By Melanie Lekocevic
Capital Region Independent Media
WESTERLO — January 1 was a big day at Unbridled Sanctuary — all 50 or so Thoroughbreds who call Unbridled home celebrated their “birthday” on that single day.
That’s a lot of birthday candles.
While all 50 horses were not actually born on Jan. 1, that is the day when all Thoroughbreds registered with The Jockey Club officially turn one year older. The standardization of Thoroughbreds’ ages was established in the 1800s to simplify recordkeeping for racehorses.
“January 1 is the turn of the new year and with that, for registered Thoroughbreds, they are aged one year forward, regardless of their actual birthday,” said Unbridled Sanctuary founder and president Susan Kayne. “We have approximately 50 Thoroughbreds in sanctuary at any given time, so for each of them, this is their first official birthday as a member of the Thoroughbred registry, even though it’s not their actual birthday.”
In honor of the horses’ big day and to recognize the contributions of the many donors, sponsors, volunteers and others who support the organization, Unbridled hosted a party Jan. 1 to mark the occasion, complete with a birthday cake.
Kayne also made a special announcement at the event — thanks to the financial support of several donors, Unbridled Sanctuary was able to pay off the property’s mortgage.
“We have enough funds that all of this property is paid off,” Kayne announced. “We have collectively established a legacy here. Over $864,000 was raised and paid and these lands — this property and the property we’ve expanded on — will forever be for the horses, the donkeys and the mules who need a refuge, who need a place to call home when the world turns its back on them.”
“It is my personal goal to help as many as we can and do as much as we can for each and every animal who needs our help,” she added.
Kayne also revealed that Unbridled Sanctuary has been accredited at the highest level by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries.
“That is a huge accolade because this property was quite a rescue,” she told the crowd. “So many of you have helped bring it up to the standards of excellence that are required. So, between that accolade, our willpower and determination, and this property being paid off, we are really set to soar in 2025 for the next 20 years.”
Unbridled Sanctuary started out as a rescue for Thoroughbreds, but in recent years expanded to include other horse breeds and equines, and now houses several donkeys and mules. Many of the animals were rescued from the slaughter pipeline. While horse slaughter is illegal in the U.S., discarded animals are auctioned off and transported to other countries for slaughter. The number of equines killed each year in this manner reaches into the tens of thousands.
There are some in the industry that try to downplay those numbers, Kayne said.
“There’s a movement afoot in our country that is denying this,” she said. “They are denying that Thoroughbreds go to slaughter. They are saying they are proud of the fact that the numbers have dropped to about 30,000 intelligent, emotional, healthy donkeys, mules and horses go to slaughter every year.”
But rescues and other organizations like Unbridled can testify otherwise, she said.
“We stand here as a testament to what can be accomplished when like minds and hearts come together to save these animals, to make a meaningful difference, to be advocates for them, to be voices for them and to provide a refuge for them in their times of trouble when they need a place to rest their weary bones,” Kayne said of the rescued animals. “They have a lifeline here.”
