Save The Pony Ranch

Asking for help is never easy.   The animals can't speak.

And let’s face it, nothing about the way any of us are living right now is “normal”.   

The Children’s Pony Ranch at Elizabeth Park has been around 61 years….and it’s a beautiful step back in time that families have been enjoying for every single one of those years.  Grandparents who brought their own children here and now watching the happy faces of their grandchildren getting up close to all the residents for the first time in their little lives!

It’s home to Cash, Annie and Armani – the resident horses…

Calypso the Unicorn, Buddy, Image, Jewel, PJ, Pistol, Butterscotch, Latte, Baby Mocha, Crystabell, Daisy, Little Man, Derby, Solo, and Patches – the ponies that get to brag that they’ve taken countless numbers of kids on their very first pony ride…

Amos & Andy – the closest thing you’ll ever get to celebrity donkeys…

Oliver the alpaca…

Star, Timmy, Lou & Moonpie the goats…

Piggy Smalls, Casper, Petunia and Bella the mini pigs…

And we can’t forget the 8 chickens, 3 peacocks, 7 ducks…….oh, and the lone turkey that someone dropped off in the park and Nicole graciously gave him a permanent home.

The Children’s Pony Ranch is in Nicole’s DNA.  She has worked there since 1999 and when it became available in 2015, she jumped at the chance to take it over. 

The Children’s Pony Ranch sees hundreds of families every season and they even book private events.  The ponies love going to birthday parties and everyone is always a huge hit at all the Vintage Market LLC events.

But this year is looking  different.  It’s looking so different that Nicole actually fears having to sell a good portion of the animals and close the pony ranch.

The animals can’t live without hay, grain, or standard veterinary care (including wormer and vaccines).

Easter pony rides were cancelled.

The big Memorial Day Parade and Grand Opening for the ranch has been cancelled.

4th of July has been cancelled.

All of the Vintage Market events have been cancelled for the foreseeable future.

All Gibraltar events have been cancelled.

In addition to normal daily activities that aren’t possible for the ranch under our current restrictions, all of these events are income generators that finance The Children’s Pony Ranch.  That income keeps the animals fed, cared for by their veterinarian  and employs the young adults that help take care of the animals and gives so many kids the opportunity to learn about them.

Thankfully, private Pony Parties have just been okay’d to begin with parties of less than 10, but remember…that includes the workers. 

The truth is, there is just no way possible for Nicole and The Pony Ranch to survive the rest of this year without the hundreds of families coming to visit, feed the animals and ride the ponies.

The animals need our help.  The help of the Downriver families – the community as a whole.  We can help feed and care for the animals and get all of them through this rough season to come back ready for a memory making 2021.

Please help us save our beloved Children’s Pony Ranch and keep these animals – some that Nicole has raised up from babies – where they belong.

We - and every single animal that calls the Elizabeth Park Pony Ranch home - are immensely grateful for any help you can give.