From Auction to Sanctuary. Left: On August 23, 2025, an unidentified mare stood tethered in an auction barn without intervention,
she and her unborn foal would have been trafficked into the slaughter pipeline. On March 7, 2026, she safely delivered a healthy colorful colt in Sanctuary.
WHAT MAKES UNBRIDLED DIFFERENT | A Movement With Real Horses
For 22 years, Unbridled Sanctuary has protected horses who otherwise would have become statistics in the hundreds of thousands slaughtered across North America.
The organization operates at two levels:
Upstream
Advocating for policy reform and ethical responsibility within the equine industry.
Downstream
Rescuing individual horses from auctions, slaughter pipelines, neglect, and abandonment — and providing lifelong sanctuary.
Every horse at Unbridled is a living example of the change the movement seeks to create.
ABOUT THE FOUNDER | Susan Kayne
Susan Kayne is a lifelong Equestrian. She founded Unbridled Sanctuary after becoming a leading voice exposing abuses within the racing industry. She was featured on the front page of The New York Times for helping bring national attention to drug abuse in horse racing. For more than two decades, she has led Unbridled’s work rescuing vulnerable horses and advocating for systemic reform.
For more than two decades, she has led the Sanctuary's work rescuing horses from slaughter pipelines, livestock auctions, and neglect — while advocating for the legislative and industry reforms that would prevent the crisis at scale. She lives alongside the horses at the Sanctuary, and writes about their individual lives with the literary sensibility of a lifelong writer.
NATIONAL RECOGNITION | Accreditations and Awards
Unbridled Sanctuary is recognized for the highest standards in animal welfare and nonprofit transparency.
Nationally Accredited. Independently Rated.
• Accredited by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries (GFAS)
• EQUUS Guardian Charity
• Rescue of the Year (2021)
• A. Gary Lavin Equine Welfare Award (2025)
• Four-Star Charity Navigator rating
• Platinum Seal of Transparency – Candid
THE SANCTUARY | Horses, Donkeys & Mules
Unbridled Sanctuary is home to more than 60 rescued Horses, Donkeys, and Mules, most saved from the slaughter pipeline.
MEDIA CONTACT | Request an Interview or On-Site Visit
Susan Kayne is available for interviews, on-camera appearances, and on-site visits to the Sanctuary. Photography, video, and B-roll of Joyfull and her colt are available upon request.
Media Inquiries:
Paula Woodward | Director of Strategic Partnerships, Corporate Sponsorship & Media Relations
Email: paula@unbridledhorses.org 📱(845) 612-3553 ☎️ (518) 966-0082
Press assets available: High-resolution photography of Joyfull and her newborn colt, archival rescue footage, Sanctuary grounds footage, headshots, and background materials. Contact Paula Woodward for immediate access.
NEW: MARCH 7, 2026
Half Blind. Hind Legs Broken From Pulling a Cart.
Tethered at a Slaughter Auction. Unknowingly Pregnant.
On August 23, 2025, a Standardbred mare was rescued from a livestock auction where horses are trafficked into the slaughter pipeline. She was half blind, permanently injured, and had no name. Seven months later, she delivered a healthy colt at Unbridled Sanctuary — the nationally accredited organization that has spent 22 years fighting to end horse slaughter, and to protect discarded and unwanted horses from shipping to slaughter.
She had no identification, no history, and no advocate. Founder Susan Kayne saw her standing quietly tied to the steel rail in the cavernous auction barn and made a promise: “No matter what happens today, I will not leave without you, I will bring you home.”
Unbridled’s Auction Rescue Fund made that promise possible. What no one knew at the time was the mare was pregnant.
Because a community stepped forward, this mare did not disappear into the slaughter pipeline.
Two Days Ago, She Gave Birth in Safety.
On March 7, 2026 at 7:45 PM, JOYFULL safely delivered a healthy colt at Unbridled Sanctuary.
Both mother and baby are thriving.
Left to right: JOYFULL tethered at auction, August 23, 2025, the last horse through the ring; Susan Kayne keeping her promise to bring her home;
JOYFULL beginning rehabilitation in quarantine, still unnamed and unknowingly pregnant; and on March 7, 2026, Susan with JOYFULL’s newborn colt.