One day in September 2023, Mary Elena Moran drove five hours north from her home in Goshen, New York, to see a draft horse she'd found for sale on Facebook. She knew his owners were in a tight bind, and cared enough to reach out for help. But time was running out - if he didn't sell that weekend, he was going to auction on Monday.

When she met the 18.1 hand Belgian, Moran - an advocate for "thrown away" horses, as well as a New York state trooper and founder and supervisor of their mounted unit - knew immediately that he didn't have many options. His owners shared they had owned the gelding for a year and used him mostly for county fair horse pulls and logging; in fact, he was still wearing giant logging shoes, complete with four inch cleats. He had never been ridden, was questionably sound, and - simply put - he was massive.

"You'd need a ladder to get on him, if he'd ever been ridden before," Moran remembers. "He was too big to be a husband's horse, and he'd only ever had his feet done in stocks. Those were three strikes against him, and I just thought, ‘this poor guy doesn't have a chance.'"

So Moran brought him home, stopping at her farrier along the way to have the logging cleats removed. She renamed him Pumpkin.

Moran, who has extensive experience rehabilitating, retraining, and rehoming horses at risk, decided she would train Pumpkin to ride, then find him an appropriate new home. But as Moran started to work with him, it soon became clear that Pumpkin had in fact, already found his home - with her. And in just two years together, the pair have done everything from public events to veterans sessions to open dressage shows. Pumpkin has been the teacher of new mounted patrol officers, the comforter of the infirm, and serves as an ambassador for a new equine non-profit, Every Horse Counts Inc.

"He has this innate wisdom of knowing his purpose," says Moran. "Just his presence is important to people."

Pumpkin's first public appearance came just five days into his under saddle training. The annual Trail To Zero Ride, held in New York City and hosted by the equine-assisted services organization BraveHearts, was scheduled for that weekend. Moran is a frequent participant in the event, which serves to educate the public about both the incidence of veteran suicide and the opportunities for healing available through equine-assisted services.

"It was one of those things - I just looked at him, and I knew that this wasn't going to be a problem," says Moran. "He was figuring out how to move off the leg well enough, so I guessed that in formation, he was probably going to be fine."

And that was how Pumpkin ended up standing on a cross walk on Church Street in New York City, surrounded by the hustle and bustle of hundreds of people, before he and the other horses and riders made their way down to the World Trade Center Oculus at Ground Zero.

"He was just as still and as grounded as can be," says Moran. "It was like he was born for this, and he has done everything with me since."

Soon, Moran included Pumpkin in the roster for her visits to mounted police schools all over the east coast; he has also participated in the mounted events of National Police Week in Washington DC, where fallen officers are honored, and has even visited the White House.

In addition to his work with veterans programs run through Every Horse Counts, Pumpkin has also recently begun visiting local nursing homes, where residents eagerly greet him from their wheelchairs. Moran says it is a powerful experience to see this 2,200 pound animal standing completely still while gently resting his head in someone's lap.

Whether serving as the flag-bearer on animal adoption day at the Hampton Classic (New York) or conquering dressage tests and obstacle courses at the North American Police Equestrian Championships, Pumpkin makes new friends wherever he goes. He serves as an ambassador not only for rescue horses everywhere, but as an example of what is possible when someone believes in the value of a life.

"Pumpkin has been such a joy and so special that I could never let him go. I acknowledge what a privilege it is to be his steward, so I truly delight in sharing his healing presence and story," says Moran.

"How do you rehabilitate a rescued horse? You build trust through consistency and kindness," she continues. "Every time someone says, 'your horse is so brave, so beautiful, so amazing,' I share his rescue story. Because look at him now - I wouldn't even sell him for a million dollars. For an at-risk horse to transform into being considered having 'infinite worth' leaves a valuable and inspiring message that I feel compelled to share with the world."