Appalachian Legacy, Inc

Appalachian Legacy, Inc Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Appalachian Legacy, Inc, Lexington, KY.
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I want to take a moment to say a heart felt thank you to each and every person who has reached out, offered support or d...
04/23/2025

I want to take a moment to say a heart felt thank you to each and every person who has reached out, offered support or donated in any way from the very bottom of my heart 🩷

It has sincerely been a bit overwhelming to see the level of kindness and support that has been shown not only from our followers and supporters from across the nation but also our local community. It has been a truly beautiful light in all the uncertainty we are facing. I can't keep up with getting back to everyone at the moment, but know it means the world.

It's often easy to be so focused on the everyday work and long term mission that you don't realize how many people have been standing behind you the whole time, even the ones you didn't know were there.

Sometimes it takes your world falling apart to notice.

As an update to our plans moving forward, it's important that we remain as vague as possible publicly until the property is secure and next steps until we are all safe.

We have crews started working at the mountain of a task (literally) of getting the property prepped for the build.

The first phase is the hardest, most time consuming part as clearing remote, raw land is no easy task. Things will be able to move much more rapidly soon.

In the mean time, we have taken higher security measures on Middle Ground.

At this time, that's all I can share publicly but know we are working hard, taking big steps and most importantly know that none of this would be possible with out the outstanding amount of support you all have shown our little organization.

We are just about half way to reaching our goal to cover the immediate needs to relocate, which is truly mind blowing given we put out our call for help just 3 days ago. We still have a ways to go and it's a long up hill journey ahead but it has taken a HUGE weight off and made what felt like an seemingly insurmountable task feel achievable 🩷

I'm reminded again just how many people truly care about the horses of Coal Country and our mission to create widespread, positive change for them. But also just how far ALI's reach has grown to over the years.

I've been too busy with the working to notice that too.

I'm exhausted. Physically, mentally, emotionally and sick as a dog ontop of it all but I have hope and that is because of YOU ALL 🩷

I'll post more at some point but for now, that's all the brain power I have left for the day.

Thank you for continuing to help me move mountains for the horses of Coal Country 🌻

Fundraising Links:

GoFundMe:
https://gofund.me/73e41e9f

PayPal:
[email protected]

Venmo:


Donor Box through our website or become a reoccurring monthly donor at:
AppalachianLegacyInc.Org

Direct links:
https://linktr.ee/FeralErin

UPDATED Last night every horse persons worst fear happened on Middle Ground. Several of our structures, building materia...
04/19/2025

UPDATED Last night every horse persons worst fear happened on Middle Ground.

Several of our structures, building materials and horse trailer were set on fire.

I have strived to share as much as possible publicly with our donors, supporters and followers about my work here with the feral herds, the journey of taming and building Middle Ground on raw mountain land and some of the adversities and hardships we have faced while bringing this old mountaintop and forgotten horses back to life.

The reality is, there is alot I have not been able to share in regards to the very real dangers I have faced in the process.

It's a risk I've always known. However, I have always felt it was a risk worth standing strong for, to further ALIs work and mission. It has never been a risk taken lightly and it has been a risk I have paid for dearly countless times.

In between the beautiful posts of healing horses and healing land, there have been shoot outs, robberies, harassment, I have dealt with countless drunk men coming to the cabin in the middle of the night, threats of my own life, as well as others I hold dearly, relentless trespassing, vandalism, fireworks shot AT the horses who came here to heal and that I have build a home for. I have stood in the way of bulldozers on multiple occasions and looked into the eyes of people aiming to kill and had to stand my ground to protect our facility, my home and most importantly the horses I have promised to keep safe.

This has been extremely taxing and not something I ever really felt I would share publicly, even now I find myself holding back from expressing the extent of the "behind the scenes battles" endured to create a place like Middle Ground. Even posting this could very likely escalate things, but with every option carefully analyzed, there is no other choice.

It is too time sensitive.

After this past weeks events (much more than last nights fires), I am now in a position where I have to bring these things to light.

It's incredibly important to understand we operate in one of the most rural sectors of Central Appalachia. Counties here have extremely high needs and very low resources to keep citizens safe. Being ontop of a mountain doesn't help much either.

By and large the people and communities we share have been full of some of the greatest, most hard working men and women you could ever meet, but in a place like this; the ones who are bad are as bad as it gets.

The reality is, Middle Ground is no longer safe, for now anyways. It really hasn't been for a while, but with recent escalations, impossible decisions have had to be made. Whether we leave for now and fight this battle from a safe distance and return later or walk away from the entire property, losing our enormous investment here entirely, is still being weighed.

But either way, we need to leave.

At the end of the day I had to come to terms with whether or not continuing here was worth my life or my sons, the life of staff members, visitors and the animals who have no choice but to count on me to make the best decisions possible for them.

And the answer is no. I have entirely too much work to do with my years left to have it come to and end in a battle that really isn't my battle at all.

Nor is it a fair fight.

