The Helen Johnson Memorial Sanctuary

On August 23, 2022 Helen Johnson passed away.  A resident of Mendocino County, Ms. Johnson had put her property into a Trust in 2013 for the sole use of Neigh Savers Foundation, Inc.

The property sits in the beautiful valley of Potter Valley and is 75 acres of flat pasture land.  The land abuts to the North Fork of the Russian River and has grandfathered water rights from a nearby dam dating back to 1914.  This agreement allows the pastures to be irrigated so there is green grass for grazing nearly all year long.  For the winter months we grow our own hay on approximately 20 acres.  The property is nearly self sustainable.

Ms. Johnson also left us in care of her sanctuary horses.  She had a huge heart and could never say no to someone in need.  All of her assets and then some went into caring for neglected, abused and surrendered horses.  She also rescued dogs…mostly taking those that were slated for euthanasia.

We are touched that Ms. Johnson had faith in us to carry on her work and will make every attempt to honor her legacy.  The task is huge as the property had been neglected for many years.

We have already made many improvements, from building new fences, to rehabbing the old barn, rebuilding the arena & constructing a 10 stall mare motel.

As we are a Sanctuary most of our residents are pensioners & our goal is making sure they stay happy & healthy.  For the most part, horses at Helen’s always lived to a very ripe old age.  Many of our horses are in their late twenties or early thirties.  They live a natural life…in pasture…among a herd.  Nothing is asked of them.  They graze naturally which is best for their digestive system.

We opened our Sanctuary to the public in July 2024 and are willing to share the facility for the good of the community.  Look for updates as we develop programs and upgrade the property.

As the Trust came with no monetary assets we are asking for support for our horses via sponsorship.  You can choose to be a full sponsor at $150/month and a half sponsor at $75/month.  We also gratefully accept donations to run the Sanctuary and for related medical bills and repairs.