Too cute to spook

With all the opportunities to embrace the spooky season this Halloween, Whistlers Run and Rescue is offering a different type of event for families to enjoy — Punkins and Ponies.

Whistlers Run and Rescue provides a home for all sorts of farm animals to live out their days in a safe, loving environment.

“We’re a 42-acre animal rescue, sanctuary and horse farm,” said Alissa Van Wassenhoven, who runs the operation with her sister, Lauren Underhill. “We have horses of all shapes and sizes, donkeys, sheep, pigs, goats, dogs and cats. About two thirds of our animals, maybe even three quarters, are rescues.”
The rescue operation focuses on horses, specifically those who are in need of a place to ‘retire.’

“We really focus specifically on the draft breeds of horses,” Van Wassenhoven said. “Those are the horses that typically aren’t seen as fancy or impressive, but they’re incredibly powerful. And for that reason, they’re worked very hard. When they come to us, their bodies are pretty broken down. They haven’t had the medical treatment that they should have had and that they deserve. Everyone deserves to stop working at some point.”

At Whistlers Run, Van Wassenhoven said horses are given an opportunity to just experience life with little human intervention.

“They come to Whistlers where they get to enjoy life forever,” she said. “Instead of being moved from one small box inside to one small box outside everyday, the animals have room to just get up to full speed and experience natural behavior. While keeping them safe, we let them live without the control of humans as much as we possibly can.”

Last year, Whitlers Run and Rescue hosted its first ever Punkins and Ponies event, inviting families to experience the magic of the farm.

“One of our favorite things to do is share the farm with families and especially little children,” Van Wassenhoven said. “The farm is owned by my sister and she and I operate it together. We’ve loved animals since we were little, but it’s really hard to get access. How do you go to somebody’s farm and ask to see their horses? It doesn’t work. In part, I think we’re kind of vicariously living through the little kids that we invite to the farm because it’s just such a magical experience to have kids here.”

Although it may not be scary, Van Wassenhoven said there is plenty of Halloween spirt to be seen around the barn.

“For Punkins and Ponies, we kind of dress up the barn a little bit. We dress up the animals to the extent that they allow us, which makes it really pretty and cute inside of the barn,” she said. “It’s a too cute to spook event, so there’s nothing gory, nothing scary. Our kids are older now, but when they were two, five and eight, it was important they had things to do as well and not just the gory haunted house scene. So we invite families to come and bring their little ones and they can trick-or-treat with the animals. We have different games and different prizes and a costume contest.”

Learn more about Whistlers Run and Rescue at whistlersrun.com.