I am passionate about helping animals not because I love them but because there is so much abuse and neglect that they suffer from and I want to be able to help them with that. As a kid I would love to take trips to the zoo to see the animals but as I grew older I realized that it was more love for helping them instead of just interacting with them. During my freshman year of high school I started to volunteer at a horse rescue that my family friend also volunteered at. I never thought that it would do so much for me and help me discover how much I loved taking care of animals. At the horse rescue they have around 175 horses at one time and require meals daily along with hoof care, skin treatments and medications to keep them comfortable. These horses would typically be sent to slaughter in Mexico but instead I take time to help them find their forever homes. I have been volunteering at this draft horse rescue for around 3 years and have worked around 300 hours there between feedings and events that the rescue has run. A particular mule is one that helped me realize that I want to do this forever. His name is Amos and he was severely skinny, had horrible hoof issues and could not see every well. I assisted in a large part of his recovery and helped him to find his forever home. He came from an owner who was not taking care of him and eventually ended up at the rescue because his body condition was very poor. Once Amos was recovered and healthy he went to his forever home but unfortunately passed a couple months later. Knowing that he was able to have at least a little bit of time in a home that he was cared for has a special place in my heart and is one of the soul reasons I want to help animals forever. This has sparked a lot of interest to help animals in the future and I plan to go to college and study animal science with a minor in business. One day I would like to own my own farm that has multiple functions. It would be a vet clinic for animals of all shapes and sizes with multiple vets to have a wide range of knowledge on each animal species. This farm would also be a sanctuary for abused and neglected animals that need a place to stay while they are recovering and waiting for their forever home. It will also be a place where I raise and possibly breed livestock and a pace where I grow my own fruits and vegetables. All of this can seem like a lot but my goal in life is to have something like this so that I can help as many animals as possible and treat animals properly instead of them suffering in a home where they are not care for. Overall, I want to help animals for the rest of my life because of the neglect and abuse that so many of them suffer from. Along with this I believe that all animals have a place in their heart to be kind and even though they were abused they still give humans love so we should give it back by taking care of them.