When a 19-inch-long, hooved little creature —first named Eohippus, later to be classified as Hyracotherium — emerged on Planet Earth some 60 million years ago, it marked one of the true blessings to the human species: the horse. This elegant four-legged beauty was aware only of its immediate environment … while completely unaware of the indispensable role it would ultimately play in the development and success of Homo Sapiens: us.

Think about that a moment, then seriously consider how we would have made it through all the millennia had our dear friend Equus not graciously accommodated us for so long in meeting our vital needs. Also ask yourselves if we have shown enough gratitude to this ultimate companion animal for its unrelenting service and loyalty.

Not always.

And certainly not with the dignity this devoted compadre of ours so rightly deserves. Why, just look at the dread destiny dealt to the loyal workhorse Boxer in George Orwell’s classic book “Animal Farm.” With a perpetual mantra of “I will work harder,” Boxer is rewarded for his longtime loyalty with a devastating trip to the slaughterhouse.

“Just a story,” you say? Read on. Then ask yourselves why horse rescue farms started springing up everywhere in the real world.

Hay Burr Inn Equine Rescue in Plainfield was founded over a decade ago by Cynthia Haberin, lifelong devotee to horses and their well-being and an equestrian since the age of 16. But it all really began for her at the age of 3.

“My Air Force dad was stationed in Wyoming at the time, and while we were visiting a ranch I was placed on the back of a horse … and didn’t want to get off.”

Hooked on horses thereafter, Cynthia later became the proud teenage companion to a thoroughbred quarter-horse named Tuesday.

“All my teenage angst and anxiety went into the horse,” the soft-eyed, middle-aged Cynthia said with a smile of comfort.

Those early years would set in motion a bond that would prove everlasting.

“As a teenager, I’d pack a horse and a dog and went exploring the New England states. Riding on horseback is a very different way to see the world,” said Cynthia, who clearly found it all exhilarating.

She later attended the University of Massachusetts as a pre-vet major, winding up with a degree in animal science and certified as a veterinary technician — "a healer,” as she referenced the culmination of her intensive studies.

In time, Cynthia’s devotion and affinity for loyal equine companions would transcend her own warm rapport with them, and appeal to others of a likeminded penchant for compassion.

Time and experience — and paying full attention to the world around her — would reveal some grim truths to Cynthia Haberin. For all the unselfish dedication and service dear Equus has afforded our species — transportation, agriculture, military movement and combat, exploration, sport, entertainment, therapeutic comfort — the list is virtually endless — the history of how we have reciprocated pales in comparison.

And some of those truths this pillar of a human being eventually uncovered revealed to her how our species is stained indelibly with a streak of shame.

The shame of the “Throwaway Horse.”

It is among many inhumane sins our species has committed against these intelligent, loyal companions, by treating them no better than the ill-fated Boxer from Orwell’s biting “Animal Farm.”

“There’s a part of the horse world that unfortunately gets forgotten,” Cynthia lamented during the interview at the spacious Hay Burr Inn Sanctuary. “Despite the illegality of horse slaughter in the USA, there is a loophole for transporting them to Canada and Mexico (where the actual slaughter takes place), then shipping the meat to Europe and Asia for purchase.

“The ones shipping off these throwaway horses profit from it enormously,” she added bitterly. (How, then, are these long-serving, hooved companions of ours any different than Orwell’s fictional Boxer?)

Yet, our species does harbor its own brand of angels too. Horse rescue farms have emerged throughout the country in the hope of depriving this predatory industry from profiting through its rapacious practice.

Cynthia Haberin’s sanctuary targets these very throwaways that otherwise have little or no hope of rescue. In founding Hay Burr Inn Equine Rescue, which officially became a Charitable 501 (c) (3) organization in 2014, the farm attracted a tightly knit, small core of volunteers who have helped perform veritable miracles for the current 13 horses and one donkey finding sanctuary there … after enduring unspeakable horrors prior to arriving.

The farm itself is a vast refuge of woodland trails, leafy green pastures, and spacious barns that accommodate the inhabitants who had long forgotten such comforts and safety due to their previous ordeals.

When first driving past the iron gates that rise after an authorized vehicle approaches and is admitted, visitors are greeted instantly by a superbly muscled black cat named Ruckus, who saunters down the path leading to the barn as though he were the self-appointed ambassador to the sanctuary.

The charm of his welcome is matched by that of another onetime feral cat, Mayhem, and an Irish Setter named Olive. Cynthia and her crew of friendly volunteers are next in line. (No one connected with Hay Burr Rescue receives a salary … the sanctuary itself is funded entirely by donations from the public.)

Nothing, however, quite compares to that first moment of encountering the farm’s resident horses, who have journeyed from the traumas and despair of the damned — and into the healing hands of the human angels who care for them.

