EASTHAMPTON — Tobie, a school horse from Mount Holyoke College, faced an uncertain future after sustaining a life-changing ligament injury. But at Legacy Equine Center & Sanctuary, he has found a place to recover comfortably and call home.

As Tobie strutted around an indoor riding arena at the sanctuary’s home base at 26 Strong St. in Easthampton last week, he was continuing a rehabilitation program designed to rebuild strength in the damaged leg. Yet his story is not unique: Tobie is one of nine horses at the sanctuary — which opened last year — that have overcome similar challenges.

“These are the horses that slip through the cracks,” said Gerry Page, president of the board of directors of Legacy Equine Center & Sanctuary.

The nonprofit operates as both a therapeutic riding center for clients with physical, emotional and cognitive needs and a sanctuary for horses, many of whom, like Tobie, have disabilities. Page said Legacy’s mission is to specifically care for horses that require additional care as they age and grow.

Legacy officially opened its doors last summer and started programming in March. Hundreds of people attended an open house last Saturday to see everything that it has to offer, including meeting the horses.

Tobie’s story started at the intercollegiate riding team at Mount Holyoke College, whose members reached out to Legacy after his injury to see if they could take him.

“They [Mount Holyoke] thought this would be a good match for him [Tobie] because they didn’t want to see him go right back into work and end up getting injured again, which happens a lot,” Page said.

No two horses at Legacy are alike, Page said, adding that the sanctuary intentionally limits the number of horses it houses because providing proper care requires significant time and resources. Legacy also boards horses from other owners giving them a place to stay.

“We’re keeping it contained because we want to be able to make sure that we have the financial stability to take care of these horses,” Page said. “When it comes to a sick or hurt horse, we are not hesitating to pick up the phone and call the vet.”

For therapeutic services, Legacy is a PATH-certified therapeutic riding center — an international qualification for horse riding professionals — hosting sessions for children, adults, veterans and others, as well as other riding lessons and programs. There is currently a wait-list to sign-up for sessions, which people are welcome to join, Page said.

Not all the horses at Legacy participate in therapeutic riding sessions, including Tobie, for multiple reasons, Page said. Tobie may join sessions in the future, but for now she said it’s best to allow him to rehab from his injury.

Nora Britton, a certified therapeutic riding instructor and secretary on the board of the directors of Legacy, said therapeutic sessions can look like riding the horse, walking next to it for support or leading it for a stroll.

“It’s adaptive horseback riding,” Britton said. “It’s tailored to each individual giving the extra support that would be needed, whether it’s physical, emotional, cognitive.”

Legacy Equine Center & Sanctuary was born out of the now-closed Therapeutic Equestrian Center (TEC), a similar therapeutic riding nonprofit that operated independently on the Jericho property along Northampton Street (Route 5) in Holyoke. Britton served as a riding instructor and Page served as executive director at TEC until it closed last year.

TEC was one of the oldest PATH-certified equine centers in the country for more than 40 years, but took a “massive hit” during the pandemic that forced it to close for a year and a half. Funding and donations at the time also fell short, Page said.

Page and Britton said the horses staying at TEC were left with uncertain futures, but they weren’t going to leave them. They both have deep roots at TEC, which Page helped form and where Britton started working when she was 10 years old.

“We just weren’t sustainable any longer,” Page said. “But our whole story (came from) Nora and I saying, ‘We’re not leaving these horses here, we’re not going to just send them away.”

Aside from her role at TEC, Page is also the owner of Legacy Farm — where the center is located — with her husband, Bill Page, for more than 20 years. After assembling a new board of directors, she saw the opportunity to start the Legacy Equine Center & Sanctuary at the farm property, to keep the horses safe.

“The sanctuary piece is different,” Page said. “That’s one of the biggest differences between us and TEC.”

Page said she and Britton brought three horses from TEC to the sanctuary, leaving none behind.

“We didn’t want to see the horses that were in the program — poor, aged horses who have some special needs — we did not want them end up going to an auction, being bought by someone who may not understand, or worse, going to slaughter,” Page said.

Page said launching Legacy has been an exciting transition, allowing the organization to introduce new programs and approaches to horse care and therapy services. The nonprofit also received support from new donors to help get started, she said, noting that strong financial backing is needed to run an organization of this kind.

“We’re on target,” Page said. “We’ve got a great group of people that are supporting us.”