By Larry Tucker
Four years ago, Lisa and Ken Smith founded the Hooker Ranch Equine Refuge, which is located just south of Winnsboro, Texas. They are now able to live out their dream of giving refuge to horses, donkeys, and mules of all ages, no matter their problems, be it illness, hospice care, or adoption.
Lisa and Ken met while serving in the United States Army where both worked on Chinook helicopters. “Hooker” is a slang term used to describe Chinook helicopter mechanics and other personnel who were involved in maintaining the helicopters.
The refuge has equines for adoption, as well as those animals who need a place to live out their lives in peace and tranquility. Many of the equines were in need of a place to heal from various injuries and/or diseases.
The refuge is a place of hope and is a labor of love for Lisa, Ken, and their five-year-old son, Noah. “We have several acres for them to roam at their own pace. There is a nice pond where the animals can get into, which is quite often,” Ken noted. “Right now, on this property, we have about 30 equines, and we have a total of 67. It’s me and my wife as owners and operators of the ranch.” Equines under their care not on their property are cared for on pastures where owners are involved in the Hooker Ranch mission.
The Mission
“We are a nonprofit organization helping to rescue, rehabilitate, and rehome critical and at-risk equines, particularly in dangerous and/or unhealthy situations,” Lisa stated. “These horses have had a life of service, and they deserve to retire and be taken care of as they age. We can’t save all of them, but we can help them live the best life possible with quality food and care. Some come to us with extreme injuries or health problems, and we are able to give them the utmost care and attention.”
Their mission includes rescued equines who are in dangerous and/or unhealthy situations, as well as those at risk of entering the slaughter pipeline. This includes equines for sale at auctions, owner-surrendered, law enforcement-intercepted, and stray or abandoned equines. Lisa continued, “We rehabilitate all equines in our care and help them recover health and quality of life under the direction of licensed veterinarians. We also provide humane end-of-life transition as needed to eliminate prolonged suffering. We will never let any equine suffer unnecessarily.”
Equines can be rehomed after they are fully recovered and cleared for adoption. The ranch serves as a sanctuary for equines with chronic or critical conditions. “We provide a safe refuge for them to live out their lives in peace and with proper care,” Lisa added.
Hooker Ranch Equine Refuge abides by and advocates the “Five Freedoms” which are globally recognized as the gold standard and have been the basis of animal welfare since the 1960s. Those freedoms are 1) freedom from hunger and thirst, 2) freedom from pain, injury, or disease, 3) freedom from discomfort, 4) freedom to express normal behavior, and 5) freedom from fear and distress.
When asked why she has chosen this mission for her life, Lisa talked about her love for the equines. “It is just so fulfilling. I really love what we are doing here at the ranch. My heart is so full. People have asked me in the past if what I am doing really matters, and I tell them to each equine, it matters to them. If someone is willing to open their heart to a horse with major issues, we can offer them support and education. People can go online and make a recurring donation. We have so many people out there that do care, it has been amazing. People not only send monetary donations, but we have a building full of items of all types that people send us to use on the ranch. We get feed, tack, blankets, and just so much from those who do care and help us out.”
Lisa’s Background Prepared Her Well
Lisa was raised on a farm in southwest Minnesota. She spent hours at her Uncle Duane’s farm, where she learned the rudiments of animal husbandry. While there, Lisa worked with cattle, goats, and poultry. She also spent summers with her father and grandparents in rural South Dakota, where she learned how to raise pigs, dairy cows, and horses.
From 2000 to 2002, Lisa worked as a stable hand for the RJ Richter Ranch in Granite Falls, Minnesota. While there, she learned how to care for a large barn with high-end APHA (American Paint Horse Association) and AQHA (American Quarter Horse Association) horses. Lisa was able to learn the proper management of a breeding facility, as well as how to keep individual health records, feeding programs, and exercise regiments. During that time, she also assisted her Uncle Curtis with the care and training of his two paint mustangs, Cherokee and Dakota in Wilmar, Minnesota.
In 2002, horse slaughter was still legal in the United States, and Lisa was introduced to that cruel practice. She took trips with a friend to the local “feed lots” in Redwood, Minnesota to purchase and rehabilitate horses. It was known as a feed lot because the pen literally fed into the slaughterhouse. For $300, a person could walk out of the feed lot with a horse. She also learned to go to horse auctions to purchase horses which otherwise would have been doomed to the slaughterhouse.
Lisa would study at Southwest Minnesota State University from 2003 to 2006, majoring in biology and minoring in chemistry with an emphasis on animal studies. In 2006, Lisa enlisted in the Army with the military occupational speciality of Chinook helicopter repairer. She served two consecutive tours to South Korea before being reassigned to Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah, Georgia. In 2009, she was deployed to Afghanistan and actively fought in Operation Enduring Freedom. Lisa was awarded two Air Medals for bravery during aerial combat and the Boeing Rescue Award for saving more than 200 citizens during an avalanche in the Salang Pass.
