Midas is a 29-year-old Belgian draft cross who came to our farm 18 years ago. He was sold because he was not suited for his job and was indeed,  a handful . Before he was a staff hunt horse, he belonged to someone who had trouble controlling his spirited nature and treated him harshly, responding with cruelty to his bold reactions.

When he first arrived, he had one speed – very, very fast, and even faster approaching jumps.  Fortunately, his new rider was wise enough to give him the space to relax and learn that nobody was going to snatch  him in the mouth or force him into submission.

Soon, he was happy to ride in a soft bit on a light rein, with a trusting passenger aboard. He wanted to take his passenger hunting, not be told how to go – a significant  difference that speaks to partnership rather than domination.

On the ground, he had much to learn. One of our friends was happy to take on his ground training and manners education. Today, Midas can lunge line-free, happily goes bareback and bit-free, and gives toddlers gentle rides. He has come  far from the horse who would cower in his stall when a veterinarian approached and the bully who would fight until the reins were light enough.

Midas loves his girlfriend Sweetie. They are easy to spot in their pasture at night because his flaxen mane and tail glow in the moonlight – a beautiful reminder that even the troubled souls can shine again.

In 2017, we collected Stryker from a field of thoroughbred yearlings where he was free for the taking. He had been the low horse in the herd and was quite thin. He was cheerful and willing despite his circumstances.

He was intended to be a racehorse for a friend, but being a colt, he was declined housing in two locations. Our hearts broke for him. We believed he deserved a dignified life.

We built him a  new stall complete with his own patio and private pasture. For his first year, we handled him daily, hugged and kissed him, and treated him like a million-dollar racer – because in our hearts, that is what he was.

He was developed slowly and gently, X-rayed to verify his growth plates were ready for race training. He received exceptional training and showed promise when he blazed to near second place in his first race.

However, he learned that trying to get in front was not his passion. He is social and loves company more than competition. Honoring his gentle nature rather than trying to force him into a mold that did not fit, we brought him home.

Stryker is indeed a lover. At night, he delights in hugging his “mommy” by pulling her to his chest with his strong head.

Stryker teaches us that success is not always about winning the race but about finding where the heart truly belongs.

We call her Sweetie. She is a 21-year-old quarter horse with a long and often difficult history that speaks to the resilience of the equine spirit.

From what we can gather, Sweetie played polo for eight years, where she received the care of a polo horse. For her second career, she transitioned to teaching riding lessons before becoming a personal horse for a family who eventually lost interest in both her and her companion. She went lame and became malnourished, forgotten by those who once claimed to love her.

She was rescued by an organization and ultimately became one of our board members’ project horses. We provided the perfect soft landing for Sweetie when our director had no place of her own to keep her.

With good farrier and veterinary care, Sweetie is now sound and healthy. Her allergies are under control, and her feet are no longer painful. She is not a hard-work horse but graciously accepts all the love and hugs anyone wants to give her. She is polite and loves to be brushed and cleaned, as if she remembers what it feels like to be treasured.

Sweetie shares her pasture with Midas, with whom she likes to huddle – two souls who understand what it means to be treasured.

Maverick is 17 years old and came to our farm as a skinny three-year-old with a heartbreaking beginning. He was born to be a “throw-away” foal for a nurse mare – those horses who nurse thoroughbred foals when their mothers return to racing or breeding. Traditionally, the nurse mares’ own babies were simply discarded to die.

Maverick had the extraordinary fortune to be rescued by a group who collected these forgotten foals, raised them with devotion, and found them loving homes. He never had a horse mother but was hand-fed by caring humans from bowls and buckets until he could be weaned. To this day, he still loves to see a small bucket and eagerly accepts a drink of fresh water any time it is offered.

He came to our farm to become a hunt horse, but he did not grow large enough and his feet remained small. Hunting was not in his future. He suffered through a bout of EPM (equine protozoal myelitis).We successfully fought for his recovery. He has remained fragile and is carefully guarded from excessive work – but never from excessive love.

Having been raised by humans rather than a mare, Maverick loves hugs, adores being groomed, and delights in receiving water from a small bucket. We call him our ‘pocket pet.’

He can be quite the attention seeker and loves to be the first horse greeted in the barn. His early abandonment taught him to treasure every moment of human connection.

Maverick shares his indoor barn with Sweet Pea, and together they show us that love can heal even the deepest wounds of abandonment.