freed and Safe forever

The Furvivors

Caravaggio

Caravaggio ’found’ us August 2020, with a horrible case of canker and was approximately 600 pounds underweight, as a result of starvation subsequently because his former owner lost business at their carriage tour company during Covid. They held onto him for three months then sent him and two other carriage horses to auction. We instantly fell in love with Gio and his insatiable desire for hay, but when he rested his head on us just hours before the auction was to begin, we knew he had to become a Furvivor! We outbid three of the killbuyers that day. And, it took Gio about eight months to heal, physically and mentally, but his canker unfortunately affected his coffin bone and caused some arthritis, so he will forever be on treatments for both.

His age has been estimated to be late teens/early 20s, but age is just a number. Gio is our OG Furvivor, a true success story.

Cassimo

Cassimo found his way to the Wonderland on Friday, November 13, 2021, just before he was scheduled to go to auction the following Monday, for the third time. He was a no-sale prior times, and we figure that was the universe working things out for him to find his way to us. You see, thankfully, his owner contacted us asking if we were interested in giving him the rehab he needed, before possibly ending up in the unsafe pipeline. We immediately said Yes! After a bit of research, we found that “Mo” is an Off-Track Thoroughbred known as Shy Humor, born 2009, a descendant of Northern Dancer. He raced for 2 years on the East and West Coast, then he went on to hunter/jumper events and then we traced him to the barrel racing circuit. During Cassimo’s rehab we have found that he is a bit anxious, loves to give kisses, only really enjoys cross ties for our farrier (but what ottb does), enjoys a great ear scratch, grooms well and very much enjoys being part of a herd. We continue to work on his trust in the ring and aim to find him a job as a pleasure/trail horse.

Rodeyo

We pulled our beautiful Rodeyo from an Oklahoma killpen in March of 2021 when she was ten months pregnant. She was in a herd of five pregnant mares, as a result of a ranch dispersal heading to Mexico, with just days to be rescued. She has three brands, none of which we have been able to identify, not that we haven’t tried. After months of research and dead ends, our friend Shawn Miner was able to determine that RoRo is more than likely from a ranch in South Dakota and all the mares with her, who greatly resemble one another, possible kin, were more than likely bred to a large blue roan Perch. Our RoRo is said to be a mustang-draft cross, approximately 10 years old. We jokingly refer to her as our mini clyde with her markings, stocky stature and insatious appetite. Girl can eat!! She came to us ‘unhandled’ and our team has determined that she suffers extreme amounts of trauma/ptsd, especially to her head. While she is the most amazing mother ever, and very trusting of select humans with her colt, we have every intention of bringing this girl around to be a pasture buddy who welcomes human touch.

Side note: Ro & Mo are the current resident Sweethearts

Dolcetto

Dolcetto was born April 19, 2021 less than a month after saving his mama from a slaughter truck deadline. Think about that, for our new visitors and those new to rescue. Baby Dolcetto was in mama’s tummy and was born just three weeks after we saved her from getting on one of those horrible dead-end trucks. Dolcetto is the cutest baby, and is very much attached to our Caravaggio, our senior percheron. Since his sire will forever be a mystery, it has been fun watching him buddy up with the one horse at Furviors who he most resembles. He is our first sanctuary foal, and it is our intention to keep him and his mama as long as possible. Right now, we are letting “Big Papa,” aka Gio do all the manners training.

Side note: We had his name chosen before we ever knew what he was going to look like, or who/what his sire ‘might be’ and trust us, we never in a million years thought he would be solid black seeing his mother. Dolcetto is a small black grape meaning ‘little sweet one’ used for wine making in Italy. It was meant to be.

Aggie

Atwood Agamemnon is a registered Morgan, whom we call Aggie. Aggie is in his mid-teens and is loving life as a sanctuary Furvivior.

Aggie found his way to the Wonderland after he was rescued at an auction house in Lancaster County as a result of a horrible cart accident. He needed 6 months of stall rest.

Our farrier instantly fell in love with him because of his willingness to cooperate even after discovering he had mismatched shoes, not to mention a 2 foot injury bandage on his hock.

Aggie is one of the sweetest horses, considering his history. He would love a sponsor to support his insatiable desire for carrots and apples and his ongoing need for monthy supplements, electrolytes and vitamins.

Kacey

Kacey is a handsome registered Appendix gelding standing 17.1. He is a retired pony club horse that very much enjoys his time with all his new Furvivors friends, especially his best friend Alice. Kasey was born in 2010 and unfortunately struggles with stringhault, but that doesn’t make him any less adored at Furvivors. He’s always up to try new treats (in moderation of course), and he has the cutest, manliest whinny. We just love watching him thrive!

