After moving to Bowling Green, Kentucky from Long Island, New York, Karen Thurman opened Rainhill Equine Facility in 1984 as a place to share her love of horses and teach students how to ride. One day, Thurman received a call about a blind Appaloosa mare running through Briley Parkway in Nashville. Thurman took in the mare and, through lots of trial and error, learned how to properly care for blind horses. Thurman received several calls from people asking her to take in and care for their disabled horses, and now she has 52 horses to care for day-to-day.
Karen Thurman fills water buckets for her horses' second feeding of the day. Thurman ensures that all her horses get grained and watered in both the morning and the evening.
With 52 horses and only one person to help her, Thurman is a very busy woman, and she likes it that way.
"These horses can be very dangerous," Thurman remarks, "They like the fact that only I handle them because we have our own system."
Thurman does not accept volunteers to help in the barn. According to her, the horses have gotten used to her voice from talking to them as she works, and adding a new one to the mix could do more harm than good.
"[My horses] have had enough upset in their lives," Thurman says, "I don't want anybody getting hurt."
"These horses can be very dangerous," Thurman remarks, "They like the fact that only I handle them because we have our own system."
Thurman does not accept volunteers to help in the barn. According to her, the horses have gotten used to her voice from talking to them as she works, and adding a new one to the mix could do more harm than good.
"[My horses] have had enough upset in their lives," Thurman says, "I don't want anybody getting hurt."
Karen Thurman and her work partner David Miller unload a truck of grain into the feed room. Thurman reports that each bag of grain can be priced up to $50, and a truckload of hay can be as much as $800. Rainhill Equine Facility relies on the donations of people to keep the doors open and 52 horses fed. "As long as I've got some money, I'm good," Thurman says.
With a deceased husband and two children living far away, Thurman's daily routine revolves around the needs of her animals. She has stepped into the role of a full-time caretaker since retiring as waitress at Cracker Barrel and a parking attendant at Western Kentucky University three years ago.
"I'm happiest when I'm working," Thurman remarks, "I like to be busy."
She says the worst thing someone can call her is lazy.
"I'm happiest when I'm working," Thurman remarks, "I like to be busy."
She says the worst thing someone can call her is lazy.
Karen and David work together to fix the fence of an outdoor pasture. Between taking care of her horses each day, Thurman makes time for fixing and improving older parts of her farm.
Thurman reports that she gets "too many" calls from people asking her to take their disabled horses.
"People don't want a horse that they can't ride. They can't ride the blind horses and so they're the first ones to go," Thurman says, "The imperfect are always the ones that suffer."
She prioritizes her current horses and will not accept more if there is not space in the barn. Thurman says "no" over the phone much more often than she says "yes."
"People don't want a horse that they can't ride. They can't ride the blind horses and so they're the first ones to go," Thurman says, "The imperfect are always the ones that suffer."
She prioritizes her current horses and will not accept more if there is not space in the barn. Thurman says "no" over the phone much more often than she says "yes."
Tonk pokes his head out from his stall at Rainhill Equine Facility. The horse arrived at the facility on Nov. 10, 2023 from a kill pen in Pennsylvania after working as a wagon horse for the Amish. Like many of the horses at Rainhill, it is unknown what caused his blindness.
For Rainhill's 40th anniversary, Thurman plans to build a new barn with outdoor access for all her horses and a concrete storage room instead of a loft. She plans to have the renovations completed by fall 2024.
