Rascal was saved from the slaughter pipeline as a very young jack/colt. He was sick with pneumonia, emaciated, and very weak. At the time we met Rascal, and his brother Spanky, they were lying on the cold ground and struggling to breathe.

We knew we had to save these two precious young donkey boys! We also knew that their prognosis would be poor and saving their lives from the illnesses they had would take round-the-clock care, medications, and a miracle.

After several days and nights in the stable, Rascal began to breathe better. His strength was returning and his appetite was improving. Both Rascal and Spanky healed together at Peaceful Acres Horses and they haven’t spent a single day apart. They are silly, and spunky and always bring joy to the people they meet.

Rascal and Spanky are our miracle donkeys!

For as little as $42 per month, you can become a Feed Partner for Rascal. Your funding support will directly purchase hay and grain for Rascal’s daily care.

Please use our easy and secure giving links, or buttons to become a supporter, partner, or sign-up for the Horsin’Around Buddy program.

Pokka was just a young colt when Peaceful Acres Horses saved him and 6 other youngsters from the Premarin industry – Blaze and Whinny are also still with us at PAH. If you are not familiar with that hideous and cruel practice I will tell you a little bit about it and you can do your own research to learn more. The PMU industry uses pregnant mares to extract their urine for use in the pharmaceutical industry, Premarin is a hormone replacement for menopausal women – it also has countless side effects for women, including cancer. PMU Ranchers in America and Canada (other Countries also) hook urine extraction lines to the pregnant mares for the majority of their 11 month gestation period. During this time the mares are not able to lay down, they are in small standing stalls and do not have time off the lines to graze or mingle with other horses, they are imprisoned without compassion. It is a very cruel practice! The foals, like Pokka, Blaze and Whinny are the by-products of that industry. They are often sent to slaughter for human consumption or the young mares once bred are put into the collection lines and they too are used for the PMU industry. Once the mares are no longer productive, not able to carry another foal, or lame and ill from years of being hooked up to the collections lines, they too are sent to slaughter.  Please do your own research and also be very aware and educated before taking Premarin or other brands.

Pokka was in a huge pasture with about 60 other PMU foals when I met him 15 years ago. He and all the other youngsters we not halter broke and saw people as a threat. They had been taken away from their mommas and transported to America from Canada by advocates with the goal to find forever loving new homes for them. Over the course of a several days my daughter, my mom and a few friends and I went to the farm that they were all gathered to try to engage with a few that would be able to come to Peaceful Acres for love, care, training and become available for adoption placement.

Once at the holding farm, I set my eyes on this absolutely adorable paint colt, he was as handsome as they come and had a curiosity about him that I fell in love with. Trying to get near him or the others was a bit of a challenge as they all saw us as a threat and were rightfully so unsure of our motivations. But we stayed constant and compassionate to earn their trust.

On the 4th day it was time to bring our trailer and work with other people who also had their trailers to bring our 6 PMU babies home to PAH! I knew it was my goal to convince Pokka and Whinny (Palomino filly)  to get into our trailer, but it was not going to be easy as they really were very very reluctant. After a bit of time, one by one they followed each other onto the trailers, and Score – Pokka and Whinny were on our trailer! I was so excited, we did it!

Once back at Peaceful Acres farm it was time to turn them into their paddock and stall area, we had made some adjustments to the stable to make turnout and stabling easier and a trainable moment at every transition. Pokka was easy, it did not take him long to understand that we were not going to harm him and we were his source of food, a clean stall, fresh water and compassion. He was so smart, even as a youngster! Pokka became the leader of his little herd, reassuring the others that we were safe and that they too could trust us.

One day in 2006, I was studying for an exam, I was in grad school at the time to earn my MSW, I looked out my window and saw the horses were all lying down, they were napping in the sunshine and all looked so peaceful. I went outside and entered their paddock, they all stayed still, no one bolted, this was such progress! I walked up to Pokka who was quietly resting and began petting his head, he did not get up, I got closer and sat down next to him, he again did not move, I then laid down on top of him, he did not move. At that point Pokka and I had a beautiful shift in our relationship that today remains the same. You know the moment you encounter your heart horse, the one that gets you and will trust you through every moment and encounter. My mom was with me that day and was amazed at the progress that we had made in only a few short weeks. The bond that we then went on to have with Pokka and his herd was purely magical.

