OJAI : Gifts to Horse Center Double Its Capacity

The Ventura County Humane Society shelter will nearly double its capacity to care for neglected horses, thanks to $20,000 in materials and labor donated by oil businesses.

David Cohen, Texaco Inc. field engineer, said his company became involved this summer after the Humane Society impounded 100 animals from property in Piru Canyon rented from Texaco.

The company had already made a cash donation to help care for the animals, Cohen said. But after a tour of the shelter, “we realized that this volunteer organization needed more than just cash.”

The 1 1/2-acre horse area adjoining the shelter at 402 Bryant St. in Ojai is being refurbished through the efforts of Texaco and seven other oil businesses. Shelter Director Jolene Hoffman 1935763812improved.

The improvements include a new fence for the pasture and three corrals sturdy enough for stallions.

The new fence, made of several hundred feet of heavy metal pipe welded together, would have been too expensive for the humane society to build, Cohen said.

“What they’ve done here is just gorgeous,” Hoffman said. She added that the donated repair work not only improves shelter, it allows the humane society to pay for other projects.

Negotiations for the work began in June. After assessing the shelter’s needs, Cohen designed the project and asked the company’s area manager, Gerry Oviatt, for materials. Construction engineer Bob McClenny organized work crews, and McClain Oil Field Maintenance provided a truck and crew when the work began Sept. 29.

“It’s really been uplifting to see how many people care about what we’re doing here,” Hoffman said.