“Ideally, we want to intercept these horses before they wind up in the auction pipeline, because that's where the real abuse takes place," said Cynthia. “The ones we rescue from that pipeline and the ensuing slaughter have undergone beatings, starvation, deprivation of water … and are terrified from being uprooted from their previous lives. These are the throwaways we want to save from further horrors.”

Cynthia compares the way throwaway horses are whisked away to completely alien environments to dropping off a human being somewhere in the middle of a foreign land.

“I started this rescue sanctuary as a means of giving back to the horses, and not expecting anything of them but to just be horses again. And it’s amazing what a little love can do in achieving those ends.”

A recently arrived blind, Arabian Cross Gelding named Angus will bristle softly with pleasure at the slightest touch of your hand, and the sensation of warmth this horse feels in that moment is palpable. That alone lends credibility to the mission of Cynthia and her devoted volunteers.

“It offers such a sense of purpose and a feeling of peace,” she reflected softly.

Hay Burr Inn Rescue volunteer Denise Antonaros had met Cynthia at an open house for the sanctuary.

“I was looking to do Reiki on her stressed horses and so became a volunteer. You’re working physically with them, and you get into a near Zen frame of mind…one of sheer comfort. Coming out here and working with these horses has always helped make the chaos of any day dissolve,” Denise proclaimed with quiet conviction.

Her words were reinforced by the air of absolute calm she exuded while describing her time spent with the farm’s equine residents. She has since become one of the staples of safety and sanctuary afforded the once destitute creatures that had been so betrayed by those utterly lacking in human decency.

“We have a longstanding relationship with EastConn that deals with children, and adolescents with disabilities and mental health problems,” Cynthia added. “A number of high school age students come here and learn to work with horses, and the value of these animals. They also learn to step outside themselves and to care for something else.

“These students learn about boundaries, as well as respect and responsibility. We take care of people here, along with the animals,” the former mental health worker explained.

Another group, ARC, which deals with the developmentally disabled and autism in teenagers, also spends a good deal of time benefiting from interacting with the horses, as do students assigned to perform community service.

“We screen everyone who will be coming in contact with our horses,” said Cynthia, “with no one who might be a potential abuser is admitted into the program.”

Thus far, all the programs involving students have been positive and highly successful.

“Vocational Agricultural High School students are also part of the educational aspect offered by Hay Burr Inn Rescue, where they learn the work ethic involved as well. I consider programs like all of these to be major triumphs,” she added proudly.

Among the most significant current needs at the sanctuary are more hay and grain, due especially to this past summer’s drought and drastically rising costs. Running an operation of this sort, despite its obvious worth, is highly expensive.

“We only recently became eligible to apply for grants and would really benefit from the expertise of a voluntary grant writer,” said Cynthia. “We are not funded by any governmental agencies and rely entirely on the generosity and good will of kindhearted, everyday people. They are the angels who keep things going out here.”

Visitors to the sanctuary are always welcome. Among the more heartwarming moments they’ll experience is to stroll up the enchanting woodland path where the horses enjoy their daily exercise jaunts. It’s pretty much a tearjerker watching these once forlorn and doomed living beings now taking in the gifts of fresh air, freedom, peace, and safety.

And even in the safety of a true retirement, they still serve us. Volunteers there agree.

“It’s peaceful and therapeutic and you develop amazing bonds with these horses. They mirror back to you everything going on inside you, and help you face all of it,” reflected five-year volunteer Ashley Hildebrand.

Retiree Chris Golden explains how she had heard about Hay Burr Inn from a friend and brought a pair of miniature horses there. “I was so taken with all the horses there,” she said. “They teach us so much about trust.”

Volunteer Pat Dows states, “I had returned to this area and saw what my old friend, Cynthia, was doing. I found it all so spiritual and peaceful. When you pass through the gates of this sanctuary, you leave the hustle and bustle of your own life behind and enter a world of comfort where you’re now doing what you really want.”

Laura Sharrow, explains, “One of my former horses developed COPD (asthma or heaves) and came to live here as a result. Rowan needed constant medication and care we could no longer offer. As volunteers, we still see him every day, along with the others.”

Michael Dettore and his teenage daughter Abrianna came to the farm together as volunteers.

“We both love animals, and it feels good to be able to give back and help these horses by building trusting relationships with them, especially after all they’ve been through,” the elder Dettore said. “And I honestly feel like we get back more than we ever give. It also offers quality time that I get to spend with my daughter.”

A recurring theme expressed by every volunteer (the sanctuary always welcomes more) is that these once badly mistreated, sentient beings that have been deemed “throwaways” by unscrupulous humans, apparently offer even more in return to the kindlier representatives of our species who now care for them. That speaks volumes.

“It may be a struggle, but it’s the best-hearted thing I’ve ever done in my life,” said Cynthia. “And we expect nothing more of them than to just be horses.”

To learn more about Hay Burr Inn Equine Rescue or schedule a visit, or about its upcoming public event, the Haunted Trail, go to hayburrinn.org or call 860-213-1028.