Sumner Brook Farm Equine Rescue and Retirement

12/31/2024

I really miss the Doug and Franklyn duo. They were so perfect together. We lost Doug to colic this summer.
Franklyn has accepted his new routine and is a feisty old OTTB at 31 years young. ❤️‍🩹🐴

12/08/2024

“Horses are…” Complete the sentence in comments with ONE word. 😂🐴 Can’t wait to see your answers! 🐎🐎🐎🐎

11/29/2024

Black Friday Double your Donation!
Best deal of the day! Double your dollars to help feed the rescue horses!
A generous anonymous donor has offered to match up to $500 for our hay fund!!!!

The loft is almost empty 😞 delivery is scheduled 😳 but it’s $10 per bale.

As temperatures drop, the horses eat more to stay warm.
Our 8 rescue horses eat $1,200 of Hay Per MONTH!
Let’s get the December delivery covered!
Ten bucks buys a bale. Are there 120 people out there willing to donate $10?
Tag an animal loving friend and spread the word!

11/26/2024

In October we started a work/volunteer collaboration with Middlesex Transition Academy I’m grateful for the kind words and for their help on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
As you can see, Misty is very happy with the results of their work this morning.😊
Community partnerships are so important and we are thankful to be working with MTA!

Amy Gardner Anderson Bear Paw Barn, LLC

11/26/2024

Shop local! Cheshire Equestrian Center is a wonderful tack shop! ❤️

11/23/2024

So what about the inverted, miserable horse? The horse ridden “upside down” head in the air, back hollowed, hind quarters disengaged. While flexion and over collection are under the microscope (and I agree it’s an awful problem when you see the methods used to achieve it 🤬) I haven’t heard discussion about basic good riding.

Working the horse using their hind end, coming through their back towards the bridle in a comfortable balanced position.

The damage caused by really awful riding is equally as bad as the other extreme of over-riding seeking perfection in a harmful way.

The upside down horse experiences pain and Lameness, permanent skeletal injuries, soft tissue damage, and serious behavior problems are caused by lack of skill on the part of the rider.

A basic understanding of horse biomechanics should be part of every rider’s education, no matter what the discipline.
The methods and equipment may be different, but the end goal must be the same.

Balanced, strong, soft, adjustable, powerful and HAPPY horses who look forward to working with us.

Education is the most critical aspect of being a horse owner and trainer.

I’ll be talking about this stuff a lot!
Below is Ruby working in various positions and the newly revised dressage training scale.

11/13/2024

https://www.facebook.com/share/19UwiTEnLN/?mibextid=WC7FNe

A lot of people ask "what do horses eat?" Well that's kind of a complicated question.
The average 1,000lb horse requires 2% of their body weight in food per day. That's 20lbs.
The amount and type of feed then depends on age, breed, work load, temperament, metabolism and changes in the seasons.
My 1700lb Percheron only eats 2qts of grain per day in the summer. My 1200lb Oldenburg eats 6 qts per day.
My 900lb quarter pony who works much more than either of them, eats 2qts per day and is round like a sausage.
Large amounts of good quality hay is the basis of any nutrition plan. I start with 20lbs per day and then adjust up or down depending on the horse. For grain,I personally find that feeding high fiber, high fat, moderate protein, low starch, feeds are the best. If I had a barn full of high level performance horses, then they would have different needs.
Some horses require special diets as they age or if they have metabolic issues, medical or dental conditions.
Maintaining healthy weight takes a little trial and error, a little math, and a lot of continuing observation of the horses body condition throughout the year.

11/10/2024

First in hand evaluation for Misty. She has an injury that will need some rehab. Now that she is part of the rescue, this former therapy horse will be getting some manners retraining and time to heal.

11/09/2024

Who’s in the trailer? 🤔🐴👏

Check out sumnerbrookhorserescuect’s video.

11/02/2024

Set up is underway! Can’t wait to see you all at noon!
EnviroEquine and Pet is our first vendor on property! Swing by and meet Sarah Rose Blatchford for 1/2 off pet topicals, a door prize, raffle & more!
Amy Gardner Anderson
Open House

10/31/2024

Sadie came to Sumner Brook Farm as an owner surrender in July 2019. Her owner was facing health issues that did not allow her to work full-time to take care of Sadie.

We learned that Sadie had been a lesson horse for many years and taught many, many people how to ride. Her conformation was not great. She had a swayback and her pelvis was tilted the wrong way, but she had a heart of gold and really, really tried for all of her people.

Eventually, after we figured out her very specific needs for her diet, etc., and her medical issues, we were able to adopt her out. But her intense senior needs were too much for the people to manage, and she had a severe colic episode three years ago. She spent five days at Fairfield Equine hospital, and made a miraculous recovery.

We paid for the hospital stay and took her back to the rescue, knowing that that she would need to be monitored even more closely now.

There is no room for error or variation when you have a horse that cannot chew hay or grass. She could choke or colic very easily due to her inability to grind up hay and forage.

