Swagger’s journey has been one of resilience, transformation, and trust. This unique feral horse has spent the past 20 months in a foster home that embraced a slow, thoughtful, and trauma-informed approach to his care and training. His foster mom, Ivy, has poured her heart, soul, and $$ into his care, covering everything from training to daily expenses. Thanks to her dedication, Swagger has made significant strides and is able to thrive in ways few horses with his background ever do.

But now, Swagger faces a devastating challenge. Despite Ivy's willingness and desire to adopt him and continue his progress, Swagger is owned by Heart of Phoenix Equine Rescue, and they’ve decided to reclaim him. Their reasons are unclear, but here is what we know:

1. Swagger is in very good health, despite any rumors otherwise.

We have photo and video evidence demonstrating that Swagger is in good health - including his physical health (hooves, teeth, etc.) and mental health (stress-free, secure socially, etc.). Additionally, Swagger can be seen in the 200+ hours of footage Ivy has recorded as she trained and cared for him, publicly available on Ivy's social media.

Additionally, Ivy made sure Swagger had a team of expert care professionals - veterinarian, farrier, trainer, etc. - who have all been monitoring his progress and ensuring he is as healthy, comfortable, and happy as possible. 

2. Swagger's training is progressing beautifully, despite any rumors otherwise.

We have ample evidence that Swagger has made substantial progress, thanks to the 200+ hours and over $15,000 invested by Ivy. Swagger has been allowed to improve at his own pace, something that is essential for traumatized rescue horses like him (and something HoP has, ironically, advocated for publicly).

During this time, HoP emphasized the importance of Swagger meeting certain training goals, however, they did not put those goals on strict deadlines, so Ivy proceeded at the pace that best suited Swagger's learning and healing (slow and steady, which any good horse trainer would agree is best). HoP has since indicated that Ivy failed to accomplish training goals in reasonable time. 

3. HoP has adopted to Ivy before.

Ivy already adopted a rescue horse from HoP, and Macaroni continues to thrive in such an excellent home. There is no reason Ivy should be denied another adoption.

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So why is this happening?

We honestly aren't sure. HoP has made claims we know to be false. We know they have a new "whistleblower policy" as of Nov 2024 and we have had individuals come forward with stories of bullying, harassment, and other personal attacks from the HoP team. 

Is it because Swagger has a large social media audience? Is it an attack against gentle, positive training methods? Is it a personal attack against Ivy? We may never know the real motives, but it's certainly not Swagger's best interest. He is happy, healthy, and safe where he is, and changing that is unnecessary at best, harmful at worst. 

What are their plans for Swagger? 

We don't know. Hop has indicated they will likely send him to a different trainer or possibly a different foster home. This seems like an ineffecient use of their resources - why remove a horse from a happy, safe, long-term home, to put him in a temporary placement? Especially when so many horses are in desperate need of foster placements.

Transitioning between homes and going on long trailer rides always comes with some risk, but this is amplified given Swagger's trauma history and lack of preparation for the journey (something Ivy would've gladly done, if given time).

Forcing Swagger to travel without proper preparation is not in his best interest. 

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What needs to change?

We urge Heart of Phoenix to:

1 - Cancel (or at least postpone) Swagger's imminent transfer. It is unkind and dangerous to move him without at least giving Ivy time to properly prepare him for the journey.

2 - Allow Swagger to stay in Ivy's care. Ivy is happy to comply with any reasonable, necessary training milestones, deadlines, etc. in order to adopt Swagger. 

3 - Honor their mission. Right now, there are an estimated 100,000+ horses in need of rescue in the United States alone. Many of these horses are being abused, neglect, and dying as you read this. Those horses are in desperate need of help, yet HoP is choosing to put their time, energy, and resources toward removing a horse from a safe, loving home. 

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How to Help:

There are many ways to help Swagger and horses like him!

1 - Sign this petition. We are collecting signatures of support to urge Heart of Phoenix to reconsider.

2 - Contact Heart of Phoenix. If you are concerned about Swagger, please direct that concern towards those with the authority in this situation. Contact information is available on their website, please stay respectful and constructive.

3 - Contact Donor Associations. Heart of Phoenix has been supported by a number of big organizations, including:

• $275,000 from The Right Horse Initiative Campaign
• $15,000 from the ASPCA
• A documentary series on Horse.TV

Donors and supporters deserve to know how their money is being used. 

4 - Raise Awareness. Share this petition and other media so Swagger's story can reach as many people as possible. 

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Thank you for your support. We encourage everyone to support ethical equine rescue efforts and remain vocal about injustices like this one.

Stay kind, stay respectful, but never stay silent. Let's help Swagger, and set a precedent so this never happens again.