Our daughter has been taking lessons at this farm for the past 6 months. In her weekly 2 hour lesson it not only includes riding, but how to properly care for your horse. The staff and other riders are very friendly and make you feel like you are part of a family.
This farm has met all of our expectations and is improving daily under NEW management. Before you pass judgement on this farm, maybe you should visit if for yourself.
What was in the past is in the past. With the direction that this farm is now headed, we feel it will fulfill the need of young riders for years to come.
Rescue ???? This is not a rescue the only thing they rescued is there self from starving and losing there 3 homes they OWN . Horses will get close to no food if they get food . Hay is only provided every other day to the horses so what means when they run out of hay they have to wait at least 2 days before they get hay again . For the most time they stay in a dry lot without anything . Vet gets only called out when it is already to late for the horse to be saved. Not to mention that the vet they have is a cow vet not a horse vet and he only believes in Chinese medicine . To may horses for the space they have . GO TO ANOTHER FARM THERE ARE A LOT OF GOOD ONES OUT HER IN FREDERICK COUNTY.
I saw a lot of issues when I first came to this farm, it did not take long. The owner Star Lawson, I realized after a while was full of lies and was very deceitful. Star advertised she was a Non Profit 501 (3)(c)Horse Rescue. I donated a lot of money to her by sponsoring a so called "rescued horse" every month. Plus I donated extra money for other things she said she told me she needed such as blankets, halters and feed. As a teenager I took lessons for a few years so I was not a beginner or new into horses. When you sponsor a horse at this farm, you come out on your sceduled day and get 2 hours with the horse. You groom, ride and then feed the horse you are sponsoring. Because I was experienced enough, I noticed a lot of numerous issues there. One was the skinny horses, she would conger up horrible stories of each of these so called rescue horses. They were skinny because of either cancer or brain tumors or being very old and what ever else she could make up. I found out later she was not a Non Profit rescue and was never registered with the IRS to be a Non Profit. She had been bilking people for many years until someone dropped a dime on her. People who sponsored horses also reported the skinny horses to Frederick Co. Animal Control. Star told them she was a horse rescue and always gave them some lie on why the horses were skinny. She would tell them that the horses just came in to her care and in fact, the truth was they had been there for months and even years. I was afraid at first to say anything because I was attached to the horse I was sponsoring. I knew if I went to talk to Animal Control that she may have found out. AC wanted a signed complaint rather then an anonomous call and I was afraid to do so. When AC did pay her a visit because of an anonomous call, she always told me that she knew a lot of people at Animal Control and she could find out who reported her. Come to find out this was not the case. She knew some of the people because she had been reported so many times and they all "knew her". She also would tell people that left the farm that her son was a city cop and that they better watch how they drive. This scared a lot of people. She would also play "the lawyer card". A few people boarderd their own horse there. They did not last because after a few months their horses started losing weight. When they took their horse out of there, she would threaten them with the "lawyer card." I saw it all and finally had to make a decision. I left and had to leave the horse I loved behind. On Jan. 25, 2009 on the front page of the Frederick News Post came out and exposed her Horse Abuse and Non Profit Scam. Finally the lady who owned the farm found her horse that she donated years ago to them in terrible condition. She started the investigation and got evidence for Animal Control and another agency who came out and did a big investigation. The agencies found a lot of problems such as skinny horses, no food on premises and no pasture because the place can't support the number of horses. The reporter also found out that the Lawson's for years were running a Horse Rescue Non Profit scam. If you want to read the 2 articles, do a Google Search. Put in "Buyer Beware when you donate, Frederick News Post, Jan. 25, 2009. The second article type in the Google Bar "Star Lawson, horse abuse, Frederick, Md. Judge for yourself. I am now at a nice barn that takes good care of a horse I bought. I still miss and think of the horse I sponsored. Since the article came out, the Lawson's have applied for Non Profit Status. Their website still does not say they are a Non Profit 501 c 3. That had been removed when the Newspaper article came out. Pass up these people. They are very good in telling you what you want to hear. She is very believable and a very good and convincing liar. I am one of many to fall victim to Star Lawson.
This farm solicits funds for the "care of their horses". It was found that they were investigated by Frederick County Animal Control for possible neglect. Although charges were never filed, there was enough evidence to warrant follow up visits via animal control & the MD Horse Industry Board. It was also found that a pasture management program needed to be implimented. They lacked "adequate" hay and pasture. They are overloaded with horses with not enough land to sustain them. At the time, they could not produce evidence of being a registered non profit orginization. And I have yet to locate them through the MD Secretary of State or the IRS websites. Good luck!!