One day Erin Kelly Groth, executive director of Amazing Grace Equine Sanctuary, was on her way to work when she saw two horses outside in the middle of winter. “I was freaking out so I called the sheriff’s department and they came. They said we would take care of this and the next day [the horses] were gone.”
That’s when Groth realized that helping animals is what she’s meant to do.
She founded Amazing Grace Equine Sanctuary in Elkhart Lake, which she estimates has saved around 275 horses since it opened. They have close to 20 animals at a time, most of them being horses.
It’s a lot of work taking care of all those animals but volunteers come frequently to help keep the sanctuary running.
“It took many, many volunteers over the years to kind of accumulate and start that base and keep that base growing so that this place is cleaned every day from top to bottom,” Groth said.
The horses themselves come from all around the state and the Midwest and stay about six months until they are adopted.
For Groth, horses are a place where she can relax and be herself.
“This is where I belong, you know,” Groth said. “This is where I feel alive.”
