Hank The Horse Returning To Bucks For Doylestown Homecoming

DOYLESTOWN, PA — The famous Hank the Horse, who is on his way from Kentucky to New York City for a yet undisclosed event, will be making a stop in his old stomping grounds of Doylestown on Monday.

Hank, who represents the Kentucky-based nonprofit, “For Hank’s Sake,” as its brand ambassador, will be at Boro Park (Doyle and Broad) for a special homecoming on Monday from 2 to 4:30 p.m.

The public is invited to greet Hank with a horsy handshake. He’ll also ring his bell, stand on his platform and maybe even bow to you.

Hank will be accompanied by his mom and owner, Tammi Regan, who bought Hank when he was three while she was living in Doylestown. Hank lived here for eight years grazing on the rich Bucks County grassy countryside before relocating to the Bluegrass State with Regan.

“I’m so excited. I’m taking Hank home. It’s going to be a Hallmark moment,” said Regan. “My old friends are calling me. They knew me when I was struggling with trainers and was being told I’d never be a trainer. Now my organization supports more than 100 rescue horses who live on a 144 acre farm.”

Before Hank, Regan owned and operated the Polished Look Spa And Gift Boutique on State Street in downtown Doylestown for 15 years. She also did consulting work in the day spa industry around the nation.

Then she met Hank, a rescue horse who won her heart and inspired a new nonprofit foundation dedicated to rescuing neglected and unwanted horses, providing them with loving care, rehabilitation, and retraining them for useful purposes.

Regan saw a different side to Hank. While others thought he was a bad horse, she thought he was funny as heck.

“I told people I’m going to teach Hank to ring a bell. Hank’s going to help kids and people. I got, ‘Oh, he’ll never be anything more than an arena horse.’ He got deemed a dangerous horse,” said Regan. “Now, look at him. A few weeks ago I had him at the University of Kentucky and Hank was strolling the halls of Taylor Hall.”

Hank’s training has been based around his personality, his funniest and his cleverness, not in spite of it, she said. “We call him our 1400 pound toddler.”

For example one of the things he likes to do is grab people’s hats. “So if we prep it and cue it, instead of a crying child we get gales of laughter.”

In 2018 she relocated to Kentucky with Hank and a herd of rescues and built a name for her foundation in the state known for its love of horses and the Running of the Roses.

Regan named her foundation after Hank, the organization's first rescued horse and a Tennessee Walking Horse.

“Hank teaches us that no matter how bad things get as long as you have love and humility in your heart, you can recover from anything,” said Regan

Hank the Horse has become the foundation’s symbol of hope and a beacon of light for all animals suffering from neglect. The little heart-shaped white fur beneath his forelock inspired the For Hank’s Sake logo.

"Hank makes people stronger, kinder, and teaches us to love deeper,” said Regan.

Hank has become a celebrity in Kentucky with photos and stories appearing in newspapers and on TV broadcasts featuring Hank ringing a bell at a Salvation Army kettle, wearing a top hat or checking out a book at the local library.

So it’s not that surprising that traveling along with Regan and Hank will be a local TV reporter from an ABC affiliate in Kentucky, which will be documenting the trip to New York and Hank’s big homecoming.

“Monday is going to be special. Coming home to see my friends who believed in me and Hank when nobody else did is going to be amazing,” said Regan. “They thought Hank was funny. They thought I was funny with Hank. They are all super excited to see us and Hank is super excited to be coming
home.

“Doylestown is an equestrian community. It is horse-centric, so it’s not unusual to see horses outside of town, but to see a horse in the middle of town in a Top Hat or an Elf Hat that brings cheer, hope, joy and laughter that’s about as festive as you can get when using horses to empower people,” said Regan.

“Hank has a message of giving, of hope,” she said. “People counted him out. He is now the champion of second chances.”