Freedom and Whiskey Equine Rescue

10/14/2026

Scout was not a happy pony today. 🍁

10/14/2026

Great opportunity to help horses in need and join a wonderful organization.

https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1058836970509722&set=a.363357066724386

Our Virginia Direct Placement Program - VDPP is looking for a dedicated equine enthusiast who wants to help Virginia horses in transition.

Visit our website for more information: https://www.partnershipforhorses.com/now-hiring

10/11/2026

💍❤️ Congratulations to Ashley Aylward and Cameron Rohall on Your Wedding Day! ❤️💍

Although Scout was all ready and excited to be part of your special day, Mother Nature had other plans! ☔🐴 Unfortunately, the heavy rains kept him safely tucked away at the rescue.

While Scout couldn't be there in person, he's sending plenty of pony love and best wishes your way! 🐴❤️

From all of us, both two-legged and four-legged, at Freedom & Wh***ey Equine Rescue, we wish you a beautiful wedding day and a lifetime filled with love, laughter, happiness, and wonderful memories!

Congratulations, Ashley and Cameron! 🥂💕🐴

***eyEquineRescue

10/10/2026

🌧️🐴 Rain, Rain, Go Away!☔

Looks like Mother Nature has a soggy Sunday planned for Northern Virginia! With rain moving in tonight and expected to continue throughout tomorrow, we've been busy getting everyone at Freedom and Wh***ey Equine Rescue ready for the wet weather.

The horses are officially sporting their raincoats! 🐎🧥 While they may not appreciate our fashion choices, their waterproof blankets will help keep them dry, a little warmer, and more comfortable through the rainy weather.

Everyone is tucked in and ready to ride out the storm. Well, hopefully not literally! 😂

From all of us here at Freedom and Wh***ey, we hope you and your four-legged friends stay safe, warm, and dry! ❤️🐴

***eyEquineRescue

10/07/2026

💔 We Have Some Difficult News About One-Eyed W***y

A few weeks ago, we noticed a blue, cloudy film developing across W***y’s remaining eye. He also began hesitating when walking and occasionally bumping into things.

We contacted Dr. Catherine Nunnery, the equine ophthalmology specialist who removed W***y’s other eye six years ago. For the past week, we have been treating his eye with drops and ointments, hoping to reduce the cloudiness and preserve his vision. Unfortunately, we have not seen the improvement we hoped for.

We are now facing some difficult decisions.

One option is a glaucoma drainage implant, or stent, which could help reduce the pressure in his eye and potentially buy W***y more time. It is not a permanent solution. The other option is removing his remaining eye, which would leave W***y completely blind.

Some horses adapt remarkably well to blindness, while others do not. If removal becomes the best option, we will give W***y every opportunity to adjust while carefully evaluating his comfort, safety, confidence, and quality of life. If he tells us that blindness is simply too much for him, we will love him enough to make the hardest decision of all.

For now, we are preparing him.

We are adding a wind chime near his water trough so he can learn to associate the sound with water. And W***y now has his own “seeing-eye horse.” ❤️

Titan has a bell on his leg that jingles as he walks, giving W***y a familiar sound to locate and follow in the field and into the barn.

The next few weeks will bring difficult decisions, veterinary care, and significant medical expenses. We want those decisions to be based on what is best for W***y, not on what we can afford.

If you have ever loved W***y from afar, followed his story, or simply believe an old horse deserves every reasonable chance we can give him, we need your help.🩷

Every donation will help with W***y’s ophthalmology care, medications, procedures, and whatever comes next.

❤️ Please consider donating to help us give W***y that chance.

Donate: freedomandwhiskeyrescue.org

***y ***eyEquineRescue

09/30/2026

Gus is taking “getting lit” a little too literally. 😂🫏🔥💨

09/27/2026

📬 𝐈𝐓’𝐒 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐓𝐎𝐎 𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐄!

The very first issue of the 𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐨𝐦 & 𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐤𝐞𝐲 𝐄𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐞 𝐐𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐍𝐞𝐰𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫! 🐴❤️

If you haven’t subscribed yet, there’s still time to make sure our first issue lands in your inbox.

Our newsletter will take you a little further behind the scenes at Freedom & Wh***ey, with 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐞 𝐮𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬, 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐬, 𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬, 𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐧𝐞-𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐬, 𝐮𝐩𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞.

Some stories are simply too big for a social media post, and we want our newsletter to be a place to share more about the horses we help, the people who make our work possible, and what is happening in the world of equine rescue and welfare.

📩 𝓢𝓲𝓰𝓷 𝓾𝓹 𝓽𝓸𝓭𝓪𝔂!

Visit freedomandwhiskeyrescue.org, scroll down to “𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐝, 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐝,” and enter your information to subscribe.

🐴 𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐨𝐨𝐧, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐞’𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭!