Kasey would love a sponsor to support his chiropractic treatments and pain management medications that are roughly $450/month. These expenses will occur for the duration of his retirement to keep him happy, healthy and comfortable.

Bubbles

Bubbles is our sanctuary success calf! Hopefully one of many to come. He is a product of the dairy industry, which if you don’t completely understand the ways in which it goes about depriving milk to the intended baby cows, please google it, email us or look up #ditchdairy. His mother is a ‘milking cow’ on a local farm in Lancaster County. The universe did its amazing thing one night by putting us in Bubbles’ path when we found him in a tiny dark stall, calling for his mom, who was just 20’ away. It was heart wrenching. He was so curious and chatty that we had to inquire and the owners said they had just weened him and were more than likely going to take him to the ‘meat sale’ the Monday after Christmas. It was 12/23. We said please don’t, we will come get him and that we did. We put him in the truck, baby poop and all and the rest is history. His name came from his constant chewing of bubble gum, without the gum… Bubbles! This babe is so fun, curious, runs, plays, jumps, kicks, kisses, all of the things a puppy does. We cannot imagine life without him. We are trying to save mama, but she has a ‘job’ on the farm and until she expires or dries up, we are keeping a close eye on her. This story is not over…

Athena

Beautiful Lady Athena. Princess Warrior Athena. We pulled Athena as an impromptu bid at an auction on 2.18.22. As soon as she walked in the ring, we knew in an instant she needed help. We didn’t get her tucked in that night until 1am, and it’s been a journey ever since. She was severely emaciated and has front ankle constraints. With the help of Equine Medical & Surgical Associates and ongoing treatment & medications, she is coming around mentally and physically. It has been a process, but she is a fighter. No horse is more deserving of her regal, empowering name!

She was sold as a 7 y/o broke, driver, rider. As you can see from her videos (refer to our tiktok/instagram), our vets feel this girl should not have been driving in her state.

Athena is living her best life rehabilitating at the Wonderland. Follow her unfolding story on our TikTok page. Also watch Athena on The Dodo Here

Strawberry

Strawberry is a sweet mid-teen painted Shetland pony who arrived with Latte. Strawberry soon bonded with Duke, one of the other minis at Furvivors. They look like twins, with only the most dedicated Furvivors volunteers being able to tell them apart! Now they rule the roost together, ferreting out treats that the other horses drop or miss, and being adorable to boot.

Duke

Sir Duke. Sassy, mini king Sir Duke. Isn’t it funny how we come up with a million little names for our beloved furries. Dukey has indeed acquired a plethora of names to accompany his spunky personality. Duke arrived the day before Athena, as an owner surrender because he would not allow littles near him. His health is impeccable. It is his mental health that has needed rehabilitation from earlier years. We understand he was tormented by littles from a confined pen. The day Athena arrived they whinnied to one another from afar and a love story began. He has a strong bond with his Lady Athena. So strong you would think this mini is a Clyde the way he prances about. In fact, the love story of Sir Duke & Lady Athena caught the eye of The Dodo where they were featured in July 2022. Watch The Dodo Here.

Dallas

Dallas was abandoned on a farm in upstate Pennsylvania. A very kind-hearted woman noticed him alone for several weeks. After much research she discovered the tenants of the farm were evicted, and all the farm animals were seized, except Dallas. He was left behind.

The landlord offered Dallas to her for a fee, but asked he be removed sooner than later to avoid having to take him to auction. She had no place for a horse so she contacted numerous rescues for help, for weeks. No one responded. At 9pm on Friday night, 3/19/2022, we answered the call.

Dallas has a loving personality, which has really blossomed since meeting his soul-brother, Kash. While initially withdraw, Dallas has grown more confident with the support of his godfather Gio. We also discovered a delightful fact about Dallas—he adores Peeps! He is truly the sweetest pony, so it only makes sense!

Kash

Our youngest resident, Kash, was discovered being offered for sale at an auction. Although he was advertised as being a year old, we knew just by looking at him that he couldn’t be any more than a few months old. Our hearts broke seeing him there, so instead Kash became the newest Furvivor. Since his arrival, he has become incredibly close with Dallas. They are best friends and brothers, bringing each other out of their shells and teaching each other the joys of treats. They are supervised by Papa Gio, the grandfather of Furvivors, and they couldn’t be a more adorable pair.

