Q+A with Storeybrook Farm Horse Sanctuary
I am so excited to showcase Storeybrook Farm Horse Sanctuary on the blog today. Horses are very special to me as my father lives in Aiken, South Carolina and has always boarded horses in the stables on his property. I did not ride very much growing up but I always have felt a connection to horses. There is a gentle calmness I feel when I am with them. I had no idea that kill pens even existed in the United States, and when I began to learn about them, I was horrified. I'm still horrified! I didn't even know this darkness existed in the horse world and knew I wanted to do a blog to spread awareness that these kill pens are operating in the US and highlight an amazing woman who (with her team of fellow rescuers) is stepping up and saving lives. I have known Olivia for quite some time and have been watching her in awe as she has transformed Storeybrook Farm into the ultimate safe haven sanctuary for horses who have been saved from these awful kill pens. It has been absolutely incredible to see just how many lives can be saved from word of mouth. Please share this blog and if you feel compelled, please donate to help save lives. I hope you enjoy our conversation below!
About Storeybrook Farm: Storeybrook Farm is dedicated to saving horses found in kill pens throughout the United States. The kill pens are packed with horses in horrible conditions, just waiting to be sent to slaughter in Canada and Mexico. We are looking to save the horses that need a miracle and have no hope. Since starting in 2020 we have helped save 243 lives that were bound for slaughter. Many of those saves were done through our #SaveAHoreSunday program, in which we post on our social media platforms 3 horses every week that are in kill pens needing a miracle.
I had no intention of rescuing horses when we bought our farm. I was planning on boarding and retiring horses here.
That was the plan, until last July when I was scrolling Facebook and came across Omega Horse Rescue advertising a horse in a Pennsylvania Kill Pen that they couldn't save. That emaciated old buggy horse was Abe.
The moment I met Abe I knew that this was not going to be the last horse I saved. He has captured my heart and given our farm such a purpose. When you meet Abe, and see how sweet he is, it makes you want to open the gates and let all those horses crowded in kill pens out. And in some ways, that is what we are trying to do.
More Rescues who call Storeybrook Farm Home
Meet Beauty from Oklahoma
A mini sister duo Storeybrook Farm rescued from a Texas kill pen. Their names are Abba & Bobbie Marley.
Hank was saved in November 2020 by fellow horse rescuer, Tory Ketchum of Copperline Farm. For her birthday this year, Tory created a GoFundMe to support the mission to save more horses like Hank! You can donate to the GoFundMe here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-us-save-more-horses-from-kill-pens
Yes! Abe was our first rescue in July 2020. He is doing amazing. He looks like a completely different horse. Not only has he finally achieved a healthy weight, but his whole coloring and demeanor has changed. He was very dull in looks and spirit when he first got here. Now he is one of the biggest personalities in the barn with his deep mahogany coat. He came to us very skinny, but with no medical issues besides needing to be dewormed. We feel so grateful for him.
We have a lot of goals for Storeybrook Farm. Our biggest goal is to expand our farm so that we can have more horses here. That is a big goal that will take time but we have our eyes on the prize. The current goal we are working on is spreading awareness of the kill pen world and saving as many lives as we can. We have found an amazing group of women that are as passionate as we are about helping these animals. Together we have saved 243 horses since September 2020.
The best ways that followers can help is by donating (not just to us but to any horse rescue), sharing our stories of horses in need, spreading awareness of the kill pens in the US, and if you can adopting! While saving lives is our main goal, educating the public about this dark underbelly in the horse world is also a huge priority.
Follow along with Storeybrooke Farm on Instagram @storeybrookfarm