Not like this.

I wasn't much older than my son when my own father died and that is not a phone call I ever want my son to have to experience.

Not if I can help it.

Our current plan is to get one of our other properties completely locked down, secure labor (always local hires I might add), build basic infrastructure and road work to make the property accessible to be able to get the horses and myself moved to safety as quickly as possible. This also means going back to the "out door living" lifestyle as it will take quite some time to get the roads worked on enough to be able to move the cabin.

This literally means starting from absolute scratch, walking into raw wilderness all over again. However, it is a safe property (or as safe as one can be on a mountain in Eastern Kentucky).

We need to raise IMMEDIATE funds to be able to make this happen.

In order to fully secure the property access, rent all the proper machines and build enough to house our critical care bunch, we will have to raise a minimum of $25,000.

This couldn’t have come at a worse time for us as it has been an extraordinarily difficult year for nonprofits nation wide, but especially for the little guys like us.

So I come to you, those who have watched Appalachian Legacy's and my own journey unfold over the years, with an impossible ask once more to help me continue to help the Wildlings. I would not be posting this if it were not an urgent, dire need.

I will be posting a link to a Go-Fund me as well as our regular giving options below. Every donation is 100% tax deductible and every cent will help us in this seemingly impossible time of need.

Or if you have an equipment company and would like to donate your time and skill to come help us get things done even faster, we need you!

I can not thank each and every one of our donors, supporters, followers and fans enough for your continued support through both good times and treacherous 🩷

Gofundme link: https://gofund.me/762e99ff

Give directly through our website or become a reoccurring donor, further helping us with the longs months to come at AppalachianLegacyInc.Org

PayPal:
[email protected]

Venmo:


Mailing address:
PO Box 1 Lovely Ky 41231

Direct link to donation platforms: https://linktr.ee/FeralErin

Please help share 🙏

*any comments that are not helpful will be deleted. An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind after all.*

UPDATE

My apologies for the delay in getting the Links updated and posted. We have had 2 more incidents (not fire this time) since this was posted. I know folks want more details on all that is happening, given the sensitivity of this matter, I can not share any more that what is posted.

There will be a time and place but that is not here and now.

Just know, there is action being taken.

No horses or animals have been harmed in the fires.

The go fund me is now live and I've added a direct link to PayPal and venmo for those asking.

Thank you ALL for the absolutely overwhelming support to our tiny but mighty rescue. It truly means the world is is a true light in trying times 🩷

Meal on wheels 🤣
04/18/2025

Meal on wheels 🤣

Summer's filly is growing on up 🩷
04/17/2025

Summer's filly is growing on up 🩷

If you've ever wondered what blood, sweat and tears looks like in photo form, for me, it's the pastures on Middle Ground...
04/16/2025

If you've ever wondered what blood, sweat and tears looks like in photo form, for me, it's the pastures on Middle Ground 🩷

These photos are a year apart.

No part of taking on a project like Middle Ground has been easy. The farthest thing, actually. Taming reclaimed wilderness on a strip mine to build a horse rescue is perhaps the most impossible task one could undertake.

Yet, here we are 2 years later doing the damn thing and bringing the mountain back to life. It's easy to forget at times with constant adversities hovering above at all times, just how far all these hard days pioneering Middle Ground have taken us.

"Be the change you want to see in the world." 🌻

The little guy is all settled in, has pain meds on board as well as an anti-inflammatory to keep him comfortable. He has...
04/13/2025

The little guy is all settled in, has pain meds on board as well as an anti-inflammatory to keep him comfortable. He has already started moving a bit better.

With it being the weekend, we will have the vet out first of the week rather than use up an emergency visit. This will also give me some time to get hands on him and a bit more comfortable with humans and our nonsense before his visit.

In the mean time, he will have his own critical care space to limit his motion.

Thank you to all who have stepped up to help us help this sweet feller 🩷 Once we know when his appointment is, I'll be able to post where to call in to help with his impending vet bill. I'll be heading to Tractor Supply tomorrow to pick up our regular feed order and a bed load of pelleted bedding. Our paddocks took the worst of all the recent flooding and need to be fully re-bedded. He will also need de-wormer.

I'm tentatively optimistic, though guarded at the same time, that this guy has a good chance at a positive outcome but all we can do is try for him.

You can sign up to become a monthly donor via our website and help lengthy gathers like his, be possible. So much time goes into safely gathering and more oftenthan not we can not post for support until they are caught and loaded. Some times it only takes a few hours, sometimes it takes days but because of our monthly supporters it can ALWAYS take the time it takes.
AppalachianLegacyInc.Org

🩷 PayPal
[email protected]

🩷 Venmo


🩷 Mailing address
PO Box 1 Lovely Ky 41231

04/12/2025

❗️URGENT NEED❗️

I have been working on catching this yearling c**t for the past several days who has badly injured his shoulder.

He is finally caught and loaded and we are on the way back to Middle Ground. At this time, the extent of his injury is unknown.

