The Big Purple Barn, A Sanctuary

06/24/2025

📣Ok farm family! We need you!

Yesterday was a literal CODE RED 🔴. Several of our fans stopped working and so we needed to replace them ALL. These box fans are not really designed for the dusty and often humid environment in the barn, but the barn doesn't have enough power to install the models rated for outdoor use with closed motors. When they get clogged with dust, they stop being efficient and can pose a fire hazard. We typically replace fans every 1 to 2 years and clean them periodically through the summer. These fans slipped past their planned replacement date.

🔥In this EXTREME early season heat wave, we need need to keep the air moving, especially in the main barn where the horses are during the day for shade. Yesterday we pulled all of the main barn fans and installed a new fan in each stall for the season. Each fan was approximately $25 with tax. We paid for this emergency from our hay and feed fund and we need to replenish that!

Would you sponsor a fan for just $25? We installed a total of 7 fans and we need to purchase and install 5 more for a total of 15 new fans for the summer.

Here is how to help!

👉 click the DONATE button on this post
📫 mail a check to The Big Purple Barn at 6407 Hillmeade Road Bowie MD 20720
🤝PayPal directly at https://www.paypal.me/bigpurplebarnbowie
💳 check out our website for alternative donation options including Google Pay, Venmo, PayPal, credit card and bank transfer (www.thebigpurplebarnbowie.org)

🧊You can also DONATE a fan or fans! We still need 5 more. Purchase directly and drop off or have sent to the farm.

06/22/2025

Remembering a very special pony ❤️ We miss you Po-tato 😔

06/21/2025

Happy Summer Solstice ☀️The longest day of the year! 🥳

It was close to 9:30 when the light faded in the west ✨️. The lightning bugs were nature's fireworks and the horses are enjoying a cool overnight turnout.

06/20/2025

To know where we are going, we have to look back at where we have been. We've had a lot of challenges in the first six months of the year, but with the help of our volunteers, supporters, resident staff and our community, we keep embracing the challenges and changes.

Here is a video of the last 6 months in 1 minute...

06/20/2025

Miles says, "Happy Pride, Y'all!" He's rocking his rainbow and hearts cooler for the occasion ♥️.

06/20/2025

We are happy to report that aside from mud...we weathered the storm 😀 👍. It passed through relatively quickly and we thankfully had no damage. All of the animals are safe and accounted for 🥰.

Thank you to our community for your care and concern! We try to stay on top of changing weather to be able to best care for the animals. We had numerous messages coming in from concerned community members making sure we knew bad weather was imminent. We couldn't answer because we were busy battening down the hatches!

Thanks to Barbara, Steven, Tara and Fran for caring for everyone after the storms passed ❤️.

06/19/2025

06/19/2025

We are thankful and honored to be an official, original, Horse Discovery Center since 2014! Bodi takes his job as an ambassador seriously 🥰.

06/18/2025

Zoe would like to know if anyone has seen the sun? It's still missing here!

06/17/2025

I guess we will take this light, misty rain 🌧 over a heavy and steady rain, but we'd like to see the sun now! Please 🙏 ☀️

06/16/2025

5 years ago, Suzie was at Virginia Tech's Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center being medically 🩺 managed for colic. There, she recieved round the clock ⏰️ critical care that enabled her to pass the blockage. We were so thankful she didnt require surgical intervention. Her management included stomach tubing, food restriction, IV medical and pain management, and routine checks and observation of the highly skilled staff. Once her nasaogatric tube was able to be removed, she even got small, frequent hand walks and grass to stimulate her digestive system.

Did you know our farm is geographically located near TWO of the largest, equine teaching hospitals!? 🏥This means we have access to some of the best care in the region. Access to care for these large and complex animals is a critical component to the success of our sanctuary as it allows us to tackle more medically complex challenges. 🩹

This is just ONE of the obstacles we've surmounted in our 24 years in the community! While access to care is critical, so is the support of our community ❤️ and our community stepped up to help one of their favorite sanctuary residents get the care she needed so she could continue to thrive here in our care!

If you would be so generous as to join our community of care and ensure the health and happiness of the herd, you can do so through a tax deductible donation! Check the comments for ways you can help support the resident animals!

06/15/2025

7 years ago an emaciated horse stepped off the trailer to her forever home here. She was so withdrawn and uninterested in anything but food. She had been starved for an extended period of time and at one point, had resorted to eating the actual lumber her shelter was made from. Her body score was barely a 2 out of 10, and she was in danger of organ failure as well as refeeding syndrome. Her skeleton was visible, she had sores, she needed her hooves trimmed and her teeth attended to and her mane and tail were matted in knots.

Summer had gone from a beloved member of the Statesman Farm herd in Woodstock MD, to Georgia to deliver her foal after her owner died in a tragic accident. From there she went to Virginia where she languished until help finally arrived and we were able to step in! We partnered with our veterinary team to evaluate her health and build a plan to help her gain weight safely and return her to optimal health. We worked with the dentist to ensure her teeth were properly floated to allow her to eat comfortably and our farrier helped gwt her hooves in shape. Our volunteers worked tirelessly each and every day to support her recovery and show her the love she'd been missing. Our donors stepped up and helped fund one of the most amazing 👏 transformations we've accomplished to date!

Today, Summer is a beloved member of OUR herd, where she will remain for her life! She shines like a newly minted coin. She adores children and soaks up all of the attention you can give her. She participates in our education and outreach programs and she absolutely loves interacting with guests. She now believes the world revolves around her and is quite the demanding diva! Her best friend is Jewel and she spends her days with food, friends and lots of love ❤️.

We can make these amazing transformations and commit to the extraordinary care these animals need because of YOU and our community of care 💕. The donations you make enable us to fund these transformations and fuel their lifetime of care. We couldn't do it without you!

Happy Gotcha Day, Summer ☀️! Here's to many more! 🎉