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Meet Our Residents
Each member of our herd has a story--and personality--as unique as they are beloved. Read the bios below to learn about them!
Hank
Hank was purchased at an auction by a friend of Chris. She intended to bring him back to her farm for a few days of peace before being put down. Instead Hank rallied, leaving her with a draft horse that she wasn’t prepared to have long-term. We agreed to have Hank join our herd after meeting him. He is a twenty-year-old Brabant Belgian with a beautiful strawberry roan color. Standing at 17 hands tall, Hank is a little shorter than Gary, but his bulk gives him 1,800-odd pounds on our silliest goose.
Gary
Gary is Havenwood’s silliest goose of all. He was purchased by our barn manager Mindi and her daughter Jordan about two years ago. When they got him, he was out of shape and had terrible nutrition. After one year, Gary was doing dressage maneuvers under saddle (despite an old stifle injury) and grew an entire hand! Now standing at eighteen hands, he is our tallest non-draft horse. His appaloosa coloring causes his coat to change from grey to brown depending on the season, earning him the title of “magical color-changing horse.” He will do tricks for cookies, and near anything for Jordan.
Beatrice
Our most beloved donkey Beatrice was gifted to us by our awesome neighbors Neil and Terri, along with her herd brothers, Paul and Ray. Aloof as she may seem, she actually loves people! Despite the stubbornness true to her species, Beatrice is gracious enough to be reasonable, so long as she gets something out of it. She is trained under saddle and can pull carts, but she’s best at melting hearts with her long ears and echoing brays.
Paul
Paul is the older of our white pony duo at twenty-one years old. As the eldest of his mini herd, he takes his leadership role very seriously. He is always at the front of the line, ready for anything. Paul is very intelligent, meaning we have to keep him occupied with puzzles and training to keep him from finding new escape routes. He is fabulous with kids, pulls carts and can ride under saddle.
Ray
Ray is one year younger than Paul and comes from the same parents. He is our resident rogue, always playing it cool while he plans new ways to outfox us. He adores both of his siblings, but he prefers Beatrice over Paul. Gary has become his favorite playmate since our big and little herds began grazing together. Just like his siblings, Ray is cart trained and can be ridden under saddle.
Norman
Norman is named after City Slickers’ own Norman the cow; our resident Walking Dead fans also call him Norman Rheedus. He is a two-year-old miniature American Heritage steer, and he is utterly devoted to his sister Marigold. He could not be more chill. Norman loves cuddles, treats, and quality time with his humans. Both of our mini cows love exploring new grazing areas when we take them for walks on their halters.
Marigold
If Norman is Pinky, Marigold is The Brain. She is four years younger than Norman, coming from the same herd. Despite her nerves, Marigold gets herself and her brother into all sorts of trouble, wiggling into off-limits areas of their field and demanding lots of attention. Once she warms up to you, she’ll make sure you know when she’s upset about something! Just like Beatrice, we can always hear her mooing for food or more pets from across the property.
Eros
Five-year-old Eros is the resident Grandpa-bull. He was paired with Min when they were calves. Now, you won’t see one without the other nearby! Eros came to us missing a horn but none the wiser. What he lacks in pointy bits, he makes up for in size, earning him many comparisons to black bears. Eros has a super chill temperament, which is great for Min and convenient for us. Usually too busy grazing to notice Min’s antics, he still benefits from his brother’s escapes into adjacent grazing areas.
Min
Minotaur, nicknamed “Min”, is our largest escape artist. His curiosity usually lands him outside of his field, playing and grazing until he realizes Eros did not follow him. As self-appointed Farm Supervisor, Min is always following the action and making sure Chris is focused on his fence lines. Unlike Eros, Min loves to play, but he sometimes forgets that he’s a lot bigger than us! He likes his people, though, so he always backs off when he remembers his horns.
Bobby
Bobby has settled nicely into her life as a part-time barn cat, warming up to people slowly but surely. Although she is not outside as much as Bruiser, she loves her concrete time on the porch, soaking up the sun. Of our three cats, Bobby is the most skittish—she prefers to be talked to from afar, way out of reach.
Bruiser
Bruiser, like Bobby, was supposed to be a full-time barn cat. Instead, he spends most of his time sleeping in the sunroom attached to the house. Bruiser loves following people across the driveway, usually splitting off to hunt anything but the mice he’s supposed to go after. You can sometimes find him napping in the flower beds near the house, ready to pounce on a passing human.
Beyond the Veil
As time passes, we have to let go of our loved ones. Learn about the lives and legacies of the herd members who have crossed the rainbow bridge to greener pastures.
Amble (Left) and Athena (Right)
Jo adopted Amble from Gentle Giants Draft Horse Rescue in January of 2020. At the time, he was roughly twenty-four years old. Amble had been adopted and returned twice for being “untrustworthy.” He had spent around twelve years at G.G. before Jodie decided, “Yup, haven’t really been around horses for ten years, but that’s my man!” Amble was 18 hands tall, about 2,300 pounds, and had anxiety issues. He needed a single person that he could trust, and Jodie needed a horse to remind her of who she was before motherhood. It was a perfect match; Amble became Jodie’s Heart Horse. Without Amble, Havenwood would never have existed. Sadly, Amble passed due to complications of an aneurysm in March 2025. He spent his final year being spoiled by his favorite humans on his very own farm.
Athena was queen bee at Havenwood. She was a Percheron, roughly twenty-two years old, and measured 18 hands tall. After spending her life as an Amish workhorse, an untreated infection in her leg led to chronic lymphedema. She was sent to an auction, where her previous owners bought her before she could be sold for meat. To manage her condition, Athena received daily leg baths and various other treatments throughout the year. In March 2026, Athena's condition suddenly worsened. She could no longer get off the ground without help. We made the difficult decision to put her down for her safety and wellbeing. Athena spent her time at Havenwood watching Gary and the ponies goof off from afar. She was a major cookie monster up to her final moments.
Athena was queen bee at Havenwood. She was a Percheron, roughly twenty-two years old, and measured 18 hands tall. After spending her life as an Amish workhorse, an untreated infection in her leg led to chronic lymphedema. She was sent to an auction, where her previous owners bought her before she could be sold for meat. To manage her condition, Athena received daily leg baths and various other treatments throughout the year. In March 2026, Athena's condition suddenly worsened. She could no longer get off the ground without help. We made the difficult decision to put her down for her safety and wellbeing. Athena spent her time at Havenwood watching Gary and the ponies goof off from afar. She was a major cookie monster up to her final moments.
Tika
Tika, formerly Kanin, was adopted from Gentle Giants by Chris’s dad, Jim, in 2018. He was skittish and came with some health issues. Jim had been volunteering at the rescue for about a year, working with Tika to gain his trust. By the end, Tika would have walked off of a cliff for Jim. He came to Havenwood in Fall of 2024. Tika was as curious as he was clever, despite his shyness. He spent most of his time fighting with Gary for Athena’s attention. He spent his final year as a spoiled pasture puff. Tika passed away in November of 2025 from complications of degenerative joint disease.
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