Foolish Acres INC

25/08/2024

I thought I’d explain what Foolish Acres does! This is Champ! He’s a 32 year old Grandson of 1975 Kentucky Derby winner “Foolish Pleasure”. We have had the joy of having him here for 13 years! He was rescued from Camelot. So many people on Facebook jumped in to help him get to safety! He was my first OTTB & taught me so much!
Champ led us to decide we wanted to do more for tb’s off the track. We routinely get horses off the track that are injured & need rehab & a safe place to land. The horses here have come from owners & trainers who contact us to guarantee their beloved horses will be taken care of for the rest of their lives!
I decided recently that he & the other OTTB’s here needed to have a permanent place & a secure future due to my age!
We do have a few additional tb’s here who have “second careers”. Some are showing or teaching riders. Some will begin doing “animal assisted therapy”. The formation of “Foolish Acres Inc. will guarantee that when their retirement time comes, they will continue to be safe, happy, well cared for & loved!

24/08/2024

Meet some of the residents of Foolish Acres!!

24/08/2024

FOOLISH ACRES INC. is the rescue side of Packard Meadows as of August 23, 2024!

21/08/2024

Well … here it is! Our new logo! Thank you Brittany Gale!

11/04/2024

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALEX! You’re 14 today! Lord knows you have quite a personality … never sure which one we’ll get! You are a treasure! I am tearfully grateful for the gifts that you give others! Visiting nursing homes, giving an ill boy his first ride on a horse, donating your time to fundraisers! And the events you attend to raise funds that keep you & your equine friends fed & well taken care of! Mama loves you! Mama is so proud of you!! 😘

14/01/2024

Packard Meadows this morning! Special thanks to Brittany, Skylar & Allison for making sure everything was ready Friday for the horses! It’s bitter cold but we have some happy horses in blankets who are enjoying the day in the barn!

05/01/2024

HORSE FARM

JAN 04, 2024

Godfrey Learning Center Students Grateful for Experience

Recently, students from Orleans/Niagara BOCES’ Godfrey Learning Center went out to work in the local community in Newfane. Students chose to work at either Northern Pier Restaurant in Olcott, or Packard Meadows Horse Farm in Burt.

At the animal sanctuary, students helped by brushing and feeding the horses. This is their second trip this school year to Packard Meadows and owner Ginny O'Malley and her volunteers are very accommodating and supportive of the students who have an interest in working with animals.

By participating in these activities, students had the opportunity to experience what working a job may feel like and the skills that are necessary to be successful in the workforce. Teacher Margaret Herrington and the rest of the staff at Godfrey Learning Center would like to thank the Newfane community for supporting their students!

01/01/2024

Everyone’s favorite boy is 32 years old today! We love you Champ! ❤️

29/12/2023

7 years ago today my wonderful husband Jack bought me this farm. We have made a lot of changes & still have many more to do! The most loving animals live here at Packard Meadows!

25/12/2023

Merry Christmas from the gang at Packard Meadows!

29/11/2023

Thank you Katie for a great story!

27/08/2023

Great! Now I have MULTIPLE PROBLEM SHOPPERS!

27/08/2023

And on the right is “Sage Avery”. She’s a special girl! She’s young and never raced. She has a “roached back”. She needed a safe place to spend the rest of her days & thanks to The Gagliardi Family she now has it!

25/08/2023

THEY ARE HERE! The ribbons for our fun show! Hope the riders like them!!

24/08/2023

“Break The Ice” won his first EVER race with the incredible Edgar Prado! One day I will get the win picture autographed!

09/08/2023

LOVE THIS!! Ask too many questions & Niagara SPCA blocks you!

06/08/2023

Proof age is not a number … it’s how you feel!!

06/08/2023

Having fun this evening! And Alex … he’s just being Alex!!

05/08/2023

All right, I’m pi**ed! 3 year olds need to be BANNED from racing!

02/08/2023

LAST CALL TO REGISTER FOR THE FUN SHOW!!

29/07/2023

Nemo & Sebastian had a very enjoyable ride to Packard Meadows today!! We love them already!

29/07/2023

Say hello to Nemo on the left & Sebastian on the right! Thank you Alice Clarkson for picking the perfect boys for us!! ❤️

22/07/2023

This evening we spent some time at Community Fellowship Church! Thank you Pastor Joe Szalay III for inviting us to give rides to your VBS students!! Alex had fun & Jack Jack made a new friend!

22/07/2023

These 2 little goofballs & Alex had an incredible time today visiting our friends at Williamsville Suburban Nursing Home! It’s been a while since we have all been together due to air quality. We LOVE our time out there & today was magic!!

17/07/2023

Lisa Dinsmore Szpakowski, you are awesome! Thank you for the goodies for the horses! Love you!!

15/07/2023

The Grand Island Lions Club Special Kids Picnic is Wednesday July 19th!! Come ride Alex or Billy! Meet Jack Jack the donkey, Oreo the mini pony & Fiona the goat! We are looking forward to meeting everyone & making some new friends!!

08/06/2022

https://edge.twinspires.com/racing/after-the-racetrack-beckham-bend/

For this month’s After the Racetrack, we look at a unique bond that reminds racing fans just how special a horse can be and what aftercare means for many Thoroughbreds.

29/03/2022

19/02/2022

We have been asked by a few friends what the horses might need! Thanks in advance!!

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17/10/2021

I read a facebook friends post yesterday and I must say .... I TOTALLY AGREE!
What is wrong with some of the trainers and owners on the racetrack? They KNOW that "Joe Schmoe" who pulls his trailer into the barn area and says "I can take that horse off your hands" is actually selling them!
He runs them through KILL AUCTIONS and makes $1500 off that horse that you just gave him for free! He sells them to those who try to save these amazing animals. He sells them to BUYERS WHO THEN TAKE THEM TO SLAUGHTER! HE DOESN'T CARE WHAT HAPPENS TO THEM!
The trainers and owners KNOW this! They hand over geldings who have no value after their racing career. And mares who didn't do well on the track and don't have great breeding. And don't forget the old, the injured and the "crazy".
What happened to the tracks who said "we are going to protect these incredible animals and punish those who allow them to go to KILL AUCTIONS."
WHY ARE WE NOT TAKING THEIR LICENSES? WHY ARE WE NOT SANCTIONING THEM? WHY ARE WE NOT SAYING "YOU GIVE RACING A BAD NAME AND YOU ARE OUT OF HERE."
I am a backyard farm. I ended up in the crazy horseracing world because of CHAMP! People on Facebook saw a 19 year old horse with stringhalt and a sway back, with fear in his eyes, standing in a kill auction. A grandson of Foolish Pleasure. ROYALTY! These amazing people wanted to save this boy! So, me being the sap that I am said "I can take him but I can't afford to buy him". They all got together to raise funds to bail him, quarantine him and transport him. I promised he would never want for anything. This year Champ celebrated 10 YEARS SINCE THAT RESCUE FROM THE KILL PEN AND HIS 29TH BIRTHDAY!
I am not the only one who sees the incredible joy in giving a racehorse a safe place to land. I watch him run through the field with his girlfriend Trixie! I laugh at the sound of a dinosaur when he rolls! On bad days, I relish the comfort that he gives me when I cry with my face in his mane. And on those days when I think "I've done nothing in my life that matters", I look in that field and see a horse destined to die a horrible death in a slaughter house who spends his days knowing that he will always be loved, always be taken care of and always cherished for the impact HE has had on so many lives.