***eyEquineRescue

09/20/2026

𝓣𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓮’𝓼 𝓼𝓸𝓶𝓮𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓹𝓻𝓮𝓽𝓽𝔂 𝓼𝓹𝓮𝓬𝓲𝓪𝓵 𝓪𝓫𝓸𝓾𝓽 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓹𝓲𝓬𝓽𝓾𝓻𝓮. ❤️🐴

Standing in the background is Cash, our handsome gentleman who is pushing 30. In front of him is Star, one of the youngsters at Freedom & Wh***ey, at just 4 years old.

That’s nearly three decades of life experience standing beside a young lady who is just getting started.

Anyone who knows Cash knows he's always been quite the ladies’ man. Apparently, age hasn’t changed that one bit. 😂 He has taken Star under his wing and takes his responsibility for watching over her very seriously.

Cash may be the older gentleman of the pair, but don’t let his age fool you. He is still incredibly handsome, knows exactly what is going on around him, and makes sure his girl is safe.

And Star seems perfectly content to have her own personal bodyguard. ❤️

One of the things we love most about having horses of different ages at the rescue is watching relationships like this develop. The older horses have so much to offer the younger ones, from companionship and confidence to the quiet lessons that only another horse can teach.

And while Cash is doing a wonderful job looking after his young lady, 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐰𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐰𝐧. 𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐯𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞, 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐬.

Almost 30 and 4 years old.

Different generations. Same herd. And one very devoted older gentleman looking after his young lady while she waits for her forever person. ❤️

***eyEquineRescue

09/18/2026

🐴 𝐅𝐀𝐑𝐌 𝐁𝐈𝐋𝐋 𝐔𝐏𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄: 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐃𝐎𝐄𝐒 𝐈𝐓 𝐌𝐄𝐀𝐍 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐂𝐀'𝐒 𝐇𝐎𝐑𝐒𝐄𝐒?

On September 16, the Senate Agriculture Committee advanced the 2026 Farm Bill, sending it one step closer to consideration by the full Senate.

For those of us concerned about horse slaughter, there is an important part of this story:

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐅𝐚𝐫𝐦 𝐁𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐫.

Although horse slaughter plants have not operated in the United States since 2007, American horses are still not protected from slaughter. Horses can be purchased here, moved through auctions and dealers, transported across state lines, and ultimately exported for slaughter abroad.

That is why the Save America's Forgotten Equines (SAFE) Act, H.R. 1661/S. 775, remains important. It would permanently prohibit horse slaughter for human consumption in the United States and prohibit the export of American horses for that purpose.

Progress has also come through another route. Earlier this year, a House committee approved bipartisan language that would prohibit transporting horses when there is reason to believe they are destined for slaughter for human consumption.

But neither effort has crossed the finish line.

Stopping slaughter isn't simply about closing a slaughterhouse. It means addressing the entire pipeline that allows American horses to be bought, collected, transported, and shipped across our borders.

At Freedom & Wh***ey, we also believe lasting change must begin long before a horse enters that pipeline. That means helping owners in crisis, supporting responsible rehoming, strengthening legitimate rescue networks, and creating alternatives before an auction or kill buyer becomes someone's last option.

The Farm Bill is moving forward. For America's horses, the work is not finished.

We will continue to follow these efforts and keep our supporters informed.

***eyEquineRescue

09/17/2026

🐴 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞. ❤️

Recently, we were contacted for help with a herd of Off-the-Track Thoroughbreds (OTTBs) and the rescue that has been working tirelessly to care for them, Shenandoah Valley Equine Rescue Network (SVERN).

When SVERN first became involved, there were 𝟑𝟐 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐬 in this herd. Through their efforts, that number is now down to 𝟏𝟖.

But rescue never happens one horse at a time.

SVERN recently took in additional horses from a seizure case, stretching their resources even further. They need help supporting this remaining herd while working to find appropriate foster and adoptive homes.

These horses are OTTB's ranging from their mid-teens into their late 20s. They have been relatively unhandled for approximately 10 years, so their next chapter will require patience and investment. They will need veterinary care, farrier work, dental care, evaluation, and training.

But please don't mistake "older" or "unhandled" for "without value."

𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐨 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞.

This is where rescue cooperation matters. One organization cannot always do everything, but together, rescues, fosters, adopters, donors, trainers, and supporters can make an enormous difference.

Freedom & Wh***ey Equine Rescue is helping spread the word and seek resources and placement opportunities for these horses. Now we're asking our community to help us help SVERN.

🐴 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐩𝐭?
💙 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞?
📣 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐮𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐜𝐚𝐧?

If you have room in your barn, your budget, or simply your social media feed, please consider helping.

For information about fostering, adopting, or donating, please contact 𝐒𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐚𝐡 𝐕𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐄𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐞 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐚𝐭 𝐒𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐍.𝐨𝐫𝐠.

Sometimes rescue means taking in the horse yourself. Sometimes it means helping another rescue finish what they started.

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐬. 𝐓𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫. ❤️🐴