Rosemary Farm

07/22/2024

“Honey I shrunk the crew!”
Pint sized volunteers rocking it this morning.

07/22/2024

Late night check. Violets band has moved back to the shared outdoor living room, while we wait for Violets bloodwork to guide us. It’s quieter, less walking, no competition with the larger herd. Remy and Nala support this decision, aged beloved seniors that they are. The mules think it’s just fine, sneaking onto the human porch to search for treats, and Dooley seems to have a crush on me, quietly nearby whenever I am out. The moon is just shy of full, hanging barely over the mountain peak, on a windless, heavy night, buzzing with the song of insects. Julian made sure to hustle over to the Maple Barn for a snack, and fresh hay was put out for Harper and Charlotte, after Gemma got her late night soaked meal. The far herds on the mountains are quiet, no one calling for a lost friend. No lost friends tonight. What more could one ask for?

07/21/2024

Marcus and Zena showing off their fly masks as they snag extra hay from the delivery wagon.

07/20/2024

If you were staying at our Airbnb, this would be your view this morning.

07/20/2024

The challenges of growing old are not exclusive to our species, but domesticity brings different problems than what a wild horse may experience. For example, horses in the wild rarely get as old as captive horses, because the obvious methods of demise have been removed. Domestic horses are much less likely to starve, or be eaten by a lion, or die from a minor injury. Instead, they age and experience hearing and vision loss, weakening of limbs, failure of organs, cancer, other issues that are what take humans down.
We have great DVM's who help us keep our aging seniors healthy. But aging happens.
Yesterday, our senior boy Remy had his a$$ handed to him by the young mustang mare Caitriona. She wanted to be where he was, he was waiting for a gate to open and let him into the barn to his stall and she turned and began kicking him repeatedly. Remy used to be able to kick back with the best of them but he is easily mid 30's now, and does not have the strength. We were right there and able to quickly interrupt the situation, and physically Remy is ok, but his pride was wounded, and he was scared and angry. A different form of aging issues, poor dude. While we may try to remind ourselves that these horses are lucky to get to become old and experience care, that doesn't mean it's easy.
Remy was rescued in 2010, we are proud to be his guardians and family for 14 years, so far.

07/20/2024

Our beautiful, damaged girl Delta. Give us time, we will bring her around.

07/19/2024

We can only speak about what we know.
Well, we could rail based upon speculation, but how does that help anyone? An uninformed 'opinion' is a dangerous mouthpiece. :)
We know one small segment of horses, focused on horse care, rehabilitation, mental care, lifestyle, and a sensitive reading of horse clues towards their desires. We do NOT know nuances of certain types of bitting, double bitting or when to use draw reins, details of specific horse shoes, and many other skills surrounding specialized areas of the horse/human partnership (always learning more!) As such, rely on other trusted and skilled horse-people to share their knowledge, or to take our horses' training further than our capacities here. We are not 'against' bits or shoes or other training tools that, in the right skilled hands, can actually help balance and teach a horse. We don't try to lecture about what we do not know. So if you see photos of riding here in bitless bridles, we do believe in this tool and are comfortable with it, and often use it here, but we do not believe it is the ONLY way to ride, nor do we dictate to our adopters. We also use bits here, when our trainer (who had a vast wealth of knowledge) believes that both the horse and rider will be better served with a bit. We love learning here, too!
We CAN observe pain and we can see that some things are just cruel, but we aren't talking about that in this message. Our niche in horse rescue continues to evolve towards welcoming the more extreme cases, and the horses that no one wants. Horses missing at least one, or all of the key trifecta; Soundness, Training, and Willingness. To every horse we welcome we attempt to restore those things. That is a HUGE journey in itself. Then sometimes, someone else takes over. Someone we trust to use THEIR knowledge and expertise to help further the horse and of course, protect them for life.
It is wonderful to be part of a larger journey. We willingly share what we know and we eagerly listen to others who are willing to share. That is what it means to be part of a large community who love horses. Our essential message began as, and remains, "WHAT DOES THE HORSE WANT?" because it was clear many horses suffer. We can observe pain, stress, fear, and misery. And sometimes this core can be lost in discussion of 'tools'. But that does not mean that correct tools, in experienced hands, can't be very useful.
A starving child needs to be fed, cleaned, comforted, brought back into health before algebra lessons begin.

07/18/2024

A very generous donor just sent through a note, they are offering a $1,500 Vet Day match against any/all of our targeted Vet Day fundraisers posted today on FB! This will really help us reach goal, and it will DOUBLE your DONATION!
THIS IS RESCUE, all of us who care, offering what we are able, for these horses who were in need, and are now under our collective care. Thank you for being an essential part of our efforts.

07/18/2024

Vet care today; last but not least, core vaccines for the new mare Nova and her baby boy Sirius. Out of a large group of neglected horses, these two have only been with RF for a short time, but Sirius can wear a halter now like a big boy! And his mom has no problems with receiving care. Both are vaccinated now, to our general relief. If protecting moms and babies is important to you, perhaps you can add to this essential cost today.

