Horses | Adoptions

Hi, my name is Twinkle. I came to Mylestone when I was about 9 months old with my best friend Madeline. I was starved, full of worms and had lice. It took awhile, but everyone here finally got me in great shape. I was born with a bent nose which means that my top teeth don’t line up with my bottom teeth. I have to have regular visits from the horse dentist. I also have clubbed hooves. My poor condition was greatly due to the neglect I received as a baby. I am a small pony. I am very friendly and like attention; sometimes I can be fresh, but thankfully, that didn't stop me from getting a wonderful home.

In the time Twinkle was with us, he was a companion to many horses, from Madeline, with whom he arrived, to the Premarin foals, to a blind Appaloosa named Nicky who has since passed away. Mylestone was grateful for all the help Twinkle offered to so many rescued horses, but we hoped he'd find a home of his own. Vicki and Ken were looking for a companion for their horse, Punch Landed, and Twinkle seemed just the right one. The two became buddies quickly, just as Twinkle became a real family member in no time at all. Vicki and Ken's young son kept calling Twinkle `Wish', and Susankelly said the little boy was right - Twinkle got his wish - a family of his own.

Katie was a 19 year old mare who was purchased by a donor who found her starving in a barn. Katie was brought to Mylestone to be rehabilitated. We soon learned she was older than orginally thought and she had a very bad case of lice. She was the only horse that we have rescued that whinnied for water and was thankful for fresh water. She loved people and food. She had gained about 80 lbs in the past two months we had her, but it would take until the following spring before we knew what she would be like to be ridden, though she does appear to be sound. At that time, she still had 100+ pounds to gain.

It wasn't too much later that Nancy fell in love with Katie and was interested in adoption. Katie went out on trial, and the rest is history! 2004 saw a once deprived mare find the home of a lifetime.

Maxfield is a handsome 15 year old chestnut Quarter Horse gelding. He was no longer wanted by his owner after he suffered a horrible injury. His owners thought so little of him that they were unwilling to get him the medical attention he needed and deserved. He was left in a stall suffering for almost a month. When Maxfield finally received medical attention, it was learned he had severed his superficial tendon in his left front leg. This is a serious injury and very painful. It was cruel of his owners not to provide the proper care he needed. He was scheduled to go to an auction where he no doubt would have gone for slaughter being this lame.

With the help of a local reporter we found out about his fate. After months of stall rest with diligent care to ice his leg daily and poultice wraps each night, Max improved greatly.

Max was adopted by Dari who loved him dearly. Unfortunately, Max developed additional medical problems. There could not have been a more devoted owner than Dari who tried everything that could possibly be tried to save Max's life, but sadly, it was Max's time to leave ... knowing he was loved as never before.

Jules was a racing thoroughbred from Kentucky who could no longer run. Due to lameness issues, Jules was on his way to auction when intercepted by Mylestone. However, his stay with us wasn't that long, and Myles returned to his state of birth, Kentucky. He has been adopted and lives with a wonderful family with other rescue horses. Thanks to Re-Run and the Exceller Fund for helping Myles find a brand new life.

In 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2002 Mylestone participated in a rescue of ten Premarin or PMU foals from Canada. The foals were legged down thanks to the help of caring horse people, and finally reached their New Jersey destination. The foals all suffered from shipping fever and had to be immediately treated. We were fortunate enough to find good homes for the foals and several have gone on to wonderful riding careers!

For those who are unfamiliar with the meaning of Premarin foals - they are the by-product of the drug industry which manufactures Premarin for women to relieve menopausal symptoms. Urine collected from the mares is used in the medication, but the most heinous side-effect of the process is that the unwanted foals and `no longer usable' mares are sent to slaughter for horsemeat. Equine rescues work to save as many of these innocent horses from slaughter as possible, despite its being an uphill battle.

Spirit was one of ten Premarin or PMU foals rescued from Canada by Mylestone between 1998 and 2002. He had been legged down to New Jersey with the help of other equine rescues and arrived at the age of six months with four others in late 2001. All were treated immediately for shipping fever, and recovered well. He and his paddock mate, Grace, were unused to being handled and a bit on the wild side ... and that's how he got his name, Untamed Spirit.

He was fortunate to be adopted by Sandi Cahill who had fallen in love with him. In May, 2007 he enjoyed his sixth birthday, and during that time he has done lots of groundwork to help his manners and prepare him to be ridden.

Silas came to us in a most unusual manner. We received a call late at night from a woman who had a horse in her yard. We went out to catch him and luckily had a spot nearby where he could stay overnight. The next day we brought him back to Mylestone. It took awhile but we found his owner - a mile and a half away.

He had been kept alone, and been escaping through a loose fence. Local neighbors had been buying food to feed him. He was in good shape overall, just lame from being loose for a while. It was discovered that his owner was dealing with a tragic situation and where he'd been kept wouldn’t take him back. So this 17 hand Thoroughbred gelding came to our farm, fortunate in timing, for one week earlier we did not have room.

