Mary Santagata is hoping Guiford residents with some room in their hearts, barns, or homes will find their way to her Fall Open Barn on Saturday, Sept. 21, where both rescued equines and rescued felines will be available for adoption. The free entry fundraising event is also simply a great stop on the weekend for families and others looking to support a worthy cause.

Mary is the founder of the nonprofit All the Kings Horses (ATKH) Equine Rescue in Northford, established in 2010. The nonprofit relies on donations to support its mission to rescue horses and find adoptive new homes for them. To date, over 140 horses have been saved and counting.

Right now, Mary and her ATKH volunteers are putting on a push to invite their shoreline area neighbors to come out to enjoy the ATKH Fall Open Barn adoption event. There will be 13 equines on site for folks to meet, including those available for adoption. Special guest Bridgeport Cat Rescue will be featuring cats available for adoption. Proceeds from the day’s raffles and merchandise sales will support ATKH.

The Sept. 21 Fall Open Barn will be underway from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at ATKH, located at 630 Forest Road in Northford. Specialities from visiting Smoking Mirrors Pizza Truck will be on offer.

“Not only do we love horses, we love all animals, so at this event, we’re going to have Bridgeport Cat Rescue present, and they’re going to have cats available for adoption,” says Mary.

ATKH held a similar event in June with guest organization New Haven Animal Shelter offering dog adoptions. Speaking of all animals, in addition to horses and wild horses, including Mustangs, ATKH has also rescued many donkeys in need of assistance through the years.

Just two Sundays ago, “...we rescued three equines - two horses and one donkey,” says Mary of the emergency intakes. “We were alerted by animal control. They actually were in very tough shape. They came in with pretty poor body sores, and the donkey had overgrown hooves.”

As with many other unexpected arrivals, ATKH rallied its supporters on its social media, including Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. In just two days, over $2,300 in donations came in to assist with immediate care for the three new rescues. ATKH also gratefully accepts donations anytime at its website, allthekingshorsesequinerescue.com

In addition to raising funds and fostering adoptions, Mary hopes the Fall Open Barn event will raise awareness about the mission of ATKH, its partnerships, and its horses. Chief among the day’s featured equines will be resident rescue Kat, a wild horse who has been with ATKH since 2022.

The gentle mare endured facial trauma while in the wild for 16 years. Rounded up in 2021 by the United States Forest Services, which has a partnership with ATKH through its Alturas, California office, Kat was delivered directly to ATKH.

“When they round up horses that are on the Forest Services’ lands, sometimes horses come in with injuries from the wild, or they have deformities. At one point in time, other offices or agencies would euthanize those horses. But instead, they call us and ask us if we’ll take them. My biggest love is taking those horses, the ones that nobody wants because they have so much to offer people,” says Mary.

Since becoming a resident of ATKH, Kat has found her purpose as a healing partner assisting in ATKH’s collaborative work with the nonprofit Soul Friends, Inc., an animal-assisted family therapy program based in Wallingford. Through a partnership with ATKH, Soul Friends equine specialists and mental health clinicians co-facilitate to provide a therapeutic experience for children and adults in weekly sessions with ATKH rescues.

“Soul Friends has their therapists and their equine specialists that come to our farm and utilize our equines. They’re able to use every horse on the property, so it’s actually good for the clients to see horses to come in looking the way that the horses on Sunday came in, and watching their progress and seeing them bloom into something wonderful,” says Mary.

In addition to Kat, ATKH has two donkeys, in particular, regularly working with Soul Friends as therapy assistance animals. Mary notes Kat’s amazing interaction with clients is expressed through several touching quotes, which are shared on the ATKH website.

“It’s just beautiful progress that the people are making, and I just love that the horses are able to help, and our organization is able to help not only animals but also people,” says Mary.