Ponies on the Farm

#8 LEVON

Rescued in December, 2023. Adoptable now.

Levon is a 15.3hh, 18-year-old TB or TB/Standardbred cross who turned up at a kill pen in VA, sick and slated to ship the following morning. A former driving horse, he was thin, neglected, bearing serious scars. Well-mannered, sound and sweet, he started under saddle for the first time in April 2024 and is taking to his new job beautifully. Interested in adopting? Contact Us and fill out our Adoption Application.

#1 POTATO

Rescued in November, 2022. Long-term resident.

Potato is a 13.3 hand, 11-year-old, vision-impaired Quarter Pony gelding, and the cheeriest, most lion-hearted and loving pony imaginable. Owned by a kill buyer who gave him one week to be rescued via NY Last Chance Bailout, he had cataracts in both eyes causing blindness in the left and limited vision in the right. We fundraised for cataract surgery to restore vision to his blind left eye, but the operation tragically failed and the eye had to be enucleated. Despite only limited vision in his one remaining eye, Potato is happily back in work, training to be a therapy, lesson, and trail pony. He lives is sound, healthy, and absolutely loves to be groomed and ridden, especially by children.

#9 SHERMAN

Rescued in December, 2023. Long-term resident.

This kind fellow was on death's door when we pulled him from a bailout and brought him to Tivoli. He had Potomac Fever, choke, and was skeletal and dehydrated. He developed pneumonia. He wore driving shoes from being in recent work, with feet rotted through by thrush. His teeth were so neglected he could barely eat, and his eye was infected. He was estimated to be 30 years old. Why save him? Sherman really wanted- and wants- to live. He followed us around, nickering for attention and food, despite barely being able to eat. He kept trying! Sherman was saved by immediate medical interventions and ongoing follow ups, four meals a day, turnout and daily medications. Sherman is now a beacon of health! He is grazing and zooming around the field by day, and sleeping in a warm stall at night. And what is Sherman like? He is the sweetest, cuddliest, impiest little fella to grace the farm yet!

#12 WAYLON

Rescued in March, 2024. In training.

Waylon is a 14.2 hh BLM (Bureau of Land Management) Mustang gelding bought from a kill buyer. Based on his freezebrand, we know he is a 5-year-old brown gelding who was captured from the Antelope Herd Management Area in Nevada on September 14, 2019 as a foal. Branded unadoptable for reasons unknown, he was purchased from the BLM on May 15, 2022 as a 3-year-old, then turned up at notorious kill buyer auction a year and a half later. Our mustang was very fearful. It took a month to be able to pick out his hind feet without kicking.

Fast forward to summer 2024, and Waylon is coming along beautifully under saddle and known as the barn teddy bear. He loves attention and his new job both in the ring and on trails. Stay tuned!

#13 BLOSSOM

Rescued in April, 2024. In training.

Blossom is a 13.1hh 3-year-old Pony of the Americas who turned up at a bailout with a history of attacking children and adults. Labeled dangerous and aggressive, we took her on with the understanding that we would euthanize if we couldn't turn her around. She turned out to have severe undiagnosed dental problems driving her behavior and preventing her from being able to eat. She had changed hands four times in one year, steadily losing weight and acting out from hunger and pain.

Blossom is blossoming into an affectionate, eager-to-please hunter pony prospect. She is started under saddle and coming along beautifully.

#14 BUCKY

Rescued in June, 2024. In training.

We got a call that this 14.1hh 4-year-old Mustang had been abandoned in a quarantine facility and hadn't left his 10x10' stall for over 60 days. Originally wild and free-roaming in Utah, Bucky had been adopted at age two, illegally sold to a kill buyer at age 3+, and then paid for but subsequently deserted with unpaid bills. We picked him up. He was impossible to catch and very head shy.

Bucky now comes to the gate to be haltered and has started under saddle. He is coming along wonderfully! Stay tuned.

