A Star is born: local horse sanctuary rescues animal in need

This Old Horse Sanctuary, a local nonprofit organization, recently rescued a horse named Star, who was in need of a soft landing.

The organization was established in 2023 to take in and care for horses when a horse is unwanted due to age, injury or both or where a horse is wanted but the owner is no longer able to care for the horse because the horse’s needs and the owner’s budget.

Star, the sanctuary’s most recent rescue, is a 16-year-old Morgan gelding, who happens to be the son of another horse housed at Brodhaven Farm, located on Fox Lake Road north of Wooster.

“Star grew up in Canada and was shown lightly when younger. His training was never finished due to some skittish tendencies,” said Jennifer Frank, the director of This Old Horse Sanctuary. “There were attempts made throughout his history to finish the training with hopes of selling him as a finished show horse, but he never reached that point in his training.

“Recently, his current owners fell on hard times, and Star needed a safe place to go, fast. Our organization is thankful to caring friends who helped fund hauling him to Brodhaven Farm, where he can have a forever home.”

Star’s situation is like that of many horses who, for one reason another — temperament, trauma, personality or injury — end up in a situation where they have nowhere to go, as they cannot be of use to an owner as a show horse or a working part of a farm.

A horse in these situations would often be put into an auction and then sold, slaughtered and turned into products such as dog food or glue. The horses are kept in poor condition in the auction kill pens as they are designated for slaughter. Many times the horses still have life left in them if properly cared for or if allowed to be a companion animal instead of a working one.

“Horses in these situations still deserve a soft landing,” Frank said. “They still deserve a soft place to live out their lives without fear of the auction pipeline and ultimately slaughter.”

Star came to his new home still skittish as he had been put out to pasture without much human contact for several years. Trying to forge a relationship and bond with a horse in this situation can be challenging, as trust takes time to develop. Past trauma or even just lack of human contact can make such a horse difficult to deal with, even if they are only going to be a pasture pet and not a working animal.

For Star, though, and for one of the young riders at the barn, 9-year-old Bella, that relationship has already begun forming.

“Bella has been riding horses and taking lessons for nearly four years. She has a remarkable, natural way with horses,” Frank said.

In his new home, Star appears poised to experience the love and acceptance of caring human companions.

This Old Horse Sanctuary operates on a nonprofit, charitable basis. As a charitable organization, the sanctuary can accept monetary and noncash donations toward the costs of feed and hay, veterinary services, and other necessary costs to not only meet the basic needs of these horses, but also to give them a chance to thrive. In addition to helping a local charity, those choosing to make a donation to This Old Horse Sanctuary may be eligible for a tax deduction for the donation.

For more information on how to help horses like Star, reach out to the organization via email at thisoldhorsesanctuary@gmail.com or follow the organization on TikTok at TOHS@Brodhaven or on Facebook at This Old Horse Sanctuary.