Our Rescues

Blue Barn Farm has recently taken on 3 standardbred horses that were rescued from the slaughter pipeline in PA. They were starving, getting beaten up by other horses in the pen, and in an immense amount of pain. The kill pen is the last stop in the pipeline before the end.

If you are not familiar with kill pens, they are just what they sound like; pens that hold horses until a truck comes to take them to Canada or Mexico for slaughter. Many people aren’t aware this happens in our country, but the numbers are staggering and the conditions are what horror movies are made of. We love all horses at our farm, but it has been a long dream of ours to rescue a standardbred. This breed is just wonderful to be around.

Unfortunately, horses don’t get sent to the kill pen for no reason and our horses have some medical and emotional issues we have to help them with. This is where we want to make work for both the horses and people who want to help. In return for your sponsorship, you get to help us help them. Spend time sharing space, grooming, feeding, cleaning, learning about horses and how to connect on a deeper level. Your involvement is up to you.

This program is a great way to learn about horses before buying, maybe even rescue a standardbred yourself. It is also a great way to step out of your comfort zone and learn something new, or find a new mindful practice to destress from life. Horses have so much to teach us, and top of that list is how to enjoy each day as it is.

If you are out of state or want to help in other ways, we accept donations to help care for our rescues. Any help from extensive medical bills and with continued care that these wonderful animals need is always a blessing.

  • Ben

    Ben, formerly named Arcane Seelster, is an 8 y/o standardbred born in Canada. He was born on an incredibly successful racing farm for harness racing. After racing for 3 years and earning almost $200,000 in winnings, he was tossed into the slaughterhouse pipeline after they found he has ringbone. After dedicating his life, an advanced arthritis diagnosis at the young age of 8 sealed his fate.

    After purchasing him from the kill pen and sending him into quarantine, life came full circle when we googled his lineage. 15 years prior to us saving him, Christine had cared for his great grandfather during her time at New Bolton Vet Center! His grandfather, Artsplace, is the reason Christine fell in love with the standardbred breed.

    Ben came to us very lame and uncomfortable in his front right leg. We instantly noticed his pastern enlarged and what at first seemed to be swollen. After the vet came and performed X-rays, we were diagnosed with ringbone. Ringbone is a degenerative arthritis that a horse can get from an infection or, in Ben’s case, continuous stress to the joints such as racing. Ben’s diagnosis was a blow. We felt like we failed him. At only 8 years old he has the pastern of a 30 year old horse.

    With ongoing pain management like NSAIDS and bone supporting supplements, he is comfortable. Long runs aren’t in Ben’s future anymore, which breaks our hearts because he loves to run and frolic.

    Donate to Ben

  • Sarah

    Sarah, formerly known as Strangle Hold, is a 13 y/o standardbred from New York. Sarah never raced, but was used as a broodmare. Broodmares are female horses who are simply raised for breeding. We don’t know how many foals Sarah has had, and we don’t know where she came from, but we do know she was probably dumped in the pipeline due to an injury during her last birth.

    Sarah was not originally on our list to bring home. She quarantined at the same facility as Ben and Minnie, and came home with Minnie when we realized Ben needed another month of quarantine due to having Strangles (a highly contagious infection that forms abscesses on the lymph nodes of horses). We were told Minnie is highly anxious and cannot come home to our farm without a companion, so we had a decision to make.

    The rescue mentioned that Minnie was turned out with Sarah and they had trauma-bonded, so the decision was easy. We loaded Sarah up and brought her home! When she got here we noticed the old injury she sustained from having a foal that was probably way too large for her.

    After giving the girls a few weeks to settle in to their new homes, we called the vet to assess the situation of Sarah’s injury. If the tear was extensive, surgery was needed. Thankfully, the vet deemed it a minor tear and nothing to worry about! Just some funny noise every once in a while.

    Donate to Sarah

  • Minnie

    Minnie, formerly Midnight Flasher, is a 9y/o standardbred born in Indiana. She never raced so we don’t know what happened, or how she made her way into the pipeline.

    When we purchased Ben we quickly realized he should have a friend to come home with. Ashley would watch the rescue announce the horses that were still left in the killpen, so when she noticed Minnie was still in there and getting pushed around by the other more dominant horses, she scooped her up as well.

    After Minnie and Sarah settled into their new home, we noticed Minnie has a very hard time walking. She was very uncomfortable in her front end and maybe even her back. The vet came out to assess both Minnie & Sarah for their multiple issues going on.

    After doing a thorough exam, the vet finds that Minnie has broken heel bulb axis. It requires very frequent hoof trims and joint support such as shoeing or oral supplements to alleviate pain and discomfort.

    Minnie and Sarah both have ulcers, which comes from an extended period of stress, hunger, and other external factors brought on by humans. Given that they were both in a kill pen for over 4 weeks with 25 other horses in a tiny pen, and that they were incredibly malnourished and underweight when we got them, it comes to no surprise they have ulcers. Treating ulcers in horses is incredibly expensive and ongoing.

    Donate to Minnie