Begin Again Horse Rescue Inc

Begin Again Horse Rescue, located in Lima, New York, is in my mind a model rescue. They provide the maximum assistance, while maintaining fiscal responsibility. Of course, this is not an easy balancing act; yet they have found a way and Harriett Rubins, the CEO/President and her Board of Directors have done so.
My reason for writing you is because Begin Again has personally assisted me and some horses that my friend and I endeavored to assist on our own in the winter of 2013. Pam and I stumbled upon a farm near us in Wayne County (Upstate, NY) that was owned by a hoarder. He had 26 Morgan horses and could not afford to feed them and had given up even trying to handle them. There were 10 stallions, 8 mares and 8 yearling colts running together in a field like a wild herd. The authorities had dealt with this owner before and had not been able to charge him due to the shoddy Ag & Market laws in New York. As he was providing food and shelter, albeit, not enough, there was no hope that they would be able to do anything again. The owner was willing to work with my friend and me on placing these beautiful, old style, purebred Morgans, but not the authorities. We alerted the local cruelty investigator as to our intent and advised we wanted to try to place them as long as he cooperated, but would quietly gather evidence in the event he stopped. He approved and thus began our campaign.
Our first call was to Harriett and Board Member Jennifer Lilly for advice. Begin Again was full at the time and unable to take any in, but both Harriett and Jennifer offered advice and support throughout our placement process. They even extended their adoption paperwork to us to adapt to our situation. Through word of mouth and social media, we were able to adopt out or foster 21 of the 26 horses the owner agreed to surrender. 3 of the horses were stallions that were in foster. They were Trooper, Blaze and Justice.
Trooper was found with an abscess on his face that the owner had left untreated for 5 years. The foster was able to find an anonymous donor to cover the cost of medical treatment for what turned out to be 2 teeth that had rotted back into his sinus maxillary and gelding at Cornell University in March 2013. In August 2013, the foster notified us she could no longer care for these horses. As my friend and I were brainstorming what we could do, we received a call from Begin Again asking if there were any Morgans still in need of assistance. They were no longer full and were able to take on 1 or 2 horses if needed. We truly could not believe the timing! The decision was made for Begin Again to take Trooper and Blaze into their care.
The first thing they did was arrange for training for Trooper who after running unhandled for 10 years needed to learn all the basics including basic hoof handling. The next thing they did was arrange to have Blaze gelded and then a foster that would work with gentling him until the trainer had an opening. In the meantime, Justice was with a trainer that the foster had selected to work with him and the trainer advised us that he was just to untrusting to work with and recommended euthanasia. Although Begin Again could only take 2 horses, Harriett felt strongly that this horse deserved a chance and found a way to help him as well (I suspect she funded it herself). He was gelded and another Begin Again approved foster was quickly located for gentling until a trainer was available.
One of the mares adopted was later in need. Her adopter had some personal challenges and could no longer keep her. Both mine and my friend’s barns were full. Jennifer Lilly stepped up and took Star in at her facility and although she was not a Begin Again horse, they cared for her like one of their own until we were able to locate and approve a new adoptive home.
Fast forward January 2014 when Trooper became ill and Blaze took his place with the trainer. About the same time, Begin Again found a sponsor that was willing to pay for Justice to go to another trainer.
Trooper’s illness was a complication from his dental surgery. He had a dangerous infection of the mouth. Without the blink of an eye, Begin Again authorized treatment to be covered by their medical fund. Between vet visits, x-rays and expensive, heavy duty antibiotics, the cost quickly rose to $900.00. In a follow up visit by the vet in March and x-rays taken, the images showed that Trooper was no longer infected, but had an open tract running from his empty tooth socket to his nasal cavity and it was surrounded by suspicious tissue and bone. The x-rays were sent to the dental specialist at Cornell University who recommended Trooper have a CT Scan to more specifically identify what they would need to surgically “fix”. The estimate was $2500.00.
Without batting an eye, Harriett and the Board said they would fundraise for Trooper as part of their “Pass It Forward” campaign to celebrate the ASPCA Help A Horse Day and have Trooper on hand at the Open House on April 26th. Between social media, e-mails sent to friends and family telling Trooper’s story and the Open House, the funding was raised in April to send Trooper to Cornell. I’m pleased to tell you that Trooper just returned from Cornell where he had an exam, x-rays and a CT scan that showed that Trooper had miraculously healed on his own since mid-March and surgery was no longer required. The tract has closed up with healthy tissue and any “bad” bone or tissue was no longer present. The vet showed us the difference between x-rays taken and you can clearly see it was not a case of a misdiagnosis. It truly is a miracle for Trooper.
Today, Blaze remains in training under the wing of Begin Again. Justice ended up being adopted by the trainer hired by Begin Again. Although the trainer has slowly gained his trust, Justice was found to be fascinated by kids and is quite content with being handled by kids as young as 10 years old. He is a perfect ambassador for the farm’s troubled youth program.
Now that I have shared this journey with you, I hope you can see what a tremendous support Begin Again has been and how they have gone above and beyond to help the horses and people who help them help horses as well. I truly don’t know what my friend and I would have done without their assistance. I believe Justice and Trooper may have both been euthanized and Blaze would likely have been returned to the farm he came from for lack of training that would make him unsafe to adopt; three deserving lives saved.
However, I’m not done yet with my praise. In October of 2013, there was an animal cruelty case involving the starvation of 14 horses in Ontario County (adjacent county to where Begin Again is based). The Ontario County Humane Society had no means of fostering the horses or hauling them from the farm once seized. Begin Again offered their immediate assistance. 48 hours from when they were notified that the county intended to seize the horses, Begin Again mobilized volunteers with trailers to assist in loading and transporting the horses AND located foster homes for all 14 horses. This speaks to the respect Begin Again has with their supporters and volunteers. As thankful for all they have done to assist us, you better believe that my friend and I both were there with our trucks and trailers to assist. It was an impressive day seeing how well organized the seizure was in such a short time. Begin Again continues to this day to oversee the foster homes for all 14 horses while Ontario County waits for the court case to close out so that the horses can be released for adoption. I’m sure if you contact the Ontario County Humane Society in Canandaigua, NY, they will tell you how very appreciative they are.
I know there are many rescues in need and deserving of donations, but I believe Begin Again, the little rescue that could, should be considered for available grants and support from foundations and individuals for their supreme efforts.