Once at Mylestone, Silas settled in nicely and did his best to be playmates with the geldings in the front paddock. It took a little while, but they soon all settled down in one happy herd. A bit more about him - Silas was 13 years old when he came to us. He is an ex-race horse, though we don't know how many years he raced. He is a handsome chestnut gelding, has very nice conformation, and a wonderful personality.

In February, 2011, Silas went out on trial for adoption. We are pleased to announce he was then adopted by Jaye Meeker, one of Mylestone's farriers, and things are working out great.

When his owner went to college, Doodle's new home fell through at the last minute. Mylestone agreed to take him in with the understanding from the owners that they would help with his expenses. Unfortunately, they ended up not helping with Doodle's yearly expenses, so we accepted him as one of our adoptable residents. Doodle is a 30+ year old (in 2011) grade gelding who gets attached to other horses very easily. He requires front shoes and could probably lead children around on his back, but he is not really rideable.

Happily, this doesn't matter at all to his devoted adopter, Megan Metzelaar. Megan is a volunteer at Mylestone for several years, and in her time spent with us, she fell in love with Doodle Bug. In fact, she fell for him in a big way, and decided to adopt him! Doodle has not done well off the farm in his previous two adoption attempts, so Doodle will stay right here with us, with all his expenses covered by Megan. The happy pair will see each other all the time, and Doodle can remain with his horse friends where he's most comfortable. A great happy ending for this wonderful guy.

Duncan was an approximately 20 year old Tennessee Walker/Saddlebred gelding at the time of his rescue in May 2010. He was found abandoned in the woods along with his friend Emma, a miniature horse. A family heard of the horses' plight, and took the pair in until they could be placed or accepted into a rescue. The gentle gelding, about 15 hands high, was kept close to his friend for security and hand walked, but needed farrier work, and to gain 250 pounds. (Photo right)

While the family was able to take care of some of Duncan's needs, Mylestone undertook the expense of all vet and farrier care, and on May 12th, he was trailered to the farm at the same time Emma was taken to Popcorn Park. (Read their full story.) When Duncan was released into his paddock, he trotted around .. and around ... and around. Despite neglect and starvation, parasites and lice, and stall confinement for over 6 weeks, Duncan knew he'd found freedom. He moved with a grace and fluidity that belies his neglected condition, barely touching the ground with his hooves when he moves.

We are very happy to report that one of our own volunteers, Jessie, has adopted Duncan. She always had a soft spot for him, but over the last year, she decided he was meant to be hers. On February 11, 2013, Duncan was officially adopted by Jessie!

Bayou came to Mylestone on October 22, 2010, a 10 year old Thoroughbred gelding, jet black and a very kind horse. He was both lame and severely undernourished when he arrived, needing to gain 250 pounds. (See photo at right and below.)He didn't have much interest in the other horses, just his food. He was given 5 meals a day plus almost a bale of hay daily. He is weak in the rear end, hopefully due to lameness. We got his stifles X-rayed and began building him up.

Prior to his arrival at Mylestone, Bayou had been moved about from pillar to post. Once a poor racer, he was owned for the last 5 years by people that could no longer afford to feed him. They moved him to NY state, then to a handicapped riding program in NJ, and at each location, his board was not met by his owners, despite their promises. When Mylestone was asked for help, we accepted. Then only 10 years old, we saw a bright future for Bayou once he was in better condition.

As you can see from his photo at left when he first arrived, Bayou made amazing progress in the time he was with us. But the best news for Bayou came when he found a home of his own with Hilary and Michael and another horse they adopted, Sal. Bayou is doing great and his new people absolutely adore him.

The Big Kahuna, known to us as simply Kahuna, is a 16 hand Belgian gelding who came into Mylestone's care in June 2012. (See Kahuna when he first arrived.) His age is unknown and he has been deemed to be "ancient." As a result of his owner falling on hard times, Kahuna's care suffered quite a bit. He needed to gain between 250 and 350 pounds; his hooves were in a terrible state of neglect as were his teeth.

He was not getting a consistent diet at his last location, was fed whatever grain they had, whether it was appropriate for a senior horse or not. He had been suffering for quite some time and was in desperate need of both dental and farrier work.

Kahuna first came to a nearby foster farm where he was quarantined, and soon came to be adored by Laurel, his foster mom. He likes being brushed and Laurel works with him on his ground manners. Just 3 months later, Kahuna is doing much better. He is recovering slowly from being very ill with Potomac Horse Fever. He has gained 100 pounds so far, and is fed many meals a day as he has no teeth. He goes out with a small pony named Susie and has settled in nicely, knowing he is finally getting the love and care he deserves and need.

And now, the best possible news ever - Kahuna has been adopted! His foster mom, Laurel, is just in love with him and has adopted the handsome senior gentleman.

Scarlett is a miniature horse, and was about 6 years old when she was rescued in 2013. She had been through the auction twice before she was taken in by another equine rescue. Nothing else about her past is known.

When first rescued, it was discovered that she had fractured teeth that caused horrible sores in her mouth. As a result, she packs her cheeks like a chipmunk with food to protect her cheeks. The horse rescue raised the funds to have the surgery and moved Scarlett to the same place another horse, Paco, was being quarantined. They were turned out together and soon became very attached to one another.

