There was a time when the first thing I did when I got to work every day was to look at the previous day’s revenue figures. At 6:30 in the morning.

Now, the first thing I do every day is walk around Tierra Madre Horse Sanctuary and make sure that 34 horses are spending a comfortable, quiet night. I toss a little hay to a few of them and my day begins. At 3 in the morning. Three hundred and sixty five days a year.

Tierra Madre, in Cave Creek, Ariz., is one of hundreds of facilities that have sprung up in recent years to accommodate the thousands of once-homeless horses. To many, the alternative is certain death at a meat-packing plant in Canada or Mexico.

I decided a few years ago that I wasn’t really happy in the corporate world. There was no fulfillment. I grew up around horses and remembered those as the best times in my life. So I went back to the beginning and started over. If horses made me happy as a kid, maybe I could make them happy as an adult.

The result is a “forever home” to more than 30 previously unwanted, neglected, injured or abused horses. Horses of all sizes and breeds have found their way here. The one thing they all have in common is that they had nowhere else to go and are now living out their lives in a happy, healthy, loving home.

Take M’Stor, who had sustained a broken kneecap during a race at Phoenix’ Turf Paradise. The choices were to find him a home where he could receive the medical care and rehabilitation he needed or be sent to slaughter. I welcomed him with open arms.

M’Stor was only 3 years old, with his entire life ahead of him. When he limped off the trailer I said, ”Dude, you’re home for good.” He’s since fully recovered and the picture of good health. Every evening, I go see him and we stand there, him resting his head on my shoulder, my arms around his neck, both thanking the universe for bringing us together.

I was in the news media business for nearly two decades and was one of the founders of USA Today. It was a tremendously exciting time in my life, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

I spent a stint at Turner Broadcasting, where I developed the marketing platform for the 1998 Goodwill Games. I’ve produced college football bowl games and major festivals and concerts. I’ve published magazines and newspapers.

But none of that compares with bringing a horse all the way back from a devastating injury or watching a field full of horses romping around like a bunch of school kids or just standing quietly, sharing secrets only the two of us know.

My biggest challenge? Keeping enough money coming in to pay the bills. We’re a non-profit organization and depend entirely on donations.

I’m confident, though. Horses hold a special place in the collective soul of America. People will come through for the horses. I hope.

And now I’m off to wrap another leg, dole out some more medicine, throw out some more hay, or scratch another neck.

I wouldn’t trade this for the world.

For more information on Tierra Madre Horse Sanctuary and the horses that live here, visit our Web site.