Regardless of the outcome, we will need the funds to do all we can do for him. Please consider making a donation towards what ever is next.

Once we are home and he has settled I'll be able to share more direct needs.

Help us help him 💓

You can give via our website at AppalachianLegacyInc.Org

PayPal
[email protected]

Venmo


Mailing address PO Box 1 Lovely Kentucky 41231

04/09/2025

HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who came to our call for help!

Little girl now has quite the wardrobe. Hopefully this will be our last cold snap but we can use these blankets for years to come 💓

Summer was not as thrilled with the delivery and is convinced this purple baby is an imposter 🤣 She has already started to settle about it, but it was rather interesting to watch her wild momma brain try and understand this human nonsense.

None of the packages had who they were from but thank you to all who sent 🩷

"It is not the strength of the body that counts, but the strength of the spirit." ― J.R.R. Tolkien 🌿This incredible mome...
04/09/2025

"It is not the strength of the body that counts, but the strength of the spirit." ― J.R.R. Tolkien 🌿

This incredible moment as two band stallions square off was taken by Fox Trot Photography - Traveling Equine Photographer during her trip last summer.

The longer I look, the more I see.

The whites in the roans eyes.

The strategic placement of the paint stallions legs, keeping them close together to effectively block the roans strike, capturing his leg between his own.

The rippling muscle showing the sheer force of the stallions intent behind each move and the raw power these animals have.

The moment they broke free from each other.
The scars of battles both won and lost on the stallions hides like a tapestry.

What a moment and what a series of photos!! 🤩

✨️Need met✨️Urgent need ❗️Super long shot, but does anyone have a waterproof foal blanket close to Lovely Ky OR able to ...
04/07/2025

✨️Need met✨️

Urgent need ❗️

Super long shot, but does anyone have a waterproof foal blanket close to Lovely Ky OR able to over night one to us? I'll cover shipping!

We have some really cold days/nights rolling in ontop of super saturated ground from the recent storms.

Summer's foal had a bout of neurological symptoms last week. She has pulled through and is on the up swing now but I'm worried about these next few cold/wet days.

Size: She measures 29" from shoulder to tail

Address: 1423 Riverfront Road Ste 100, unit 1 Lovely, KY 41231

Here's a but of a brain teaser: How many horses are in this photo. (Two possible answers 🕵‍♀️)
04/05/2025

Here's a but of a brain teaser: How many horses are in this photo.

(Two possible answers 🕵‍♀️)

Yesterday we welcomed a new face. Meet Ferin! Ferin made the long trip from Maryland to the sanctuary. She came to Rocky...
03/30/2025

Yesterday we welcomed a new face.

Meet Ferin!

Ferin made the long trip from Maryland to the sanctuary. She came to Rocky's Equine rescue after being pulled from a loose lot pen, with a baby on her side and absolutely terrified of humans. We believe she came out of the hills originally before ending up in the lot.

After months and months and several trainers later, Ferin's fears were still very present and little progress could safely be made though Rocky's and trainer worked extensively with her. In her fears, she showed extremely dangerous behaviors with very little sense of self preservation.

Feral and wild horses are extremely difficult to house, care for, require long term professional training and often remain in rescue for years and years before coming remotely adoptable, if they ever find a home at all. Some are easier than others, but there are always those one in a hundred that flat out don't have a place in the human world. Often, these type of horses fall through the cracks or end up euthanized.

To put it shortly, there are very few organizations that can take on a horse like Ferin.

Part of the beauty of Middle Ground and Elsewhere is, they are places for horses just like her. Unable to live safely in "normal" captivity, she can return to the hills and live her days in sanctuary with no pressure to fit any kind of mold, while still having all of her needs met.

She will stay at Middle Ground for a little bit before making her way to Elsewhere. We have several other mares scheduled to head there as well, so this will give her some time to get to know the other mares, making it a smooth transition for her.

She met the herd and after a night of figuring things out, she is happily grazing with everyone this morning. Over the next few days I'll be working on getting her breakaway collar off, if it doesn't fall off on it's own.

Thank you to Rocky's Equine Rescue for making sure this smart, wildy girl had the chance to have a soft place to land.

So love when good organizations working together to do good work 💓

If you'd like to make a donation towards Ferin or any of our tireless work to ensure wild things still have a place to be, you can do so via any of the links below.

It has been a very long, difficult winter but as the weather begins to break, we have endless projects needing to get done. Every single bit helps 💓

🌻Become a monthly donor via
AppalachianLegacyInc.Org

🌻PayPal
[email protected]

🌻Venmo


🌻Mailing address
PO Box 1 Lovely Ky 41231

03/29/2025

Good soup 🍲

03/27/2025

Golden hour feeding time just hits different 🌄

Any volunteers out there want to help deshed some of these raggle-beast babies?

Baby whiskers are just the cutest 😍
03/22/2025

Baby whiskers are just the cutest 😍

Address

Lexington, KY
21702

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