About Akindale
The ride is beautiful.
Akindale is a small but extraordinary nonprofit located on 310 acres of Quaker Hill in the mid-Hudson Valley area of Pawling, New York. With over 120 former Thoroughbred racehorses horses in our care, we focus on individualized attention and strategic rehabilitation for their longterm success, and work towards adoption into new families and the goal of finding new careers.
Our mission widens beyond horse care to the aspiration of sharing with horse and non-horse people alike the magic of Akindale, its residents (two- and four-legged), its vistas, and its unique energy. We strive to be a vibrant and valuable member of our local community and beyond.
The past is historic.
Akindale was founded in 2006 by the late John Hettinger, a fixture in the New York racing community and pioneer in area of thoroughbred aftercare.
A passionate advocate for horses, Hettinger set aside hundreds of acres of his Akindale Farm to provide safe-haven for for former thoroughbred race horses. The horses he loved so much now have a home and the prospect of a new future on the land he loved with an equal passion.
The future is
what we make happen.
Akindale began as a safe-haven for horses, evolved to offer the second chances they so deserve, and now works to engage the community—be it local, equestrian or those simply with a heart for what we do—with the joy of this work.
The horses are at the heart of what we do, but it feels nothing other than selfish not to share the joys of Akindale in manners that connect with all walks of life.