The Haven at Skanda

We are raising money for The Haven at Skanda,  a farm animal sanctuary in upstate New York. A generous supporter has committed to matching all funds raised here on GoFundMe, so your donation will be  doubled. (Click "read more" to scroll down and meet some of Skanda's amazing animals and hear their stories.)

Our animals come to us after suffering horrific conditions such as starvation.  Little Moe,  a sweet little yearling pony, was so emaciated and weak that he soon died but we saved the other horses that came with him.  We have horses, goats, mini donkeys, ducks,  chickens, and one pot-bellied pig named Eve with 10 rescued pigs coming soon.  The Haven is a 503(c)(3) non-profit organization. 

The Haven at Skanda takes in rescued farm animals who are in severe condition, with nowhere else to go. We work closely with the ASPCA and all regional rescue organizations. When animals arrive at Skanda, they are treated as sovereign beings, equal to humans, and deserving our full respect. The Haven also provides incredible programs to support children and women with trauma histories, people with disabilities, and anyone who wants to discover new possibilities. 

It all started in 2013 with Little Moe, a horse being starved and left in the frigid cold along with 13 other horses in upstate New York. Our founder, Marian Secor, was informed and gladly took in Little Moe and the rest of the horses.   Unfortunately, because of Little Moe's severely emaciated condition, he didn't make it but the other horses, after much love and care, thrived! Presently, we have 14 horses, 15 goats, 10 mini donkeys, 55 ducks, 37 chickens, and one rescued pot-bellied pig named Eve with 10 large rescued pigs coming in January 2020.

Our financial needs are extensive. In January 2020, 10 pigs will arrive at Skanda after having been rescued from a severe cruelty situation by the ASPCA's national rescue teams. The pigs have suffered terribly, and will arrive at Skanda to finally recover from what they have survived and feel what it is like to be respected, supported, and loved. We are excited to receive the pigs, but at 500 lbs each, their care will be expensive. We are raising funds now to ensure we always have enough healthy food, soft straw bedding, and veterinary care to give these pigs the life they deserve. Besides caring for our new arrivals, we have ongoing expenses such as veterinarian care for all the animals, purchasing hay and grain, and paying for equipment repairs.

For me,  Anne, it all started a year ago when my daughter, Livy, needed to fulfill 40 hours of community service to graduate from high school. Because Livy loves animals, she volunteered at the Haven and I made this a joint mother-daughter venture, although I had a lifelong fear of horses. We soon fell in love with the animals and our volunteering continues to this day! Our experience at the Haven has resulted in an increased sensitivity to animals, especially to those in need. Please help!  Our Team and the animals thank you!


Elskling is a Belgian Draft and a true gentle giant. She is leader of the herd of girls at Skanda, letting all know the rules of the paddock in a gentle yet clear way. Before she was even 2 years old, Elskling was put to work pulling a plow in the fields. As a result of this heavy work so young, she had an incredibly weak hind end. When Marion found Elskling, she was tied to a post with no more than a foot of room to move, and no access to pasture for grazing. Her owner untied her and put her into a pen to show her to Marion, and Elskling immediately dropped to the ground and had a difficult time getting back up. Elskling's name means "Love" in Norwegian because despite the abuse she has endured, Elskling only offers love to anyone who meets her.


Norna is regally soft and loving, supporting any horse who needs her in the paddock by gently moving to their side, calming loving them through any difficulty or stress. Norna is a registered thoroughbred, raced from a very early age at the Saratoga racetrack. She comes from a well-known line of winners with famous race horses in her lineage. On her second race, Norna was injured and sent to a facility for broodmares that was then forced to close because of severe abuse of the horses. When she was rescued, Norna was severely underweight and pregnant, ready to give birth.


Sleipnir has a majestic, timeless quality that defies his age of 27 (?) years.  He is gentle, and very sensitive. Sleipnir is very head shy, and becomes nervous when people approach his face, suddenly jerking his head away. We think, from this, that he was severely beaten around his head and probably elsewhere on his body as well. Sleipnir was brought up from Mexico, where he was used as a parade horse, and treated so poorly that when he came to the US at 8 years old, he had a serious hoof injury usually seen in much older horses. When he was sold from his handler to an American woman, Sleipnir was heavily drugged to mask his injury. His new owner only discovered his lameness once she took him off the drugs, and then rejected him. Sleipnir is deeply loved at Skanda.


