War Horse Creek, an initiative of Living Free Animal Sanctuary, officially launched in April of 2022. To meet the growing needs of the program, our team hired Ellie Morgan. Ellie is an experienced horse rider and long-time animal lover. She started out as a volunteer, but she quickly made it clear that she would bring more value as an employee. 

“I started coming to War Horse Creek in August 2021 to visit my friend, Amara,” shared Ellie. “Since stepping out of the car, I knew I had to spend as much time as I could here. I would prove how much I loved to work with animals and how hard I was willing to work. I proved that I would give any task 100% of my effort.”

Ellie Morgan, War Horse Creek

Her tenacity paid off: Ellie is now a full-time staff member at our stables. She helps feed, water, and clean up around the stables. She also helps train and exercise our horses. When War Horse Creek is hosting a workshop, Ellie participates in teaching Veterans and demonstrating horsemanship skills. She has become an invaluable member of our staff not just for her hardworking attitude, but also her skills with our sensitive mustangs. 

“When I first started volunteering, I was saying hello to each of the horses by giving them some good scratches. As I was saying hello to Libby, one of our mustangs, Amara turned around and saw me. Her jaw dropped,” shared Ellie. “I didn’t know it but Libby was very fearful of strangers. She typically couldn’t be touched by strangers without being haltered first. By approaching with kindness and no expectations, she trusted me. What was just an afternoon hello for me, was a big step for her.” 

Ellie has been riding and involved with horses for 8 years. She has her own horse, an off the track thoroughbred (ex-racehorse) named Zero. Ellie shared, “Zero and I grew together. My excitement and love for adventure, matched great with his willingness to please and lack of love in his past. He was once dangerous and misunderstood – but, by the kindness of a little girl who just wanted to love him, he has become who he really is, a big goofball.”

Ellie also has a background with the military. She has had family who served in the military and she participated in the Reserved Officers Training Corps program in her high school. She was mentored by two marine corps officers who led the program and maintains a close relationship with them ever since she graduated. 

On top of all these great qualities and experiences, Ellie also brings a compassionate understanding of mental health. Ellie shared, “A fun fact about myself is that I have ADHD, depression, and anxiety. Well, I guess it’s not THAT fun. Mental health has been an interesting journey for me. It’s something a lot of people don’t think about but for me, it’s an impactful part of my life. I’m more energetic and passionate because of my ADHD. My depression and anxiety have made me empathetic and caring towards those who are struggling. I enjoy learning about our minds and the psychology behind them. I’m so thankful I get to be involved in some people’s healing and mental growth through our workshop program we have with US Veterans.”

We are so glad to have Ellie as part of our War Horse Creek and Living Free team. We know that she will help our program continue to grow and flourish.