For The Love of Horses
A 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization Tax ID 27-3180227

Our Permanent Residents
While the main goal is to rehab and rehome all the horses in our care, for some there are obstacles that make that difficult. From age, blindness, past trauma, illnesses, and more. SVERN is committed to providing sanctuary to the horses that cannot find adoptive homes and providing them with the best care possible while they have quality of life.
Blind Horses

Blind Paddock: Horses are at risk for eye illnesses for a number of reasons. Their eyes are giant and in the middle of their head making them giant bullseyes perfect for injuries. Horses also suffer from a disease known as chronic uveitis, when caught early uveitis doesn’t always cause blindness and the loss of eyes. With rescue horses that are in neglectful environments it is unlikely that their eyes will be treated correctly if a problem like that arises. SVERN is happy to have had the opportunity to help a number of blind horses over the years and currently houses 5 totally blind horses (some of which are also missing eyes)
Donations made to our Blind Paddocks will assist with their feed, meds, ongoing eye care, and paddock improvements so we can better care for our blind herd and any other blind horses we meet along the way.
Our blind horses typically have on fly masks to reduce harm from sun exposure.

Blind Horse Joey
Est. late 30’s/early 40’s pony
Joey was seized by animal control very thin, blind, and with one eye that needed immediate removal. Joey cannot handle all the craziness of the mares, so he stays to himself in his own little paddock.
Joey is amazingly resilient and keeps surprising us!!
Blind Horse Star
Late teens/Early 20’s QH
Star came to us both blind and practically a living skeleton. She was so incredibly thin. Star has chronic uveitis in both of her eyes causing blindness. Star is now fat and happy living out her life in our blind paddock. She is a great little mare with plenty of love to give, and the easiest going
of the blind horses.


Blind Horse Daisy
Early 20’s Paso Fino
Daisy is the sweetest little lady in the world. She was brought to us in 2019 after being seized by animal control. Daisy has uveitis causing total blindness and had one eye removed. Daisy is our longest current resident blind horse. She started being blind in only one eye, as it progressed to the other eye, once sweet Daisy became stressed to the point of being unmanageable. We discussed this with our vet and have now put her on prozac and it has made a remarkable difference in her mood and personality.
Blind Horse Bobby
Early 20’s QH X
Bobby is the coolest of the blind horses.
She is always off doing her own thing and not bothered by what anyone else is doing.
Bobby was surrendered to SVERN when her owner could no longer keep her. Bobby is blind due to uveitis. Bobby is a sweetheart and loves getting scratches!! She is also one of the most well adjusted blind horses ever, you would think she had been born blind she is so confident and comfortable.


Blind Horse Dot
10 year old OTTB
Dot was seized by animal control totally blind at the age of 8 from chronic uveitis. Dot is totally full of herself and has the biggest personality in the blind paddock, but she is loved anyway! She took a while to come out of her shell, when she first arrived at SVERN she was so dull and unhappy. Dot was previously starved by her owner, it appeared she was stalled 24/7 as well. The lack of farrier care combined with confinement caused her hoofs to be incredibly long.
Harvey

Late 20’s Breed unknown (take your best guess!)
Harvey has been one of our toughest cases to put weight on. Harvey’s previous owner contacted him when he was a body score of 1 because she couldn’t figure out putting weight on him. Once he was evaluated and it was determined he wasn’t an immediate euthanasia candidate, we started to get to work putting weight on him. We have found him to be so easily distracted by… well everything. Harvey is particular about his food, what he has, how much we can wet it. After much trial and error we have finally figured him out and have him almost up to what would be considered his ideal weight! Harvey is on both eqiuox and pracend. Any donations applied to his care would go to his ongoing weight gain journey,
his medications, and additional supplements.

Rosie
20’s Paso Fino
Rosie was very thin and severely abused when coming to SVERN. We have found that she is very traumatized from her past life. While we are able to catch her, work on her with the vet, and do farrier care; it is evident that she is petrified still of people. We have made the decision to allow her to just live out as a horse. She still eats grain two times a day and has her routine care, but we try to intervene with her as little as possible so she can feel as comfortable as she is able. Donations to Rosie’s care will go toward her grain and additional supplements.
Petunia
Late 20’s Paso Fino
Petunia is such a spunky old lady! Petunia
(like her friend Rosie) was both starved and abused. Petunia has some knowledge of a life before abuse though and is much more handable than Rosie, and her triggers are far far fewer. Petunia also doesn’t really want to be around people, but will tolerate it. We also thought that she would do better having the opportunity to live out as a horse with minimal intervention. Petunia is still fed two times a day and receives all the routine care. Any donations applied to her care would go toward her grain and additional supplements.

Red

Estimated late 20s
What isn’t there to say about Red? Red started off as a race horse, and ended up as a lesson horse later in life. While giving lessons he was being starved and arrived to SVERN in very poor condition. Not only is Red now super fat and happy, he also had a heart murmur that since being fed properly has disappeared. Red requires a lot of food to keep him up to weight. Red has gone out to adoptions 3 times and unfortunately keeps returning to SVERN, so his forever home is likely to be here in sanctuary because he deserves some stability at this point in his life. Donations toward Red's care will go toward his feed and supplements.
Pony Parade
We have 1 drylot for our horses and ponies that predisposed to, or have foundered. We take founder extremely seriously so these ponies are not only on a drylot, but also receive little to no grain. Donations made toward the Pony Paradise will go to making improvements to better care for our current littles, as well as the ones we haven’t met yet!

Lil Joe & Tootsie
SVERN Mascots
This dynamic duo serves as the SVERN mascots. Tootsie was seized by law enforcement for being underweight. Joe was surrendered due to an extreme founder episode. These two live out in our dry lot with our other ponies that cannot have grass. You may get lucky and see one or both of them out at our events!


Rolo
Estimated age mid 20’s
Rolo was brought to SVERN for being starved. Since SVERN firmly believes all minis should be on dry lots she has always been on a dry lot with us. Rolo doesn’t have the best eyesight due to age, and is getting a little bit cranky the older she gets. Rolo has been retired from coming to SVERN events, but is still a favorite among volunteers.
Honey
estimated late teens/early 20’s Halflinger pony
Honey came to SVERN severely foundered. She needed to be put on a very strict diet of soaked hay, and she also had to be stalled for a very long time while she healed. Today Honey will gallop all around the paddock with all her pony friends! Honey is on pracend. Donations made toward her care will go to her medications as well as hay.

Poppy
8 year old Paso Fino
Poppy is one special mare. She has a lot of fear and is never consistent in how she reacts or feels. She has found herself to a place where she is comfortable in the rescue and we are able to handle, catch, tie, and do ground work with her. Poppy is a special little girl that requires a lot of special handling and we believe she is safer in the rescue at this time.


Become A Platinum Sponsor of SVERN and the Farm.
Your contribution helps us provide a safe and loving home for horses who have been neglected, abused, or abandoned.
We also offer educational programs and community events to raise awareness and compassion for equine welfare.
By donating to the horse rescue, you are making a difference in the lives of these amazing animals and supporting our mission to end equine cruelty.
Your donation will go towards essential expenses such as medicine, farriers, veterinarians, and food for the horses. These costs add up quickly, especially for horses who need special care or treatment. With your help, we can ensure that our horses receive the best possible care and quality of life. We appreciate your kindness and generosity. 🐴
Click below to see your options of how to support the
Shenandoah Valley Equine Rescue Network.