Despite fire and flood, horse rescue ranch keeps going

June 8, 2022 | Knox News

February was as bad a month as anyone should have to endure: It started with a fire and ended with a flood.

Yet Faith Sadiku never lost her focus as a medical professional or an advocate for animal rights.

She’s the founder of Faith N Friends, a working farm in Corryton that is a horse rescue.

Sadiku, a Powell resident, is a nurse practitioner who had an office in Powell up until Jan. 31-Feb. 1, when a homeless person started a fire with toxic material that destroyed her office. It took a while, but she was finally able to relocate in April.

With about 30 horses in its care, the nonprofit also experienced a flood on Feb. 21 that took out fencing and some buildings totaling about $8,000. The rebuilding process is only partially done.

“I keep going because I know it’s the right thing to do,” Sadiku said. “I realize this is a lonely, hard path, but it’s where I’m supposed to be.”

Horse owner surrenders and rescues   

Sadiku grew up on an Amish-style farm about an hour west of Nashville. She said she was riding horses before she could walk.

“We weren’t Amish, but we were highly religious,” Sadiku said. “We did things (on the farm) the natural way.”

After 18 years on the farm, she left for college at East Tennessee State University. She became a nurse practitioner and set up her practice in Powell.

Her love of horses never left. She began collecting rescue horses until in 2016 her husband persuaded her to set up Faith N Friends, a certified nonprofit, as a rescue covering 130 acres.

“We do quality, not quantity,” she said. “We did a lot of owner surrenders and neglect/abuse cases. We had a loving and nonjudgmental approach.”

Upon arrival, each horse is sent to a training program. Sadiku estimates that only 20 percent of the horses they get have the disposition to be a part of the therapy program for children — including those with special needs.

Camps planned

There is a special place in Sadiku’s heart for special needs children — her son has special needs.

Throughout the year, there are therapy sessions available for children with special needs. With an army of about 20 active volunteers, those sessions happen with no charge.

In June and July, Faith N Friends will offer two camps for special needs children (with 10 participants each) and two for what she calls “regular” children (anywhere from 10-20 participants each). They’re hoping to get corporate support to sponsor each child in the camp.

While Sadiku and her volunteers are not paid, it costs between $200-$250 to feed a horse for a month. Multiply that by 30, then add in farrier and veterinary bills, along with the basics of electricity and water to keep things running, and the costs can be staggering.

“It’s more than a full-time job,” Sadiku said. “I’m putting in 80 hours a week (between her practice and the farm) easy. In our society today, there need to be more givers and less takers. I’d like to help that happen.”

Read the original article at knox news here: https://www.knoxnews.com/story/shopper-news/powell/2022/06/08/faith-n-friends-horse-rescue-ranch-overcomes-fire-and-flood/7466932001/