Veterans attending War Horse Creek soon to have housing

Living Free Animal Sanctuary (Living Free) created a program called War Horse Creek (WHC). The program rescues wild horses and mustangs and provides equine-assisted reintegration training to military veterans, helping them reintegrate into civilian life; ultimately, helping both the veterans and the rescues.

The nonprofit organization is set to offer three, five and seven-day programs starting this summer. Because of this, WHC wants to provide housing, dining and bathroom facilities to all participating veterans. Up to this point, the veterans have brought their own camping gear or trailers to stay on the property.

On the morning of March 2, Mike and Linda Rivkin, business managers from the Southern California Pipe Trades Administrative Corporation (SCPTAC) and active and retired military, met at Living Free for the groundbreaking of the semi-permanent structures that will be built between now and the middle of June. 

The Rivkins donated $25,000 to the WHC. SCPTAC provided a matching $25,000 grant.

The semi-permanent structures will offer the flexibility to be moved as the program continues to grow and is a more financially suitable option. The structures will be built by volunteers, some of which are veterans. 

Ray Barmore, equine and facilities manager at Living Free said, “I’m excited. We’re finally taking the first step. The reason we are building so-called temporary is that maybe a couple years down the line we might want to rearrange and move structures. And as we get our feet wet, we can really see exactly where we want things when it’s time for permanent structures.”

There will be one building, 24 feet wide and 36 feet long, with sleeping cubicles for privacy. There will be another 24-foot-wide by 36-foot-long structure that will be a combination of a mess hall and a kitchen and one smaller structure for the staff and a building for the shower house. All of these structures will be built and finished by mid-June, just in time for the first three-day session to begin June 18.

Many of the supplies WHC is getting to build these temporary structures will be at discounted rates.

ShelterLogic is providing the materials for the structures. Village Hardware, in Idyllwild, is providing discounted plywood that will be coming in from New Zealand to build the decks.

When Omar Galindo, of SCPTAC, heard WHC needed more funds for this project, he took the initiative to help pool together the $25,000 grant.

“This program is going to help a lot of veterans,” Galindo explained. “When I first came up here and worked with the horses, for me, that made me really realize my lack of communication and how much I need to work on that with my wife and kids. I want people to have awareness of what this place can be. The more people who know about it, the more we can grow. I will come up here and do whatever work I can do, when I can do it.”

WHC hopes to expand its operations to the national level, eventually allowing them to provide help to thousands of veterans all over the country and rescue the horses and mustangs in desperate need of care. A win for everyone. 

“We came to know Randall [Harris] a few years ago, and we really jumped on the train because of Randall and his vision and interest in putting this together,” Mike said. “We are sorry not to have him here today, but it’s wonderful to see things progressing regardless.”

The Rivkins have property in the Coachella Valley that they might be able to use to help expand WHC as it grows.

“We have the space and potentially the ability to follow up on what’s done here and do something similar down on the desert floor and be sort of the first franchisee,” Mike said.

Barmore added, “They’ve got a great piece of property in the Whitewater area that backs up to the mountains and it’s just a beautiful spot. It would be really ideal for this type of thing.”

Thanks to the generosity of Linda and Mike Rivkin and the SCPTAC, the first $50,000 is on its way to help WHC grow its vision to assist fellow veterans.