BY JANE MEGGITT
Staff Writer

A Millstone Township resident needs to find a new home for Buddy, a horse found roaming the streets of the township earlier this year. MILLSTONE - It is breaking her heart, but Marybeth Pascale has no choice but to find homes for the two horses she rescued.

Pascale made headlines this spring when she took in a young horse found near her house at the intersection of Woodville Road and Sweetmans Lane.

On the morning of April 2, a neighbor alerted Pascale that the horse was standing next to a dead pony. After notifying the state police, Pascale took the young horse back to her farm. Veterinarian Patrick Knapman examined the animal and told Pascale the bay colt was either a standardbred or a thoroughbred.

Although the case received widespread media coverage, no one ever stepped forward to claim the mystery horse, which Pascale named Buddy.

In May, Animal Control Officer Mary Klink informed Pascale that she could keep Buddy since no one had claimed the animal within 30 days. At that time, Pascale said she would never sell Buddy, or the other horse she rescued, a mare named Lucky.

"They're here for the duration, as long as I'm alive," she had said at the time.

However, last month Pascale was diagnosed with Grave's disease, which is an autoimmune disorder that causes overactivity of the thyroid gland, or hyperthyroidism, according to the Web site womenshealth.gov.

Among the symptoms are extreme fatigue, rapid weight loss and heart palpitations, all of which have affected Pascale.

"I feel like every bit of blood has been drained [from me]," she said. "To walk 5 feet is an ordeal."

Pascale has lost 38 pounds in three months, and was in and out of the hospital before finally being diagnosed with Grave's. She can no longer work or care for her horses.

Pascale, who has been living with her ex-husband, is looking for a cheaper place to live.

Pascale said she would give away the horses to approved homes. Anyone interested in the animals must have both veterinary and farrier references.

No horse dealers need apply, she said, as she does not want the horses to end up at an auction or to suffer a worse fate.

"There are a lot of people looking to make money on a horse's meat," she said.

Pascale bought Lucky for $50 off a truck bound for a slaughter plant. The mare was skin and bones at the time, as evidenced by a photo Pascale took when she got her. Now the 3-year-old mare is healthy and beautiful.

Pascale said that Lucky is very sweet and sound, and would make a good horse for an intermediate-level rider.

Casey McMahon, 16, of Millstone, is an accomplished young equestrian. She trained Lucky to be ridden earlier this year.

"Lucky is so smart," she said. "She'd make anyone a nice horse and [could] be trained for any purpose, especially [as] a hunter, because of her conformation and the way she moves."

McMahon said that Lucky is still very young so she would need to be brought up slowly.

"She also loves attention," McMahon said. "She's a horse that will put a smile on your face because she's so easy to work with. She's an easy keeper also and gets along with almost every horse."

Buddy, the mystery colt, is also good-natured, according to Pascale, and is a thoroughbred type as indicated by his gaits.

McMahon said Buddy is "an absolute sweetheart."

Pascale said she would have him gelded before adoption and thinks he is a prospective hunter/jumper type. The yearling is now 15 hands and still growing, she said.

"It will all work out," she said. "I know it."

For more information, call Pascale at (732) 851-5560.