Our Sanctuary Animals
Simon Peter
Simon was our first horse rescue and was in bad shape when we found him in late 2021. He had been left alone on 400 acres for almost two years with his brother who our trainer was able to adopt. Simon had a great deal of health issues and we spared no expense in helping him be as comfortable as possible. Simon was a joy to be around and was such a beloved member of our family. His favorite thing to do was fall asleep with his head on Dallas or David’s shoulder. He adored being groomed and soaked up all the love he could while he was with us. Simon passed away at 31 years old in August of 2023, surrounded by his people and vet who loved him deeply.
Misty and Chief
Misty is a Paint-Arabian mare and Chief is a rescued Belgian draft gelding who once worked for the Amish in Missouri. Both Misty and Chief were here before the others and have helped them learn that not all humans are bad. Misty is essentially a dog who eats hay and Chief is never happier than when getting groomed and pampered. Chief has almost no lower teeth left and severe arthritis in his front legs and is on pain medicine for the management. We do x-rays every few months to check the progression of his legs, and he eats a mash based diet in addition to his hay to get weight back on him. We were worried he wouldn’t do well coming into this winter in 2024, but the pain meds are making him feel great and he’s back to his old self. With an older horse like Chief, we go week by week and keep a calendar of good vs bad days to really evaluate his quality of life, but as of right now, he’s happy, healthy, and going strong.
Inola Raven
Inola was pulled from a kill pen in Pennsylvania in March 2024. She worked hard for the Amish her entire life and was sent to a kill pen for unknown reasons. Inola is about 16 years old and an absolute angel. Inola did wonderful in quarantine and was a favorite of all the staff. Inola is a Dutch Harness Horse and as gentle as they come, she is also very very obsessed with water. Inola loves to splash around in the creek and the water troughs, and will push the other horses out of the way when they’re getting hosed down on a hot day to get all the water to herself. Inola also enjoys dogs. We have a few large dogs that we take to the fields to run and she has never had an issue with them running around her. Inola’s feet were awful when she arrived from years of using poorly fitted shoes. After wonderful farrier work, her feet look brand new and she’s not longer sore. It is unlikely she to had good vet work done in her life, but she behaves well for the vet staff, as long as they keep giving her cookies. Inola has had at least one foal before, and we believe she was used as a broodmare for a while. Inola is being retrained from a bit to bitless bridle, and will be mainly trained with bareback riding. She’s turned into such a loving and sweet horse over the last few months. While she’s still the boss, she’s no where near as assertive to the other horses, and has really integrated well into the herd.
When we say Inola is obsessed with water, we mean she is OBSESSED with water. Thankfully, we have a creek on the property she can play in when it's hot out.
Ronan
Ronan is a two year old Morgan gelding who was dumped at a kill pen due to sickness and injury. We knew if we didn’t pull him he would be undoubtedly sent to slaughter in Canada. Ronan arrived at quarantine with strangles and has several skeletal and tendon issues from being worked way too hard far too young. At only two he had been carrying carts and riders on hard concrete streets. Ronan will need extensive veterinary and farrier care, as well as mental and emotional rehab to grow into the horse we know he can be. Currently, Ronan is very scared of people he doesn’t know, but unlike how he was when he arrived a few months ago, he now warms up to people quickly and is very curious about them.
After evaluation by a farrier and a vet, he has been diagnosed with severe DSLD, degenerative suspensory ligament desmitis. It is degenerative and needs highly specialized care and diet. He is on pain medicine and anti-inflammatory medication and currently not in any pain. He will only undergo safety training and will never be ridden or have to work again. Ronan is an absolutely love bug and adores being pet and given grain now. It has taken weeks of gaining his trust and he is still terrified of his halter, but every day he gains more confidence and now seeks us out for affection.
Update September 2024
Veterinary evaluation for Ronan was more positive than for Strider or Georgia. While Ronan’s DSLD is quite severe, he is not currently in pain and is moving rather well. Because he’s so young, it’s possible his ligaments temporarily tighten up, which we have seen in his left leg a little bit. While it wouldn’t last, it may buy him a few extra month to a year. DSLD is a difficult issue because it can stay steady for a long while then explode in severity out of the blue. We are keeping a very close eye on Ronan and watching his movements closely. The good news is we can work with him a lot more now, and he’s almost comfortable enough to be haltered. He does come up to us and others for affection all the time now, and is significantly more trusting. he is still not growing hoof, because his body is focused on his legs, but we are going to try to get a farrier appointment for him soon to make sure there isn’t something else going on. We will also be watching his emotional state very closely over the next few weeks while he deals with the upcoming loss of Strider and Georgia. They are all extremely closely bonded, and horses mourn for a good while.
Update December 2024
Ronan is doing very well since Strider and Georgia were laid to rest. He has bonded strongly with Misty and Chief, and is starting to bond really well with Inola. We are watching his legs closely, and are evaluating him every few weeks when we have our vet on property. We are hoping to get him comfortably to spring, and then do a full evaluation of his legs again. He won’t live more than another year, but we are going to make sure he is as comfortable as possible the entire time. He is enjoying getting groomed and pampered, and finally understands what treats are!
This was the first time Ronan walked up to me in the field and sought out attention. He came back over and over after this because he finally realized what he'd been missing his whole life: Love.