Cinna-BunBun

BunBun is a rehab mare who is enjoying her life in sanctuary. We believe she is a quarter horse cross. Upon arrival, she was suspected to be in foal, however, after a very thorough ultrasound we found she had an extended tummy from malnutrition and extreme stress. That has since been corrected with consistent and improved nutrition and decompression. She is estimated to be late teens, early 20’s. She and Harry Trotter are our official married Mr. & Mrs. Quarterhorse. They happily reside in our NeverNeverLand paddock, in the quietest, most peaceful part of the farm.

Harry Trotter

Harry Trotter may as well be a wizard. He survived a terrible situation, where he needed to be rescued from another horse sanctuary. Now that he has healed and recovered, the only thing left from his traumatic experience is a lightning-shaped scar on his forehead—hence, his name! Harry came to Furvivors as a senior, and now he has a safe landing with his newfound best friend, Cinna-BunBun. Together, they rule NeverNeverLand with Bubbles as their companion.

Piglet

At 42 years old, Piglet is the oldest Furvivor. He came to us after his adoring human could no longer care for him. Piglet quickly became a barn favorite and social media star! He may be a mini, but his spirit and impact on Furvivors is mighty. He is the best supervisor, following the humans around and making sure we are doing our chores correctly. And he always knows where the best treats are, even if he isn’t supposed to have them. We just love the little man and are so happy he found his way to Furvivors when he needed a new home!

Gypsy

Gypsy is a stunning buckskin American Quarterhorse mare who found herself being passed from owner to owner before arriving at Furvivors. Gypsy’s last purchasers had her for only four days before her chronic lameness became too pronounced to ignore. Realizing they had been misled about Gypsy’s condition, these owners made the heartbreaking yet selfless decision to surrender Gypsy to Furvivors to ensure she’d get the care she desperately needed. Gypsy was diagnosed with ringbone, which we manage with pain management, supportive shoeing, and other specialized care.

Although extremely withdrawn in the beginning, Gypsy has settled in nicely and has proven what a gentle, kind soul she is. She finally rests at night, lying completely down in her stall for deep sleeps. She has also bonded with Acoustic, aka Q, and the two have the sweetest friendship. We like to think Gypsy finally knows that she is safe and home.

DiDi

DiDi spent her life as a plow horse until she developed Chronic Progressive Lymphedema (CPL) and could no longer work. Unfortunately, like too many other horses, DiDi was put up for auction when she was deemed no longer useful by her former owners. When she first arrived at Furvivors, she was clearly traumatized and extremely distrustful of people. She also had significant medical issues in addition to her CPL. Yet, through years of patience and compassionate treatment, she is finally learning to love human connection in her own way. She learned to enjoy treats and now will take snacks from the Furvivors’ team’s hands. She also bonded with Rodeyo and Latte, two of the other Furvivors rescues. She is finally safe and home.

Alice Appleseed

Our sweet Alice is a standardbred mare who spent the majority of her life as an Amish buggy horse. Her owner surrendered her to Furvivors when she could no longer work, saving her from a far worse fate. Alice is a senior lady who is very opinionated—as is her right! She loves trying new treats and telling us exactly what she thinks of them. With her name, it is only fitting that her favorite treats are apple slices! She is best friends with Kacey, our appendix gelding, and the two of them can often be seen rolling and frollicking once the weather is nice.

Acoustic (aka Q)

Acoustic came to Furvivors as an Off the Track Thoroughbred who needed a home after his racing days were over. He quickly revealed his quirky personality and gained the nickname Q. And because he was born on Unicorn Day and is a stunning gray boy, he was quickly dubbed the barn Qunicorn! Q is a hilarious individual, and we are so happy he can express his true personality now that he is safe in a loving home. He loves to lick everything he finds—a salt block, caretaker’s jacket, his stall door, you name it! His absolute favorite thing to lick is his food pan, even well after it is empty. Q also loves bucking and jumping around in his large field, and his excitement for spring is contagious. We just love this goofy guy!

BoJack Horseman

At over 19 hands, BoJack—affectionately known as Bo—is the biggest Furvivor. But you would never know how big he is based only on his personality. He is truly the gentlest soul on the farm. Bo is a former work horse who was sent to auction when he could no longer pull a plow. When he first arrived, he had never tasted a treat. He didn’t even know what to do with a carrot! But now that he is in a loving environment, he has started enjoying the finer things in life, like blueberries. Bo also discovered the joys of friendship when he met Harper, another one of our draft rescues. Together they love running along the fence line when they hear the UTV coming with their feed pans. Watching Bo’s excitement makes us all forget that he is a senior gentleman with CPL!

Harper

Bio coming soon!

Billie

Bio coming soon!

Latte

Bio coming soon!

Katy

Bio coming soon!