Bentley has a loving, warm quality that draws people to him instantly, and he is much loved at Skanda. In his past life, Bentley was ridden hard, and not treated well when his previous owner was dying of cancer. Bentley is insecure around the other horses, so is low in the hierarchy among the boys. This means he will hang back and let the others eat, not wanting to compete for food, so he always has his special hay placed near him.  Children love to learn to groom with Bentley because he is so soft and gentle, that even though he is one of the largest horses at Skanda, they feel safe in his presence.


Nutter Butter has an almost magical quality, an openness and intelligence that is soft and vibrant at the same time. He is so deeply true to himself, that people seem to fall in love with him at first encounter. His enormous gray eyes glimmer with his brilliance. Nutter Butter can be mischevious and feisty, and taking him for a walk can be a challenge when he decides to exert his strong will. He adores Eve, the rescued pig, and will often visit her, touching noses and then grazing side by side with her outside her paddock fence.  


Amazing Grace (center in photo) is deeply gentle. She is smaller than some of the other miniature donkeys, and does not dominate, but moves among her family with a soft, loving presence that seems to open possibilities. When visitors approach, Amazing Grace is not the first to step forward, but she quietly seems to sense who needs a little extra love, and will glide over to share herself with whoever needs it most.


Muhlighet is the youngest of the minis, just 2 1/2 years old. Her name means "Possibilities" in Norwegian, and she has an energy like a gentle burst of fresh air, so pure. Muhlighet can be shy, and stays close to her mother, May, but will sometimes jump and play in the grass, loving to feel movement and freedom. She has a joy that seems to sparkle, and transfers easily to those who spend time with her.


Coco (Coconut) is the smallest goat at Skanda, and completely unique. She is a bit of a dreamer, and hangs back from the group during their wilder moments of playing outside. While the others are running and jumping in the grass, Coco will often be nestled quietly at a distance, basking in the sunshine and enjoying the stillness. One reason she does not jump or play is that Coco suffers from arthritis in her legs, which can sometimes make it painful for her to walk.


When Mickey and Goofy were born, their mother Daphne had a hard time nurturing them. The birth had been difficult, so Daphne was sore and exhausted, but more than that, Daphne herself had been born in a goat dairy, pulled away from her own mother at birth so had never experienced or even witnessed a mother nursing and loving her newborns. The morning they were born, once they were both on their feet, Mickey approached Daphne to nurse, and she eventually allowed it. When Goofy approached, though, Daphne gave him a head-butt, knocking him down. We then witnessed the most extraordinary gesture: Goofy's brother Mickey, not even one day old, bravely stepped in front of Goofy and wrapped his body around his brother, protecting him. (With a little help, Daphne allowed both boys to nurse, and eventually her mothering instincts kicked in and she has become a wonderful mom.)


Sophia is the ultimate mother: nurturing, patient, gentle, and strong. Her daughters Cinnamon, Starlight, and Mojave still snuggle with her at night, even though they are fully grown. One summer, a group of children was playing outside with the goats while one boy with severe Autism sat apart. Sophia saw him, and silently glided to him, leaning her body towards him until he touched her back and a smile came over his face - the first smile his mother had seen in a long time, she said. Sophia's wisdom is beyond measure.


Olan is one of Skanda's endangered Magpie ducks. He is a very special duck not only because he has one leg, but because of his incredible strength and resilience after his leg was removed. A few years ago, Olan came back from a day of playing outside with his family, and he was limping. His leg had an infection, that after two surgeries, was persistent, and life-threatening. Our superb veterinarian gave us the choice to remove Olan's leg and save his life, or let the infection takes its course, and probably kill him. We were not sure Olan would want more surgery, and we were not sure how he would adjust to life with only one leg. What would this do to his sense of himself, would he become depressed, not being able to move around as he had before? When we looked at Olan and felt what he would want, he seemed clearly to want to live. After the surgery, the vet told us that Olan stood right up on his one leg, found his balance, and was fine. Since then, Olan has been thriving. In summer, he is able to jump in the swimming pool on his own, and he free-ranges outside with his family still. Olan must be able to rest his one leg whenever he wants, so he has his own house at night, and sometimes free-ranges on his own during the day.


When Esmeralda  the Icelandic chicken lost her family to an illness, she went into mourning. She wobbled around the farm, seeming frail and lost. Then one day she began sitting on her eggs, silent and still, with total dedication. This was a big shift for her, and we recognized it: Esmeralda wanted to be a mom. She was no longer aimless…she now had a purpose.

