TESTIMONIALS
GOD WORKS IN MYSTERIOUS WAYS
2019 — I recently read a book called “God Winks” which is a collection of short stories illustrating how God works in mysterious ways – and how he shows up for us through little “winks” in our everyday lives. This is one of those stories: the tale of how my childhood horse and I reconnected after more than 15 years of being apart, and how I came to know the team and mission behind Bergen County Horse Rescue.
I grew up in New Jersey but now call the San Francisco Bay Area home. My life, like many of yours, is hectic with the general chaos that comes with having a travel-heavy career combined with raising two young children. When I was little, horses were my passion, and when I entered junior high, my parents bought me a Dutch warmblood named Konrad. He was my best friend during those awkward middle school years and continued to be there for me as I found my confidence in high school. When I left for college, Konrad moved on to his next owner as Georgetown University did not have a riding team and I knew Konrad needed the daily love and attention that only a local owner could give him.
As my life progressed – through college, career, marriage and motherhood - I thought about Konrad often and always wished I could find him again. After many Facebook messages and triangulating through friends of friends, I got in touch with Annie a few years ago. Annie also owned Konrad during her childhood and stayed in touch with his current owner. She visited Konrad a few times each year and was kind enough to send me pictures of her visits.
Fast forward to Christmas 2018, when my mother-in-law (knowing my love of horses) suggested we take my daughter for a tour of a horse rescue where one of her friends volunteered. We spent the afternoon walking around the snow-covered fields at BCHR, saying hello to various horses. We all particularly fell in love with one horse, Goldie, who was 43 years old and was kind enough to allow my daughter to skip in circles around him and pet him. We learned that Goldie was one of the rescue’s oldest and most beloved horses. I was in awe of their mission, caring for of 23 horses who otherwise would have been put to sleep. However, I had no idea that this mission would soon hit close to home.
In a perfect example of God winking, only three months later I heard from Annie that Konrad’s current owner was selling her barn and was unable to find him a new home for Konrad given his age (almost 30 years old!). Remembering my visit, I emailed the BCHR general mailbox and shared my story. Little did I know, this email was received on the VERY same day the rescue lost Goldie, one of its oldest and most beloved horses. And again, God winks.
The team at BCHR acted quickly and made a place for Konrad (who also would have been put to sleep without them). I had the pleasure of being there in person to welcome him to his new home, which is only five minutes from where my mother-in-law lives. Now, whenever we visit our family back East, BCHR is my first stop.
Konrad is thriving! Words cannot express my gratitude to the entire BCHR team for all of the time they spend making BCHR the special place it is today. While I wish I lived closer and could volunteer my time and be there each week, I wanted to do something to support this fantastic mission from across the country.
With appreciation, Kristy Duchak
BIG BEN AND NICKI LAWRENCE:
AN UNLIKELY LOVE AFFAIR
2020 — When people say they love horses, they’re usually referring to ponies or minis, or to those lovely wild creatures sprinting in neat herds across spacious green fields. They’re usually not referring to large, often clumsy draft horses. But for Nicki Lawrence of Newburgh, N.Y., this breed captured her heart.
“I really fell in love with the gentleness and size of the breed,” says Lawrence, a former vet tech and mother of four, who worked part-time with Belgians at a private farm.
Despite their intimidating size, Belgian draft horses are known to be kind and easy to handle, and can actually be ridden. When BCHR founder Erin Giannios heard about a neglected Belgian in New Jersey, she immediately thought of Lawrence for sponsorship and to help with the rescue, as Lawrence had also volunteered at Mahrapo Farm years before. “I wanted to help him in any way possible,” said Lawrence when she heard about Ben.
Ben and Lawrence have bonded quickly, and Lawrence enjoys all aspects of his care, including riding. A very large, black saddle and enormous halter now sit in the farm’s tack room among the regular-sized saddles.
“It’s such a beneficial relationship for both of us, and I just adore him,” says Lawrence. “Everyone at BCHR really opened themselves to him and have taken the best care of him.”
OLIVE ON THE MOVE !
2021 — Olive, who was rescued as a foal with her mom Phoenix in 2016, was transported to her forever home with Brian Cooper-Romano at his farm in Pennsylvania. When Olive and Phoenix first arrived at BCHR they were critically ill and took almost 6 months to regain their health, as well as the ability to be approached and handled by humans.
Our dedicated volunteer Carolynn Seymour was there from the beginning and put her heart and soul into Olive's rehabilitation. which included much patience as she worked to earn Olive's trust. Their love for each other was evident through their work, and especially with Olive's smooth transition to her new home.
Now Olive lives with 5 other horses, one of whom she liked instantly! Although we miss Olive, finding our rescue horses their forever homes is part of our mission of “Caring for Horses Mind, Body & Soul.”
THUNDER AND RAIN HAVE A NEW HOME
2019 — Our two sweet mini horses were adopted by Lisa Dunn of Saddle River, N.J. and join Dunn’s two retired thoroughbreds to live in a loving environment with plenty of attention and expert care.
Before their rescue, Thunder and Rain were up for auction with other abandoned horses waiting to be sold at a New Jersey horse auction facility. Once they arrived at BCHR, they immediately made friends with the other horses, happily running around their turnout. They captured our hearts and enchanted our visitors.
Thunder and Rain’s adoption to a loving forever home both illustrates and completes our mission of “Caring for Horses Mind, Body and Soul.”
