About BEWF
Brennan Equine Welfare Fund
Helping Those Who Help Horses
Rescue • Rehab • Retire • Retrain • Rehome
Our Mission
Brennan Equine Welfare Fund is a fund-raising, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. Grants from Brennan Equine Welfare Fund are awarded to reputable equine rescue shelters and sanctuaries across the country that help save elderly, injured, abused, starved, and slaughter-bound horses, as well as those used in medical experimentation. This fund supports registered, 501(c)(3) organizations that specialize in retirement and rehabilitation services and offer a peaceful and permanent sanctuary for these beautiful animals. Shelters which offer carefully scrutinized adoption or re-placement services are also supported.
Established in 2000 by Linda S Pavey, Brennan Equine Welfare Fund carries on the memory of her equine companion, Brennan (J.B.'s Hero), an off-the-track Thoroughbred. Brennan Equine Welfare Fund is a non-breed, non-discipline-specific organization believing that all horses, regardless of their breeding, training, age, or stature in life, are deserving of respect and dignity.
The Inspiration
"A Beloved Friend's Legacy Lives on to Help Other Equines through Brennan Equine Welfare Fund"
by Linda S. Pavey
Once in a while, someone special comes along and changes your life. He or she brings a new level of understanding to what you know, teaches you about life with a whole new perspective, and helps you through difficult of times. That friendship and partnership becomes a bonding experience, and for one woman, Linda Pavey, that someone special was a horse.
Brennan—registered name, J.B.'s Hero—was a Thoroughbred gelding and came into the life of Linda Pavey in 1990. While taking riding lessons at Camargo Stables in Indian Hill, a suburb of Cincinnati, Brennan came up for sale. Linda had already been looking for her own horse to buy and was looking for a gray horse. Brennan was a dark bay color, and nearly black with no white or gray at all. However, after riding Brennan, he won her over and Linda forgot all gray horses and bought him. Over the years, the two went on long trail rides together, jumped fences and creeks, galloped through fields, and enjoyed the outdoors around Indian Hill. They rarely had company on their rides, and Linda and Brennan , learned to trust and protect one another in every kind of situation; sudden thunderstorms, rough terrain, traffic, and around Cincinnati Country Day School's softball area, with kids in full practice or games, shouting and cracking the ball. As with any relationship, trials and tribulations help form a bond that is everlasting, and Linda and Brennan became best friends.
The rides together and caring for Brennan helped Linda understand not only life's difficult moments, but also joyous ones, all with a new perspective. This was brought about by escaping the ordinary day-to-day routine of life and taking in the nature of the area. Time and life just seemed to disappear during time spent at the barn and during long rides. Arriving back to the barn feeling rebalanced and refreshed after these long rides, perceptions were changed through new eyes. Patience was taught to Linda by this most masterful teacher and partner, and a new level of understanding was brought to many situations, both around the barn and in life.
In April 2000, Linda established The Brennan Equine Welfare Fund at The Greater Cincinnati Foundation to honor Brennan. Then in 2003, at age 23 and after 12 years of loyal partnership, Brennan tragically passed away. His legacy lives on, however, in this fund to help other equines. Donor advised grants from The Brennan Equine Welfare Fund are used to serve equine rescue shelters across the country which provide dignity to final years of aged, injured, abused, starved and slaughter-bound horses, as well as those used in medical experimentation. This fund supports registered, 501(c)(3) organizations that specialize in retirement and rehabilitation services and offer a peaceful and permanent sanctuary for these beautiful animals. Shelters which offer carefully scrutinized adoption or re-placement services are also supported. Organizations that have been supported by The Brennan Equine Welfare Fund include Ryerss' Farm for Aged Equines, Old Friends, and the newly formed Kentucky Equine Humane Center.
If you would like to honor a special person or equine that has touched your life, or are interested in year-end giving ideas, a charitable donation to The Brennan Equine Welfare Fund would be honored. You can be assured that any gift you make will help provide services for special equines in need for years to come.
Brennan Equine Welfare Fund's Founder
Linda S. Pavey
Linda founded Brennan Equine Welfare Fund (BEWF) in 2000 in honor of—and later in memory of—her beloved horse, Brennan (registered name J.B.'s Hero), an off-the-track Thoroughbred. Linda also serves as Donor Advisor to BEWF. She fund-raises, oversees the advertising and website, and reviews all grant requests. She is a lifelong horsewoman who currently has 14 horses of her own, mostly rescues and retirees—and a few in-training racehorses. Her riding experience includes riding and jumping Hunters, trail and pleasure riding, and non-competitive Dressage.
