who are we?
Association Ninovan is an equine rescue and education sanctuary located on the island of Faial in the Azores.
Ninovan began with one horse.
In 2010, a young mare named Mocca was found abandoned, with no food or water in sight. What began as an attempt to help one horse slowly grew into something much bigger.
Mocca’s story changed everything.
Today Ninovan provides a safe home for rescued horses while also working to improve awareness about their needs.
But rescue alone is not enough.
Our mission is built on the belief that lasting change comes through education. When people understand horses — their behavior, their needs, and their stories — they are more likely to treat them with care and respect.
Visitors who come to Ninovan often meet a horse up close for the first time. When a child runs their hand across the scars of a rescued horse and hears how that horse found safety here, empathy begins to grow.
These moments matter.
Because awareness leads to compassion — and compassion leads to better lives for horses.
our work today
Ninovan is now home to several rescued horses, each with their own story.
In addition to caring for the herd, we also help guide people when they encounter horses in need across Faial and sometimes other islands in the Azores.
Through rescue, education, and community engagement, Ninovan continues to work toward a future where horses are treated with the respect they deserve.
Our guiding principle remains the same:
awareness through education.
LIVING SOMEONE ELSE'S DREAM
by Kim
As strange as it sounds today, it was never actually my dream to work with or even have horses;, I would not have considered myself much of a horse person at all. In fact, they scared me. When I moved to the Azores in 2010, I thought I would continue my painting and have a small gallery, like I had in Hamburg. I found the perfect house and started working on my dream.
And then …
I found the first abandoned horse while walking my dog on a hot summer day in 2011. I did my best to find her owner and, when I couldn’t, I wanted to find her a good home. She is still with me today. Her name is Mocca. She is spoiled and more like a dog than a horse. She is a star with our visitors and especially loves being around children. She taught me that horses are kind and gentle, and sensitive and funny. She would run across the farmers’ fields with the dogs and they would all come back together when I called them. If I didn’t have time to take her, the farmers asked about her. I soon heard that they called me “the foreigner who talks to horses.”
We now have 11 horses. Nine are here on my land we call Ninovan (the Cheyenne word for “our home”), and two are fostered on the other side of the island. It is a lot of work, and I have finally learned to love my work with these amazing creatures. But I have not painted since Ninovan has reached its current capacity.