We kept her on her mush diet successfully for the last 3 years. Today, her body said no more.

She had heaves (COPD) a heart murmur, no teeth, cushings disease (PPID), possible laminitis from her previous hospitalization, age associated arthritis, etc.

But with all of those ailments, she still had a very active social life with all of her horse friends and a very special attachment to her neighbor, Coralie. She would cry and holler when Coralie went to work with her person and she would cry and holler when she came back, chastising her for leaving. They squealed and kicked and bit at each other through the fence, but they were besties.

Before Coralie, there was Caleb. Our very first rescue who was 35-40!when we let him go a few years ago. They were like an old married couple. Just adorable to watch their bickering and their “I’m sorry” smooches. She was his Sweet Potato, and ours.
(Continued in comments.)

10/31/2024

Gearing up for our Open House on Saturday! EnviroEquine and Pet will be there with some sales, goodies & a raffle prize!
Make sure to mark those calendars! We look forward to seeing you!
Bear Paw Barn, LLC

10/30/2024

Sadie came to Sumner Brook Farm as an owner surrender in July 2019. Her owner was facing health issues that did not allow her to work full-time to take care of Sadie.

We learned that Sadie had been a lesson horse for many years and taught many, many people how to ride. Her conformation was not great. She had a swayback and her pelvis was tilted the wrong way, but she had a heart of gold and really, really tried for all of her people.

Eventually, after we figured out her very specific needs for her diet, etc., and her medical issues, we were able to adopt her out. But her intense senior needs were too much for the people to manage, and she had a severe colic episode three years ago. She spent five days at Fairfield Equine hospital, and made a miraculous recovery.

We paid for the hospital stay and took her back to the rescue, knowing that that she would need to be monitored even more closely now.

There is no room for error or variation when you have a horse that cannot chew hay or grass. She could choke or colic very easily due to her inability to grind up hay and forage.

We kept her on her mush diet successfully for the last 3 years. Today, her body said no more.

She had heaves (COPD) a heart murmur, no teeth, cushings disease (PPID), possible laminitis from her previous hospitalization, age associated arthritis, etc.

But with all of those ailments, she still had a very active social life with all of her horse friends and a very special attachment to her neighbor, Coralie. She would cry and holler when Coralie went to work with her person and she would cry and holler when she came back, chastising her for leaving. They squealed and kicked and bit at each other through the fence, but they were besties.

Before Coralie, there was Caleb. Our very first rescue who was 35-40!when we let him go a few years ago. They were like an old married couple. Just adorable to watch their bickering and their “I’m sorry” smooches. She was his Sweet Potato, and ours.

This little spitfire didn’t look like much of an athlete, but she still got fired up about things and galloped and bucked, even yesterday.

Colic is the number one cause of equine deaths.
(It is a general term for issues in the digestive tract.)
When the pain meds didn’t keep her comfortable waiting for the vet, I knew things were not good. When the vet examined her, she confirmed very poor prognosis and this was not treatable.

I know from experience that waiting too long, is far,far more painful for everyone involved, but mostly the horse.

One of the reasons our rescue exists is to prevent suffering.

And so we stayed true to our mission and let her go peacefully.

It is sad to be without our Sweet Potato Sadie. But I am grateful that we gave her a soft landing and she passed away without a long drawn out, agonizing process.

Part of rescue is letting go. Every part of their life needs to be as safe and pain free as we can make it. That means no bad days for our horses, not if we can prevent it.

She laid down with a mouthful of grass, with her herd standing at attention. The sun peaked out from behind the clouds for just a moment on this blustery fall day. The leaves floated, swirling in the air and tumbled across her paddock.
Her body let go one last sigh and she was at peace.

The final gift we can give them is an easy death.
Leaving the world is often a painful process as the spirit separates from the physical body. Animals by nature, mask their suffering until it is unbearable. We need to pay attention to what they are saying.

Saving horses isn’t about keeping them alive at all costs.

It is about giving them a good life at all costs.

And we have done that for Sadie.

Thanks to her sponsor Tricia and her special volunteers who loved and cared for her. All the people who helped Sadie the past 5 years should be proud to have been part of her journey.

Until we meet again Miss Sadie Sweet Potato. We love you. ❤️

Amy Gardner Anderson Tricia Briley Bob Daniels Cheryl Kosky Juanita Paris Susan Storey Ashley May Margot Ebling Bear Paw Barn, LLC Rob Schumacher Celia Sutera

10/29/2024

Our Sadie needs some healing energy. She’s having a colic episode and we are waiting for the vet. She has a fair number of complicating health factors and is about 25 years old.
She’s the sweetest sweet potato ever, so send her some love. ❤️ 🐴 Bear Paw Barn, LLC Amy Gardner Anderson Bob Daniels Juanita Paris Tricia Briley

Update- we had to let our Sweet Potato Sadie go. It was her time.