Farm Offers Comfort Creatures

Tina Murray has a place in her heart--and makes room at her place--for neglected, abused animals
By Matt Pacenze, Staff Writer

First published: Monday, November 29, 2004

SCHODACK -- Tina Murray has no doubt she's doing the right thing, even when the vet and feed bills come due.
All she has to do is look at Ringo, the aged thoroughbred she rescued from likely death, as the horse grazes at the back of her farm, Harmony Hill. The horse's mere existence stands in sharp contrast to the pathetic, skeletal creature she first spotted outside a nearby farm in January.

Ringo's improvement after special feeding and medical treatment has driven Murray, 37, to devote her farm -- and some of her income -- to a haven for rescued horses.
"The bones were literally sticking out of his chest. His hair was peeling off," she recalled. "I didn't know if he was going to make it. I didn't need another horse, but I couldn't leave him there."
A determination to keep animals from suffering led Murray and many others to the rescue movement, a loosely affiliated network of farms and homes that take in ailing or unwanted creatures, from ponies to golden retrievers.
Murray's passion brought her into the public eye when she helped expose the mistreatment of animals at the Cherokee Ridge Animal Rescue Facility, a farm in Coeymans that police raided in October.
Officials found unsanitary conditions, malnourished animals and fatal diseases among more than 250 animals at the Cherokee Ridge, including horses, iguanas, rats and chickens. Owner Sue Peters has pleaded not guilty to 28 charges of animal cruelty and two charges of exposing an animal to infectious disease.
Murray spoke out to a local television station about the mistreatment, which prompted local authorities to investigate. Because of the court case against Peters--who pleaded not guilty--is pending, Murray won't talk much about it today.
Two adult ponies from Cherokee Ridge are temporarily boarded at Harmony Hill while the legal case continues.
With the Cherokee Ridge experience fresh in her mind, Murray said she's very conscious of not taking on too many horses and overcrowding her 14-acre farm. "I can see how quickly you can get over your head, "she said.
She is already at capacity, with six rescued horses, including the two ponies at her farm in Schodack Landing. And even though she's only been taking horses for less than a year, there's already a waiting list of potential guests.
"I really had no idea how many were out there," she said.
Horses typically need rescuing not because of blatant abuse, but because their owner can no longer care for them, according to Dot Hempler, who has an equine rescue farm, Ashley's Barn, in Hudson.
That was the case with Ringo, Murray said. His owners weren't deliberately neglecting him, but his health deteriorated quickly when he was paired with a more lively horse, who apparently was eating all the food.
"It's usually a question of a hardship," said Hempler, who has rescued and re-adopted 20 horses in the past year and a half. "We've gotten quite a few where the owners developed terminal illness."
Harmony Hill is a haven for more than horses. There's two frisky emus, Ozzie and Harriet, who keep things lively as they scamper about pestering the farm's llamas, pygmy goats and guinea hens. A mess of chickens and ducks--and a trio of rescued Rottweilers--round out the farm.
Horses have been a central part of Murray's life. She trained and showed thoroughbred hunter/jumper horses for more than 30 years.
Her priority now is horse rescue. For Murray, the motivation is simple. "If I can make a difference for just one, that's one horse who doesn't have to suffer," she said.
Murray is very careful about who adopts her rehabilitated horses. Each potential home has to be within 50 miles so that she can inspect it before the adoption and return later to check up.
The nearby farm of the Strevell family, in Schodack, fit perfectly. They recently adopted a pony from Murray. "It's the best feeling," said Nikki Strevell, 18, a College of Saint Rose sophomore. "Not only do you get a pony, but you save a life." Strevell, a lifelong horse lover, is so impressed by Murray's commitment that she talks of doing rescues herself someday, according to her mother.
"Nikki's a young Tina," Mary Strevell said. "The high of winning blue ribbons for her doesn't compare to the joy of rescuing this animal."
In mid-November, the Strevells adopted another Harmony Hill horse, a chestnut gelding, and brought him home to their farm, Crazy Horse Stables.
Murray is reaching out to other potential homes through horse publications, and also her farm's new Web site, http://www.harmony-hill.net
Murray, a director of human resources for Plug Power of Latham, won't say exactly what the rescue has cost her out of pocket so far. "Thousands" is as specific as she gets, but she does need help to defray their medical, food and blacksmithing expenses.
Like Hempler, she plans on soon establishing Harmony Hill as a nonprofit enterprise, so she can accept contributions. Hempler estimates her costs at Ashley's Barn are $150 per month for each horse.
Murray intends to try to adopt all the rescued horses out not long after she can nurse them back to health. She has no intention of keeping any--with one big exception.
"I can't part with him right now," she said, patting Ringo, a cat nestled in her arms. "I've gotten so attached."