February Star Sanctuary & Adoptions

06/14/2026

Van Hook ( Vanna) welcome! Pretty girl

06/14/2026

Stevethevandriver ( Amazon)
Welcome to the Farm pretty boy!

06/14/2026

Please help us welcome Stevethevandriver (“Amazon”) and Van Hook (“Vanna”) to February Star Sanctuary & Adoptions!

A huge thank you to Aftercare Charles Town - Equine Encore Performance at Charles Town for trusting us with these two wonderful Thoroughbreds as they begin their next chapter.

Amazon (StevetheVanDriver) March 2019 baby. 42 starts, 169K. Off track since 2024/ Vanna (Van Hook) - 2020 baby. Also off track in 2024. 15 starts with 33K.

Both Amazon and Vanna are ready to start their retraining journeys. Over the coming months, the FSS Performance Horses ladies will focus on helping them build confidence, learn new skills, and discover what they enjoy doing most in life after racing.

As with all of our horses, we’ll take things one step at a time and let them tell us what career path suits them best. Whether that’s trail riding, pleasure riding, companionship, or something else entirely, we’re excited to see where their journeys lead.

Welcome to the FSS family, Amazon and Vanna! We can’t wait to share their progress with all of you.

06/13/2026

Only 1 week away! ⚾ Next Sat., June 20, join us at the Frederick Keys baseball game. There'll be fun, fireworks and prizes! 🎆 Tickets are only $13: 📲https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/58CVMA4WNV7TG

For every $20 donation during the event, for our community cat TNR program, you get one raffle ticket. 🎟 And, if you wear your favorite horse or cat shirt, you get to participate in our cute shirt contest for a prize, too. 👕

We have 100 tickets, so be sure to invite your family and friends! Tickets can be mailed, picked up at February Star Sanctuary or at the box office the day of the game. If you're picking up from the sanctuary or the box office, please bring proof of ticket purchase.

06/13/2026

At February Star Sanctuary, our barn cats aren’t just dropped off and left to fend for themselves. A true barn cat program is about care, structure, and responsibility.

Each of our barn cats receives:
• Daily, scheduled feeding
• Barn shelter protected from the elements
• Ongoing monitoring for health and behavior
• A safe environment where they can coexist peacefully

Any cat here has to be spayed or neutered..
 Even with adoptions of kittens has to be done before they’re adopted. We do not add to the problem!!

These cats are often those who aren’t suited for indoor life but still deserve stability, respect, and compassion.

06/13/2026

Not every day in rescue is easy.

Most days require us to be fluid, flexible, and ready to change plans at a moment’s notice. Behind every smiling photo is a lot of work that people don’t always see.

It’s treating cats with fleas and eye infections, managing vet appointments, helping animals learn to trust, and sometimes welcoming back horses or cats when an adoption doesn’t work out. Returns can be hard, but we always remind ourselves that it’s better for an animal to come back to us than stay in a situation that isn’t the right fit.

It’s also hearing difficult news from veterinarians. Sometimes a horse we’ve hoped would have a riding future is only able to be a companion horse. Those conversations are never easy, but our job is to always do what is best for the animal.

Rescue is full of unexpected challenges, long days, and constant problem-solving. We are constantly moving the chess pieces to make sure every animal gets the care they need.

The hard days are worth it when we see animals healthy, happy, and safe. Thank you to everyone who supports our mission and helps make this work possible!!

06/12/2026

Is there a paw shaped hole in your heart? 💖 Fill it with a ! We have dozens of cats that could benefit greatly from being fostered. In fact, cats that are in foster homes are more likely to find a forever adopter. 🐈 Fosters also help us free up space and resources at the sanctuary so we can rescue more cats. Foster save lives. 🤗 Email [email protected] or call/text (410) 370-4402.

06/11/2026

You now have a chance to support February Star Sanctuary while you shop at StateLineTack. 🛍 We're officially part of their Ride It Forward program! 🐎 Find your supplies and our wish list here: 👉https://www.statelinetack.com/s/february-star-sanctuary

Make State Line Tack your online horse tack destination. Shop for high quality horse supplies and equipment at low prices you won't find anywhere else!

06/10/2026

Say to Swifty Devil! 😘 An important reminder of incredibly handsome chestnut 😍

06/10/2026

Another busy and productive day at February Star Sanctuary!

We started the morning with our Tuesday visit from Scott Key Center, followed by groundwork sessions with Dreamer Girl. Later, we loaded up Missy and Swifty and headed to Spurlock’s for a deeper dive into their future and what they may be capable of.

Updates on Missy & Swifty:

🐴 Missy ( sycamore Miss)
Unfortunately, Missy received difficult news today. The hump in her back is not kissing spine, but rather a congenital defect she was born with. While she may not be experiencing significant pain right now, riding would likely cause increasing discomfort and pain over the coming years.

After careful evaluation we all agreed that the kindest decision is for Missy’s riding days to remain in her past. While this isn’t the outcome we hoped for, her comfort and quality of life will always come first.

🐴 Swifty ( Swifty Devil)
Swifty’s news was more encouraging, but he still has some challenges ahead. His feet are, quite frankly, in rough shape. The X-rays taken today will help us work closely with RJ to develop a plan that will make him much more comfortable moving forward.

Spurlock’s also took X-rays of his knees, which confirmed multiple chips in both knees. Because of this, Swifty will never be suited for a high performance career. However, we believe he could eventually make a wonderful lesson horse, trail horse, or low-level pleasure horse with the right rehabilitation and management.

A huge thank you to Addy for always giving, supporting , organizing everything!

And Reagan and Emory for all of your help today. We couldn’t do this without dedicated volunteers willing to spend long days helping our horses.

To wrap up the day, Reagan worked on trailer-loading skills with Frenchie, while Addy and Dave spent time working Lucky on barrels.

Days like today remind us how fortunate we are to have such an incredible team of volunteers, supporters, veterinarians, farriers, and horse lovers surrounding our sanctuary. We are truly lucky.