By Melanie Lekocevic
Capital Region Independent Media
WESTERLO — How do you celebrate a horse’s birthday? With lots of love, food, treats and compassion. And maybe even a birthday cake.
Unbridled Sanctuary recently honored 28 horses who have passed through their doors over the years and were born in March. And it was a perfect opportunity to welcome a new season of birth and renewal.
“This is a welcoming of springtime and a celebration of the birthdays of all of our Thoroughbreds who were born in the month of March,” said Susan Kayne, president and founder of Unbridled Sanctuary.
The sanctuary is home to more than 50 equines, from former racing Thoroughbreds to other breeds, donkeys and mules. Many were rescued from the slaughter pipeline, and some from abusive situations. All were given a new lease on life when they entered Unbridled.
Why so many March birthdays in one sanctuary?
“Breeding season for Thoroughbreds runs from February through June and it just works out that the majority would be bred in April and give birth in March of the following year,” Kayne said. “It’s very unnatural to breed Thoroughbreds early in February because their cycle is not attuned with the cold weather — it’s when the days get longer that they come into heat, and they have a natural breeding and birthing cycle.”
In nature, that cycle would be a bit later, with mating happening in July, August or September, and foals born the following summer. But the Jockey Club designates the age of all Thoroughbreds’ birthdays as Jan. 1, regardless of the day they were actually born, to categorize them for racing. And for those purposes, a “real” birthday earlier in the year is advantageous.
“The earlier that a Thoroughbred is born, the more competitive they are because the more mature they are,” Kayne said.
So, the March birthdays of 28 Thoroughbreds who have lived at Unbridled were celebrated.
“Some of them have come here and passed on, but they had more love in the time that they were here than the whole of their lives,” Kayne said. “We have a few who were lovingly rehomed, which is wonderful because we really like to get horses placed with families who will enjoy them and do things with them. And then the majority are seniors or special needs horses in our sanctuary here.”
The birthday horses included Max, the sanctuary’s “elder statesman,” who turned 29 in March. Charlotte, whose registered name is Diamonds and Stones, was honored even though she was adopted by a family in Vermont.
“She was rescued from a terrible abuse case across the river, but she is thriving as a member of the Wilson family in Vermont,” Kayne said.
St. Patrick’s Day saw two Unbridled birthdays — Posey, who was sold as a $2 million yearling and eventually rescued at auction by Unbridled for $200, and No It’s Not me, a mare from New York who was rescued from the New Holland Auction.
Thoroughbreds weren’t the only ones celebrating a birthday — one of the sanctuary’s board members was also honored on his big day. Mark Cataudella, who travels from Rhode Island to help out at Unbridled every four to six weeks, celebrated his 75th birthday.
“My wife and I have always been interested in horses,” Cataudella said. “We met Susan when she was in Coxsackie and spent two or three weekends there. We come up from Rhode Island. My wife just loved it — she loved working around the barn, working with the horses, and Susan has been teaching us as we go along.”
Cataudella, who is retired but was a facilities director during his career, works on projects around the farm, building and fixing the facilities as needed.
“We do it because we like the mission, and Susan has done very well,” he said. “Some of the horses that she takes care of come in looking very, very emaciated, and she brings them back. Within a year or so, they are beautiful horses.”
Diana Hinchcliff is another volunteer who does “whatever needs to be done” around the farm — feeding the animals, sweeping, mucking out the stalls, grooming the horses, and so on.
“I’ve always liked horses but I never lived in a place where I could be near horses,” Hinchcliff said. “Because these horses were rescued from imminent slaughter and given a permanent home here, I really like working with the horses and making sure they are taken care of, and they are able to live out their lives here.”
