For many horse owners, unexpected financial hardship can make it difficult to provide the care they want for their horses. No Horse Hungry was created to help bridge that gap by offering practical support before temporary setbacks become welfare crises. Through feed assistance, emergency hay support, educational resources and partnerships throughout the equine industry, the nonprofit is focused on helping horses stay healthy, cared for, and with the people who love them.
Founded by Brooke Warner, No Horse Hungry grew out of both a lifelong connection to horses and years spent working in equestrian media. After building a career in publishing, digital media and community journalism, Brooke recognized that while many organizations step in after horses are already in crisis, there were few resources available to help owners before situations reached that point. The organization's mission is rooted in the belief that a little help at the right time can make all the difference, not only for horses, but for the families who care for them. By focusing on prevention, compassion and community, No Horse Hungry hopes to ensure that no horse goes hungry simply because its owner is facing a temporary hardship.
I am the owner and publisher of East Coast Equestrian, the independent regional equestrian media brand serving horse people since 1993, and the founder of No Horse Hungry. My background sits at the intersection of horses, media, business transformation and community service.
I grew up as a horse person, came through 4-H and Pony Club, rode across disciplines and spent formative years in the Maryland dressage, eventing and hunt communities. Horses were part of my identity long before they were part of my career.
Professionally, my career began in equestrian publishing. I later built a broader career leading print, digital, broadcast, nonprofit and local journalism organizations, with a focus on audience growth, revenue transformation, product strategy and sustainable community media. Acquiring East Coast Equestrian in 2025 brought those paths back together.
My career has largely been about helping media organizations adapt, grow and better serve their communities. I have worked across traditional publishing, digital media, broadcast, nonprofit journalism, local media, audience development, revenue strategy and business transformation. In equestrian media I began as the managing editor of The Horse of Delaware Valley, then an editor at Practical Horseman, and the General Manager of EquSearch.com.
Those combined experiences matter deeply to the work I am doing now with the launch of No Horse Hungry. I do not see horse people as simply an audience segment or a luxury market. I see them as a broad shared identity—riders, owners, trainers, breeders, barn families, professionals, amateurs, re-riders, businesses, rescues, lesson programs, farms and lifelong horse lovers. Together, they create a powerful community with real needs, deep passion, curiosity, buying power and a strong desire to care for horses well.
Today, horses are again part of my personal life, my professional life and my sense of service. I am also a re-rider, so I understand both the lifelong pull of horses and the practical realities of coming back to them as an adult—as well as the financial demands in keeping our equine friends well.
The experience that has shaped me most is not one horse as much as the realization that being a horse person never really leaves you. There were many years when horses were no longer at the center of my daily life. I was building a career, raising children and doing the things life required. But the identity remained.
Coming back to horses later in life reinforced that for me. It reminded me how much horses ask of us—physically, financially, emotionally, intellectually and spiritually — and how much they give back. It also gave me a renewed understanding of the wide variety of people who live with that same pull: serious competitors, backyard owners, adult amateurs, lesson families, re-riders, professionals and people simply trying to do right by the horses in their care.
What inspired the creation of No Horse Hungry, and was there a specific moment that made you realize this type of organization was needed?
No Horse Hungry was inspired by a gap I saw in the horse community. We have rescues, we have crisis response, and we have many deeply committed people doing hard work after horses are already in trouble. But too often, help arrives only once hardship has become visible suffering. We’ve also learned that when people are facing financial hardship the challenges trickle into their horse care—even when they put them first. Maybe they feed less hay, or spread out meals or times between farrier visits. Horses with empty bellies quickly become uncomfortable, their behavior and their health deteriorating.
I wanted to think further upstream. What happens before a horse is thin? Before a family is overwhelmed? Before a responsible owner is ashamed to ask for help? Before a temporary hardship becomes a welfare case?
