Sumner Brook Farm Equine Rescue and Retirement

03/01/2025

Speak up and speak out! Support the end of horse slaughter in the U.S. !‼️‼️‼️

Today, the Save America's Forgotten Equines (SAFE) Act was reintroduced in Congress by U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) and Reps. Vern Buchanan (R-FL) and Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill).

The timely reintroduction of this important bill comes at a critical time as American Wild Horse Conservation gears up for a national day of action to celebrate National Horse Protection Day on March 1st, calling for a halt to helicopter roundups.

The SAFE Act would expand the Dog and Cat Meat Prohibition Act which was passed in 2018 as part of the Farm Bill to include equines. It would prohibit the commercial slaughter of horses, both domestic and wild, in the United States and would end their foreign export to slaughter.

Take action now and call on your Member of Congress to cosponsor this important bill: https://bit.ly/3EXUWcK

02/28/2025

There's still time to sip and support!
https://www.onehopewine.com/event/210965

🍷Raise a Glass & Support Sumner Brook Rescue🍷

We're excited to announce a special event to benefit Sumner Brook Rescue. Purchase your favorite wines through ONEHOPE Wine Event, and 10% of your purchase will go directly to helping our rescues.

How to Participate:

🍷Visit: ONEHOPE Wine Event here https://www.onehopewine.com/event/210965

🍷Purchase your favorite wines

🍷10% of your purchase will be donated to Sumner Brook Rescue

🍷Let's make a difference together! 🍷

Thank you for your support!

02/25/2025

Shania is not 100%. She has a mild displacement of the colon. She is able to pass manure. But, we need to limit her food intake to soup and mush so that her intestines can “deflate” and go back to normal position. This takes a few days.
Please send healing vibes!
We are also in desperate need of donations to cover this emergency!
Even five bucks makes a difference for Shania!
www.sumnerbrookfarm.com/donate

Mailing address below if you prefer off line donations.

Sumner Brook Farm Inc.
874 Millbrook Rd.
Middletown, CT
06457

We are crossing our hooves that this resolves in the next 24 hours.
🤞🤞🤞🤞
Bear Paw Barn, LLC Bob Daniels Amy Gardner Anderson Juanita Paris Sarah Rose Blatchford Sara-Jane Barrett Tricia Briley

02/24/2025

ETA: update link
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/15Bs8tf8dq/?mibextid=wwXIfr
🙏🐴

Shania has had a difficult 24 hours.
Last night she began showing some signs of colic (gastrointestinal distress). We were able to administer medication and watched her until midnight. This morning she was uncomfortable again and we had the vet out for an exam.
Re**al exam revealed a slightly distended colon (right dorsal displacement, but mild.)
Even with sedation our girl was definitely not having a naso gastric tube for fluids. Shania said “do not stick that up my nose!”
But she was well hydrated, not a huge concern. (She may have some abnormality in her larynx but we can figure that out later.)
So the focus today had been pain meds, keeping her moving, short trot sessions to get gas going, turnout and staring at her, willing her to pass gas and p**p.💩
She finally passed a couple of piles of manure around 5:30pm. Thank you p**p gods!
After I feed the rest of the beasts I’ll set up a camera to monitor her progress over night.
This was kind of an odd presentation of gas colic, it’s tricky sometimes to tell which direction things are heading.
I didn’t want to sound the alarm until I had more information.
We are on the right path!!! You go girl!
Emergency vet care is absolutely necessary in these situations. Our awesome Sunday volunteers took care of everything else while I attended to Shania and waited for the vet.
You cannot waste time debating calling for an emergency visit, or you lose valuable time and opportunity to turn it around. Waiting too long also causes needless suffering when the outcome is clear.
We are so thankful for everyone on our team. 💕
We are starting a fundraiser to cover her care. Any amount is greatly appreciated and we need your help!
The rescue is struggling already, please share, like or click the link to donate. 🙏🐴
www.sumnerbrookfarm.com/donate
Amy Gardner Anderson Cheryl Kosky Sarah Rose Blatchford Bear Paw Barn, LLC Susan Storey Sara-Jane BarrettBob Daniels Juanita Paris Tricia Briley

02/21/2025

Pyrenees on ice.

02/18/2025

🍷Raise a Glass & Support Sumner Brook Rescue🍷

We're excited to announce a special event to benefit Sumner Brook Rescue. Purchase your favorite wines through ONEHOPE Wine Event, and 10% of your purchase will go directly to helping our rescues.

How to Participate:

🍷Visit: ONEHOPE Wine Event here https://www.onehopewine.com/event/210965

🍷Purchase your favorite wines

🍷10% of your purchase will be donated to Sumner Brook Rescue

🍷Let's make a difference together! 🍷

Thank you for your support!

02/18/2025

New Fundraiser! 🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷
A little wine can go a long way when you share it with your friends! 🐴

Choose your favorite variety and raise a glass and help a horse!
The horses are getting older, the care is getting more expensive. We NEED your help!

Order wine online and support the Sumner Brook rescue horses!!

02/16/2025

On awful days like this, the inside of the barn is in a state of general disarray. The horses hate being inside, everything is wet, cold and messy.

02/07/2025

Check out our Valentine's Day Fundraiser! a fun way to commemorate your ex- Sumner Brook's Version

https://www.facebook.com/share/1E1QUYpmYx/

01/20/2025

Wishing our fearless leader Amy Gardner Anderson a very happy birthday!

We are so grateful for all you do for us and the animals! If you can, please consider donating to her birthday fundraiser link is below .

https://www.facebook.com/donate/1721670845280910/?fundraiser_source=external_url

01/18/2025

Watch your pets! It’s coyote mating season and they are very territorial. Video in comments from a Middletown resident.

In Connecticut, the breeding season for the eastern coyote is from January to March. During this time, you are more likely to hear and see coyotes. Contrary to popular belief, coyotes do not call to announce a kill. Instead, coyotes use a variety of vocalizations to communicate with family members, warn non-family members to stay out of their territory, and advertise for a mate.

As coyotes have become more common, public concerns about coyotes attacking people have increased. Although some coyotes may exhibit bold behavior near people, the risk of a coyote attacking a person is LOW. However, this risk can increase if coyotes are intentionally fed and then learn to associate people with food, or if a person is walking with a dog, especially one that is not leashed, near a coyote den or territory during the denning and pup rearing seasons.

Here are a few important tips for preventing conflicts with coyotes:

✅Do not allow pets to run free! Keep cats indoors, particularly at night, and keep dogs on a leash or under close supervision at all times.

✅Never feed coyotes! It is illegal to intentionally feed coyotes and other potentially dangerous wildlife (P.A. 23-77). Clean up bird seed below feeders and pet foods. Secure garbage and compost in animal-proof containers.

✅Always walk dogs on a leash. If approached by a coyote while walking your dog, keep the dog under control and calmly leave the area. Do not run or turn your back. Coyotes are territorial and many reports of bold coyotes visiting yards, howling, or threatening larger dogs can often be attributed to this territorial behavior.

More information is at https://portal.ct.gov/deep/wildlife/nuisance-wildlife/living-with-coyotes

📸: John Clery

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

11/23/2024

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.