Interview of Maddie Mayer

Maddie Mayer has been riding horses since she could walk. She is the oldest of three sisters, and set a path that they both followed. The three sisters competed showing American Saddlebreds for close to ten years before deciding to retire them. With their retirement, the family decided to adopt and rescue other horses to live on the farm.

The Farm: Silver Horse Manor
The photos above show me and Maddie when we both used to compete. The horse on the right, Justin, lives on the farm today. In 2021 Maddie, her younger sisters, and I started a small lesson program for young children with a love for horses. Rather than competing, we created a program to teach horse care and riding lessons. We have hosted summer camps each year since, and it has been a wonderful time and a lot of work. Maddie led the venture at first, until 2023 when she graduated. Her younger sister Jackie stepped up to take over the lesson program.

Summer Camp ’24
Below are photos from the Summer Camp in 2024. By hosting these summer camps we give kids a space to learn how to ride, groom, and feed these horses in a safe and fun way. Counselors are able to build close and meaningful relationships with campers.

A little about horse rescue and retirement…
Rescuing gives horses a second chance at life. Horses are expensive and large animals to care for, they require a lot of resources. Often when shelters run out of room, horses can be sent to slaughter houses. By rescuing and rehabilitating these horses we offer them a chance to become lesson horses. This farm is also a safe place for horses to come to retire. The majority of the first horses that lived on the farm had competed their entire lives. This was their first true taste of life outside of a stall. Watching the retired horses adjust to living outside was wonderful. It felt like they were allowed to be where they were meant to be. My oldest horse, Scooby showed the most changes. He went from being grumpy and unhappy, to being the sweetest and most loving horse in his pasture.