MARYLOU TORTORELLO
and 13 HANDS EQUINE RESCUE

Marylou Tortorello’s family moved to Bedford Hills when she was 5 years old, and Marylou has called Bedford home ever since. She has a background in accounting and runs a bookkeeping business called Marylou Tortorello Inc, located at 2 Depot Plaza in Bedford Hills. And her husband, Jeffrey Rubinstein, is a dentist who has an office in Bedford Village Green at 634 Old Post Road.

But Marylou has a kind of second-life beyond bookkeeping in Bedford…She’s the Founder and President, and truly the driving force of 13 Hands Equine Rescue Inc - with over 150 horses in residence at any given point in time, on a 113 acre property, at 50 Tuscan Way in Clinton Corners, New York, about an hour’s drive north of Bedford.

“I’ve always loved animals and had a particular interest in horses,” Marylou declares. “When I was 5 and we moved to Bedford Hills I asked my dad for a horse and he said ‘we can’t afford it, but we’ll get you lessons’. I rode all through high school and remained so fascinated with horses that I enrolled in the Equine Studies program at Pace University, where I was riding three times a week for class credit with the wonderful teacher Ann Grenci, who ran Fox Hill Farms. …My riding career and equestrian focus were interrupted for a while - as my dad convinced me to change from Equine Studies to Accounting. After several years, I went back to riding, and with the help and friendship of my instructor, Kristen Carollo of Courtyard Farm in Bedford Hills, I started to refocus on the world of horses, and particularly the plight of neglected and abused animals.”

“I felt like I needed to do something. I had and still have this overwhelming feeling that neglected and abused horses need help, and I feel a personal responsibility that they need me to help them,” Marylou shares. “I was looking into starting a rescue, and in 2015 I visited a rescue in Vermont. I asked them how I could help…and before I left I adopted Pike and Rain…and never looked back. I rented two spaces from a small farm in Waccabuc…and ‘13 Hands’ - the height of each of those two big ponies - was born!”

“We moved around to bigger properties as we grew. For about three years, Bob and Beth Mancini gave us a sweetheart rental arrangement on their property off Guard Hill Road called Tanrackin Farm , and that was really a turning point for us that put us on the map,” Marylou says with gratitude. “But as the need for rescue increased, we outgrew even those distinguished surroundings, and started looking for a place with a lot more land, where we could help more horses. …Clinton Corners was a dream come true for us. We couldn’t afford it…but the seller liked what we were going to do with the property and miraculously agreed to donate one-half the property and the house to our 501(c)(3) non-profit 13 Hands Equine Rescue - and we closed on January 14, 2020!”

The 13 Hands property is spectacular, and provides the perfect sanctuary for the horses and for the ever-expanding therapeutic program 13 Hands runs for veterans and people with disabilities. “We take abused and neglected animals, with a good portion being acquired from auction. And we get a call about every-other-day from someone who wants to surrender their horse or horses, mostly because they just can’t afford the upkeep. We take miniature horses, donkeys, mules, full-size horses - which is defined as 14 hands or more, and horses of every variety…and we also help other rescues with goats, chickens, bunnies, and feral cats. Some of our horses find permanent sanctuary with us - like Rain and Pike and his buddy named Pancho…all livin’ their best lives! - some are adopted-out to new homes, and others are involved in our therapeutic programming,” Marylou explains. “We’re a bit different from other facilities in the area in the respect that we do rescue, and rehabilitation, and provide therapeutic services; and then also in the respect that our therapeutic services do not involve riding the horses. We’re really running a rescue and equine rehabilitation center, a mental health and wellness provider, and an adoption agency all at the same time…and it’s really a tiny staff who accomplish this tremendous mission! We have many incredible volunteers who help with barn chores, clean up and horse care, but our office staff is two part-time volunteers who help with Communication and Adoptions, one Administrative Assistant, a part-time Community Outreach employee, and one person for Social Media….and they get just about everything done. The Board is also involved in our mission. We’re extremely fortunate to have a loyal group of donors, but I’ve always been a person focused on helping others and I’ve never really been good at asking for donations,” Marylou admits. “We could really use a few heavy-hitters on our Board, we always need donations, and we’re constantly looking for people to care and help!”

“For me, it’s like a second full-time job. I’ve saved a lot of animals and helped a lot of people, and that makes me feel good. I’ll probably do it the rest of my life…and because of that I’ll probably have to be doing bookkeeping forever, too!” Marylou laughs. “But, seriously, there’s plenty left to be done! We’re affiliated with Mental Health of America of Dutchess County and their Executive Director, Andrew Grady, serves on our Board and as a valuable liaison, and with his lead, 13 Hands is working with their ‘Vet to Vet’ program and expanding the reach and range of our mental health and wellness programming. We are also extremely blessed to have Jennifer Cohen Harper, a mindfulness and yoga instructor and a trauma focused equine assisted learning provider, who facilitates retreats where participants go through mindfulness-based practices while also working with the horses.”

Always focused on the next thing she can do for 13 Hands, Marylou adds, “One of our goals is a capital campaign to raise funds for an indoor facility where therapy and much needed horse training can happen all year long without interruption due to weather and temperatures. Another goal is to acquire the 58-acre property located on a shared driveway and is immediately adjacent to the existing facility. The property would be home to the equines that will always call 13 Hands their forever home. The aging, hard to keep horses that are not easily adopted, and of course our three zebras, will live out their lives according to the mission of 13 Hands. …And we could even develop nature walks, so many more people could come and enjoy the property…and get involved with the animals!”