Pony Up Rescue Collective

Pony Up Rescue Collective improves lives through hands-on horse rescue.

We envision a Hudson Valley where access to meaningful, hands-on experience is not a privilege but a given: a community hub, built through horse rescue, where every person can build the skills and connections that carry them through life.

Current Programs

Anderson Center for Autism

For nearly two years on Tuesdays and Thursdays, Anderson Center spends an hour engaging with and handling our rescues. Over the course of six sessions, each group of participants explores stillness and the senses as they touch, hug and groom the horses.

Living Resources DCOP

In their third year, Living Resources participants spend an hour with our horses every Tuesday working on focus, body control and listening. They actively share in the care of the rescues: preparing and feeding their meals, filling their water buckets, and grooming and leading them.

ARC Mid-Hudson

Our Wednesday 3-hour Prevocational Training Program is in its second year. Participants work on leadership, focus, collaboration, proprioception, follow-through and communication as they share in the care and responsibility for our equine rescues.

Community Partners

Bard College

We partner regularly with Bard College's Office of Civic Engagement, hosting students at the rescue for their Democracy Day Events and March Match Internships.

Scouts of America

Upcoming in 2026, we are hosting a series of free Project Saturdays for an aspiring Eagle Scout out of Red Hook Troop 3442. Troop members and families will be participating in a building project to benefit the rescue.

Ulster 4-H

We hosted the Ulster 4-H Animal Whisperers Club for a free afternoon grooming and handling workshop at the rescue. The Club "adopted", named and fundraised for one of our rescues, hosting a "Pancakes for Penny" event locally.

Dutchess 4-H

We hosted the Ulster 4-H Equine Explorers Club for a free afternoon veterinary workshop led by Millbrook Equine Veterinary Practice's Dr. Michelle Ferraro.

Tivoli & Red Hook Libraries

We hosted a free "Storytelling Hour" for children and parents in the barn, followed by a chance to meet and greet the rescue ponies.

Anderson Center for Autism

See Current Projects

ARC Mid-Hudson

See Current Projects

Living Resources DCOP

See Current Projects

Upcoming Events!

Past Events

When we pulled 25-year-old Mabel, a severe starvation case, from a kill pen in Oklahoma, we had no idea she was pregnant, nor did it seem like a possibility. The chances of a malnourished, geriatric mare carrying a healthy foal to term are less than slim, but Mabel did just that! Dandelion was born into the sunshine on Tuesday, April 28th and both mama and baby are doing beautifully.

Our rescues range from one week to 34 years of age, from small ponies to small horses, across many breeds and backgrounds. What do they have in common? That they were out of options, at high risk of shipping to slaughter, and had little chance of rescue.

Want to be part of rescuing and rehabilitating ponies together? Join us. We are your community horse rescue.

Meet Dandelion, our miracle baby

We welcome your tax-deductible donation today.

Founded in January 2023 by seasoned horse handler and trainer Kelsey Merrow, Pony Up Rescue Collective Inc operates out of a private farm in Tivoli, NY.

• 25 horses and ponies rescued from the auction-to-slaughter pipeline to-date

• 14 horses rehomed on no-sale contracts

• 8 horses in current rehabilitation and training

• 350 free program hours per year

• 3400 volunteer hours in 2025 alone

Saving Horses Doomed for Slaughter, One Animal at a Time: A Daily Catch Mini-Documentary

July 25, 2024

By Lila McGuckin

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