Safe Place Pastures: A Forever Home & Sanctuary For Abused, Neglected Horses
western Wisconsin nonprofit reaches thousands through social media while making a real-life impact
Bloomer native Cheryl Rubenzer has always loved horses. Growing up, from about seven to 14 years old, she rode horses and had one quarter horse named Big Red.
It's no surprise, then, that upon moving back to Wisconsin (Cheryl worked in Chicago for a number of years), she rekindled that longtime connection with horses. In 2023, she bought an old dairy farm and farmhouse in Pleasantville, Wis. – the same place Safe Place Pastures, Inc. would be born.
In 2025, Cheryl founded the nonprofit horse sanctuary, with a dedication to provide a home and rehabilitation efforts for abused and neglected horses.
Safe Place Pastures' mission in action: To provide lifelong care, proper nutrition, veterinarian care and farrier services to horses rescued from tough situations. Here, in their forever home, horses become their own family. They are not adopted out.
Lisa Adleman and Devin Benish round out the board of directors of Safe Place Pastures, assisting with whatever needs to get done, from manual labor to fundraising.
“He came to us very frightened and untouchable. He had been whipped a lot, and the vet said he had broken bones in his face. With time, (Jake) let me touch him. He’s a very smart horse and is a huge favorite on social media.”
CHERYL rubenzer
FOUNDER OF SAFE PLACE PASTURES, ON 17-YEAR-OLD HORSE JAke
Right now, Cheryl said she can't take on volunteers due to the high costs of liability insurance – when starting Safe Place Pastures, Cheryl paid for everything through her personal savings – so the team of three make everything happen, day in and day out.
“I think all three of us sleep, breath and live for horses,” Lisa said. Also a horse lover, she met Cheryl at another stable.
“The chores are always different,” Devin, a horse trainer and owner who met Cheryl through a previous horse-related endeavor, said of the nonprofit's needs. “Whether it's fencing, hay feeding, loading and unloading bales of hay, or standing for the vet and farrier on the days the horses need maintenance, I make the time to help out here.”
Fundraising is primarily accomplished via social media, Cheryl said, where the nonprofit reaches thousands. On TikTok alone, Safe Place Pastures has over 10,000 followers.
Right now, Safe Place Pasture's biggest need is a practical one: a skid steer. That machinery – used for digging, lifting and clearing large materials – typically comes with a price-tag between $5,000 and $10,000.
Getting to know Safe Place Pastures' nine horses
The nonprofit's newest horse, a Belgian named Bethy, is being quarantined for 30 days in the shady corral on the west end of the farm. She was headed to the slaughterhouse, but with Cheryl’s talent and audience on TikTok, sufficient funds were raised to buy and bring her to Safe Place Pastures.
“She came underweight and didn’t want to eat,” Cheryl shared. “In one week, though, she gained 90 pounds.”
The other eight horses hang out in a sunny corral on the east side of the farm, where Cheryl introduced me to each of them.
Izzy, a 23-year-old registered Bashkir curly, was overweight and had laminitis (a painful, debilitating condition in her hooves), when Safe Place Pastures took her in. “We helped her lose 200 pounds,” Cheryl said. “She will always be my heart horse.”
Captain, nicknamed Cap or Cappie, is a 31-year-old standard breed who is blind in one eye. He was injured at an auction before coming to Safe Place Pastures. “When he first came here, he could only walk on three legs for a couple of weeks,” Cheryl said. “We kept hay and water near him so he would not have to walk far. Now, he loves to run in the pasture.”
Jake, nicknamed Jakey or JK, is a 17-year-old draft horse/paint horse cross. “He came to us very frightened and untouchable,” Cheryl shared. “He had been whipped a lot, and the vet said he had broken bones in his face.
“With time, (Jake) let me touch him. He’s a very smart horse and is a huge favorite on social media,” she noted. “He loves to run in the new pasture.”
Tucker, nicknamed Tuckeroni and Rock-a-Roni, is a 17-year-old mini mule. He was beaten prior to rescue, Cheryl said. “He is a sweet little boy who loves to have his ears scratched and be brushed. He became Jake’s best friend and helped bring him back to life.”
Nick, nicknamed Nicki or Nicelodean, is a 31-year-old Belgian. “He was at an auction at the age of 25 and very thin,” Cheryl recalled. “There was no way I was going to let him go to a kill pen. He had worked hard all his life on a farm.
“He is big, quiet, and gentle. Once we started feeding him, he began to look great,” she said.
Stella, nicknamed Stella Bella Boo, is an 18-year-old quarter horse. “She was stuck in a pasture for four years with no hoof care or hoof trims,” Cheryl said. “Horses need their feet trimmed every six to eight weeks. She struggles walking sometimes but is getting better and better every day.”
Jeb, nicknamed Jeblet or Jebbie, an 18-plus-hands Clydesdale, is 21 years old. Described as a “big friendly guy,” Jeb has chronic progressive lymphedema (CPL) after spending most of his life pulling a large wagon loaded with people alongside one other horse.
“He worked in pain, was beaten and fed bad hay. After working for 20 years, his owners were going to send him to a kill pen,” Cheryl said. “(The owners' son) intervened and asked to let (Jeb) come here. He is as sweet as he is big, and although there is not much we can do for his physical condition, we can love him and keep him comfortable. The good thing is he's very happy.”
Maggie, nicknamed Mags or Maggie Mae, is an 18-year-old mammoth mule. A sweetie who loves to be brushed, Maggie has a bone spur in her right leg.
“She worked as a pack mule out west and then was brought here to be trail horse, but the new owners found out about the bone spur and she could not be ridden for more than a mile without pain,” Cheryl said, “so we took her in.”
You, too, can learn more about the horses (and see their personalities!) through the daily updates shared by Safe Place Pastures on Facebook or TikTok (@safeplacepastures).
Learn more about Safe Place Pastures (N41878 County Road E, Whitehall) online at safeplacepastures.org. Tax-deductible donations can be made directly through the website or via Venmo (@safeplacepastures). To reach the Safe Place Pastures team directly, email (info@safeplacepastures.org) or call at (715) 271-7111.