#15 unnamed

Rescued in July, 2024. Pregnant and in rehab.

This 15.1hh teenaged Quarterhorse mare sat in a North Carolina kill pen for a month, losing weight and doing poorly. We stepped in at the 11th hour when no one else did, and only discovered she was pregnant several weeks into her quarantine. She arrived on July 29th and is settling in beautifully. Estimated to be due in March, 2025, she will be rehabilitated as a riding horse and her baby will be brought up here.

Adopted Ponies (rescue alumni)

#2 PEARL

Rescued in March, 2023. Free leased with adoption pending.

Pearl is a 13.1 hand pony mare, breed unknown, estimated at 11 years old. She was severely neglected: emaciated, wormy, sick with bronchitis, and recently blinded in the right eye by a blunt force trauma. Pearl was deemed unhandled- not even halter broke- and was terrified of people. She did not know what grain was; during quarantine, a second horse had to live in the stall with her for five days to teach her to eat it. Pony Up Rescue intervened to save Pearl because she was unlikely to otherwise to be rescued.

While with us, Pearl gained approximately 200 pounds. She learned to love being groomed, to cross-tie, bathe, go under saddle beautifully at the walk/trot/canter, trail ride and jump cross-rails.

#3 BREYER

Rescued in March, 2023. Rehomed.

Breyer, a 15.1hh "ghost paint" Quarterhorse cross gelding, came from a Texas kill pen. He was a sponsored rescue, rehabilitated and brought along by Pony Up before being rehomed with his sponsor. She and he are currently doing Liberty training together at their farm.

#4 OLIVER

Rescued in June, 2023. Adopted.

Oliver was rescued by a sponsor from a kill pen in Peabody, KS. Purported to be a sound 15-year-old, Ollie turned out to be a 20-ish gentleman with arthritis and untreated Cushing's Disease driving low-level laminitis in his feet. A discarded, overworked ranch horse, Ollie arrived depressed, uncomfortable, and unaccustomed to affection, treats, or grooming.

Rehabilitated and adopted out to a non-profit in Virginia, Oliver is serviceably sound, loves being groomed, seeks out human contact, and does therapeutic sessions with veterans.

#5 AUGUSTUS

Rescued in August, 2023. Adopted.

Augustus is an 11-year-old 14.2hh bay Morgan-cross gelding who came with a challenge: advanced high ringbone in the front right pastern. Young, kind and conformationally correct, Pony Up, working with our vets, opted to give the joint a chance to fuse, thus becoming painless. He was adopted out as a companion to a wonderful home where he is serviceably sound and doing beautifully.

#6 PENNY

Rescued in October 2023. Rehomed on a free lease.

The Ulster County 4-H's Animal Whisperers Club "adopted" and named this beautiful pony Penny From Heaven. She is a 20-year-old 13hh dark bay Welsh-Standardbred pony mare rescued due to her need for immediate medical attention. She had a serious eye infection along with body pain, a puncture wound, lameness in the left front, and expected the worst from humans. A driving pony who seems to have known all work and no play, she has become a serviceably sound child's beginner riding pony.

#10 SPARROW

Rescued in February 2024. Adopted.

20-year-old Sparrow turned up in a TX kill pen along with Tamarind. She was one of the luckier ones (as slaughter pipeline horses go) in that we pulled her out before much damage was done. Nonetheless, she appears to have worked very hard and deserves a stepdown job and soft landing. She is sound, safe and as gentle as they come.

#11 TAMARIND

Rescued in February 2024. Adopted.

We found Tamarind in a kill pen in Texas, too weak and old to survive transit to slaughter in Mexico. Listed as 16 years old, she is 28 and was worm-ridden, very thin, frail, and had two badly infected eyes and arthritis. Her gratitude at being saved and loved back to health was palpable. A gentle soul who loves affection and radiates peaceful joy at having a new life, she was adopted out as a companion to a wonderful home.