Relocated Palatine Stables horses are settled in at a Wauconda farm. | Steve Zalusky/szalusky@dailyherald.com
By Steve Zalusky | Daily Herald
Behind a weathered, split-rail fence skirting a solitary gravel driveway, Cadence Gehrke reaches into a clear bag and feeds carrots to a gray Appaloosa mare.
It’s feeding time for Tinker Bell and her cream-colored leopard-spotted Appaloosa gelding companion Fuzzy at Birch Hill Farm in Wauconda.
The farm, with its peaceful pasture teeming with tall grass and wildflowers, is where the two horses are spending their twilight years.
They were among the roughly two dozen school horses and ponies displaced following the controversial closing of the Palatine Stables in late 2024. Now they are among 17 under the care of the nonprofit group Gehrke started, Equine Guardians.
Fuzzy, left, and Tinker Bell share a tender moment at Birch Hill Farm in Wauconda. Steve | Zalusky/szalusky@dailyherald.com
The organization, which is run by former instructors, boarders and longtime riders, has an online fundraising site. Several horses are listed on the website, equineguardians.org.
Equine Guardians is also holding a reunion and fundraiser from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday at SOUL Harbour Ranch in Barrington. Proceeds will go toward the horses’ care.
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