Jo Deibel and Deacon. Photo courtesy of Angel Acres.

On the day before Thanksgiving, Jo Deibel got a call from a woman she knew through Angel Acres Horse Haven, her horse rescue farm in Glenville, Pennsylvania. The woman, Jennifer, had lost her mare the previous night, and her gelding was, posted Deibel on Facebook, “in great distress.” She needed another horse right away to help Jett, the gelding, get through losing his equine buddy.

And that day, Angel Acres placed its last horse in an adoptive home. Deacon, who had been at Angel Acres for over a year, was approved by both Jennifer and Jett, and when he left Deibel’s care, the adoptive work of Angel Acres came to an end.

Five days earlier, Deibel and the board of Angel Acres had announced that the rescue would officially cease operations on December 31, 11 years after it had opened. Deibel estimates that in that time, she and Angel Acres have placed over 600 horses in adoptive homes.

“It was difficult,” said Deibel. “But it’s the right decision.”

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