Help Keep Clover Home and Continue Her Therapy Work

I need your help. My trained therapy mini horse is being evicted from our home in Newton because Newton wants to classify her as a full-size horse, rather than as the equivalent of other small yard pets like goats, sheep, alpacas, or llamas, all of which would be allowed to stay at our home. The City of Newton recently denied our appeal and ordered that Clover be removed within 21 days. I have run out of money to pay the attorneys, who recommend an appeal to the Superior Court. The attorneys believe the City’s refusal to recognize mini horses as different from full-size horses was arbitrary and inconsistent with other City of Newton departments that treat mini horses separately, as well as several adjoining towns that have also recognized mini horses, such as Needham and Bourne.

Why am I fighting so hard to try to keep Clover? Clover is a mini-horse, 28.5 inches tall (shorter than most Labrador Retrievers or Golden Retrievers). I purchased her from a farm in Florida that raised and trained her as a certified miniature therapy horse. My mother had dementia and lived in a nursing home. When I brought my dog with me on visits, she would smile, and her whole person would light up. I saw the same thing happen when I brought my dog to visit a friend’s family in a nursing home, when a long-time resident spoke for the first time in years in response to the dog. After volunteering for the last several years with mini horses, in 2024 I began searching for a mini horse that could work with me as a therapy animal, visiting nursing homes, hospitals, rehabilitation facilities, and any place where her gentle demeaner will bring happiness.

I started working with the City of Newton in 2025 to make sure that my property was adequate to house a mini horse. I filed the necessary application for a license in August 2025, in April 2026 I got a building permit from the city to build the mini horse’s shelter, and then I finally brought Clover home in July 2026. Most of the neighbours, almost all, have been thrilled, including several who have stopped by with special family members they wanted to meet Clover. A few neighbours raised concerns, which I addressed immediately, working to resolve any issues, including using special minerals to eliminate any smells. But then, in August 2026, the city denied my license to keep a mini horse on my property, determining that she should be classified as a full-size horse; in September, the city denied our appeal. Unless we can convince a Superior Court Judge that the city's determination that a 28.5 inch tall mini horse, weighing about 165 pounds, should be treated the same as a typical full-size horse standing 5’4” and weighing 1200 pounds is wrong, I will be forced to give up Clover.

I am raising funds to help cover legal fees so I can challenge the denial and try to keep Clover home. My hope is to continue caring for her here and to continue the therapy work that inspired me to bring her into my life in the first place.

If you can donate, any amount will help with the legal costs. Quite frankly, the lawyers have estimated the cost to be $50-$75,000, and the deadline for filing the appeal is less than 21 days. Unless I can raise a significant portion of the needed money by then, I will be forced to give up this fight. (If that happens, I will refund all donations to the generous people who have contributed.)

Thank you for caring about Clover and helping us continue this work.