Strider
Strider is a five year old Morgan gelding. Strider was pulled from a kill pen in Pennsylvania at the end of March, 2024. Our amazing supporters were able to help us raise funds to save him at the last minute. While he does have some injuries to his back legs and some tendon issues, he is young and otherwise healthy. After veterinary and farrier evaluation, he was also diagnosed with DSLD, the same ligament disorder that Ronan has. We had hoped it was just a bad injury, but it is congenital and something that will eventually lead to him needing humane euthanasia. He is on pain medicine and anti-inflammatory medication and currently not in any pain. Strider is wonderful for the farrier and the vets, loves treats, and adores being pet and groomed by our volunteers. He took a few days to warm up to us, but it was a very quick turnaround for him mentally. Strider is an absolute star and everyone who meets him falls in love with his silly personality and constant need for affection.
Update:
In September 2024, after his third veterinary evaluation, it was determined that Strider’s DSLD has progressed to the point of needing humane euthanasia. While his spirit is happy and he’s enjoying his days, with winter coming up and the state of his legs, the kindest thing we can do for him is give him a wonderful last month before the ice begins. Strider will be euthanized with Georgia on Halloween, 2024. His days will be filled with grooming, cookies, grain, and all the love he wants.
Update:
Strider’s last day was beautiful and filled with immense love. He was definitely ready, and his pain had passed what was possible to manage effectively. We had Strider for 6 months, and in that time he changed lives and brought so much joy and love to the sanctuary. We will miss him forever and are so blessed to have known this incredible horse.
Georgia’s story is long and hard, but far from over. Georgia is a 16 year old Tennessee walking horse. A gorgeous girl with a terrible past, Georgia was found in a horrific kill pen situation in Tennesee in January 2024 by a close friend of ours in Florida. Our friend was able to save her life and get her to their ranch, but Georgia had many battles to still face. Originally we were told Georgia was 8 months pregnant, and in her extremely starved condition was an emergency situation. What we thought was a pregnancy turned out to be something so much more dire. It was revealed that Georgia had actually very recently foaled (likely right before she went to the kill pen) and was suffering from a horrific uterine infection that needed to be drained and treated for weeks. Not only was she starved and extremely sick, she was so weak that her muscles gave out on her multiple times and she had to be lifted by a tractor. The phone calls and FaceTime’s with my friend trying to figure out ways to help her are still so vivid in my mind. There were days when we really didn’t think she’d make it through the night but Georgia had the look in her eyes that said “I’m not done yet. I want to keep fighting”. And fight she did. Now, almost seven months since her initial rescue, Georgia has put on some good weight, is moving like a 16 year old should, and is starting to get some personality back. As much as we would have loved for her to remain in Florida with the family she’s come to trust, the heat and humidity was damaging her health as she had been recently diagnosed with anhidrosis, which means she has almost no capacity to sweat and cool herself off. Because of this most recent diagnosis, we brought Georgia here to the sanctuary in Massachusetts where it is significantly better weather for her year round. We will keep updating as we get Georgia here and get her settled in. We do know she’s good for the vet and farrier. Whatever happens, we promise she’s never going to be hurt again.
Update August 2024
Georgia is gaining strength and putting on good weight. She’s become best friends with Strider and Ronan, and they’ve formed their own mini herd. She treats Ronan like a foal, which is pretty funny since he’s really only 2 and no where near full grown. The three of them share their food bowls and seem to have the desire to always be touching. They sleep together, drink water together, and even lie down in the sun together. Georgia has even started to sweat a little, which means she’s finally not constantly stressed. We know Georgia’s time is short due to the extreme amount of health problems she has, but right now, she’s happy and enjoying her very well deserved peace.
Update September 2024
After multiple veterinary evaluations for her legs and health, it has been determined that Georgia needs to be humanely euthanized with Srider on Halloween 2024. Her legs are in bad shape, and she likely has something internal going on as well. She is on pain medicine and is still happy to “run” to the barn for her morning grain, but we know that one day too early is far better than one day too late, especially for animals that can’t be easily picked up if they fall. Georgia’s remaining time will be spent getting even more spoiled, groomed, loved on, and cherished.
Update:
Georgia spent her last day getting showered with love and treats. She had a giant breakfast of her favorite grain and mash, she was groomed and kissed all over. She was told over and over how much of a wonderful girl she is and how she fought so hard and would finally be granted her peace. Georgia laid down hard, because her legs were so stiff, but once she was down, and the vet started the meds, she gave us the deepest, most peaceful sigh that seemed to say “finally, I can rest.” Georgia passed very peacefully, very calmly. There was no hesitation. She was very ready. We all know we did everything we could to give her the most comfort and happiness in her last weeks on Earth, she knew it too. Please don’t doubt that she was happy while here, she truly was. But Georgia’s health issues far surpassed what was able to be healed. She and Strider are running free in Heaven, and I’m sure Diego and Simon are the ones who greeted them at Rainbow Bridge as soon as they crossed over.
Georgia
Our Goat Herd
In June of 2024 we decided we wanted to bring in goats to the sanctuary to help with weed control and give people the opportunity to learn about these amazing and highly playful animals. While we had a lot of goat knowledge previously, we hadn’t owned them ourselves before and we were very excited to add them to the family. We adopted Jimmothy T. Bucket Head and his brother Winston Dwighttholomue from the MSCPA and three Nigerian dwarf goat babies and their mom from a local family. A few days later, the family had a situation occur and asked if we’d be willing to bring in the rest of the family so no one would be separated. Our male goats are all castrated which requires different mineral and food requirements than an intact male. The females will not be having more babies. Since there is no risk of breeding, all our goats live in the same area. (We do not breed any animals at the sanctuary.) Due to how small they are, the goats do not share a pasture or barn with the horses. Our goats have a custom made mini barn that keeps them completely safe from predators and the weather, and allows them to see the horses, but not be fully integrated with them. Goats are a steep learning curve and we enjoy teaching people about their nutritional and medical requirements. The goats also love to be pet and held, acting more like dogs than livestock.