Our Advisory Board
Colleen Reed
Colleen is married with two children and resides in Batavia, Ohio. Her love for horses and all animals started at a very early age by taking care of the family pets and rescuing strays. She grew up in New Jersey and worked at local stables, riding and caring for the horses. Colleen attended Centenary College in NJ, where she studied Equine Management. She later went on to groom competition horses on the A Circuit and manage large show barns. Today, she and her husband own and operate Dandy Products, manufacturers of protective wall padding and safety flooring for equine facilities.
Ernie Gray
A horseman for over 50 years, Ernie Gray has enthusiastically worked for over 43 of those years as a professional farrier, dedicated and devoted to the business of caring about the welfare of all horses. As a farrier caring for high-end performance horses, his experience provides a unique and pragmatic view of the many and varied aspects of the equine industry. The depth of this experience and knowledge is apparent in the lectures and seminars he gives as well as the many articles he has published, including a collaboration with David Gill, renowned British farrier on his book, Farriery: the whole horse concept. Ernie says, “I have devoted my life to continually studying the horse in order to gain a better understanding of how to care for the whole horse, not just their feet. Part of my job as a farrier is to share my knowledge and experience with others. Ultimately, the horse benefits because the caretaker then has a better understanding of how to relate to and provide proper care for the horse.” Ernie and his wife Stephanie currently reside in Owensville, Ohio where they care for Comet and Doc, two Thoroughbreds that were rescued after retiring from racing.
David S. Kron, DVM
Dr. Kron is an equine veterinarian and a graduate of Ohio State University (1991). Dr. Kron specializes in sport horses and practices in southwest Ohio and Florida.
Anne Thornbury
Anne received a degree from Purdue University as a Veterinary Technician in 1976 and has been training and showing hunters and jumpers at the local through national level for over 30 years. She completed her equine rehabilitation therapy course at the University of Tennessee Veterinary School and is a Certified Equine Rehabilitation Practitioner. She and her husband established and operated Equisports & Midwest Equine Rehabilitation and Conditioning (MERC) Center in Goshen, Ohio for 20 years. Currently, Anne is Trainer/Manager at Roberts Stables in Wilmington, Ohio.
John Kropp, ESQ
John started out with horses in the hunter/jumper world early on, then to the race track primarily as an exercise boy at the local tracks. When he came back from law school (72) he again started showing horses until his wife, Terry, got her trainer’s license and he helped her primarily with galloping horses. Today, John and his wife compete in three-day events, one of the most demanding forms of equestrian art, culminating in timed cross-country trials involving an array of jumps with names like elephant trap,
coffin, and shark’s teeth. John says, “When you do these sorts of things with horses, you’re pushing them beyond their comfort zone, so you have a responsibility to do whatever you can to help them succeed. You have to connect with them and really care about them. What they give back to you is amazing. You could never do enough for them to repay what they will do for you.”
John is an Attorney & Partner at Graydon Head in Cincinnati. He is experienced in securities law, mergers and acquisitions, and private equity. John's experience has included contract negotiation and employment law issues. John is also experienced in Equine Law and is a Fellow of the American College of Equine Attorneys. Based on the grading and comments of his peers, John is recognized with an AV Rating, the highest rating given to lawyers by Martindale-Hubbell. John is also included in the 2013 edition of The Best Lawyers in America.
Brennan Equine Welfare Fund's Partners
Tribute Equine Nutrition's Tribute Partner Program
Brennan Equine Welfare Fund is proud to be a member of the Tribute Equine Nutrition's Tribute Partners Program. Proofs of purchase from Tribute products earn money for BEWF's grantees: $.25 for each bag proof of purchase and $10 for each ton of bulk feed purchased.
Triple Crown Partner's Program
Brennan Equine Welfare Fund is proud to be a member of the Triple Crown Partner's Program. Proofs of purchase from Triple Crown products earn money for BEWF's grantees.
To donate your proofs of purchase from Tribute or Triple Crown products to BEWF,
please get in touch with us using the form on our Contact page.
Photography Credits
Amy Latka Photography (Learn More)
Cathy Barr Price
Keely Gustin
Linda S. Pavey
Rebecca Hoffman-Beasley
Your donations to Brennan Equine Welfare Fund are made though The Greater Cincinnati Foundation and help save the lives of abused and neglected horses! To donate, click the button, above.
(IMPORTANT: On The Greater Cincinnati Foundation donate page, scroll down to the Brennan donate form to make your donation.)
100% of your donation goes towards grants that help equines in need. There is a 3% fee that BEWF is charged to maintain an interest bearing account which, in reality, yields more for grants to help the horses, so essentially, 100% (or more!) goes to the horses as the interest comes back to make more available for grant funding. For more information on making a donation by check or by phone, please visit our Donate page.
DONATION FYI: The Brennan Equine Welfare Fund is set up to receive donations through The Greater Cincinnati Foundation. To learn more about this outstanding organization, click on the Charity Navigator logo, below.
BEWF: A 501(c)(3) ORGANIZATION BENEFITTING EQUINES IN NEED
