Bring Flower Home

Hi, my name if Fay and I am respectfully trying to raise money to bring my pony Flower home....

In the wee hours of the morning, maybe 1am, the silence was disturbed. The day was March 17, 2023, and 17 horses, a pony a donkey were quietly grazing, eating hay or sleeping. And then their lives changed forever. Animal Control officers from several counties and a vet, unknown to the horses, descended, loaded them all into trailers and took them away.

Among those animals was my pony, SCF Callmeflower “Flower”. Foaled on my farm by myself and my daughter, Christa, she is a integral part of our family. We owned both the mare and the stallion, and she is one of the few bays ever foaled by said Stallion. She is a “lifer”. So how did she end up there you ask? Well, as my kids are grown, I care lease her to folks I know so that young riders, who would not otherwise have the opportunity, have a nice pony to ride. She can be a pistol, but she is a lover and a great teacher.

Flower had been with Amanda Stanton since June of 2022, and was teaching her second child at Bay Ridge Stables the ins and outs of horse showing. I had contacted Amanda in February to start making arrangements for her return, but the lease ran through May 31, 2023.

The following morning she was examined by a vet who gave her a body score of 5, said she was mildly dehydrated (to be expected considering the stress that occurred the night before) but otherwise healthy. I would not find this out until the court hearing a few weeks later. I was never contacted by anyone involved, but rather by a friend who saw the seizure of said animals on Facebook. I immediately went to work, trying to find out where my pony was, how she was doing and how to get her home.

What has ensued has been heartbreaking, ridiculous and expensive. While I was assured the pony would be returned to me after the mandatory hold period, this has not happened. I am happy to discuss any of this individually with anyone who wants to listen.

I am now nearly $8,000 into attorneys fees, travel and overnight expenses. The cost continues to grow. I still am unsure as to when or even if I will get her back, but I just cannot give up! She is being held at a different rescue, used for pony rides for fundraising and I have been told she is no longer my pony. Why you ask? Because although the evidence presented at the trial stated that she belonged to me, and I have presented leases and paperwork for her last three years, they still refuse to return Flower to her family.

I need help. Please consider donating to help with the fees to bring Flower home. She is loved and missed by many, and at this point I feel she has been taken from her rightful owner.