Pokka, Whinny and Blaze stayed with us at Peaceful Acres Horses (established as a 501 c 3 in 2007) and they became partners in our Equine Assisted Learning and Therapy programs for youth and adults surpassing grief, loss and trauma. The other youngsters we saved from the PMU industry went on to have wonderful new Forever Guardians.  Today, 15 years later Pokka, Whinny and Blaze still work with people as emotional support equines in our Horse and Donkey Hugs Program and also our Wellness Retreats for women with a cancer diagnosis, veterans and our women’s empowerment programs.

Pokka is still that handsome guy with a heart of gold and compassion that he offers to every person he meets. He is a lead horse to his herd and he is always willing and able to bring a smile to the face of a person who needs him. I am grateful to Pokka for the years of consistent friendship and being a stability partner in our programs at Peaceful Acres Horses.  He is that horse of a lifetime, forever in my heart and always kind, intuitive and full of wisdom.

Jazzy is an absolutely beautiful and lovely mare who was abandoned into the slaughter pipeline in 2015. Jazzy stood there in that cold, muddy, scary place on a dreary December day. She stood off alone, at a distance from the other horses, almost as if she was hiding from what could come, or watching out for someone.

We had gone to the pen to save 2 horses that Peaceful Acres Horses had fundraised for and were prepared to bring home to the sanctuary. But what happened next had us gladly saving four horses that day.

As we started to walk away from the pen with the two horses who we had come to save, we heard a loud nicker from the paint horse in the distance. She appeared stressed and trying desperately to get our attention. We walked back to the pen where we saw another paint horse caught between a fence and a large hay bunk feeder. The horse was knee deep in the mud, she was emaciated, afraid and exhausted from trying to break loose from the fence.

I called to the “owner” of the pen; “Hey …. are these two paint horses saved yet?” He hollard back to me, “No and if you want them, get them now cause they are moving out tomorrow.” “Moving out” meant heading to the semi truck that would transport them to Canada to be slaughtered!

Reaching for credit cards and cash, we had enough money on the three of us to save them. Off to the office I went to pay their “bail”, that’s the life saving money to set them free from the slaughter pipeline.

We named the paint horse who was stuck in the fence Christie and we named the horse who stood off in the distance, the one who nickerd to us to save Christy, All That Jazz.

All That Jazz – “Jazzy” is absolutely beautiful, she is kind and still has a watchful eye out for her horse buddies. She has gained confidence and appreciates her time with people and also her quiet time, alone in the pasture. We were at the pen that day to save two horses, but Jazzy made sure we saved her and her friend Christy too.

Please consider Jazzy
For as little as $42 per month, you can become a Feed Partner to Jazzy. Your funding support will directly purchase hay and grain for Jazzy’s daily care.

Please use our giving links to make your contribution to Jazzy’s care.

Esther was saved from the slaughter pipeline while in foal to her son Ezra. Esther was part of a donkey herd reduction that resulted in many donkeys becoming displaced from their donkey family and many had shipped to slaughter.

It was beyond sad to see them suffering physically and emotionally!

By the time we met Esther and her donkey family, they were sick with pneumonia and in poor body condition. The prognosis for Esther was poor, but we had hope and an excellent veterinary team at Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital in Saratoga Springs, NY.

After several days of veterinary care and medication for pneumonia, Esther began to show signs that she would survive!! Several months after saving Esther, we knew she was in foal. We were all so excited, soon we would be experiencing the birth of four donkeys! All of jennys we saved that day from slaughter were in foal!

Ezra was the fourth of the babies to be born. He was the tiniest and absolutely adorable! Esther was such a a good momma to Ezra and the two of them found comfort and peace together in their new Stable, Loving Home at Peaceful Acres Horses.

Esther and Ezra are still with their donkey family here at Peaceful Acres Horses. Everyday is a special day here for them, they know that life is safe, full of compassion and dedication from kind and generous volunteers.

Esther and Ezra are our miracle donkeys!

For as little as $42 per month, you can become Feed Partners for Ezra and Esther. Your funding support will directly purchase hay and grain for Ezra and Esther’s daily care.

Please use our giving links to make your contribution to these sweet little donkeys.

Keeping our promises to care for and love the rescues here until their last days means that we say a lot of “Hellos” as we meet new spectactular people and equines over the many years since the founding of Peaceful Acres Horses, but it also means that we are very familiar with difficult “Goodbyes”. We don’t know how long we will have to share this life with others, so let’s make the most of it, cherish our days and leave a positive impact on those around us. -SL