Cash is a senior mule that worked for the Amish. After he was used up and  worn down, he was sent to slaughter. When we picked him up in Lancaster during the Fall of 2012, we were not sure whether he would have the strength to make the two hour trailer ride home. Reflecting his true survivor spirit, he made it that day. In his first few weeks at Burleigh Manor he was very fearful of people.

We could not lay hands on him or brush him without him fearing that we were going to harm him. Over time he regained both his strength and trust in people. Cash is a gentle soul and we are truly blessed to have him living out his days with us. His easy-going disposition makes him the perfect pasture mate. 

Moose is a young mule that had been working for the Amish until being sent to slaughter. It is unknown why a perfectly healthy, young mule would have been slotted to such a fate. He was found at the auction house with Cash the mule and we brought them home to Burleigh Manor the same day in the October 2012.

While Moose appeared to be in reasonable condition on the outside, his hooves revealed a different story. The grooves in his hooves reflected times of hardship. While the exact cause(s) of his stress remain unknown, the many grooves in his hooves revealed that repeated stress had affected the life of this young mule. Today, Moose is a frisky, adventure-seeking, and lovable mule.

L'il Cow arrived at Burleigh Manor on a cold, gray Sunday in January 2013. She was surrendered by her former owner who was closing down the family’s beef farm after the death of her husband. The rest of the cows had been sent to slaughter, but not L’il Cow or her mother.

L’il Cow’s mother had been the family pet until she died a year ago, leaving L’il Cow orphaned. L’il Cow had never been touched by a human, so it took awhile for her to get used to people handling her. Now she loves a good brushing! She is our only cow but happily lives with our many sheep and Jenny the Donkey.

Edgar Allen Pony is actually a mini-horse. Standing less than 9 hands tall, Edgar is an adorable and friendly guy, beige in color with a dun stripe running down his back. Several years ago, Edgar served as one of Baltimore’s Arabbers. Arabber ponies or horses usually work by pulling a food cart through Baltimore neighborhoods. Edgar’s job was to provide pony rides at Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. In addition to working long days, Arabbers are often found living in inappropriate housing situations such as the basements of city homes.

In 2006, Edgar was rescued by a loving family and served as a faithful companion for their aged and ailing pony, Mizelle. He lived with her until she died in September 2013 at the age of 48 years old. Her death, compounded with a family health crisis, led to a search for Edgar’s new home. Thankfully, Edgar was lovingly placed at Burleigh Manor where he will live out the rest of his days. He was 19 years old when he first arrived here.

Edgar adores attention and treats. He is very friendly with both people and his pasture mates and charms everyone he meets. He loves peppermints and sugar cubes — though just about any treats will do!

Lotto arrived at Burleigh Manor in the spring of 2013 after we were notified that a severely neglected little pony had just been shipped on a slaughter bound truck from Tennessee to New Holland, Pennsylvania. Nameless, we called him Lotto because some kind-hearted folks rescued him from the ‘kill pen’ at New Holland with money they had won by playing the lottery. Upon our arrival at the auction house, we were shocked and dismayed to find a frightened, bay-colored pony riddled with horrific lice and hooves the size and shape of cowboy boots from severe neglect.  We loaded him into the trailer and made the two hour trip home to Burleigh Manor where we promptly began addressing his veterinary and farrier needs. Early on providing him any sort of care was difficult because he simply didn’t trust humans and wouldn’t let us touch him. Through much hands-on work and trust building, Lotto has come a long way. He is a true survivor in story and spirit. Today, he is enjoying his second chance at life, palling around the pasture with his equine friends, especially his best bud, Edgar.

Brisky arrived at Burleigh Manor at the age of 18 years old. He is a Standardbred gelding who has lived through some pretty difficult days. In his early years, he was used for harness racing before being sold to an Amish farmer. He was then used to pull heavy equipment that usually only draft horses handle. When he could no longer work, he was disposed of at the New Holland auction, and was headed to slaughter. He was thankfully rescued from the ‘kill pen’ by a group of individuals committed to equine welfare who raised enough money to save this special boy. For two months he underwent intensive rehabilitation with his foster mom, restoring his weight through proper nutrition, and intensively treating his damaged back, and infected hooves. Then Burleigh Manor made the two hour ride to pick him up and bring him home and embrace him into our hearts and lives forever. Brisky is undoubtedly a very special horse – a true survivor. Remarkably, despite his rough ride through life thus far, he is the perfect gentleman. He is very social with other horses and extremely well-behaved with humans. He even seems to have human-like qualities, including obvious empathy for other animals when they express distress. He is also very smart and can open up all of the latches to the stall doors and lets everyone out for what appears to be an equine social hour.

Cricket is a beautiful buckskin Quarter Horse mare who was born in 2005. After spending years with an organization who did not know how to properly care for her, she was placed at Maryland Horse Rescue in Westminster, MD. This is where we found her and brought her home to our Sanctuary in September 2020. Cricket is a strong mare who likes to be in charge. She happily shares a pasture with three geldings who all follow her lead.