About Us
Co-founded by Madison McDougall and Alexsandra Dann — two girls who never quite grew out of the crazy horse phase — Second Step Equine Rescue is a female-owned and run rescue that began when we couldn't look away from the slaughter pipeline any longer. We started with what we had: working farms, a few empty stalls, and the belief that every horse deserves a second step.
Years on, we've rescued, rehabilitated, and rehomed horses from kill pens, surrender situations, and neglect cases. Every one of them has taught us something new about patience, second chances, and the quiet, remarkable work of bringing a horse back.
Three words on the gate. A long list of chores behind them.
Every decision — intake, training, placement — is measured against what is right for the horse in front of us. Not what is easy, and not what is fast.
We don't inflate a horse's résumé to make them easier to place. A good match is only good if it starts with the truth.
Matching matters. We take our time pairing each horse with the home that gives them their best possible second chance — the right job, the right pace, the right people.
Co-founders
While not related, we grew up as sisters. We're two girls who never quite grew out of the crazy horse phase. Madi comes from the A-circuit hunter jumper world with over 20 years of show experience. Alex, well — she's seen it all on her family's horse ranch in the interior of B.C.
Horses are what brought us together, and now have stuck us together. Between us we handle intake, training, adoptions, the hay order, the farrier schedule, the vet calls, and the occasional 2 a.m. barn check.
We operate from two locations across British Columbia. Our Cawston farm — 5 acres in the Similkameen Valley — is where our more hands-on cases come in for rehabilitation, training, and close daily care. Our Cariboo property is 160 acres of open range where healing horses get to live out, decompress, and learn how to be horses again.
Same vibe, different scales. Both have deep pasture, clean water, and the kind of quiet that does most of the work for us.
Second Step works alongside local veterinarians, farriers, trainers, feed suppliers, and fellow rescues across BC. If you're an organization who'd like to collaborate, get in touch — the more hands, the more horses.