50 SIDELINES JUNE 2014
FORHORSEPEOPLE • ABOUTHORSEPEOPLE
e
SquirrelWoodEquineSanctuary:
SecondChancesMake It All
Worthwhile
ByKathrynMurphy
Making a difference one horse at a time was the reason Beth
Hyman and Diane Butler co-founded an equine rescue called
SquirrelWood Equine Sanctuary in 2003. Located in New York,
it’s devoted to giving horses a second chance to flourish. Beth
andDiane specialize in savinghorses inNewYork, Pennsylvania
andConnecticut, with an emphasis on rescuing polo ponieswho
areat risk of abuse, neglect or shipment to slaughter.
Gabriel SES, one of the first horses they rescued, was a foal
who was unable to nurse. The owner didn’t have the funds to
care for him. “He came tous2daysold,” Beth recalled. “Wewere
feeding him every two hours via stomach tube. He had a fever
and the owner wouldn’t provide antibiotics, saying instead that
he’d just takehimhomeand takehischances,whateverhappens,
happens.”Onday threeBethconvinced theowner tosign the foal
over to the sanctuary to give the sweet little baby a chance. “It
was a long haul,” Beth said. “But we got him healthy.”
Gabriel received a second chance at life and is thriving in the
dressagearena. Last year, hewonhis first classandwas second
in a large Training level class at Saugerties, impressing the
judges. He’s showing First level this year and trainswith Lendon
Gray, who’s on the Board of Directors at SquirrelWood. “He’s
been such a great ambassador because people think,
Oh, it’s
just a rescue horse
, and yet for him to place second … that’s
whatmakes it soworthwhile!We’re soproudof him; he’sour little
superstar,” Beth said.
Although theystartedwith justonehorse, therearenow25 to30
horsesat thesanctuaryat anygiven time. By2009, SquirrelWood
officially became a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization. “We
realized that therewere all of these horses that have nobody, no
voiceandnoway toget out of thismess that they find themselves
inunless somebody comes alongandhelps themout,” Beth said.
Through genuine care and excellent training, the sanctuary
provides theopportunity for thesehorses tobeadopted into loving
homes. Theywork hard tomake sure that each horse and owner
is a goodmatch. One such horse is Tess, a polo pony who was
rescued from an auction in New Holland. When Tess arrived at
the sanctuary, she was covered inmanure from head to toe and
hadnasal discharge, typical of strangles. Shewasextremely sick,
but the sanctuary took her in, quarantined her and got her better.
That summer they took Tess to play outdoor polo in Pawling,
New York, where a polo groom recognized her. The groom kept
walking past Tess, studying her carefully. “I know that horse,” he
finally said, and thenproceeded todescribeher perfectly. “It turns
out that this was a mare that had played 20-goal polo in Florida
and ended up in an auction inPennsylvania.Wewere just calling
her Tess, but thegroomwascallingher byadifferent name,”Beth
recalled. Now, Tess has been adopted and plays polo with an
owner who loves her.
“The vastmajorityof horses that weget indo comearoundand
it’s really remarkable,” Beth said. “Their capacity to trust people
again is so enormous. We’ve seen everything from starvation
caseswhere therewas severe neglect to some that were beaten
on. They all find their way back.”
The sanctuary is also a permanent home for horses that aren’t
adopted. Abraham, a 26-year-old Belgian draft gelding, was an
Amish plow horse that was placed into a slaughter pen after
developingaheart condition. Hehad severehoof issues andwas
emaciated before being rescued by the sanctuary. However, he
has been nursed back to health and happily spends his days at
the sanctuarywith his girlfriend, aPremarinmare namedPesto.
Bethadmits that thehardest part about herwork is realizing that
Boo, anauction rescuewho plays indoor polo, is an ambassador
for SquirrelWoodEquineSanctuary andpolo pony aftercare.
Photoby JohnPainter
Gabriel SES, a dressage horsewho trainswithLendonGray,
as a 1-week-old foal whowas given a second chanceat
SquirrelWood