As the two had become inseparable, Scarlett’s ownership was transferred to Mylestone when we took Paco in after his quarantine was done in October, 2013. Scarlett is very sweet with an endearing personality, and of course, she was very attached to Paco. She is a bit of a chow hound, too, so we had to keep an eye on her that she didn't eat her own and Paco's food, especially as we were trying to put weight on him. She's also quite patient as we have to clean out her "chipmunk cheeks" on a regular basis.

After Paco’s unfortunate passing due to neurological illness, Scarlett attached herself to Daniel, (see above). Daniel is almost blind and followed Scarlett around. Scarlett is a bit on the bossy side and directed Daniel where to go, and she didn’t like to share her food, so we separated Daniel to feed him. Recently, we added Misty out with Scarlett and Daniel. Misty and Scarlett liked to play, though Misty became the boss, and Scarlett protected Daniel if Misty tried to pick on him.

Happily, Scarlett was adopted in May 2016 to a home where she is a companion to another mare and a gelding. We are very pleased for Scarlet

Cinnamon came to the farm mid October 2016 with her daughter Sugar. They had been through several auctions and Cinnamon was purchased at the last one. The woman that purchased her didn’t realize that she was attached to her daughter, and Cinnamon was extremely distraught being separated from her. Sugar tried to climb out of the pen she was in at the auction.

The woman who was caring for Cinnamon was so concerned about Cinnamon’s wellbeing she went back to the auction and bought her daughter. Once united the two little mini’s were fine, but unfortunately the woman that bought Cinnamon did not want Sugar too. That is when Mylestone stepped in and offered to take both of them so they could stay together.

They were treated roughly in their past and don’t quite trust people. They react as though they have been hit before. Cinnamon is friendlier than Sugar but they are both very happy to see us at feeding times. Cinnamon is a little paint miniature horse who is about 12 years old. We look forward to working with them.

August 2017 Update: We are happy to report that Cinnamon and Sugar have both been adopted!

Sugar came to the farm mid-October with her mom, Cinnamon. They had been through several auctions and Cinnamon was purchased at the last one. The woman that purchased her didn’t realize that she was attached to her daughter, Sugar. Cinnamon was extremely distraught being separated from her. Sugar tried to climb out of the pen she was in at the auction.

The woman who was caring for Cinnamon was so concerned about Cinnamon’s wellbeing that she went back to the auction and bought her daughter. Once united, the two little mini’s were fine, but unfortunately the woman that bought Cinnamon did not also want Sugar. That is when Mylestone stepped in and offered to take both of them so they could stay together.

They were treated roughly in their past and don’t quite trust people. They react as though they have been hit before. Cinnamon is friendlier than Sugar but they are both very happy to see us at feeding times. Sugar, a grey miniature horse ,is about 8, and her mom, Cinnamon, is a little paint, about 12 years old. We look forward to working with them.

August 2017 Update: We are thrilled to report that Sugar and Cinnamon have found their happy forever home together!

We recently got an unexpected surprise; Maggie's longtime foster mom, Laurel, decided she wanted to adopt Maggie permanently. We got the news after Maggie finally recovered from her eye removal surgery.

We couldn’t he happier for Maggie. Laurel has been devoted to Maggie since she was rescued back in 2012.

Maggie is approximately 29 years old this year (2021), an Appaloosa mare, and about 15+ hands. She has a striking resemblance to Margrit, the Appaloosa we rescued in 2006, and we have reason to believe that Maggie may be one of Margrit's foals. Margrit spent her life tied to a tree where she was impregnated, gave birth, and nursed her foals until they could be tied to an adjoining tree, waiting to be sold. This was repeated - Margrit always tied to the same tree, with no shelter from the elements - for at least 18 foals.

We rescued Maggie from an auction in 2012. Thanks to Patty, our foster in south Jersey who had another of Margrit's offspring, Maggie had a caring foster home until we could bring her up north. In May of 2012, Maggie came up to a foster farm near Mylestone. Our vet's evaluation revealed some lameness front and behind, though they weren't serious issues.

Maggie settled into her foster home with Laurel where she gained between 50 - 75 pounds, and looked wonderful. She has a large pasture and became part of a small herd with a strong attachment to an older gelding, Lincoln, at the time. Maggie loved being brushed and immediately began enjoying her new life, which she does to this day.

In April 2021, Maggie developed an ulcer in her eye. Drops were attempted, but the usually calm and cooperative Maggief ought back at every attempt to treat her. Due two a number of factors, it was finally decided that the best thing for Maggie was to remove her eye. Once she was back on her farm with Laurel and her horse buddies, Maggie felt great and recovered quickly.

We can't thank Laurel enough for being there for Maggie all this time. Maggie contines to enjoy such a wonderful life, and her adoption makes our happiness - and hers - complete!

Gus was adopted in the summer of 2023 and is thriving in his new home. He enjoys the attention of children and is back being ridden lightly a few times a week. He has a wonderful family to call his own.