Sunrise  Horse Farm

June 25, 2026

     It's just before dawn here at Sunrise Horse Farm. John has just turned the kitchen light on and plugged in the coffee maker, and Goddess knows it’s breakfast time!  Seriously, even if the barn doors are closed or her window is frosty with snow, she knows. The horses are fed grain and hay three times a day and you can set your clock by them. Nothing is expected of them, but to be horses. Since we live on a main county road, for safety, they are all snug in their stalls at night. Caring for horses is a twenty-four-hour seven day a week, three-hundred sixty-five day a year commitment. Yes, even at night when you’re sleeping, trust me, you’re on the job. 

There’s an old farmer’s saying about the ups and downs of having a barn close to your farmhouse. “The good news, the barn is so close I can hear everything. The bad news is, the barn is so close I can hear everything.” It’s true!

So many of you all have asked about what actually goes on at a sanctuary farm.  With weekly Insights I will answer that for you and address all your questions along the way as I introduce you to the retirement horses here at Sunrise Horse Farm. Every single one of them has a story. They’re here for a reason. I invite you to learn all about them.

 

 

 

 

With cameras rolling in this behind-the-scenes continuing story of everyday life in the Thoroughbred racing industry, MaryAnn Myers steps out on a bold limb. "I love Thoroughbreds, I love the racetrack, but..." says Myers. "We need to examine the practices of old and re-evaluate the new standards. We need to always, and I mean always, put the horses' and jockeys' safety first. Racing is all about winning, yes, as with most competitive sports. But it is also about the integrity of the sport. Owners and trainers need to be held accountable for the Thoroughbreds they breed and own. These horses run their hearts out, because that's what they were bred to do and that is what they love. But they have no choice of where to go after they are no longer competitive. That is where the integrity of ownership comes in. Everyone involved needs to make a commitment up front to the long respectful life of that Thoroughbred. It's as simple as that." 

 

"Maple Dale took approximately two and a half years to write, and was inspired by actual events. As an equestrian and horse trainer, my husband and I traveled the country and would return home to Ohio only for vacations. When our daughter turned five and was ready to start school, we decided to return home for good. I had sold my favorite horse about three years earlier, because he'd gotten too old to travel cross-country without risk to his health, so one of the first things I did was go look for him. I checked all the stables I knew, was told they thought he was here and then there, and in my travels happened onto a farm where I used to teach riding. It was closed, sold, and ready for development. It was a ghost town. I walked into one of the barns that had the doors open, and looked around. It was eerie, I could almost see and hear the horses. I saw them tacked and ready to go. I saw them eating and bed down for the night. I had so many memories of this place. I turned to leave then, and saw the names of some of the horses I knew still listed on the blackboard for the blacksmith. No one had erased them. And that's when Maple Dale was born."