07/18/2024

Vet care today; Julian! Our ginormous special needs young Belgian needed some pharma help for a good trim, and follow up rads on his deformed hock. He is a favorite of all, and keeping him as comfortable as possible is a priority. If Julian has your heart, show us with a contribution to his medical needs today.

07/18/2024

Vet care today; our herd leader Violet Ruth Beajolais has been displaying some health concerns, so today received a vet check up, including some basic lameness tests, and we are running bloodwork. Symptoms support a possible Lyme diagnosis but we need more information. Following up on any horse with issues is key to health! We hope Violet is your fave and you help us with her needs.

07/18/2024

Vet care today; perhaps the journey of Mademoiselle Coco back to soundness is what grips you. This beautiful mare arrived last winter with an old foundered foot, unable to walk without pain. Her intensive care is showing results, taking a combined effort from all our practitioners. Today she is was xrayed, again, trimmed, again, carefully evaluated, again, then returned to her friends for some afternoon quality time. If M.Coco’s journey matters to you, we welcome your help!

07/18/2024

Vet care today; mustang vaccines! Such an important baseline of care, Paisley and Marley received core vaccines today. These mustang mares arrived just a week ago, and there is a lot to share about their past, but today we looked forward, to their joining the herd. Basic care and handling need to be in place, and it went well. If these girls move your heart, perhaps you want to contribute to this essential care!

07/18/2024

So. Much. News.
First, early this morning we were delighted to send two more RF horses to our trusted friends at Bay State Equine Rescue! With their training program and volunteers, they offered to take another horse or two of ours into their care. This allows RF to continue to focus on special needs, mustangs, etc, while allowing our horses to benefit from what they have to offer; more stall space, increased training time, etc. We selected Dove and the bay gelding (who we hadn’t named yet!) as the horses most likely to benefit from this gift, as these two have been evolving since their intake, and are ready to grow, and maybe find a person of their own in time. A trusted hauler arrived early this morning and they are safely unloaded in MA now.
If you follow the bay geldings email updates, you will receive more details shortly. And if you follow Bay State on social media you can continue with their progress!
This is rescue in a collaborative form, and it benefits the horses, in a wonderful way.

07/18/2024

We all form bonds.
Are they healthy bonds or unhealthy ones? Our horses also form bonds, some that are productive and some that are not. They may have formed survival bonds, and those attachments were useful while trying to stay alive and sane in abusive situations, just like some human siblings may need to do; often called trauma bonds. But later those bonds may need to change or be broken, if the goal is a healthy, well adjusted individual.
The fact is, not all bonds are healthy.
Think about a child that joins a street gang, or joins the school band. What is the goal of each group and what the behavior that is encouraged? What is the child seeking in forming those attachments? There are useful comparisons in rescue.
There is a lot of thought going on that will result in some tweaking of our program, and it's common here that we observe, we improve, and we adjust course, as we endeavor to make constructive, loving decisions for the rescued horses that call Rosemary Farm 'home'.
It's been a long morning already, and we are just beginning the 'main course' of the day, with a double vet visit and hoof trimming visit. These professionals have been overlapped to provide comprehensive care for some of our special needs horses, who require both at the same time. For example, M.Coco will be x-rayed again and will be trimmed as needed, as we work on her recovering founder. Same with Evie. And Julian needs a trim but needs DVM support. Then others need one or the other for other care. It's complicated and yes, expensive! We expect to spend $2-3k today between everything done, and that's before food for the entire 100 plus gang.
This is rescue. We are grateful for our skilled and kind team, who gather here to benefit the horses, and we are grateful to YOU who make it possible. If you have it to spare, please help us with these needs today.

A magical sanctuary for equines, 3 hours & a world away from NYC, home to over 100 rescued souls. Established 501c-3 charity. Visit this Catskills gem!
www.rosemaryfarm.org

07/17/2024

Another private tour today, and a stay at the Guest House, and one of our people was 90 yo, super sharp and fit. The kind of person you wish was your Aunt. We just finished our private grooming session, with the Queen Honey Pie of course. The tour however was dominated by the social butterfly Sunnie, who loves guests! But Gitana and Nadia manage to quietly insert themselves for attention (photo below!). The rain held off, it was a perfect day with the guests and the horses.

07/17/2024

I just had a really enlightening conversation with an old friend, about trauma bonds and unhealthy cycles of behavior. It provided some needed clarity about some of our current challenges and solutions. While many assume that mental health is a realm of discussion exclusive to humans, there is evidence (obvious to those in rescue) that animals suffer from mental damage, as a direct result of damaged owners. For example, if a child is raised by a mentally ill parent, they may learn the behaviors of such as a secondary extension, and not even understand what the issue is or why they have lifelong struggles. And so we see this in some of the horses that we rescue. Mental illness. Unhealthy behavior, toxic bonds and repeating cycles; unnatural as compared to a healthy wild horse. We watch horses that don't know how to be horses, that don't know how to have friends, or to run outside, or to get along, or to perceive kindness. AS you may imagine, this complicates things.
Not all answers for each being will be the same. Day by day we observe, we compare notes, we attempt to find creative solutions for the damage to the souls here. It's complex and it may not always make sense from the outside. Also, please note, that while we share extensively it is, by the limitations of time, the tip of the iceberg of the daily exchanges here.
Thanks for sharing the journey, and supporting our work.

