Murrysville horse rescue ranch sees new addition, increase in volunteers

Pleasant Valley Rescue Ranch was intended to be a place where older horses could live out their lives peacefully without the threat of being auctioned off to the highest bidder.

But that didn't make it any less sad when one of its longtime residents, 23-year-old pony Petite, died on a spring Sunday in late April, the result of a fatty tumor in her small intestine.

Luckily, the mourning was short-lived: exactly a week later, the ranch gained a new resident, a 12-year-old mare aptly named Sunday.

Owner Rachelle Rizzo of Murrysville said Sunday's acquisition is exactly what the ranch was established to do.

“I got a call from one of my volunteers that she was going to the slaughterhouse,” Rizzo said. “There was a group of people here trying to raise money to get her. They came up with a portion of it, and we came up with the rest.”

Rizzo picked Sunday up at an Ebensburg farm, where she was hours away from being sent to her death.

“The guy didn't care if he was getting the money from me or from the meat broker,” Rizzo said. “She was leaving that farm at 7 p.m.”

Now she has a quiet, bucolic home with the half-dozen other residents at the ranch. On a recent cool morning, she and the others were being tended to by Susan Todd of North Huntingdon, one of about 15 volunteers who helps out at the ranch.

“I've wanted a horse since I was a kid, and this is the next best thing,” Todd said. “Plus I'm doing some good for these horses.”

Rizzo said she's been “blessed with a whole crew of volunteers who have come since the last article was published in the paper.”

With an unassuming, sign-free entrance on Pleasant Valley Road, it's easy to drive right past the ranch, perhaps only noticing the thin white ribbons of fencing that enclose its borders.

“Now I have morning and evening volunteers who are very committed and dedicated,” Rizzo said. “They tell me when there's a problem with the horses, they brush them, they ride them — whatever they need. They've become part of this rescue family.”

So, indeed, has Sunday, who like all new additions, had to find her place in the ranch's social order. She appeared to be well settled, mingling with the others and snatching apple halves from Rizzo, who said she is always looking for experienced riders and volunteers to help take care of the horses.

“I have whole families who come out, mothers and sons — it's been really great,” she said.

For more, or to volunteer, visit PleasantValleyRescue.org and click on the “Get Involved” link.

Patrick Varine is a Tribune-Review staff writer.