Missed Path Sanctuary

04/17/2026

Pssst… wanna hang out with the herd?

Come and join us on Saturday 25th for our April "Open Horse"—we'd love to see you!

Think "open house, but with horses"… Come and meet our four-legged family, meet like-minded folks, and enjoy snacks and refreshments in a relaxed setting. You can talk to us about upcoming programs and events, and find out about volunteering opportunities!

The event itself is always free, though of course we're grateful for any support! Sign up at

You’ve heard of an Open House… well this is an Open Horse!On Saturday 25th, in the afternoon, we’ll be opening the gates at Missed Path Sanctuary and inviting people to drop by, meet the herd, walk the land, and spend some unstructured time with us—Marc, Mike, and the horses who call this pl...

03/26/2026

It's a happy Gotcha Day to this handsome boy today!

Sunny (Sundance) arrived four years ago, and was the horse that forced us to rethink everything we thought we were doing (i.e. keeping a couple of horses to ride and take care of) and switch our focus to rescue and rehabilitation.

We bought Sunny as a riding horse for Marc, but he turned up in terrible shape—covered in scars and whip marks, and with skin so delicate he bled whenever he brushed against anything. He also had a scar across his tongue where he nearly bit through it, because his mouth was tied when he was being "broken".

A few months after he arrived and felt safe to stop tensing and bracing, he finally unclenched and basically fell to pieces. It took him around three years to really soften and start to feel safe. But when he finally did, his real personality started to come through again…

As these pictures show, he's learned to love people—even though his people gave him a really rough start—and he turns out to have quite a personality. He's our most curious horse, and will pull tools out of bags and rearrange them when you're not looking… He's also confident enough at this point to be Melodie's second-in-command, and helps to keep the rest of the herd in order.

The work we do can be a very long, slow process. Sometimes it's time that's the most important factor. Four years on, we're so happy we were able to give Sunny the time and care he needed to heal.

Happy 4th Gotcha Day, Sunny! We're so glad you found your path with us!

03/10/2026

And then there were seven!

Our new arrival, Emil (furthest left) took his place in the morning lineup for the first time today, joining the rest of the herd for grooming and feeding. Emil’s still hanging out in an adjacent pen while he and the others get acquainted, but bringing him in for feeding time helps us to establish a routine and get everyone used to being in the same space.

So, from left we now have Emil, little Petie (if you look carefully!), Becca, Daisy, Sunny, Melodie and Annie. Reverse that order and that’s the order they arrived.

We have more spaces on the fence, but we’re planning on Emil being our last addition for a while. Stay tuned for more on his story and progress!

03/10/2026

A cool scene from last night in the paddock.

Sunny (the palomino quarter horse) keeps a careful lookout as Petie and Becca (our recently integrated minis) and Emil, our new arrival, eat hay in the moonlight.

Sunny often stands watch here. He’s Melodie’s second in command and takes his duties very seriously. He’s come a long way in the four years he’s been with us. More on that to come as he approaches his anniversary later this month.

03/07/2026

Wonderful day… wonderful people.

Thanks to everyone who came out for today’s Open Horse! We loved meeting y’all, and we hope you’ll be coming back soon (some of you as volunteers!)

Sign up for our newsletter at https://www.missedpathsanctuary.org for details of our forthcoming events!

03/05/2026

Every once in a while, we open the gates and let the afternoon be exactly what it wants to be…

Open Horse is a simple invitation to come out to the sanctuary, meet the horses, walk the land, spend some unstructured time with like-minded people…and meet the herd that makes this place what it is…

This isn’t an event you need to prepare for…There’s no schedule to follow and nothing you’re expected to do…You can wander, ask questions, stand quietly with a horse, sit by the fire, or just take in the space and see how it feels to be here.

If you’ve been curious about the sanctuary…about the horses…about volunteering, or about us and the work we’re quietly building, this is a relaxed way to experience it without pressure or performance…
There’ll be something warm on the stove, tea nearby, and space to simply be yourself…

Come for a short visit or stay awhile..

Let the afternoon unfold naturally…

See the link below to register for this free event…

Open gates…Open time…Open horses.

We’d love to meet you this Saturday, 7 March, 12-4pm.

Register at https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/march-open-horse

03/03/2026

The morning lineup!

Horses thrive on routine, so we try to make sure we start their day the same way every day.

First everyone lines up at the fence (some mornings they help us with this by lining up on their own!) and gets haltered and tethered.

Then come grooming and any treatments, treats for good behavior, and then feeding time, before everyone gets released into the paddock for the day.

Today marks five months since Petie and Becca—the two mini horses on the left in the video—joined us, and they've come a long way in that time. They've been in their own area till very recently, but in the last few days they've been integrated with the rest of the herd and are now taking their own spots in the morning lineup.

