Our Rescues
Our rescued animals come from near and far. Each has their own story to tell.
Delilah’s Story
Recently, we came across an very overused 20+ year old mare that looks like she was suffering from degenerative suspensory ligament disease, a progressive, chronic, and systemic connective tissue disease in horses that causes gradual breakdown of ligaments, tendons, and other supporting tissues. She was being held at a kill pen in Louisiana. She was extremely underweight. Her hair was falling out due to how bad her rain rot was over her back and over her rump, and we did not want her to end her life in such a horrible way from kill pen to Mexico train to suffering death. Upon her arrival, she looked horrible, exhausted with little life left in her eyes. She was dehydrated, underfed, and clearly overworked throughout her life. She stood right at 14 hands tall and around 700 to 725 pounds on the tape. She had a large abscess about the size of a baseball on the base of her neck that needed immediate care. Thankfully our veterinarian said that it was not DSLD but that she was just overused, neglected and abused for far too long. She is being cared for by our veterinarian, our farrier, and is on antibiotics, supplements and special feed.
She was lucky. She was intercepted by our team and is now in quarantine in Mississippi, where she will begin the long fight to heal. But the truth is, most horses like her aren’t so lucky. Every week, countless horses — young, old, once-loved family companions, even pregnant mares and foals — are funneled through auctions into the slaughter pipeline. Their cries, their fear, their desperation go unheard. We named her Delilah so that she would never again be nameless, never again be treated like a disposable object. Her name translates as someone who might appear gentle but has the power to influence others profoundly. She is a survivor and truly will influence others because her story will help spread awareness to the cruelty of auctions, kill pens, slaughter... the suffering that goes on daily. Delilah has scars inside and out, she has severe arthritis, is malnourished, underweight and had severe dental issues. Delilah was on our Frontlines, and now she is recovering with all the care she will ever need and will live her life out in complete peace and tranquility.
Delilah after vetting and TLC
Tobias and Darla
Two more lives were saved! Tobias and Darla spent their lives working for the Amish. Day after day, year after year, they pulled heavy loads and endured hardships few could imagine. When age and wear finally caught up to them, they weren’t rewarded with rest — they were discarded.
Given away, they were left to waste away — each losing nearly 300 pounds. Their bodies bore the evidence of years of use and neglect: whip scars etched across their faces and even their corneas, reminders of a life where pain was the language spoken. Tobias carried a deep scar on his legs from a past cart accident, while sweet Darla was forced to endure breeding over and over again. Both were severely covered in rain rot.
Their future was grim: starvation or slaughter. That was all that awaited them.
But their story didn’t end there. Our team travelled to the area in Pennsylvania— one of the most notorious horse auctions in the country — and pulled them from the pipeline. Today, Tobias and Darla are safe at our beautiful farm in Connecticut, in quarantine and finally being given what they always deserved: vet care, dentals, proper feed, supplements, and medication to help their broken bodies recover.
For the first time in their long lives, they are beginning to know comfort, safety, and kindness. Their eyes are softening, their bellies are filling, and their spirits are slowly lifting.
Tobias and Darla are not just survivors — they are proof of why we fight. No animal should ever be discarded when their usefulness runs out. And thanks to you, these two souls will never again face a whip, a cart, an auction or a kill pen. Their golden years just got brighter and better!
They have each gained 50 lbs in less than two weeks!
