Meet Dr. Elizabeth Zarkos | President and Founder, Hanaeleh

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dr. Elizabeth Zarkos and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dr. Elizabeth, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I started Hanaeleh because there was no horse rescue in Orange County at the time. There were a dozen stables, with hundreds of horses, but there was no rescue at all who could help those horses who might need homes. I talked with people who were struggling with their current situation and who had few options besides euthanasia or taking their horse to an auction. I wanted to help these people, but as an individual person, I didn’t have the resources to help. I decided to start Hanaeleh in order to better help people who could no longer afford their horses, who had problem horses who needed help, and to incentivize those individuals to turn their horse over to the rescue (they can get a tax write-off) instead of selling them at an auction.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Hanaeleh is a non-profit horse rescue in Orange County, CA. We rescue and rehabilitate all breeds of horses, and either help find them new homes, or provide sanctuary for the rest of their lives. We also help to find homes for horses we cannot take in by advertising them on our newsletter and social media network.

We are different from many rescues as we are born out of advocacy- our primary focus is to end horse slaughter in the United States, although we do promote a number of equine advocacy issues. While some rescues try to shy away from politics, we embrace them, trying to educate people about advocacy issues. We can only save a handful of horses, but if we educate the public about these issues, we can better help a greater number of horses. If we can help to promote federal laws, we can also help to improve the lives of horses across the United States.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If my friend knew how to ride, I would first take them on a trail ride in O’Neill Park, as that’s where I spend a great deal of time. Maybe we would have breakfast at Bagels and Brew, then go on a trail ride, then maybe have a late lunch at Rose Canyon Cantina in the canyon. I would definitely take them to Laguna Beach- maybe to The Montage, which has lovely grounds to walk around and have lunch there. If they hadn’t been to California before, I would probably take them to Newport Beach Pier and to Balboa Island, taking the ferry across the harbor. I might rent a sailboat and we could sail around the harbor for the afternoon. Depending upon the time, if The Fenians are playing somewhere I would take them to see them.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
First, I would like to thank Jane Saunders for her recommendation.

Secondly, I would like to recognize the board of Hanaeleh, because they are really the driving force of Hanaeleh. Their support and dedication have allowed this grass-roots rescue to grow and flourish.

Thirdly, I would like to thank all of the volunteers through the years- we are a 100% volunteer-run rescue, and we can only help the horses with their help.

Website: www.hanaeleh.org

Instagram: instagram.com/hanaeleh

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hanaeleh

Twitter: twitter.com/hanaeleh

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Hanaeleh/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/Hanaeleh