Applause is the oldest member of our healing herd.  Born in 1986, Applause had been helping people heal long before the establishment of our Foundation.  This small, yet cheeky Morgan gelding loves interacting with people and showing them his gentle kindness.  He has experience and wisdom of life that he seems to enjoy passing along to his two legged companions.  Living a life full of adventure, Applause has hiked the local area extensively by way of trail riding. Applause can still be found teaching young beginners and has even been a background actor for movies and TV shows.  Now in his 30s, he has slowed down a bit, but he can still be found on an occasional trail ride and whooping it up in the fields when the weather is nice.  

"And they're off!" Was what Beau was bred and trained for but a racing career was not in his cards. Beau was born in 2007.

A registered, DNA tested and tattooed standardbred he was on the road to become a contender in the world of harness racing under the name Best Shuttle. This bay pacer had the heart and talent but lacked the size to compete with the bigger boys.

In appreciation of this gelding's personality and heart his trainer called in a favor and Beau found his new name and home at Amity Farm. What Beau lacks in size he makes up for in attitude making him an asset to our healing heard.

A mother, a racing competitor, a riding teacher and a therapist, Manhattan Appeal or Hattie, as she's known around the farm, has filled all roles.

A thoroughbred chestnut mare born 2002 Hattie has bloodlines that trace to the great race horse Secretariat. But racing is a thing of the past for this mare.

With her motherly instincts and "soft" way, Hattie brings the feminine touch to our healing herd.

Rock was anything but solid when he arrived at Amity.  Badly abused, he has a physical scar to prove it.  This black Oldenburg gelding born in 2003. He was bred to jump with the best as a competitive show jumper.  Somewhere along the line, something went horribly wrong. We ended up adopting him and never found out exactly why he has that extremely large scar on the left side of his belly.  Afraid of everyone and just about everything, it took time and patience before Rock would begin to greet people at the door of his stall.  He underwent a great deal of healing and trust work before he was deemed fit to help others.  The newest member of our healing herd Rock is still wary of sudden noises and out of place objects but his trust in us to keep him safe has brought his anxiety down to a much healthier level.  His ability to connect with people dealing with trauma because of his own experiences has made him a valuable member of the team.

Rom was born in Holland in the late spring of 1998.  As a youngster, he was flown across the Atlantic to enjoy life as an American horse.  Rom is a dark colored gelding with four white socks and a white blaze down his face. The most comfortable horse to ride, Rom has been teaching people to achieve balance and gain confidence in their riding for many years.  This is not to say that here is an old reliable who reacts to nothing.  Rom is the most sensitive member of our healing herd and picks up on incongruent feelings and actions with expressive personality.  Living in the moment, Rom is a master at letting others know when he is not in his comfort zone.  His ability to show these reactions in very expressive ways is a great asset to our healing work. Our clients benefit from this kind of honest, visual feedback!

Trace is a tall, dark bay, almost black, gelding. He was born in 2006.  At 17 hands 1 inch in height,  Trace is the tallest horse in the healing heard. He has been with us since 2014 and has matured into a confident horse who exudes calmness.  This hasn't always been the case. Trace had significant trust issues and trouble finding confidence in people.  When his late owner, Shelley Schacter, brought him to Amity Farm things began to turn around. Eventually, he was able to find comfort and happiness just "being" a horse.  With the pressures of extensive training taken away, Trace has come to enjoy riding in the woods and helping people find peace and comfort.  Trace's favorite pastimes are taking long naps in the sun and enjoying the view from his stall window. 

Winston was adopted. With no name and no birthday, the only thing this gelding had was a friendship with an ornery goat and a sassy filly. Best guess is Winston is half miniature horse and half Shetland pony. Most likely born around 2003, this pony gelding is a big attitude in a small package.

A Butterscotch color coat and beautiful blond mane and tail, Winston's hair could put Fabio's to shame.

Don't let the blond hair fool you, Winston is a master at knowing just what his clients need to help them on their journeys. He is an irreplaceable part of the healing herd.