Without doubt, Willie Nelson is much more than a country music star- for a lot of horses, he’s their hero.
The 87-year-old singer, together with Annie, his wife, rescues 70 American paint horses that were to be slaughtered for meat.
Now, these 70 horses live on his ranch.
Willie Has more than 70 Horses on His Ranch
The rescued horses now roam free on his 700-acre ranch in Texas Hill Country or the Luck Ranch. He told KSAT 12 News that ‘when you’re here, you’re in Luck, and when you’re not, you’re out of Luck’ and this is indeed the truth for the rescued horses.
Several years have passed since he saved them and they now have a lot of space to roam freely and enjoy a luxurious life. Nelson spends a large part of his free time at the ranch when he’s not on the road.
He considers his horses to be the luckiest horses in the world. They’re fed twice per day by hand and were saved from slaughter.
Back in 2015, Nelson got an award for the video of his song The Love of Horses. In the video, Nelson meets members of Habitat for Horses who were trying to stop the horse slaughter for meat by working hard on a new legislation to be passed.
Nelson told as a support for the rights of horses that ‘they’re what brought this country together’.
The Whole Family Is Dedicated to Helping Animals
Nelson is not the only one who’s very passionate about horses and horse rights, but his entire family too. His daughters and sons work with him to save as many horses as they can and fight for animal rights.
He’s worked with several animal rights groups and even did a concert for the Animal Welfare Institute on his 80th birthday. The proceeds went to the cause for ending horse slaughter.
Nelson points out that the organization Habitat for Horses is great and they’ve done a lot of good work together.
Will Nelson Retire from Music?
When asked about retirement, Nelson says that he retires after every show; however, then they hang out and his bend feels like playing and so they end up playing again.
Even with more than 70 horses to take care of, retirement doesn’t seem to be a near-future plan for the almost 90-year-old country star.
Helping the Ones that Can’t Speak for Themselves
With certainty, it’s so amazing to see someone doing their best to help and save animals. And, taking care for so many horses doesn’t come cheap.
However, helping animals doesn’t necessarily require a lot of money- there are a lot of organisations and charities that could use your support and your help-you can volunteer, donate or become a part of the cause.
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