When ducklings—and not baby chicks—emerged from the shells, Esmerelda accepted them fully and proudly. She tenderly warmed her newborns at night, and paraded them around the farm during the day. Esmeralda showed us the true meaning of family, the true meaning of love. 


Marshmallow is the gentlest and sweetest Orpington rooster. When he walks, he lightly bounces, and his personality seems to be of pure joy, a light song. He is completely devoted to his three Orpington girls, protecting them and caring for them with deep tenderness. Marshmallow is possibly the largest rooster on Skanda, but is so gentle that he is submissive to even those who are tiny in comparison.

THANK YOU!

Blood was gushing from her nose or mouth and wouldn't stop. We couldn't tell if she was wounded, or what was causing it. Elskling, our beloved Belgian Draft horse, Elskling, who has suffered unspeakable loss and pain in her life yet still loves with soft golden eyes, Elskling, whose name means Beloved in Norwegian, and she is deeply deeply beloved, Elskling was bleeding and it wasn't stopping. She was calm, but the blood kept pouring out of her nose. When we quickly applied pressure and saw no change, we called our equine vet. It usually takes him about an hour to get to us. But by some incredible luck, he was already in our town, and rushed over.

It wasn't comfortable for Elskling to be examined but she was completely trusting and calm, and allowed the vet to do what he needed to do. She looked at us with her soft eyes, so calm, her lips even quivering as we touched her. She did not make a sound. The only sound was blood hitting the floor.

The vet determined quickly that this could be caused by a potentially fatal condition and she needed the hospital to know more and to possibly have life-saving surgery. Another piece of incredible luck: we had already hitched up the trailer that day, and had just filled the truck with gas, so we loaded Elskling up and drove the 90 minute trip to Cornell. We called them again when we were 30 minutes away to let their emergency team know. They were ready and waiting.

We were so scared Elskling would collapse in the trailer on the way from blood loss. Then how would we get her out? She weighs 2,000 pounds. But incredible Elskling stayed standing for the entire trip. When we went around to the back of the trailer to open the door to let her out, blood was running out of the trailer. She had bled for the entire trip. Elskling was still calm and trusting, and when Cornell's team rushed out to meet her, she walked gently inside with them.

The Cornell doctor confirmed that Elskling had arrived in bad shape. Her blood loss was significant, and if it did not stop, she would possibly need a blood transfusion. They needed the bleeding to stop in order to put a scope up her nose and determine if this was being caused by a tear in the guttural pouch, which would require emergency surgery. There was nothing we could do at this point but wait. We drove home in quiet.

Elskling is the heart of Skanda, the love of Skanda, the wisdom of Skanda. We know she suffered tremendously before coming to Skanda, injured and barely able to stand, tied to the outside of a barn, unable to graze on grass, all alone without companionship or love. When Marion found her, and her owner released her from being tied up to show her to Marion, Elskling dropped to the ground and had a hard time getting back up.

Marion brought Elskling to Skanda, and the moment she stepped out of the trailer and onto Skanda, Skanda grew, and breathed and loved even more than before, seeming to shine with possibilities.

Because Elskling holds possibilities, and offers possibilities. Her life had been misery. Yet she loved and loved, and stayed soft in her loving. She is so so incredibly intelligent, and with Elskling at Skanda, anything is possible. Her love has become the heart of Skanda.

Although she is the biggest horse at Skanda by far, Elskling is the gentlest with the children who attend our programs, who often have trauma themselves. She gentle reaches her face down so they can touch her and look into her eyes, and they fall in love. They fall in love with Elskling's gentle love, and all the possibilities she holds open for them.

As of this writing, Elskling has been at Cornell for five days. She has received IV therapy, two exploratory scopes to try to determine the cause of the bleeding, a lot of antibiotics and treatment for her swollen leg, a secondary condition, and while Cornell has been able to slow and temporarily stop the bleeding, they do not yet know the cause of it. They have determined, thankfully, that the cause is not the potentially fatal condition that would require surgery. And while we are relieved to know this, at the same time it is almost worse to still not know the cause, since the bleeding itself can be fatal.

Elskling's treatment is expensive. The fluids and medications she is receiving are costly, as are the tests. Right now, her care is estimated to be at least $8,000, but that could rise in the coming days. We will update this as we learn more about her medical condition, treatments, and cost.

100% of donations will go to cover Elskling's medical care, to save her life.

Please give if you can. Every amount helps. And please share. Together we can give back to Elskling just a tiny drop of the love she has given all of us.