Our mission at Hidden Pond Farm Equine Rescue is to rescue horses in need, rehabilitate them, and find them permanent homes. We take in horses from all kinds of situations, including owner surrender, cases of neglect, kill pen rescues, and those we buy at auctions.

Once the horses arrive at the Rescue, we give them time to decompress, rest, and recover. As they return to health, we assess what they will be best suited for in their new lives, and post profiles of available horses on our website. Prospective adopters are expected to come for multiple visits with the horses they’re interested in, which gives us a chance to assess whether they’re a good match. On the rare occasion when an adoption doesn’t work out, the horse is returned to the Rescue.

Many of the Thoroughbreds we’ve rescued had racing careers that ended either in injury or diminishing performance. Steven was such a rescue. He was a successful Thoroughbred racehorse that was headed for the slaughter truck just 11 months after his last race start. As we were about to load up several horses we’d bought at an auction, we saw Steven. He was heartbreakingly thin, and it was as if he was saying, “Hey, I need another chance. Take me with you.” And so we did. He’s now an English pleasure horse, much loved by his teenage owner.

Over 80% of the money we receive in donations, gifts, and grants goes directly to the horses. Thanks to our team of committed volunteers, we can keep overhead costs to a minimum. In addition to rescuing and caring for the horses, we also host events and activities to educate visitors, volunteers, donors, and prospective adopters about how horses—even family pets—can wind up in the slaughter pipeline, and how to avoid such a tragedy.