If you love horses, or even if you have never been around the amazing beauties, you will appreciate the compassion and the devotion of Jim Gath and his all-volunteer crew at the Tierra Madre Horse and Human Sanctuary located in Cave Creek. 

It all started for Gath after his boarding business struggled, but he decided to rescue 13 horses and took care of them. 

When financial challenges hit even harder, Gath agonized about what to do but recalled a friend telling him something profound—and the words have never left him

“You’re all they’ve got.” 

Gath told Northeast Valley News, “It was at that moment, right then, I decided I would give horses that have been abandoned, neglected, injured, abused, no matter how they’d lost their happy home—I would give them a home, the healthiest happiest home—lives they could never imagine.” 

And that’s what he does, day after day since 2006 despite continual financial hardships. 

And the horses love Gath.

“Annie” came to the Tierra Madre Sanctuary and is described as “the calmest little girl in the world.”

Miss Annie Oakley (Annie for short) is black as night with a beautiful white blaze and a white foot, in her early 20’s she has arthritis in her front legs—her left knee, osteoarthritis—but her eyes, at least when Gath first rescued her, told the story of loneliness— but not any longer. 

Gath greeted Annie early Saturday morning with “Hello my sweet Annie” and observing how quickly Annie nuzzled toward him was reminiscent of a small child running to the comfort of a parent.

While many of the very committed volunteers at Tierra Madre have grown especially close to one favorite on the sanctuary, Gath clearly sees each horse as his own special “baby.” 

Volunteers at Tierra Madre have also found their own sanctuary through the center. Each volunteer shares a special story on the website showcasing how they personally discovered more purpose and meaning from the sanctuary and why they are forever devoted to the beloved herd. 

The horses tell their stories too.

On the website, each name and each story is shared in detail how the horse came to live at their miracle forever home. 

Even after a few hours walking around the sanctuary, the horses displayed unique individual personalities from playful to curious or a bit timid.

Some stories tell of hard lives on a racetrack or being ridden for profit until they were no longer able— others were simply neglected, abandoned or abused, but thankfully now all the horses are basking in the care and devotion of human love, not cruelty or disregard. 

Gath quickly tried to do the math in his head when asked how much it costs to feed each horse and said “It’s around thirty dollars a day.” He added the amount certainly didn’t include the frequent veterinary care and medication needed for their specific injuries or diagnosis in order to keep them healthy and comfortable.

The horses are exceedingly happy and peaceful. Each one. This became clear quite quickly. 

Walk around the sanctuary with a carrot or an apple slice and the horses show just how happy and eager they are to greet visitors. 

Tierra Madre is in constant need of donations as it runs entirely on the generosity of people who care about the special herd. 

According to Gath, no amount of financial help is too small and would immediately go toward the care of the horses housed on Tierra Madre Horse and Human Sanctuary—it’s truly an amazing non-profit home and care center for horses. 

Donations can be made directly on the website across the top of the page and they also have an “Angel Sponsorship” program, email at [email protected] 

Calls can also be taken at 480-747-1070