The White Shires were a project of
Stable Environment Equine Rehabilitation (S.E.E.R.)
established by Mary Lou Kaler in 1999
becoming a federally recognized 501C3 in 2017.
The Mission
To give horses in desperate situations a new lease on life.
To provide a horse experience to people who would benefit from it and otherwise not be able to afford it.
To promote the belief that a horse is of value for its being, nature, or "Medicine" as opposed to the popular belief that a horse’s value is equal to its ability to perform physically.
“The mission has been a way of life for me for a long, long time, even as a child.”
Home, 1978
Meet Mary Lou
Mary Lou Kaler has been around horses all her life. She and her horses arrived in East Hampton in 1987.
Mary Lou opened Cove Hollow Stable in ‘93, and in ‘99 the rescue of two Clydesdales birthed Stable Environment Equine Rehabilitation (S.E.E.R.), a 501(c)(3). She also trained Lisa De Kooning’s driving ponies for many years. In 2015 she rescued 4 now-famous Shire horses by compassionately working with their owner for over a year.
She gave up the last of her horses in 2019, ending 51 consecutive years of hands-on ownership.
She joined the CTREE team in 2020.
—As appeared on CTREE
“I was very fortunate as a child to have an abundance of horses and freedom. The first 19 years as an owner caretaker were spent on my family’s farmland located in the suburbs of Long Island NY. My youth was spent riding to and from parks and beaches, pleasure riding. Backyard horses are commonplace in the suburbs. Having relocated to East Hampton with two horses in 1987, I have witnessed the steady decline of Pleasure Horses here. I attribute this to second homeowners choosing the services of Boarding Stables, which are all strictly sport horse facilities here. The riding of Sport Horses is contained within an arena. Pleasure riding or carriage driving is about going places, taking in the scenery, and relaxing for both the horses and the people. I consider it a moving meditation. Long before animal therapy was commonplace I realized the value of sharing my horses with others, even if only for a few moments during a ride through a neighborhood.
During the 90's I became a student of a Medicine Woman and dedicated myself to the healing of the "Two Leggeds" through the way of the Horse Nation. When I created Stable Environment Equine Rehabilitation in 1999 Promoting Horse Medicine, sharing it with people free of charge, and rehabilitating horses and humans became the Mission.
Located at 93 Merchant’s Path
Studies conducted by the Institute of HeartMath provide a clue to explain the bidirectional "healing" that happens when we are near horses. According to researchers, the heart has a larger electromagnetic field and a higher level of intelligence than the brain: A magnetometer can measure the heart's energy field radiating up to 8 to 10 feet around the human body. While this is certainly significant it is perhaps more impressive that the electromagnetic field projected by the horse's heart is five times larger than the human one (imagine a sphere-shaped field that surrounds you).
“The horse's electromagnetic field is stronger than ours and can directly influence our heart rhythm!”
Horses are likely to have what science has identified as a "coherent" heart rhythm (heart rate pattern) which explains why we may "feel better" when we are around them. Studies have found that a coherent heart pattern or HRV is a robust measure of well-being and consistent with emotional states of calm and joy--that is, we exhibit such patterns when we feel positive emotions.
A coherent heart pattern is indicative of a system that can recover and adjust to stressful situations very efficiently. Oftentimes, we only need to be in a horse’s presence to feel a sense of wellness and peace. Research shows that people experience many physiological benefits while interacting with horses, including lowered blood pressure and heart rate, increased levels of beta-endorphins (neurotransmitters that serve as pain suppressors), decreased stress levels, reduced feelings of anger, hostility, tension, and anxiety, improved social functioning; and increased feelings of empowerment, trust, patience, and self-efficacy.
Tales of Mary Lou
Some horses literally have more heart than others. For instance, the racehorse Secretariat had a heart twice the size of an average horse. It’s a genetic trait. Some call it presence. The Shires that I rescued and kept at Dune Alpin Farm for a couple of years had a huge presence. I felt it was a real boon for the community having them there, healing as horses do, but unfortunately, I couldn’t raise enough money to keep it going. The Shires are a critically endangered breed. They are not in demand like Sport horses. Many horse and donkey breeds face the threat of extinction – more so today than at any other time in history. Developing a marketplace for endangered breeds is a critical piece of conserving them for the future. I invite anyone interested in recreating the beauty and healing that the Shires embodied to contact me about acquiring a pair of your own. I am happy to assist with Stable design and management.
Foundation Morgans are another endangered breed. The original Morgan bloodlines were polluted by Saddlebreds in the 30s to create Park Seat gaited show horses. However, some purists kept the Lippits, Lambert’s, and Western working Morgan bloodlines intact. These horses are known for their endurance, loyalty, and “ in your pocket” nature. They make great Pleasure Riding and driving horses, as well as family pets.
Exmoor ponies are a gravely endangered breed, with a total of 95 head reported in the United Kingdom for 2021, and an estimated population worldwide of 330. Their conservation status is listed by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust as "priority", the highest level of concern of the trust. The moor-bred foals need to find good homes each autumn after the gatherings of the free-roaming herd. Surplus moorland-bred foals and ponies bred in-ground (on farms, studs, etc.) are used for a variety of leisure activities including showing, long-distance riding, driving, and agility.
I am all for rescuing horses from the fate of the slaughterhouse, and believe preserving Heritage horses to be equally important. Not for sentimental but practical reasons. Please contact me if you’d like to learn more.
