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Sunrise Sanctuary

Sunrise Sanctuary Hopes to Build a Barn

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Horse-rescue operation seeking funds, volunteers.

Horse owners know how much it costs to feed and care for a horse. So, multiplying those expenses by 10 can be overwhelming.

That is the challenge that Kristyne Schaff-Olson and her husband, Jason, face at Sunrise Sanctuary and Rescue (SSR) in Chino Valley. The mission of SSR is to rescue, rehabilitate and adopt abused, neglected and abandoned animals into caring and loving homes. SSR also aims to educate new owners through its rescue and rehabilitation efforts.

As such, they are seeking to raise funds through sponsorships to pay for the animal care and facilities. Businesses and individuals will have their names posted on signs for the areas they sponsor, such as horse stalls and a planned barn.

The barn is a major undertaking, as the sanctuary plans to move all the horses into one stall section as they build the barn. They also plan to build a track where they can train the horses.

“We work with people who are having rehab problems with their horses,” said Schaff-Olson.

Sunrise Sanctuary will need $3,500 for the first phase of construction, but they also need $1,000 every 10 days for feeding the horses, and an additional $300 every two weeks for supplements.

The design for the barn will cost about $10,000, and then they will get an estimate from the contractor on how much the building of the barn will cost.

Sunrise Sanctuary also has six goats, four cats, two donkeys and one cow.

Schaff-Olson said horses have been her passion since she was 11 years old, when she began riding horses and roping. Some of her friends were competitive in these events.

“I became more focused on horse health,” she said. “People from throughout the U.S. would ask me for horse help.”

Schaff-Olson had an uncle with a horse ranch in Pleasanton, California, and she would spend summers there riding and working with horses. “You can see the joy in the horses when someone takes time to help them.”

The most challenging part of her job is the financial aspect. “When you have 10 horses that need to be rehabbed, it gets expensive. But we have a lot of people who are helping us out. It’s good that we built these resources, but we need to maintain them.”

Sunrise Sanctuary began small as a horse rescue operation with just one trailer on site in 2019, when another horse sanctuary was closing. But now it has a full-time trainer, Michael Wilcox, and full-time barn manager, Adam Hash. The sanctuary is always looking for volunteers to groom horses and clean up stalls.

The horses they take in are assessed for nutritional deficiencies and physical ailments. Then, they are prescribed the appropriate rehabilitation.

For a fee, visitors can ride the horses or take them on trails. Also, on-site lessons are available for people interested in adopting the horses. Sunrise Sanctuary also offers horse-hauling services as well, and hosts events including weddings on horseback. QCBN

By Stan Bindell, QCBN

Schaff-Olson is planning a ribbon-cutting event with the Chino Valley Chamber of Commerce, 4-8 p.m. July 6. Sunrise Sanctuary is located at 2120 W. Road 2 South, in Chino Valley.

For more information, call 775-636-0710 or email sunrisesanctuaryrescue@gmail.com

Photo by Stan Bindell: Sunrise Sanctuary continues to seek funding to care for horses.

Horses in Need

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Chino Valley rescue sanctuary works to improve conditions for large animals.

In the next few months, there will be a lot of action on a five-acre property in Chino Valley as volunteers work to move and rebuild stables, construct a two-story barn and build a track system for equine rehabilitation.

At the Sunrise Sanctuary and Rescue facility, efforts continue to give rescued animals a better life. Currently, there are several  horses, along with goats, donkeys, cats and dogs.

“We’re building back up,” said Kristyne Schaaf-Olson, Sunrise Sanctuary president and owner of the land with her husband, Jason. “It’s quite an adventure.”

The rescue mission started in 2021 when another rescue facility folded and they took in the animals. Today, it is a non-profit with 501c3 status and a board of directors.

In general, funding for the Sunrise Sanctuary runs short. “We’ve got it going, but there’s a big need in horse rescue,” Schaaf-Olson said. “It’s one of the most expensive types of rescues there is. Between the equine animals, the hay bill can be almost $1,000 every 10 days, not to mention vet bills.”

The sanctuary receives consistent help from stores in Phoenix, such as Target, with cat and dog food donations, but nothing for the horses.

“Horses have delicate guts; they can’t just eat anything,” she said.

After a good start, there was a slowdown at Sunrise last year when Schaaf-Olson had a health issue.

“I’m pretty much back to normal now, so we’re back in gear. We’ve got two of the new horse stalls done and two others framed.”

Soon, there will be a total of 10 outdoor stalls, room for boarding and a track system. When the barn is completed, it will support 10 indoor stalls, including a birthing stall for expecting mares.

“When you rescue, you get horses from different walks of life,” Schaaf-Olson explained. “Sometimes they are un-handable for some reason, whether it’s abuse, neglect, lack of training. When they’re in that stage, a track system allows hoof care while we rehabilitate. A track system imitates being out in the wild, with a more natural topography on the land.”

Sunrise Sanctuary’s farrier, Meghan Tibbets of Full Potential Equine Sports Therapy and Barefoot Trimming, suggested the track system to Schaaf-Olson and the rescue loved the idea.

Meanwhile, volunteers are needed at Sunrise Sanctuary for a variety of needs. “One big missing piece – we need more volunteers for fundraising events, to bring in a source of money for rescue [operations],” she said.

In addition, anyone with grant writing experience would be welcomed. “We also need experienced volunteers on the ground with the daily horse grooming, feeding and bathing, which is more demanding because of insurance,” Schaaf-Olson said.

Help from the community has arrived in many forms, including from high school baseball players, teens whom her husband coaches, who are lending a hand.

To create more visibility about the rescue and its needs, a ribbon-cutting event is scheduled with the Chino Valley Chamber of Commerce on Sunday, Sept. 17 at the facility. QCBN

By Betsey Bruner, QCBN

For more information, visit the Sunrise Sanctuary and Rescue Facebook page.

Courtesy Photo: Sunrise Sanctuary volunteers expect to have 10 outdoor stalls, 10 indoor stalls, room for boarding and a track system for rehabilitating horses, plus a birthing stall for expecting mares.