Dan Wuchter Sr. and wife, Laurie bought their 13-acre Weisenberg Township property in 2008.

The land is now fenced and their passion is beginning to become a reality as they have nine horses enjoying life – a life, most likely saved from the slaughterhouse.

One of the horses is the surviving half of a team from Quiet Valley Living Historical Farm where Laurie, the horse, worked for 18 years.

"Here, they are lawn ornaments," said Laurie, of Wuchter Mountainview Horse Rescue and Safe Sanctuary.

In addition to giving rescued horses a new lease on life, the Wuchters are seeking 4,000 signatures on a petition to prevent their transportation in double-decker trucks, which are not high enough for horses.

The petition also mentions their slaughter, which is by inhumane whether by a bolt driven into the head or an attempt to sever the spinal cord, each of which may leave the horse alive.

"Our mission is to raise awareness," Laurie said.

Seeing horses loaded into trucks was what first upset Laurie.

Horses bound for slaughter are not loaded at an auction till other people leave.

She added the horsemeat brings top dollar overseas but is not used to feed the hungry in the United States.

At Wuchter Mountainview Horse Rescue and Safe Sanctuary there are two pastures with a run-in shelter in each.

Hay is stored in trailers but space for a barn has been prepared and only waits for the mud to dry or freeze.

"It's just a joy to take care of them," Dan said.

His most memorable rescue horse was Two-eyed Hank, a rodeo horse eyed Hank, a rodeo horse he saw at the New Holland auction.

A feed-lot owner had bought him but Dan walked up to him and the horse looked at him and sighed.

"I told him he was safe now. He was only with us six weeks till he began having seizures," Dan said. "He was a good boy. I told him I was glad he had some good time."

Laurie saw a horse in a television commercial that looked like Two-eyed Hank with his tail up and running on the beach.

"It was like Two-eyed Hank was running in heaven," Laurie said

Our goal is to rescue as many four-legged children as we can, she explained.

Dan said he found four tiny kittens. They are in a room in the house and were scheduled to be neutered before being let outside with the other cats.

Other rescue horses at the sanctuary are Camp, who lost her job as a camp horse when the economy started failing. She was taken to the New Holland auction and purchased by a feed lot. Wuchters saw her and bought her.

Amish was purchased from an Amish boy. Mike is still young at 9 but is tired of being hungry and mistreated.

Little Grey was afraid of people, but has settled in well at the sanctuary.

Pride and Joy were purchased together 15 minutes before they would have been loaded on a slaughter truck.

Wuchters have applied for a 501(c)3 nonprofit designation. Many people have volunteered to help care for the rescue horses but Laurie cannot get volunteer insurance until she has the nonprofit status.

The main goal at this time is to get the new barn set up with running water and electricity. There is a 15-acre parcel of land that they will lease with the possibility of an additional eight acres. That would provide room for many more horses and better rotation on pastures. They worried about the horses during Hurricane Sandy but no problems developed.

A neighbor, a horse vet tech from Florida, Christine Finley, helps out when needed.

Lisa, who donated Ruffino, the newest member of the herd, is going to take Fuller who is healthy enough to still be useful. Sometimes things work out well.

Laurie, a North Carolina girl, said that as a child she had a pony on every Christmas list. Her sister had a horse, so finally she quit hoping and worked cleaning dog kennels at $15 a week for that first horse. His name was Chad and she describes him as a "mean" horse, but he was hers. She cleaned 80 stalls a day to pay for his board.

Dan bought his first horse from Frank Koehler. He won barrelracing trophies with him. At the time his family owned land in New Tripoli.

"This is what our passion is. I could have had a swimming pool," said Laurie.

Mountainview Horse Rescue is located at 4508 Winding Road, New Tripoli, Pa. 18066 – 610-217-2535 or 610-437-2144, or email at info@ mtviewhorserescue.com.