Best Regards,

Tammy Lozipone
Begin Again Volunteer

I have known the personnel involved with Begin Again Horse Rescue for twenty years and have worked and shown miniature horses with them over those twenty years - their guidance and suggestions helped our miniature horse training program achieve 3 AMHR National Performance Hall of Fame awards and multiple AMHR National Top Ten All Star awards. Their personal and clients' horses received top notch care and were presented in the best of health and care - their wins illustrates that fact.

When they opened Begin Again, to help horses find new homes I was in need of an older horse to help rehabilitate my knees (6 surgeries between the two) and who could help a rambunctious young mare of mine learn how to behave. They listened to what I was looking for and immediately selected an older mare. I was a bit leery of adopting a horse as old as the one they suggested but their guidance, suggestions and honest discussions about the potential adoptee were given respectfully. They gave me the option of looking at a couple of other horses but they were spot on with the horse they selected for me and I did adopt her and she has exceeded my expectations, even winning a class in a recent horse show we participated in a couple of weeks ago.

The horses at the site were friendly, happy and in good health, even two that had sight issues. They had adequate turnout and run-in sheds to get out of the weather, and the barn was bright, clean smelling and airy. If a horse has to be in a situation where he/she needs to be rehomed, Begin Again Horse Rescue is a great halfway point between needing rehoming and finding a home.

Another advantage is their willingness to work with a client - if a client can no longer care for their adopted horse, the horse goes back to Begin Again. I have not seen other rescues do this - it guarantees the health and welfare of the horse they have adopted out.

I highly recommend clients looking for a horse to contact Begin Again Horse Rescue,

I would also recommend this agency be given funding to continue the work of keeping horses healthy and happy while they wait for their (hopefully) "forever" homes with people who love them.