No Horse Hungry was created to help address that space: early, practical, compassionate support for horse owners facing financial hardship, with the goal of keeping horses fed, healthy and cared for before hardship becomes crisis. We want to help horses before they need to be rescued, or before things deteriorate behaviorally. We want to keep them in their homes with people who love them. A horse who is sold, or sent to auction, and even sometimes to the wrong rescue is at much higher risk to end up on a truck bound for slaughter.
We want to stop the process early.
Have you ever experienced a situation—personally or through someone you know—that reinforced the importance of having resources available for horse owners facing financial hardship?
Anyone who has spent time in the horse world understands how quickly circumstances can change. A job loss, illness, divorce, weather event, hay shortage, unexpected veterinary bill, or rising board and feed costs can turn a manageable situation into something frightening very quickly.
What is important to understand is that hardship does not always begin as neglect. Often it begins quietly: someone stretches hay longer than they should, delays a farrier or veterinary appointment, avoids asking for help, or starts making impossible choices because they are embarrassed or overwhelmed.
Those are the moments where prevention can make the greatest difference. A modest amount of help at the right time can keep a horse stable, keep a family intact, and prevent a much more serious crisis later.
To me, No Horse Hungry is both literal and philosophical—the mission is the name.
Literally, it means no horse should go without adequate food, hay, care or basic support because the person responsible for that horse has hit a temporary hardship. But it also means we should not wait until suffering is obvious before we decide a horse deserves help.
The name reflects a simple belief: Horse people can look after one another, and by doing that, we look after horses. It is a call to the community to intervene earlier, with dignity and compassion, before problems become emergencies.
The most rewarding part has been how immediately horse people understand the need. You do not have to explain very much. They know what hay costs. They know what veterinary care costs. They know how fast expenses can compound. They know that many good horse owners are not wealthy; they are simply committed.
It has also been rewarding to see how naturally No Horse Hungry fits within the larger mission and relationships of East Coast Equestrian. Our publication exists to reflect, serve, and reinforce horse people as a shared identity. No Horse Hungry is one way to put that belief into action — not just by telling stories about the community, but by helping build practical support within it.
What challenges are horse owners facing today, and how have rising feed, hay and veterinary costs contributed to those struggles?
Horse ownership has always required commitment, but the cost pressures today are significant. Hay, grain, bedding, veterinary care, farrier work, fuel, fencing, labor, insurance and facility maintenance have all become more expensive. For barns, lesson programs, rescues, small farms, backyard owners and individual families, those increases can be very difficult to absorb. What a family has budgeted for may change without warning.
At the same time, horses require consistency. They need feed, water, turnout, farrier care, dental care, veterinary attention, safe fencing and daily management whether the economy is good or bad. There is very little room to “pause” care when money gets tight.
That is why the conversation needs to be broader than luxury or elite sport. Horse people have a wide range of needs and income levels, but they share a deep commitment to the animals in their care. No Horse Hungry recognizes both the passion and the practical burden of that responsibility.
Prevention is central because it is more humane, more effective and more respectful of both horses and people. Prevention also makes for better horses—their minds and bodies thrive on constant nutrition. A thriving horse is also less likely to be ill-behaved, and then less likely to be passed around. Happy bellies are as important as healthy feet!
If we can help before a horse loses condition, or develops ulcers, or before a family is forced into a desperate decision, before a rescue is overwhelmed, or before shame keeps someone silent, we can create better outcomes for everyone involved. Early support may be as simple as hay assistance, feed support, resource connections, or helping someone get through a short-term crisis.
Waiting until a situation becomes severe is costly in every sense—financially, emotionally and physically for the horse. No Horse Hungry is built on the belief that compassion should not have to wait for visible suffering. By helping earlier, we can protect horses, preserve dignity, support responsible owners, and strengthen the larger horse community.
Sometimes a simple intervention earlier, in a moment of need, prevents a spiral of misfortune.
For more information, visit nohorsehungry.org
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