Rescued horses feeling the love at Changing Fates Equine Rescue

Susan Herdegen approached a bay mare, halter in one hand and brush in the other, speaking softly and rubbing the horse's muzzle. 

"Ready for a nice brushing, Sunshine?" she asked as she placed the halter around the horse's head and fastened a lead. 

Herdegen is a volunteer with Changing Fates Equine Rescue of Delaware Inc., and serves as the nonprofit's fundraising chairman.

Sunshine and a dozen other mares were recently rescued from a farm in Quantico, many of them on St. Patrick's Day weekend. About 100 horses were eventually removed from the farm and found to be malnourished and in poor health; none remain there. 

The horses arrived at Changing Fates in varying states of health. Sunshine was one of the first to arrive.

"She's a beautiful mare," Herdegen said. "All of them seem happy to be here. They have honest eyes, you can tell." 

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How long the horses will remain at Changing Fates is impossible to say, partially depending on Barbara and Paige Pilchard of Quantico, who still own them until legal issues are sorted out.

But Karen Speake, founder and president of Changing Fates, isn't concerned about the element of time.

"We've promised these horses we'll keep these, and all horses we rescue, until they are adopted," she said. "It's a lifetime contract. We honor that contract even after they're adopted, keep track of them and their welfare."

Changing Fates will host an open house Saturday, Apr. 21, a fundraiser in recognition of National Help A Horse Day. Proceeds will benefit Changing Fates. About half of the resident horses at Changing Fates are from the Quantico farm.

Visitors will have an opportunity to meet the horses and the volunteers who are caring for them, and enjoy activities for the whole family. The open house will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Changing Fates is located at 31283 Old Cabin Road in Laurel, Delaware. 

The interactions with horses in the pasture look random, but they are part of a carefully orchestrated training plan.

"These horses are being trained by a professional and savvy horse trainer to walk on a lead, pick up their feet and eventually for riding, in most cases," Speake said, explaining how the horses will each be evaluated individually to determine where they will end up.

"They're more at peace now," Herdegen added, "they're not worrying about their next meal anymore."

There are no barns or stalls at Changing Fates, but the horses don't seem to mind.

"They're better off this way for now," said Dr. Beatrix In Der Wiesche of Lewes, who is providing veterinary care to the rescued Quantico horses. "This is more comfortable for them, it's their natural habitat. Where they came from, there were no enclosures, and they would feel trapped if we tried to put them in stalls."

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In the pasture, much to Herdegen's surprise, Sunshine decided not to cooperate this day. She planted her feet and only pivoted in a circle. 

Herdegen tried to coax the mare to another spot in the pasture, but Sunshine would have none of it. Herdegen called for help to a group of fellow volunteers busy brushing several other rescued horses.

But Sunshine was determined to stay where she was. 

Instead, volunteer Donna McCready walked over, attached her lead to Sunshine's halter and gave the mare's mane a gentle brushing.

McCready unfastened the lead to let Sunshine stay put. Herdegan turned and walked toward a fence, planning to fill a water trough for a small cluster of horses.

But to Herdegen's surprise, Sunshine had a change of heart and began to follow on her own. 

The horses seem to be settling in at Changing Fates. 

"Our vet is assessing all of the horses to determine whether it's OK to treat them for lice, regardless of potential pregnancy," said Brenda Jordan, also a volunteer with Changing Fates. "Virtually all of them have lice and other parasites."

Thirteen mares and one yearling colt are being nursed back to health at Changing Fates. A 15th horse that was originally taken to Laurel, a stallion, has been moved to a farm in Bridgeville owned by farrier John Whaley, who typically cares for the hooves of Changing Fates horses.

"The stallion broke out of the fence and has continued to try to breed with the mares," said Herdegan. "So he had to be moved off site."

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Carol Popelas, another volunteer, serves as feeding team coordinator. She is tasked with making sure the horses are visited, fed and watered twice daily, regardless of weather conditions, temperature or other factors.

"I have 10 people on the team now," said Popelas, "and I need two more volunteers on the team."

Feeding team members do more than distribute food. They also walk the pastures daily to check for anything that might be harmful to the horses — string from hay bales, for example, or the occasional shard of glass that works its way up out of the soil, remnants of the land's previous use as a campground. And they seek out and fill in any holes they find in the enclosures where horses live, to avoid serious injury that can come with a fall. 

"Each horse is evaluated by our vet to determine their dietary needs, whether it's low carb or high protein, or whatever else they might need," said Popelas. 

An Appaloosa mare provisionally named Salt and Pepper, who came to Changing Fates St. Patrick's Day weekend with Sunshine, is officially named Diva because she likes attention and wants to be at the center of everything. 

Diva ended speculation about her condition when she delivered a foal that died shortly after birth. There have been live births among mares taken from the Quantico farm, Jordan said, but also a few stillbirths. 

Nicholas, the yearling colt, almost didn't make it through his first week at Changing Fates. He was so malnourished and dehydrated when he arrived, McCready said, they believed him to be just 6 months old. When In Der Wiesche examined him, she said he was actually a year old. 

His volunteer caretakers were determined to keep him alive, though, and worked hard to make sure he survived his early days at Changing Fates.

Speake said attempting to move the horses suddenly into a barn could create more problems with the horses' adjustment. 

"They're herd animals and naturally claustrophobic," she said. "We have to be careful about the adaptation, do it carefully as they slowly adjust to their new life."  

Fundraising events

Open House

When: Saturday, Apr. 21, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., celebrating National Help A Horse Day

Where: Changing Fates Equine Rescue of Delaware Inc., 31283 Old Cabin Road, Laurel, Delaware, 19956

What: Food on sale; minimal fees for activities and games; donation jar; T-shirts for sale; tours; games; food; fun; meet the horses as well as non-equine residents

Call: 302-339-5065

Painting Party

When: Wednesday, Apr. 25, begins at 5 p.m.

Where: Hooked Up Alehouse and Raw Bar, 8069 Town Center No. 10-20, Millville, Delaware 19967

RSVP required: 443-562-9392 or charlesippolito@verizon.net

Cost: $40, includes all materials. All registration proceeds go to Changing Fates Equine Rescue