Things are all pretty nicely settled—just in time to welcome our new rescue horse, Emil, who'll be coming in on Thursday…

Watch the video and check out Marc giving everyone their morning treats!

03/01/2026

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐘𝐞𝐬 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐋𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐬

There is a version of rescue that runs on intensity…The urgent story…The heartbreaking photo…The last-minute deadline…It’s easy to pull people into that energy…Most of us are wired to respond to crisis…So, that version tends to make money…

But at Missed Path Sanctuary, we build from 𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞𝐬 not 𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐬…

We are a forever sanctuary…

We do not rehabilitate horses only to send them back into the same system that failed them… We do not risk our horses ending up in a dogfood can or as zoo meat; by cycling them through…We do not rely on resale to sustain our work…We do not rehome…And we do not take them in with the vague hope that it will somehow work out…

When we say yes…we are saying yes for a lifetime…

A decade…Maybe two…

Feed, Farrier, Veterinary Care….
Land, Shelter, Infrastructure…
Herd integration, Nervous system impact…
End of life care…and burial…

That is what ‘yes’ actually encompasses…

And, when your resources are limited, you don’t have the luxury of doing what your heart aches to do…You must work from a different metric…𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞…

The reality is, we must choose from the values that support our future…Even when it breaks our hearts to do so…

𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲, 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐬…

Emil…a younger horse with metabolic issues…
And Dusty…an older horse with a serious heart condition….

Dusty is not a stranger to me…He is one of the first horses I ever worked with…

I rode him…I cared for his wounds…I tended him through illness…𝐈 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲…

Years ago, I promised myself I would keep a space for him at the sanctuary if he ever needed it…And now he does…

Dusty would require significant medical expense up front…And because of his condition, bringing him here would likely mean our herd would go through integration…and then loss…within a short window…My heart would risk it all to take him in…Because I know that he doesn’t have much time left, and I want him to spend it with me……

Emil, on the other hand, will cost more over time…

𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬!

But Emil has more time ahead of him…More years to settle…More years for relationships that serve humans…More years for regulated presence within a stable herd…

So, I chose Emil…

It kills me to have to choose practicality over love…

Because my heart would rescue every horse that needs it…

But the sanctuary cannot be built on my heart alone…

Our bank account…
Our acreage…
The capacity of our volunteers…
The nervous systems of the horses already living here…

They create a reality I do not get to ignore…

The needs of the many already entrusted to this land…Outnumber the needs of the one I wish I could save…

That is a bitter truth…And it does not make the love smaller…But, it does makes the limits harder to ignore…

I once promised myself I would keep a space for Dusty...

I meant it…

But a space in a sanctuary is not a concept…

It is land…
It is money...
It is the nervous system of an entire herd…

And if keeping that promise fractures the larger one…The promise to protect what is already standing here…Then I am not keeping a vow…

I am breaking one…

So Emil is here...

Because the promise to this sanctuary must come first...

Making this decision was brutal…And I will carry the ache of it with me forever…But Emil will thrive here…Emil loves children and will make them feel safe and confident…Emil will bring joy and peace to countless people…And Emil will put the least amount of strain on our ecosystem…He’ll make a great addition to the herd…

Welcome Emil.

02/17/2026

Today we step into the 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞…and I have to admit, I feel this one deeply, because...

I’m a Fire Horse

All my life I’ve identified as a ‘work horse’ and as I grew older, and learned to appreciate the ‘fire’, I really began to connect to my Fire Horse identity…Fire Horse energy is about forward movement…It’s courage…It’s momentum…It’s the part of you that knows when something is complete…And, it’s the part of you who refuses to let your history define your present...

Here’s the truth…

Last year, after Helene, was not the year for bold expansion…
It was the year for steadiness…For rebuilding…For tending the land, protecting the herd, and doing what needed to be done without rushing the process…

It wasn’t the year to sprint...
It was the year to stay sturdy and strong…

We showed up for our community…We stayed grounded…We stayed committed to what matters…softness, sovereignty, service, clarity, trust…And most especially, 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐀𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍…

And now we’re closing the 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐧𝐚𝐤𝐞…a year of shedding…Of releasing what no longer fits…Of letting go of old timelines, old expectations, old habits…But, more than anything, it’s about letting go of the history and the structures that no longer serve us….

It’s time to move forward…

At Missed Path Sanctuary, we’re stepping into this new year with real momentum and real intention…Not to commercialize the herd…Not to turn healing into a product…But, simply, to widen the circle…To share our gifts with as many people as possible…
This sanctuary was never built to make horses useful…It was built as a refuge…a place where rescue horses are given the time and space to decompress, rebuild trust, and remember who they are…

Our horses need this…
And so do our humans...

So this year, we’re expanding the work in ways that reflect our truth...

More guided equine presence sessions…
More small group team building experiences…
More time in the pasture where you can’t posture…because the horses won’t let you!

