Riding to the Rescue of Ailing Horses

Thousand Oaks philanthropist Ed Hogan is creating a sanctuary for some forgotten victims of last fall’s wildfires: horses burned or disabled in the disasters.

Moved by stories about injured horses, Hogan plans to build a $5-million shelter in exclusive Hidden Valley, next to the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. The sanctuary would be devoted exclusively to the care and rehabilitation of wounded, abused or aging horses.

“After the big fires a year ago, I thought, ‘Those poor animals, burned and hurting. Something has to be done to help them,’ ” Hogan said this week as he petted Merlyn, one of three Arabian horses he keeps at the Ventura Farms horse ranch near Lake Sherwood.

The 15 Hands Horse Rescue Sanctuary would be built on a 22-acre ranch nine miles from Malibu called Rancho San Francisco, purchased last month by the Hogan Family Foundation. Hogan said he named the site after St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint of animals and the environment.

Hogan, chairman of a Westlake Village-based travel company, said he was further inspired by a story about dozens of wild horses that were seized in Santa Barbara County in March after being nearly starved to death by their owner.

“The county took them from him but had no place to put them,” Hogan said, shaking his head.

More than 2,000 horses were evacuated in Ventura County as last October’s wildfires raced through rural canyons and valleys. The horses were taken to private barns or stables at the county fairgrounds.

The new sanctuary, which must be approved by the county Board of Supervisors, would have room for 30 injured, mistreated or retired horses and would provide them with veterinary care until they are fully recovered, Hogan said. The healthier animals would be put up for adoption, and those too old to ride would be able to spend their final years grazing at Rancho San Francisco.

The ranch, expected to have an annual operating budget of about $250,000, would have two barns, housing quarters for a caretaker, an exercise pen and a main horse rescue center.

Equine veterinarians Deborah Kemper and Kent Sullivan are sharing their expertise with Hogan as he establishes the sanctuary. The Somis couple, who treated six horses that suffered second- to third-degree burns in the wildfires, had to call around until they found a private horse owner who would agree to shelter the animals while they were rehabilitating.

“I think it’s a great idea,” Kemper said of the sanctuary. “Once horses get out of a hospital setting, they are often in need of rehabilitation. It could be an intermediary place for them to stay and also be like a long-term care facility.”

After the shelter opens in about 18 months, Hogan said, he would like to invite underprivileged children to the ranch and introduce them to trail riding and teach them about the proper care of horses.

Hogan’s love of horses began 11 years ago when he bought Merlyn for $26,000 at a charitable auction held by his neighbor and friend, Dole Foods billionaire David Murdoch. Since then, the retiree has been riding and showing his Arabians.

Hogan, 76, and his wife, Lynn, made their fortune by selling Hawaii as a vacation destination to millions of Americans. Starting with $10,000 and a small travel agency in 1959, they built Pleasant Holidays into a corporation with more than $400 million in annual sales. Their four adult children work for the company, which they sold in 1999 to the Automobile Club of Southern California.

With the proceeds, they established the nonprofit Hogan foundation, which has a net worth of $110 million, to support their philanthropic interests.

In addition to its local charitable works, the foundation funds two business education programs that focus on entrepreneurship at Gonzaga University in Washington state and Chaminade University in Hawaii.

Hogan and his wife live in a French chateau-inspired mansion on a hill in Sherwood Country Club, complete with a patio built for 200. They frequently hold fundraisers and charitable events on the grounds.

“My wife and I started 44 years ago, and we’re fortunate to have made a lot of money,” Hogan said. “But what happens when we die? Fifty-five percent of it goes to the government. They won’t be able to spend it any better than we can.”

In addition to the proposed horse sanctuary, the foundation established the Hogan Angel Flight program, which supplies pilots to transport patients in need of medical care across the country and built the Gardens of the World park in Thousand Oaks.

With flowers and plants from Europe, Asia and North America, the 2-year-old public garden across the street from the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza has become a focal point for the suburban city that lacks a downtown, said Mayor Bob Wilson Sr., who has known Hogan for years.

“I don’t know how many millions of dollars he’s donated to Thousand Oaks in his lifetime, but he’s been in the community for over 35 years and he’s never stopped giving,” Wilson said. “It’s incredible what he’s done for us.”