"We are all just here to help walk each other home, leaving only love and kindness in our tread."
Meet the Horses
Meet Rio! Rio is approximately 28 years old. He is a unique tri-colored paint horse with a Dun gene. Rio went through multiple auctions (the last one in Tennessee) where he was purchased by a known kill buyer in PA. He was slated to go on a slaughter truck to Quebec but was rescued at the last moment in 2013. That truck caught fire on Route 81 in NY, and sadly all the horses were burned to death. So Rio was saved in more than one way! His owner died in 2018 and he is the main reason for the start of the Sanctuary. Rio has heaves, which is like asthma. He also has a negative palmar angle and DSDL in his hooves, but he still runs faster than every horse who lives here. It appears he has a history of doing barrels. However, Rio is not rideable. Rio also demonstrates a history of starvation and unpleasant training techniques. Today, Rio needs special medicine to breather and special shoes to live comfortably. Rio is just about the softest, furriest, love bug out there. His heart and soul is as beautiful as his coat!
This is Malaki's Lucky Shamrock, also known as Charlie. Charlie is a National Show Horse, which means he is part Arabian and part Saddlebred. He is approximately 15 years old. Charlie came from the same kill buyer in PA as Rio. He was rescued in 2021. We have found evidence that Charlie had been in the slaughter pipeline for at least half his life, shuttling from one home to the next. Charlie appears to be a late-gelded stallion who had a halter put on him when he was young and left there, causing indentations in his head. Charlie came to us with a club foot. He had to learn how to live with other horses in a herd setting. He did NOT like getting closed in a stall. He has been diagnosed with Insulin Resistance, for which he must receive daily medication for the rest of his life. Someone trained Charlie as a halter horse along the way. He has excellent ground manners. Charlie is being trained to be the riderless horse in our Caisson Funeral Procession Service.
Meet Pharaoh, the leader of the herd! Pharaoh was rescued in 2022 from the same kill buyer in PA who had Rio and Charlie. Pharaoh is approximately 22 years old. He is a Dutch Harness Horse. We were told he was an Amish buggy horse. Pharaoh came to us severely emaciated, with multiple injuries to his head and paralysis on one side of his face. He had a very high parasite count, fever rings in his hooves (which had terrible thrush) and a large cyst in his mouth. He also showed signs of having been abused. He had no idea what a treat was. This past year, Pharaoh had a bout of impaction colic, followed by a resurgence of EPM, followed by a stifle issue, followed by a shoulder injury. He may have conquered all his health issues, but Pharaoh must remain on medication for the rest of his life to stay healthy. Through it all, he maintained his status as the alpha in the herd. Pharaoh's wisdom and quiet strength is the glue which keeps this herd together. Anyone who meets Pharaoh tells me they can feel there something very special in his energy, as if they are in the company of mystical greatness. We would like Pharaoh to either carry a rider with a flag in our Caisson Funeral Procession Service.
Hubba Bubba! Who's the hunk? It's Mason, of course! Mason is a Shire Horse. Shire horses are an endangered breed. Mason is Violet's brother. They are a bonded pair. We can not accurately age him, due to the fact he never had dental care prior to arriving here. He needed a 2-year dental recovery plan. He and his sister were carriage horses, whom we rescued from a dealer who catalogued them to be sold at the Mt. Hope auction in Ohio in 2023. Mason has Cushings Disease. He needs to take medication every day for the rest of his life. He also had been treated with an unkind hand. It took many months to train him to have better ground manners. Today, he will come right up to the fence to say "Hello," and will follow you like a puppy dog...a very, very large puppy dog! Due to their immense size, Shire horses eat twice as much as regular-size horses. Mason will pull the caisson wagon in our Caisson Funeral Procession Service.
If there ever was a horse deserving to be Queen Bee for the rest of her life, it's Violet! Violet is a Shire Horse, and is Mason's older sister. Violet also has terrible teeth. Violet came to us with horribly neglected hooves and infected skin. We found canker in all four feet, and after successfully getting rid of it over six months, she still had a problem. We took her to Tufts University for a CT scan and discovered she had a keratoma in a highly unusual area of her hoof. She had surgery and spent the next 10 months recovering. It took a crew of 4-6 volunteers several hours to change her bandages every other day. Her post-surgical recovery required her to be contained in a small medical turnout so she wouldn't hurt her hoof while she was healing. Unfortunately, the restricted movement caused a condition called CPL, which led to sores on her legs. Today, thanks to her strong will to survive, she has healed from canker, keratoma surgery and CPL. However, Violet also has Cushings Disease and requires daily medication for management. Violet is very interested in dogs, cats and birds. EVERYONE loves Violet!
We operate as a Sanctuary, which means we rescue horses, we rehabilitate them, and then we offer them refuge for the remainder of their lives. We do not adopt out the horses, nor do we have a foster system. Our commitment is to help walk them home. As you might imagine, their needs increase as they age. Every horse gets steamed hay and receives special medication and supplements depending on their needs. They receive annual vaccinations, annual or semi-annual dental work as needed, and monthly hoof care. We have found the most successful wellness plan incorporates Eastern and Western medicine. Therefore, when donations allow, we also bring in practitioners for body work. While you can not adopt one of our Sanctuary residents, you most definitely can be a "virtual supporter", which means you get to contribute to their care without paying the full bill of an owner. Even better, you don't have to pick up any manure or go outside during bad weather to take care of them!
Here is an idea of how being a monthly supporter of your favorite horse can help:
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For 25 cents/day or $7.50/month, you are buying hay for a day for 1 horse​
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For $1/day or $30/month, you are providing 1 month of mash for 1 horse
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For $50/month, 1 horse will get their hooves trimmed each month
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For $100/month, you have made sure 1 horse receives vaccines for the year
For $250/month, either Violet or Mason will have their Rx's covered for the year
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For $500/month, you are making it possible for us to rescue a horse
For $700/month, Rio will have the medicine he needs to breathe and the hoof care he needs to walk comfortably with his friends around the paddock.
For $!000/month, you will be covering nearly all the anticipated veterinary bills for the entire year, minus the emergencies, of course.
Becoming a monthly supporter of your favorite horse and the work we do is easy. Just click on any of the links and set up a monthly donation. You can also go to our "Donation Page" for alternate forms of payment. We just ask you to include the processing fee so the horses receive the full benefit of your donation amount. Thank you for loving the horses as much as we do. Be sure to let us know your email address so we can add you to the quarterly newsletter, where you get all the exclusive updates!
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