Lisa was injured in Afghanistan when, while getting ready to off-load cargo, a 5,000-pound pallet shifted and crashed into her leg. Prior to her deployment, she was asked to represent the Upper Sioux Nation as the “akicita” (or warrior) and carry the nation’s flag. While in the Army, Lisa was awarded multiple Army Achievement Medals, Army Commendation Medals and Army Overseas Medals. She was also awarded the Army Good Conduct Medal for exemplary efficiency and fidelity in active Federal military service.
From 2012 to 2020, Lisa worked for Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation, where she utilized her aviation and management experience to climb the corporate ladder. Ken also worked for Gulfstream, and after putting in hours at the refuge, he continues to work full-time for Gulfstream remotely.
The Ranch Becomes Reality
In 2021, the Smith family left Georgia to find a ranch in Texas large enough to start Lisa and Ken’s dream of building an equine refuge where they could live their passion to save and rehabilitate equines. They have taken land from a wild prairie to pastures fitting equine needs. There are 20 acres for the equines to roam and run free when they are let out. The pond is suitable for the animals to drink from or swim in and cool off in the heat of the summer.
The Smith’s team transformed a four-decade-old equipment shed into a pole barn stable with stalls and a feed room. They have constructed two 50’ X 50’ dry lots and have further completed a 12’ X 24’ quarantine barn, also with a 50’ X 50’ dry lot.
The refuge has received numerous grants and donations since they began their business. Goals include accreditation by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries, the Standardbred Transition Alliance, and the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance. The Smiths want to continue to facilitate healthcare for equines and hopefully provide community assistance, such as hosting gelding and vaccination clinics locally.
In their continuing desire to grow the refuge and inform others, Lisa and Ken are planning on opening an education center where they can hold classes of all kinds concerning animal care and other topics related to the health of equines. “We want to be able to educate as many others as we can by having classes and workshops where folks can learn about the care of animals in need of refuge and adoption. We want them to know there is a place they can come, and we will do our best to help them understand what is necessary for the healthcare of these animals,“ Lisa added.
Adoption of Equines from the Ranch
Adoptions at Hooker Ranch are a part of a process. Lisa and Ken assess anyone who might be interested in adoption. “We make sure future adopters are good, solid candidates for homing a horse, donkey, or mule,” Lisa explained. “These animals are special to us, and we want to make sure they will be taken care of properly—and hopefully with a lot of love.”
Former Quitman City Administrator and Army Officer James Attaway and his family met the Smiths at an Old Settlers Reunion in Quitman last year, where they had an information booth set up. “They come out to try and get some horses adopted. They were really nice folks who believed in what they were trying to accomplish,” Attaway said. “After getting to know them, I found out Lisa was in Korea in a company I commanded when I was over there.” The Attaways have landed in the Hainesville area, and they wanted a donkey. “Lisa told us the donkeys come in pairs and do better when they are together, so we got Daisy and Venetta. They are living the good life out here with us,” Attaway said. “Daisy is about 24 years old now, and Venetta is going on 14 years old.”
Lisa and Ken will assess anyone interested in adopting, while also checking out living quarters for the equine. “We do our best to determine if an equine is a good fit with the potential adopter’s skills and knowledge,” Lisa commented. “These animals have been through and survived some terrible situations. They are deserving of a good home to live out their lives.”
There is a clause in the adoption contract for all Hooker Ranch equines to be returned to the ranch if the home is not a match or the situation changes, be it six months or six years. Pricing for each equine is varied. Each equine up for adoption goes through an extensive veterinarian-supervised program, which addresses their needs for health and quality of life. When they have recovered, they are then assessed for adaptability.
Adoption applications can be found on their website at https://hookerranch.org/adopt. Equines who will spend the rest of their lives at Hooker Ranch can be sponsored for $100 a month or $1,200 per year. For example, “Honey” came to the refuge as a very untrusting and severely abused draft mule. She is now nearing 20 years old and has endured significant abuse in her past which has required many months of trauma and behavioral therapy. Her body bears numerous scars and harness stains from a life of hard labor. “Here at Hooker Ranch, we ask nothing of Honey. She is free to come and go as she pleases, and she is able to live as naturally as possible.”
If interested, the Smiths will do a tour for small groups by appointment only. Monetary and supply donations are extremely welcome. Contact Hooker Ranch Equine Refuge at 903-334-5390 or ken.smith@hookerranch.org.