Visiting the farm is FREE
"How much does it cost to visit the farm?"
is a frequently asked question.
It is absolutely FREE to visit us here at Ray of Light Farm! There is no admission fee. Please come visit us during our business hours, enjoy the day & fresh air!
The Farm has put pony rides on hold for the rest of 2021. We are, however, offering more personal experiences with safe distancing for all. Please read more about the exciting programs we have to offer by clicking the links listed in the box on the right ->
Majority of our programs require advance bookings, so please give us a call to make your appointment. Guinea Pig and Goat Feeding sessions CAN be booked, or done, as a drop in appointment as long as we have an opening that day. All goat & sheep feeding can always be done as a walk in during the goat feeding hours, with no appointment necessary.
So come visit us at the Farm! Make a full day of it; sign up for a program! You can also visit Gillette Castle and Devil's Hopyard, everything is very close! If you get hungry, there is The Town Tavern and Two Wrasslin' Cats Coffee House down the road from us. Also Hadlyme Country Market on the way to the ferry. By the river there Gelston House and La Vita. In Moodus there is Village Pizza.
Enjoy, and hope to see you soon!
FARM HOURS:
Monday - 10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Tuesday - closed
Wednesday - closed
Thursday - 10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Friday - 10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Saturday - 10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Sunday - 10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Learn more about many of our exciting programs by clicking the links below. There is something for EVERYONE!
Mounted & Unmounted Horsemanship Programs
Ray of Light Farm
Every year thousands of horses and donkeys are abandoned, abused or slaughtered. Ray of Light Farm serves as a safe haven for some of these animals by providing medical care, nutritious food, and retraining.
Many of these beautiful animals are then adopted into loving homes. Some very special ones go on to serve humanity as therapy animals. Living out their lives as permanent farm residents, these animals provide a range of little miracles, from giving inspiration and encouragement to an autistic child, to being a gentle and non-judgmental soul for a person suffering or dying from illness.
Ray of Light Farm is open to the public and its animals are available and happy to listen to anyone in need of a friend.
Worth saving...
Bullwinkle is responsible for one of the many success stories of animal assisted therapy. His friend was an 11 year old boy who struggled with confidence, lacked muscle strength and suffered from multiple disabilities. He could not even enter a school without fear. That boy is now a UCONN honors graduate with extraordinary leadership skills pursuing veterinary medicine when he was once told college could not be possible for him.
Born on the farm, his pregnant mother and father were rescued from a feedlot while awaiting slaughter.
Nurse Mare Foal Rescue - Snow's mother was sent to take care of another more expensive foal so that foal's mother could be bred again. Snow was left with no mom. A lot of the nurse foals do not survive.
Bullwinkle is responsible for one of the many success stories of animal assisted therapy. His friend was an 11 year old boy who struggled with confidence, lacked muscle strength and suffered from multiple disabilities. He could not even enter a school without fear. That boy is now a UCONN honors graduate with extraordinary leadership skills pursuing veterinary medicine when he was once told college could not be possible for him.
The horses and donkeys at Ray of Light Farm have an assortment of stories.
Many, but not all, are nurse mare foals and premarin horses and foals. Here is a brief description of each.
Premarin Horses & Foals
(PMU including Prempro, Premphase, Prempac, and Premelle)
For the production of the drug premarin, horses are kept continually pregnant in order for their urine to be collected. When they can no longer reproduce quickly they are sent to the slaughterhouse. Their meat is then sold for human consumption or dog food.
Some foals from these horses are killed immediately after birth and some of the females will be raised to be "Premarin mares" and join the production line. Many will be sold and sent to feedlots to be fattened for slaughter.
Nurse Mare Foals
A nurse mare foal is a foal who was born so that its mother might come into milk. The milk that the nurse mare is producing is used to nourish the foal of another mare, a more “expensive” foal. Primarily these are thoroughbred foals, though certainly not limited to the thoroughbred industry. The nurse mares biological foal is then discarded.