SANCTUARY | PERRF | PENNSYLVANIA EQUINE RESCUE AND REHABILITATION FOUNDATION

PERRF is proud to provide a loving, safe sanctuary for horses that were once abused, neglected, aged, and/or abandoned. All our horses came to us from dangerous, heartbreaking situations and our sanctuary provides each one of them with a forever home where they can live out their lives...happy and secure.

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So what happens to racehorses after life on the track? Our George, also known as “Classic George,” was one of the very few given a second chance. Born on April 19, 1996 in Ontario, Canada, George stands at 16.1 hands and had 37 starts with earnings close to $100,000. He gave everything to the sport and got banged up in the process. Unfortunately, when his racing career ended, he quickly became useless to his owners. Money and options ran out, and he quickly went from being a pampered racehorse to a throwaway in the auction-slaughterhouse pipeline.

Although bad manners usually come from training gaps, retired racehorses get a bad reputation for being aggressive “hot-heads.” George has received the appropriate rehabilitation and training and has become gentle. He still has trust issues, but he has shown everyone that he has a lot of heart! George will continue to live out his golden years as a permanent resident at PERRF with his buddy, Tye.

Photos 1-4, before PERRF. Photos 5-10 at our sanctuary with his buddy, Tye.

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Penn and Penny were two of three abused and neglected horses that came to the attention of Governor Wolf, PA lawmakers, and The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). By the time the three horses were released for rescue, one of the horses had died, but the other two horses, Penn and Penny, were rescued by PERRF.

Penn and Penny are now healthy and living out their retirement at PERRF and even have "jobs" as mascots for Pennsylvania’s anti-cruelty laws introduced by Senators Eichelberger, Stephenson, and Bizzarro. This new legislation was one of four anti-cruelty measures included in the Act 10 Law, which adds equines to the animal protection law and adds starvation to the list of abuses. This law also provides the legal basis for criminal charges.

So while one horse in this story did not survive the horrific abuse and neglect they were subjected to, Penn and Penny not only survived, but are now safe, happy, and healthy, and also helped lead the way to new legislation that protects the welfare of horses in Pennsylvania.

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Tye is a calm gentle quarter horse. I remember clear as day the first time I met Tye that we had a strong connection. There is an unspoken trust and mutual respect between us. I will admit, it took months, if not years to build this meaningful partnership. He is our official “stunt” horse for our programs offered at the rescue. His cool demeanor immediately puts people at ease and demonstrates his ability to be a team player.

"There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the

inside of a man." ~Winston Churchill

“God forbid that I should go to any heaven in which there are no horses."

~R.B. Cunninghame Graham

"You know horses are smarter than people. You never heard of a horse

going broke betting on people." ~Will Rogers

“Old minds are like old horses; you must exercise them if you wish to

keep them in working order." ~John Adams

"A horse never runs so fast as when he has other horses

to catch up and outpace." ~Ovid

''There is no secret so close as that between a rider and his horse.”

~Robert Smith Surtees

"We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals."

~Immanuel Kant

“The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated."

~Mahatma Gandhi

PERRF is proud to provide a loving, safe sanctuary for horses that were once abused, neglected, aged, and/or abandoned. All of our horses come from dangerous, heartbreaking situations and our sanctuary provides each one of them with a forever home where they can live out their lives. The horses below were rescues and residents of our sanctuary and the most beautiful part of what we do. They may be gone, but they will live in our hearts forever.

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Stevie was born in 1988. A trained athlete, he successfully competed in both hunter and jumper divisions for 8 years. Even a tragic farming accident didn’t stop him. A warrior, he came back from his injury and entered into the circuit once again. Only to find a year later, that same injury would force him into an early retirement. Stevie’s leg couldn’t withstand the weight of even a small child and was labeled “un-rideable”. People didn’t know what to do with him. Broken promises to his former owner, Stevie’s journey began and he was shuffled from one farm after the other.

In 2009, I received a phone call from a nice lady looking to re-home her soon to be x-husband’s 3 OTTB’s. Her only request was to keep them together since they formed a strong bond for the past 10 years. A request I imagined would be difficult to keep…my only promise was to try. At the time, I heard rumors of the “meat men” and dirty deals on how they acquired horses. Not wanting these 3 creatures to end up in the slaughter pipeline, I agreed to take them, so on a hot humid summer day, I met and fell in love with my first Thoroughbreds, Stevie and the two mares, Lucy and CP.

A sweet gentle boy with an amazing sense of humor, Stevie was never easy to catch in the field and, most times, recruited his pal, Lucy, into his antics. He was smart and always kept us on our toes. In April 2015, only 4 days shy of his 27th birthday, we had to make the extremely difficult but responsible decision, due to his life-long injury, to help Stevie cross the Rainbow Bridge.

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Lucy was a registered Trakehner born in 1983. Blindness and fetlock arthritis did not hinder her ability to enjoy life. Our beautiful Lucy was very intelligent but, at most times, she was very anxious due to her conditions. Her pasture mate, Stevie, was her self-appointed guide horse. The two were inseparable.

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CP aka Captain’s Pride was 37 years young when she passed suddenly in 2016. She was rescued along with Stevie and Lucy in 2009. CP was well-trained, patient and kind. We don’t know a lot about her but she did have a history of participating in parades. At the rescue, she was part of our hands-on training for the Beaver County Large Animal Rescue Team, which incorporated procedures for fire and flood evacuations. She was a trooper.

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Dakota was the first resident and most senior horse at Windy Ridge Stables. He was easy-going but would buck a rider off within minutes. He succumbed to an aneurysm at the age of 42.

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Chiefy was a neglect case brought to us from the Humane Society. At our first meeting with Chiefy, he was friendly and trusting. Our plan was to recruit him as our first therapy horse. Unfortunately, Chiefy was with us for only 3 weeks before his little body shut down due to the previous owner starving him.

Pennsylvania Equine Rescue and

Retirement Foundation

Mailing Address:

1818 Polk Street, Aliquippa, PA 15001

Rescue Address at High Tail Stables:

5372 Dutch Ridge Road, Beaver, PA 15001

(724) 777-4747

We are a non-profit 501(c)(3),

tax-exempt charity. (EIN 25-2595048)

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