Professional hockey players may spend a lot of time on the ice, but their hearts are kept warm by what they can do off the ice. Take Seattle Kracken goaltender Philipp Grubauer, who volunteers at the Washington horse rescue group Save a Forgotten Equine (SAFE).
Grubauer’s off-ice activity was recently written about on the NHL website where the goalie explained, “For the past two years, I’ve helped organize big events. My girlfriend and I have also brought sponsors on board so we can take in as many horses as possible.”
The article acts as a sort of primer to explain to hockey fans (who don’t necessarily know the horse world) that plenty of horses need rescuing – not only wild horses, but also ones who are found in terrible conditions from neglect and abusive owners. The piece also talks about the controversial Bureau of Land Management (BLM) wild horse roundup practices.
SAFE isn’t a sanctuary; instead, they rehabilitate and rehome horses to loving homes. As part of its program, SAFE horses are given dental and veterinary care to ensure they’re healthy and able to have another career. Potential adopters are screened carefully including reference checks and site visits.
‘Grubi’ doesn’t just lend his name to fancy fundraisers, either – according to NHL.com he gets his hands dirty (literally!). “I do all the work on the side, like mucking out the stables, repairing the facilities or whatever else comes up,” Grubauer to the hockey site. “The best thing is to see the transformation of the horses, how they suddenly blossom and radiate fun and life energy again. It’s a lot of work, but we’re happy to do it because we want to save as many animals as possible. ” (In this ‘Uncharted’ video, Grubi visits the rescue where he volunteers.)
According to the hockey player, seeing the sheer volume of horses placed in homes is gratifying.
“We have had great success with it. Before the last season, we had 42 or 43 horses with us; at the end of the season there were only 13 left.”
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