Owner shares history of Hank the Horse, inspired by parents

BOURBON COUNTY, Ky. (WTVQ) – If you live in Kentucky, you’ve likely seen Hank the Horse at any number of events from schools to libraries, even ringing the bell during the Salvation Army’s holiday season. But do you know his history?

“When I met Hank, he was 3 years old. He was a starvation, neglect case,” explained owner Tammi Regan.

It may be hard to imagine Hank’s history especially at first glance. While he may look like any other ordinary horse, Regan says when she rescued him 11 years ago, it was a learning curve for the both of them.

“I wasn’t raised with horses so I used Hank to learn truly about a spirit of a horse and what they can give back,” explained Regan. “Not just a sports horse, not just as a performance horse, but what they can do for people.”

While Regan says she always knew Hank was unique, it wasn’t until after putting in the work to rehabilitate him, the nonprofit For Hank’s Sake was born.

And, Hank’s work is a bit different from most horses.

“Hank helps kids discover their passion for reading. He has 16 library cards,” said Regan.

Hank encourages learning, focusing on literacy excellence and becoming brave. “Teaching kids important life lessons such as friendship, courage, finding your truth, being empowered,” added Regan.

And he has a very busy schedule, raising money for a number of charities. Some $30,000 has been raised to date, according to Regan. The amazing thing is she keeps track of every life touched.

“School children and libraries alone, we’re over 3,500 children. In his career, since coming to Kentucky, we have impacted over 15,000 people,” explained Regan.

His outreach not lost on Regan. In fact, she says she wants to touch more lives.

“We want a global impact. We want a global reach, that’s the vision, that our work through our horses can expand on a global level and we can help people all over the world,” explained Regan.

Of course, Hank enjoys doing normal horse things too like hanging out with his herd, grazing in the pasture and chowing down on hay. And while the Tennessee Walking Horse inspired Regan to rescue animals of all kinds, she says her own inspiration comes from her parents.

“As a child my parents instilled the values of giving and giving back. Helping Hank to overcome his trauma’s, so he can go on to help kids and people of all ages means so much to me, because I know how proud it would make my parents,” said Regan. “So I try to honor the life lessons that they taught me as a child and that legacy of love is what I want to expand out into the world using our horses.”

Regan says this was the second chapter in her life. She spent years working in the corporate world but the moment she met Hank, she says she knew her life had changed forever. And while Regan says she can’t spill the beans just yet, that global impact could come this holiday season, in connection to Hank’s bell ringing endeavors.

Tune into Good Afternoon Kentucky at 3 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 5 for the indepth story.