Emil is Waiting…And Time Matters…
Emil is 21 years old.
He is not broken.
He is not bad.
He is not disposable.
For years, Emil and his person, Carolyn, spent nearly every day together. He was trained, steady, reliable…a true partner. The kind of horse you build your life around. The kind you trust with your body and your heart.
Then something changed.
Emil began struggling metabolically. He was diagnosed with ulcers and PPID…also known as Cushing’s disease. The ulcers were treated, twice, and appear to be resolved. But PPID is different. It is progressive. It impacts the endocrine system…the system responsible for regulation.
PPID compromises a horse’s ability to self regulate stress, pain, fear, and confusion. What once felt manageable can suddenly feel overwhelming. What once passed through the nervous system can get stuck there. The horse isn’t choosing reactivity…it’s happening faster than thought.
As Emil’s PPID progressed, his personality began to change. Trainers tried. Carolyn tried. Everyone tried. Nothing slowed the mental unraveling.
Emil began to feel unsafe in his own body.
Simple things became volatile. Walking on a lead rope. Moving from pasture to barn. Being handled. The fear escalated.
Then the accident happened.
Under saddle, Emil panicked. Carolyn was thrown and dragged. She broke a vertebra in her neck, her scapula, and bones in her right hand.
She survived. But something essential broke too.
Trust.
Carolyn can no longer be safe with Emil. The staff is afraid of him. And once a horse is labeled “dangerous,” the options narrow brutally fast.
Euthanasia.
Pasture board until he dies.
Sold on to another owner…entering a system where, if he cannot be rehabilitated, the end is often a slaughter pipeline.
None of these options honor who Emil is…or what he actually needs.
What Emil needs is sanctuary.
A place where he will never be sold on.
A place where no one will ride him.
A place where no one will demand compliance.
A place where he will be asked only what he can safely give.
A place where, if rehabilitation is possible, it will be attempted patiently and respectfully.
And if it isn’t…he simply gets to live out his days as a horse, with full medical care and relational safety.
That place is Missed Path Sanctuary.
We are a forever sanctuary. We do not rehome. We do not pass challenges down the line. If Emil comes here, his future is settled. No matter what.
But saving Emil’s life requires us to expand.
Because of his medical and psychological needs, Emil requires a specialized pasture setup. We have the land. We have the willingness. We have most of the materials.
What we don’t have are enough T posts.
Hurricane Helene tore through our region and destroyed miles of fencing. T posts are now scarce, and prices have surged. For the 3000 feet of fencing we need to run, we are short exactly 130 posts.
That’s it.
One hundred and thirty T posts.
Six hundred and seventy five dollars.
That is the distance between Emil and sanctuary.
This campaign is simple. Transparent. Direct.
We are raising funds specifically to purchase the remaining T posts needed to build Emil’s pasture. When the posts are funded, the fence gets built. When the fence gets built, Emil comes home.
No fluff. No abstraction. No wasted motion.
This isn’t about saving a “problem horse.”
This is about recognizing a medical condition, a nervous system under siege, and a life that deserves dignity instead of disposal.
If you’ve ever loved a horse.
If you’ve ever watched fear take over a body that didn’t ask for it.
If you believe that some lives deserve more time, not less…
Please help us bring Emil into safety.
One post. Five posts. Or simply a contribution toward the whole.
Together, we can build the fence that saves his life.