07/16/2024

We had a terrific private tour today, a family member arranged it for visiting relatives. With small groups we can wander more easily, and see more things than a regular tour. We also always get a family photo (on a family members' phone!) to remember the visit. What a generous gift to share the magic of the sanctuary and get to interact with some of our beautiful ponies!

07/16/2024

Someone at the National Park Service has a sense of humor..

07/16/2024

Vet day today, and chiro for Bailey.

07/15/2024

Before this farm, my living places were largely rentals, from childhood on. We didn’t own our home. The closest I felt to a place was a rental in Brooklyn that I was in for 8 years.
When you don’t know what something feels like, it’s hard to understand what you are missing.
Now this farm has been home for 15 years, in a deep, everyday engagement that is unlike any previous experience for me. I know the bones and scars and needs and successes, and have shaped them, slowly, as a body grows and changes, so does this farm. I think this has given me a small idea of what our horses feel, when bonded and attached here, and how traumatic it would be to be forcibly removed, however “attractive” the new locale. Home is home.
This affects how and when we adopt, how and what we advise strangers who call to ask us what to do when they need to make a change, how we react to wild horses being taken from their home, and how people flip horses. Bonds to others is very important but don’t discount the bonds to a place. A home is a living world and is a very specific combination of shapes, scents, wind and weather and certain plants that grow in certain spots, year after year. Those daily routines and seasonal repetitions are the rituals and celebrations of life. And all life must conclude. How lucky we are if, before we go, we are able to spend enough time somewhere to call it “home”.

07/15/2024

07/14/2024

Spending time with the new Mustangs…if you missed their arrival, link in notes…

07/14/2024

United in heat... the country has very similar weather just now, from the high 80's to the high nineties (except SF in the 60's and some areas in Texas and Phoenix into the 100's!). It's hot everywhere. Our local hay farmers are having a banner year, so that is the good news. And as much as possible is going into our big barn. Chores begin early, break midday, and resume as the evening light streaks across the valley and the temperatures cool overnight. Here in the mountains we get a decent overnight cooling, a relief to the 100+ horses here and to the humans too. Our Sunset Tour last night was lots of fun, with some returning visitors as well as new friends, who helped hold gates and es**rt horses outside for the night.. and of course, everyone saw the baby! Sirius is naturally curious and even said hello to several people.
The Catskill Mountains are famous for their cool summer evenings, consider joining us for an overnight stay in our Guest House or coming along on a Sunset Tour! Or maybe you are an artist and want to sign up for our Plein Air Weekend mid-August! There are lots of ways to connect here, and our weather is as good as anywhere, or better, these days!

07/13/2024

With the heat, we are rotating some horses through grassy areas, for fun and for a break. Julian thinks it’s fun!

07/13/2024

A special summer giveaway, featuring the work of the talented Kenna Al-Sayed!
Only a few days to jump in!

One of these hand-painted NEW bags will be given away to a lucky Rosemary Farm Sanctuary donor. 100% of all proceeds go to support the care of our ~100 rescued equines! Donate through July 21st at 10pm ET to receive drawing entries. Drawing w...

07/13/2024

Phone is missing so if a story without photos isn’t good enough you can scroll on by…
There was an unfamiliar calling in the lower field, someone was upset, missing another horse. I loaded up the gator w hay and drove in that direction. Jo’s Meadow was full of horses, horses who at least were ours, but were not left in that paddock last night. It was too tempting apparently and they broke in (no gate can withstand the combined strength of a Percheron with the wiles of a passel of mules!), and let themselves in. The gate swung closed behind them, and Pixie, who must have come through without Dominic, could not find him. Pixie is like many horses who won’t touch a gate with their bodies, and she could not figure out how to return. She had worked herself into a lather about it, running and calling, and is normally so quiet that I didn’t even know her voice.
But where was Dominic?
I opened the gate to let everyone out (or is it “in?“… Through?”) the main field, now that the sun was out, despite only being 7 am, it was warming up. Watching Pixie was the easiest way to locate Dom, and she galloped right into the large pole barn, where her BF was, cool as a cucumber. It’s possible that with his black coat and heavy mane, that he was overheating waiting for her…which makes sense, but still curious.
Reunited and with their friends, they are now in the barn for the day.

07/12/2024

Our sunset tours are a new addition this year, because it is so very beautiful here on a summer's eve. There are a few spots left for Saturday evening if you are up in the Catskills...

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