Sunday, July 3, 2016

13 Hands Horse Rescue arrives in Bedford Hills

When longtime Pound Ridge resident Marylou Tortorello took it into her head to rescue horses, it was a mindful decision as well as a heartfelt one. “I’d been donating, seriously donating, to other rescues for many years,” Ms. Tortorello, a horse lover and professional bookkeeper said. “We don’t have children. I make a good living. We have funds. If I don’t get a penny in donations, I can still do this. I’ve planned it this way, that if I have to, I can do this myself.”
Tortorello founded 13 Hands because she couldn’t stand the deluge of heartbreaking horse and dog rescue material flooding her mailbox. “I told myself I needed to do something more than write checks. I wanted to do something more hands on to help these terrible situations. I’d been thinking about rescue for a long time.”
To that end, she founded 13 Hands Equine Rescue, a Not for Profit 501c3 Animal Rescue based in Bedford Hills.  “We specialize in the rescue of unwanted, abused and slaughter bound horses,” Tororella said. “Most of our horses are rescued from kill pens and auction houses where we are their last chance. The slaughter of horses is a highly profitable business and most of the horses are ill-treated, underfed, and scared. Before we bring them to Bedford Hills, they are sent to a quarantine facility for 30 days to rest, receive medical attention and regain their health and strength.” After the health status of each horse is approved by a licensed veterinarian, the horses come to Bedford Hills to begin the next leg of their journey. “Some will be trained and evaluated to see how they can might be used in our therapeutic human-equine connection program,” Tortorello said. “Others eventually will be adopted out to loving homes. Some won’t go anywhere and will be 13 Hands full-time residents.”  
A few weeks ago 13 Hands held its first fundraiser at Courtyard Farm. Some of the 10 rescued horses presently in Tortorello’s care reside at Courtyard Farm where the rescue has leased stalls. “Marylou is my book keeper,” said Kristen Corollo, owner of Courtyard Farm. “I've known her for a long time. She used to ride and take lessons with me. Marylou is definitely an animal lover and wants what is best for her horses. We are hoping to be able to train one of them to be in our school program. He is very sweet but needs education.” The first annual Family Fun Celebration to benefit horse rescue, sanctuary, and education did get rained on, but a good time was still had by all. There were pony rides, live music, specialty foods, face painting and a silent auction.
The event was really nice,” Ms. Tortorella said. “It was blowing rain, but the rain gave us a break long enough to have the pony rides and the petting zoo before the skies opened up again. On the whole it was a great day and we met some really great people.”
Ms. Tortorella has been riding since the age of 5. As a child she attended horseback camps and as a young woman rode at Fox Hill Farms. When she started college, she thought her life’s work would be with horses. “I went to Pace University for Equine Studies,” she said. “But that was a long time ago.”  
A trip upstate to the well-established and highly regarded sanctuary, Equine Advocates, was a game-changer. “Susan Wagner, the president and founder, told me she started her entire operation with about $3,000,” Ms. Tortorello said. “I knew I had more than that.” Her next step was establishing her nonprofit status. “I went to an attorney who helped me expedite the process. There is a horse rescue in Vermont that I support; at their silent auction I won a photo shoot. I asked the Vermont rescue what else I could do to help and they said, ‘Adopt some of our horses,’ so I did. I found a temporary situation in Lewisboro where I knew I could rent stalls.”
Ms. Tortorello knows she is a novice running a rescue organization and is eagerly learning from more established rescues. She mentioned as mentors Dorset Equine Rescue and Lucky Orphans in Dover Plains. Her operation exists at Courtyard Farm and Willow Walker Farm, the latter located on Succabone Road. “I have 11 horses now,” she said. “All of them were rescued from a Pennsylvania kill pen.”
So who are the rescued horses under her care? There’s Pike, a 4 year old paint gelding; Sassy, a 12 year old paint mare; Eyeliner, a 15 year old paint mare; Grandma, 15 year old paint mare; Spirit, a paint mare and former Amish cart horse; Finnegan, 12 year paint gelding and also former Amish cart horse; a 12 year old Bay Pony whose name is, simply Bay Pony; Carmen Mary, a 12 year old Arabian mare; Johnny Handsome or Guapo, a 15 year old Arab gelding; and Poco Harry or Dirty Harry, a 12 year old Arab gelding.
Spirit, she said, was rescued from the PA Kill Pen in Shippensburg, P.A.in January 2016.
“She was very skinny and just trying to survive,” Ms. Tortorello said. “She is very sweet and not an alpha horse, so she was very beat up trying to get to the food and water which is on both sides of the pen. The horses in the pen are all frightened and some become aggressive fighting for their food and lives. The women working at the pen try to help network these horses to homes before they ship on the trucks to slaughter in Canada or Mexico,” she said. “When I saw the situation with this particular horse I knew it was extremely desperate.”
Spirit, she said, was emaciated, and bleeding with cuts above her eyes. “She had huge bite marks on her body. The other horses were running her up against the walls to move her out of the way.  It was heart wrenching to watch. We discussed that she would not make it through the night if she did not get to a safe place.  The safe place would be 13 Hands Equine Rescue.”
She said funds to rescue Spirit were made possible thanks to a woman named Jennifer who was trying to rescue a horse that did not make it out of the kill pen. Jennifer had paid for the horse and they were going to return her money, but she said give it someone else trying to rescue another desperate horse.  So they gave the money to me, what an honor. I rescued Spirit and Finnegan with the money.  Both horses were former Amish cart horses who gave 100 percent to their masters but were thrown away without regret.  They both are beautiful horses now and greatly loved by all our volunteers.”
  Ms. Tortorello said she feels really good about what she’s doing. “I want people to know what we’ve done.  I feel like I’m putting good out into the world. When the horses arrive, they’re scared. But after awhile you see the changes. They’re happy now. They whinny when they see my car coming up the driveway. They understand they were given a chance.”
13 Hands Equine Rescue invites people to come and visit. They’re also seeking volunteers and have an active wishlist. Most needed are buckets, blankets, halters, wheel barrows and horse treats. When you keep horses, there’s never enough treats.

For more information contact Marylou Tortorello at 914-325-4941, 13handsequine@gmail.com, their Facebook page, or visit the rescue’s website at www.13handsequine.org.