Ponderosa Park

Chief and Sunny are led out of the Ponderosa Fun Park by volunteers

In March of 1997, Equine Advocates president, Susan Wagner, first heard about the plight of 27 helpless camp horses who were going to be sold at a slaughter auction. The Ponderosa Fun Park, an upstate New York tourist attraction had gone bankrupt.

In less than 24 hours, Equine Advocates had contacted and networked with volunteers and other rescue groups and miraculously, was able to find homes and place all the horses.

On April 7th, Judge Robert E. Littlefield ruled that the 27 horses embroiled in the Ponderosa bankruptcy case would be immediately turned over to the Equine Advocates, Inc. which had arranged to place and relocate all the horses.

Duke and Cheyenne wait to be transported to their new loving homes in Maryland

"This is a great day for horses, and a bad day for the horse meat industry," said Equine Advocates' president Susan Wagner in a press release.

This rescue effort was covered almost daily by the local newspapers, as the few weeks leading up to the judge's ruling were filled with controversy regarding the fate of the horses. New loving homes for the horses were found in New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Canada.

In October of 1997, the New York State Humane Association awarded Equine Advocates a special "Equine Protection Award," which was primarily given because of the Ponderosa Park horse rescue.