Owning a horse is an expensive proposition. Maya Proulx – Executive Director and founder of Hope’s Legacy Equine Rescue says it costs about $5,000 a year just to feed and provide routine veterinary care.
On a tour of the property by utility vehicle Proulx says this year’s expenses could be even higher.
"All of our costs are going up -- hay in particular we’ve had some pretty bad years. It’s gone up by about 20%," she says. Which may be why some people can no longer afford to keep their horses, donkeys or mules. Sometimes they call Proulx and ask to surrender the animals. At other times, animal control officers take them away.
18 years ago, Proulx – who owned a horse named Hope – decided to open this place to nurse animals back to health and offer them for adoption.
As they await new homes, the horses housed here provide several services for people. Children, for example, are invited to come and read to residents.
"Books at the Barn is for 6- to 12-year-olds, and they come out to the farm, learn about the rescue and why horses need rescue, basic information about horses, and then they get to select a book, and then they select a book and select a horse or a donkey and then they get to read to them for a while," Proulx explains.
It’s an experience that calms the animals and gives children a place to practice their reading without pressure.
"And then for the older children we have a horsemanship program, which is more hands on – learning how to brush a horse and lead a horse. That one is for children 9 to 14."
Veterans who may struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder can also find peace here. Small groups are invited to feed and groom the horses over a weekend – staying in the bunk house, swapping stories by a bonfire and bonding with the animals.
"And you can see it happen. When they come in on Friday and you first introduce them to the horses, and they’re kind of on edge, and the horses are kind of on edge, and then by Sunday they’re just breathing and relaxing and the horses are coming up to them, and it’s really wonderful to see."
The rescue has three full-time employees, five part-timers and 130 volunteers who care for 52 equines and a pig named Ham Solo.
"We went and picked up three miniature horses from a woman who – needed somewhere safe for them to go, and she had this pig, and she was explaining how he needed somewhere to go too — because he’s a pet, and she does not want him ending up on somebody’s table. We’re sitting there scratching him, and he’s being delightful, so we ended up with a pig!"
And there’s Donkey, who was near death when he arrived.
"He came to us in 2015 from the Peaceable Farm case up in Orange County. They were not sure he was going to survive. In fact, they almost euthanized him on the scene, because he was in such bad shape, but they decided to give him a chance."
“The next morning when I got to the farm, he started braying at me, and I thought, ‘Okay, he might be alright.' Everybody that was volunteering at the rescue fell in love with him, and the decision was made within a couple of days that he was going to stay and be our mascot.”
And Dolly, who was donated by Virginia Donkey Rescue to keep him company.
"Donkeys tend to bond very strongly, and that’s his companion Dolly," Proulx says.
" She just bit him!" reporter Sandy Hausman observed with alarm.
" Yeah, they're an old married couple," Proulx responded.
You can meet Dolly, Donkey, Ham and other rescue residents Saturday, September 19 from 9:00 to 2:00, and for a small donation, join various hikes described by development director Laura Purvis.
"We start off with a bird-watching hike. We’re going to have a horse meet and greet, and then you have the option of extending that hike with a woodland walk. In addition to those hikes we have a yoga and meditation hike, and then our final hike of the day is a tree identification hike."
And if you can’t make the open house in Afton, Proulx says, future visits are possible by appointment. For more information:
