Aman walking along the ocean saw a person off in the distance going back and forth between the surf ‘s edge and the beach. As he approached the person, he could see hundreds of starfish stranded on the sand as a result of the natural action of the tide.
Kathy Ricci rides Broadway Kevin, an 11-year-old pacer that Starfish Stable rescued from an auction where the horse would have likely been sold for slaughter. As the person picked up the starfish one by one, trying to save them, the man was struck by the apparent futility of the task. The man said, “You must be crazy. There are thousands of miles of beach covered with starfish. You can’t possibly make a difference.”
The person looked at the man and then stooped down to pick up one more starfish. The person threw the creature back into the ocean and said, “It sure made a difference to that one.”
Broadway Kevin is one of the starfish in a real-life version of that age-old tale. The former racehorse had fallen on hard times and was an Amish buggy horse on his way to the New Holland auction in New Holland, Pa., where he likely would have been sold for slaughter.
Ellen Harvey, executive director of Harness Racing Communications in Freehold, and some of her friends who call themselves the Starfish Stable rescued the 11-year-old pacer. Upper Freehold Township’s Kathy Ricci is currently training him for a new career as a riding horse.
Ricci, whose late father was a standardbred owner and trainer and whose mother Dottie Hock showsMorgan horses, said Kevin is a big, good-looking horse. She said it was obvious to her that he had not been ridden before, but said he is learning quickly.
“He’s very solid and calm,” she said. “He’s very green now, but has a great disposition.”
Ricci said that in time Kevin will make a good police horse or field hunter.
“My role is to give him the basics,” she said, adding that Kevin is still getting used to the idea of being nurtured.
When Kevin first came to Ricci’s farm, he did not know what to do when offered a treat, she said.
“He has all the great virtues of a standardbred,” she said, referring to his temperament and strength. “With some work, I think he will make a terrific riding horse for someone. I’m glad Starfish found him.”
In relating the history of Starfish Stable, Harvey said that in 2006 she had rustled together some money from a group of friends in or related to the standardbred business for purchasing a standardbred at New Holland.
“I had heard more than one person say that the horses that go through New Holland are old, crippled, mean and not good for anything,” Harvey said. “I wanted to see for myself if those statements were true.”
Kevin is the sixth horse Starfish Stable has rescued.
“Aside from one horse who became seriously ill a month after we got him and had to be euthanized, we have found all our horses to be sound, sane, well mannered and all have been adopted as family pets,” she said.
Harvey said Starfish Stable has a base of about 25 people who contribute whatever amount is affordable for them. The base includes an equine surgeon, and a human surgeon, who is also Harvey’s boyfriend, as well as racing writers, executives and publicists. Others in the group include an Internal Revenue Service agent and CBS News legal editor Andrew Cohen, who is a standardbred owner.
“I keep them posted with photos, updates, etc.,” Harvey said.
Starfish Stable also gets help at New Holland from Kelly Young, of Lost and Found Horse Rescue.
Harvey said the horses do their initial rehab inMilford, Del., with Ginger Young, who gets them initial shots, farrier work, up to a good weight and a chance to relax and be social with people.
Starfish Stable also provides professional training for the rescued horses, although at least one, which goes by the name of January, had already been extensively ridden, according to Harvey.
Harvey welcomed anyone who would like to become a Starfish Stable member to join. However, donations are not tax deductible, she said.
“We are just a collection of friends,” she said. “While I welcome input or help, I make all final decisions on the care of the horses.”
She also suggested that people interested in helping the group’s cause donate to the Standardbred Retirement Foundation (SRF) in the group’s name.
“All the horses we buy at New Holland have gone through either the SRF or Lost and Found Horse Rescue’s program, and adopters are bound by their agreements,” she said.
Anyone interested in adopting Kevin or joining the Starfish Stable should contact Ellen Harvey at 732-780-3700.