We’re deepening 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐞𝐬…quiet moments where children sit and read in the calm presence of horses who know what it means to be given a second chance…No pressure…No agenda…Just safety and softness…

We’re growing 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐞𝐞𝐧…our elder visitation program, where our miniature horses step into care facilities and remind people who may feel forgotten that they are still worthy of connection, still worthy of being seen…

This is what forward movement looks like for us…

Not louder…
Just more conscious..More connected…More determined…

Horses don’t rush..
They pause…They feel…They stay aware…They read the energy…

And when it’s time…

They move…

That’s the kind of momentum I’m claiming for this year…

So, if something in you has been waiting for the right time to move forward…maybe this is it…If something calls you to the Missed Path, then perhaps its time to come visit us…But, whatever is calling you, now is the perfect time to answer…
𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫, 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬!!!

Let’s shed the old…and step boldly into what’s next!

02/05/2026

The temperatures this Saturday are threatening to be very cold—a high of 31º with a wind that makes it feel more like 15º.

With that in mind, we’ve chosen to cancel this month’s Open Horse as we’re concerned about people being too cold outside. We’re hopeful that things will warm up in the next few weeks and we’d love for you to join us next month, on Saturday 7th March.

Please sign up for March at https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/march-open-horse

With gratitude,
Marc, Mike and the Herd 🐴

01/27/2026

Outgrowing One's History

There’s a quiet truth about growth that doesn’t get talked about much…

You can do the work…You can heal…You can recover…You can become a genuinely different version of yourself…

And still…your history can follow you.

Not because you haven’t changed…but because some people can’t change how they see you.

They may forgive…but forgiveness often comes with vigilance.
Watching…Waiting…Bracing for the moment that proves the doubt was justified.

Dangerous
Untrustworthy
Aggressive

Once a label like this is applied, it rarely loosens its grip.

From there, everything gets filtered through expectation…Confirmation bias takes over…and suddenly every small moment becomes evidence.

A stumble…
A bad day…
Proof that nothing has really changed.

This shows up everywhere…but it’s especially visible in the horse world…

Too much horse
Unsafe
Unpredictable

Unless someone is willing to slow things down and actually look at the big picture, these labels will decide how the story ends…Not because the horse can’t change…but because history speaks louder than the present, and people rarely forget it…

Emil is a 21-year-old pony who spent most of his life being known as a good horse.

Then his health declined…Pain disrupted his nervous system…Regulation disappeared.

Eventually, he physically hurt his owner.

Right now, Emil is dangerous…not because he’s bad, but because he’s dysregulated and hurting and he can’t communicate his needs…

But the trust between him and his owner is gone…and the label is fixed.

That doesn’t make her wrong.

It makes her human…

Fear takes over in humans, the same way it takes over in horses

Fear doesn’t just protect us…it edits reality and makes everything suspect…The ten-year bond between this horse and his owner is damaged beyond repair…To his owner, Emil will always be ‘DANGEROUS’…The horse that caused her severe physical damage…Nothing can change that…

This is why The Missed Path Sanctuary exists.

We believe everyone deserves a chance at redemption…and once redeemed, a chance to outgrow their history…We’re going to provide Emil that chance…

At the sanctuary, Emil won’t be asked to prove anything…

He won’t be ridden…
He won’t be trained to meet expectations…

He’ll receive expert healthcare…
He’ll be given time…
He’ll get to just be a horse again…

And that matters…because when a horse is allowed to exist without expectation hanging over them, something fundamental changes…The nervous system settles…Defenses soften…What’s natural has room to come back online…

That kind of space…the space to simply be a horse without expectation or suspicion...the space to outgrow one’s history…does more than heal bodies…It restores trust…

Once you’ve seen what that kind of space makes possible, it’s hard to ignore how rarely we offer it to each other.

Because this isn’t just about horses.

It’s about anyone who has ever been reduced to their worst moment…anyone who changed and still wasn’t believed.

Sometimes the only way to truly outgrow your history is to go somewhere it isn’t constantly remembered…where you’re not being measured against your breaking point…where you get to be seen for who you are now.

Everyone deserves that chance.
Human or horse.

That’s what outgrowing one’s history really means…
And that’s why we do what we do.
This piece is from our January newsletter. If you never want to miss an update or a piece like this by -difrancia, sign-up here: https://www.missedpathsanctuary.org/contact-us

01/26/2026

We dodged a nasty, icy bullet…

Here at Missed Path Sanctuary we made all the preparations we could ahead of Storm Fern. On Sunday morning we awoke to a covering of ice and snow that made it treacherous just to move around the yard.

But by early afternoon, temperatures were rising here in the valley and we got an afternoon of rain that cleared most of it away. This morning it’s cold out there (the horses will be keeping their coats on a lot this week!) but everyone is safe and sound.

Here’s Monday morning’s view. Wherever you are, we hope you’re safe and made it through in one piece!