Willie Nelson Rescued 70 Horses From a Slaughterhouse and Let Them Roam Free on His Ranch

The popular country musician and marijuana activist Willie Nelson is apparently a horse lover who has rescued 70 horses from being slaughtered and let them roam free on his 700-acre ranch in Texas.

He currently resides in Hawaii, but also owns this huge farm in Texas, which was originally built for a movie. It was actually a movie adaptation of his album The Red Headed Stranger, and Nelson loved the sets so much, so he left them up.

When not on the road, Nelson spends most of his time at his Luck Ranch. He also says that his horses are lucky, as they are hand-fed twice a day, and not a long time before,  they were just ready to go to slaughter.

Nelson is very fond of these animals, and his song Ride Me Back Home attests to it.

In 2015, he won an award the video to his song The Love of Horses, in which he meets members of Habitats for Horses who were attempting to end the slaughter of horses by working to get new legislation passed.

The love for horses runs in the family as well, and his son, Lukas, supports Saving America’s Horses and Habitat for Horses.

Nelson is about ninety now, but he shows no signs of slowing down. He still tours 200 days out of the year. He admits that it is a lot of traveling and being away from home, but that is what they do.

When asked about retirement, he states that he believes he will retire after every show, but afterward, as he hangs out with friends and audience, his band feels like playing, so they go on playing again and again.

Despite his dear horses, Nelson spends his time working on numerous causes that are dear to his heart. He is also focused on advocating for a lot of causes, and is already marketing his legal brand of marijuana, called “Willie’s Reserve.” He also organizes Farm Aid Concerts with the goal to raise money for American Farmers.