporters and
volunteers. Together we are all making some pretty incredible things happen for these horses and donkeys!
THE BACK STORY
This new facility is something we need so incredibly bad. The last 9 months have been nothing short of difficult for ASIAB. We went to the
auction and rescued over 90 horses and donkeys. We knew we needed more space to house and take care of them and were lucky enough
to be given the opportunity to rent roughly 5 acres here in Bakersfield. It was simply just land so we needed to not only build the pens
necessary to house them but also provide shelters for them, as well. A HUGE undertaking. We were additionally given the opportunity to
rent to own so that the investment into the pens etc. would make sense. It seemed like a great opportunity and we were blessed to have it,
especially with the timing! Thank you Jared!
In this case, sometimes things do not work out the way you expect. It immediately became clear, within 24 hours of moving in, that we
were not wanted as a neighbor, and were blessed with a letter from the county for being over the limit and 'a public nuisance'. Yes we were over the limit, but NOT a public nuisance. We were also, on the back end, in the process of starting to file for our conditional use
permit which would allow for the excess of animals on the property.
A few days later Animal Control showed up citing that that same neighbor had called saying that our animals were living in unsanitary
conditions. We happily gave Animal Control, who we work with to intake horses that come into their system, a tour in which he said we
were the cleanest horse facility he had seen in a long time. Our pens are literally are cleaned 1-2x a day. A few days later Air Pollution
showed up saying we were creating dust (insert hand on head). The only dust being created at the time was people driving in and out on the dirt road. So, I got ahold of the company my mom works for who came out and paved a road into the property with base and oil and a bill of $5000 attached.
This situation continued to turn into a nightmare. Animal control showed up again and this time realized 'what' was going on so signed us
off in their system -- we continued to move forward with trying to be quiet, not create dust and keep the noise down while we were out
there. Basically tend to the horses, clean the pens and leave. This resulted in us having to send our horses to training for exercise since we were not allowed to use our area to ride in, which could possibly create dust making the situation worse.
Long story short, we were brought in and told that if we continue to move forward with the permitting we will most likely be asked to
provide an environmental impact report for the county which runs close to $60,000 for the specific report we would need.
So, it was that, or find a new place. It is better to just take the high road. To trust and have faith that when one door closes, another opens,.
OUR PRAYERS ARE ANSWERED
Sick to my stomach, I do what I always do and I put my heart where my faith is. I believe with all of my heart that the barn is meant to do
great things -- to inspire and fight for change in an industry that seems to fight every step forward that is meant for it. Feeling frustrated
and sick to my stomach, overwhelmed, I just put it out there. I prayed and focused on us finding a facility that we can call our own. That
we wont have to deal with negative energy and can continue to fight for these animals but also be a huge part of
the community we live in and love. Saving horses changing lives -- it is who we are.
A couple mornings later I woke up and my mom handed me the Newspaper-- specifically, the front page of the Real Estate portion. It was
my friends horse property font page and center taking up half of the page. It literally is my dream space for ASIAB. I got ahold of my friend who happened to own it, and is also a huge animal lover and incredible human, and asked to see if I could come out and see it in person
(the last time I had been there was three years ago) to talk about how we could make this work. It was perfect and everything we
needed; electricity, arena, round pen, pastures, trees, an event space --literally EVERYTHING we need and don't have.
Him and I fell on the same page and now it was my job to figure out how to afford it. I cant. The barn cant. HOW? I started going over options in my mind and on paper. HOW CAN I MAKE THIS HAPPEN. I then realized I just needed to ask the people around me. Ask the people who know me, know my work ethic, know my integrity. It worked. A friend of mine very generously offered to purchase the property on our behalf with the ability for the barn to lease to own this amazing space which we can officially call ours in 5 years.
We move in Tuesday August 3. TODAY, as I am writing this. We have at least 20 pens that need to be built, fences that need to
be put up to separate pastures into male and female, automatic waters that need repaired and replaced, shelters that need to be built for
the pens and pastures, a grain shed for all of our feed along with additional things that we will need to repair and modify to make sure
everything is in working order.
This is where we need all the help we can get! These horses deserve this. They deserve the best. They have been through so much and we/I will do everything I can to give them the best space possible to start their new lives in. I am so excited and grateful for this next chapter of
All Seated in a Barn - as terrified as I am, I CANNOT WAIT to continue moving forward, changing this industry, inspiring change and saving
lives, both human and animal along the way.
- Tahlia
WHAT WE ARE FUNDRAISING FOR:
Pens to be built - 21
Shelters to be built: 29
Auto Waters to be fixed and new lines to be installed in the pens: 32
Grain Shed
Sprinkler lines fixed
Pipe to weld pens
Concrete poured
Fencing around the property installed so it isn't just 'open' to the public
