One look was all it took.

Tara de Nicolas was riding the subway in New York City in February, scrolling through Facebook, when she saw a picture of a pony 200 miles away.

It was posted by the PA Kill Pen Network, a Facebook page started by the Lifehorse Rescue Inc., a 501(c)(3) rescue organization in Thurmont, Md., to help connect horses with people looking to held fund their rescue from slaughterhouse buyers. The group was trying to raise funds for this particular pony’s bail as she had already been purchased by a kill buyer.

De Nicolas, an amateur rider who evented and a former Chronicle intern, had no experience with rescuing horses, but this pony struck a chord in her.

“She’s on the meat scale in the photo [at the auction]—you can just see her little head,” de Nicolas said. “To think about her being weighed just a piece of meat, that’s what got me.”

Pancha’s photo as posted on the PA Kill Pen Network Facebook page.

The caption on the photo was “Standing on the scale, getting weighed and tagged for slaughter. #6992 Pretty Quarter Horse Mare – 8-10 years old. 14.1 hh. Well built. Very pretty head. Kind eye. Young. Nice height. Frightened, but no bite, kick. Did not know what was being asked of her. Definitely needs ground manner instructions. Experienced handler/trainer recommended. Will make a nice project for any discipline.”

De Nicolas has spent her professional career making a name for herself in fund raising for non-profits. In her work with the Washington Humane Society (D.C.), she founded the Fashion For Paws event, an annual charity gala, and raised more than $4 million dollars for the group over the course of her career with them.

De Nicolas recently accepted a corporate position with Amazon, but she put her fund-raising skills from her previous job to work for the pony, calling out to her friends through social media to help her raise the $1,000 bail fund for her, who at that point was known only by an assigned auction number.

“A chain of really good people, about 12 to 14 friends, all donated from $10 to $200 to get her out,” de Nicolas said.

The pony was safe from slaughter, but there was a catch—the rescue that coordinated her release was at full capacity. Pam White and Beth Walker, volunteers with the rescue who arranged the purchase, couldn’t bring her to the Lifehorse stable.

Nicolas’ next mission was perhaps even more daunting than funding the rescue—she needed someone willing to take a pony no one knew anything about (save her weight) and give her a home.

That’s where hunter/jumper professional Sloane Coles came into the picture. 

“Sloane really is the hero of this story,” de Nicolas said. “I didn’t know where to put this horse. I posted about her on Facebook, and Sloane stepped up and sent her shipper to go get her. I just handled getting the sale—Sloane handled the rest.”

“Her picture just popped up on my newsfeed,” Coles said. “[Tara] had put the money together for her from the auction and I said I would take her.”

Coles had no prior experience in rescuing horses, either. She said her parents had acquired a few ponies from local auctions when she was growing up to retrain as jumping mounts, but this pony was the first she had personally helped.

Coles grew up showing and foxhunting in Virginia and had a prominent junior career that included top-10 placings in the Pessoa/USEF Medal Final, the ASPCA Maclay Final, the USEF Talent Search—East and the WIHS Equitation Classic Final in 2004 through 2006. She now runs her Spring Ledge LLC in The Plains, Va., and shows in the open hunters, hunter derbies, and grand prix classes. She rode Autumn Rhythm to third place in the $25,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby at Devon (Pa.) on June 1.

“I was in Florida when we got her, so a friend of mine, Chris Talley, took her and broke her,” Coles said. “He did a great job. He was in Aiken for the winter, and then I picked her up on the way home from Florida. When we got her, her teeth had never been done, and she wasn’t crazy when they put the saddle on but she didn’t know how to steer or anything. She wouldn’t trot at first, but she’s super level-headed and pretty, very pretty.”

Pancha in her new life, hacking out in the Virginia countryside with Emmie Rhodes.

Dubbed “Pancha” by Coles’ grooms, the little bay pony has settled right in to the sport horse lifestyle at Coles’ farm.

“She goes on trail rides, she’s jumping little courses, and she’s really sweet,” Coles said. “I think she has a little Quarter Horse in her because she’s a little broad-chested, but she doesn’t have a mean bone in her body. She’s so, so sweet. Hopefully I can find a little kid for her. She’ll be ready for a little kid soon; she’s really cute.”

Veterinarians estimate Pancha’s age at about 7, and with her easygoing nature, Coles sees her turning out as a great all-around fox hunting/showing/Pony Clubbing mount for a lucky family. Coles’ students Emmie Rhodes and Riley Hogan have been riding her and preparing her for that next step.

Pancha learning the basics with Emmie Rhodes aboard.

“She’s great, she’s easy, she turns out all night and the guys are taking great care of her and treating her like a show pony,” Coles said. “She looks good and she’s easy. I could have gotten anything—I got lucky I think. We just had the picture, just her head as she’s looking up over the railing. It was fun—I felt like I did somewhat of a good deed.”

That’s putting it very mildly in de Nicolas’ book. 

“Once we had the money I told Pam from the rescue, ‘You don’t understand who Sloane Coles is. This isn’t just a home, this is a dream home. This is a fairy tale,’” de Nicolas said. “I mean I worship Sloane—this is someone who is this incredible rider who is willing to open up her barn and bring in this little pony.

“I have to imagine the visual, this little slaughter house pony walking into this giant barn of show horses worth gosh knows how much,” de Nicolas continued. “What a lucky little pony.”