Thea is a mini horse that came to Twist of Fate in early 2018. She had been used countless times for breeding and had recently given birth to a girl. Most likely due to inbreeding (which is very common in animals bred for slaughter or profit), Thea's baby was born with a form of dwarfism and also a significant birth defect - all four of her ankles turned inward when she walked and they couldn't support her own weight. This was very painful for the baby that was named Pumpkin. Thea and Pumpkin's original "owners" didn't have the funds or desire to care for this special needs baby and decided that Thea was no longer useful for breeding and so agreed to surrender both of them to Ashley DiFelice so that she could take them home to Twist of Fate. Ashley was concerned for Pumpkin's overall quality of life and looked into options for helping her over euthanization. Deacon especially formed a tight bond with Pumpkin - they were the same height when she and Thea arrived, and Deacon's nickname for her was "big unicorn". He very much wanted to run around the fields with her, something that Pumpkin couldn't do in her current condition.
It was recommended by the vets that Pumpkin stay in a stall for most of the day and even though that would be safer for her, Ashley was upset that Pumpkin wouldn't get to explore and graze like her mother or the other horses. So Ashley contacted a company that specializes in designing prosthetics for animals, and he took casts of her legs to fit her with braces and made them himself. This was one of the first cases where a horse would have braces on ALL FOUR of their legs, so it came with a few risks and unknowns. This prototype set unfortunately didn't work as Pumpkin took to them okay but they didn't stop her legs from bending in an uncomfortable manner. However the second set miraculously worked and as soon as Pumpkin had them on she started running around as if she had been wearing them her whole life. Pumpkin gained a few inches of height, and she had never run before. This must have been so amazing to witness!
The braces earned Pumpkin another nickname, "Robopony". The braces helped but they knew she would do even better with surgery and could possibly even get permanent relief. Twist of Fate set up a GoFundMe to help with the costs and it was scheduled for May 24, 2018. Pumpkin and Thea stayed at the hospital until June 12th. Thea was fine, she was just keeping her baby company and may have still been nursing her at that time as well.
In the time that mama and baby were in the hospital, Ashley was alerted to another mini horse that was 3 weeks old and born with the same defects as Pumpkin. The farmer who "owned" him was going to have him euthanized and he wanted nothing to do with his special needs or ongoing care, but agreed to give him up so that he could get the help that he needed. Ashley begged for the farmer to release the baby boy's mother too, but he refused because he still wanted to breed her and make money off of her and her babies. So sad and sick. The little foal was sadly separated from his mom but given a new life. Deacon named him Cutecumber, often called just "Cute" or "Cumber".
Cumber was given splints for his legs and eventually molds for braces were made as well. There is a photo of Cumber with his braces on and another one of him spending time outside with Deacon and going for a walk, so the braces seem to have worked out for him too. Thea, Pumpkin, and Cumber were eventually all introduced and became a loving little family.
Pumpkin had at least one more surgery, but the last post about Pumpkin on the former Twist of Fate Patreon (which again is the only form of media that I have access to from the old TOF) was on September 17, 2019. The last post about Cumber was April 10, 2019. Thea was hardly ever mentioned or in photos - even in the pics of her with her daughter you can only see parts of her. The last post about Thea was way back on June 12, 2018.
As far as I know or that anyone can recount, Ashley never publicly posted about the deaths of Pumpkin or Cumber. Based on some intel it is believed that Pumpkin died in the summer of 2020 from colic. Vets were involved and present, so most likely it happened at a hospital. Cutecumber had a lot more congenital issues than Pumpkin and needed bottle feedings, additional therapy and checkups and as a result was more of a "house horse". Due to his medical issues it's most likely that he died prior to Pumpkin, though I don't know when. Ashley was devastated at both of their deaths, understandably so. However, I have heard rumors from a few different sources that Ashley was not keeping up with Pumpkin's vet appointments, would cancel, or just not show up. I don't know if this is true, because again, they're rumors, but she never specifically stated anything about them.
When Thea was rescued, she could barely walk. Her hooves had not been trimmed in over a year and had curled up into slippers. The overgrowth caused painful skeletal deformities and she had to have x-rays done so that a treatment could be developed for her bone rotation.
Thea was taken in by the Red Feather Equine Sanctuary (@redfeatherfarmnc) in Winston Salem, North Carolina along with FOUR other minis from the case: Nikki (formerly named Gumdrop), sisters Nilla (Happy) and Wafer (Tommy Girl), and Catori/Tori (previous name unknown), all of whom will also have their stories shared soon. All 5 mares were taken to the vet for various tests and treatments, including vaccines, Coggins tests, dentals, deworming, vision issues, hoof trims and Thea's x-rays. At one point Thea knew love and affection but when she was picked up by Red Feather she was extremely scared, suggesting that she hadn't been handled or had any human contact for a long time. Thea's treatments included frequent hoof trimmings to slowly correct her tiny disfigured feet, and the company EasyCare generously donated a set of therapeutic boots to help ease her pain while she healed. She also had visits with a chiropractor to get her frame back into alignment and lots of positive handling training to help her feel at ease and gain confidence in her new surroundings and with her new human family.
While Thea was taken in along with other minis I wanted to post about her separately considering her internet fame as Pumpkin's mom:
Pumpkin and Thea were featured by The Dodo, a US-based international media brand and digital publisher that focuses on telling animals' stories through cute and heartwarming videos. Ashley, Twist of Fate, and the 3 minis were then also featured on a season 2 television episode of Animal Planet's 'Dodo Heroes'. Both of these gained Ashley & TOF a huge amount of exposure, fans, followers, and donations. In addition, Ashley partnered with publisher Scholastic Inc on a book titled 'Pumpkin's Story: The True Story of How One Little Horse Learned to Run'.
After Ashley's animal cruelty was discovered it took a very long time for it to be brought to light of the general public. Numerous people aware of the case would google it in hopes of finally finding some media coverage, but nothing ever popped up. Instead, there were numerous articles, videos, and posts about Ashley rescuing animals, being a voice against animal cruelty, and her Dodo videos were shared in many places. While at the time of Pumpkin's rescue and throughout her life she was legitimately caring for animals, after the cruelty that went on for months was discovered she was obviously no longer a hero and it was incredibly frustrating for everyone to see this content.
In an attempt to get some justice for the animals Allison of Red Feather tried in March of 2022 to get contact info for The Dodo to make them aware of what happened and to request that they remove the videos and stop selling the book. The Dodo also had links in the video posts to donate directly to Ashley and Twist of Fate as well as links to her social media channels, which at this point had been dark for months. Initially The Dodo had the nerve to tell one of Allison's contacts that they would not be removing the Twist of Fate content. (FYI, The Dodo also benefits financially from sales of the Pumpkin book). They also told Allison no and that nothing would be done. In addition to The Dodo and Ashley profiting off of her abuse, leaving these videos up implied that Pumpkin was still alive, that Thea was still thriving, and that Ashley was a hero for saving them, none of which was true. So Allison took it upon herself to create a petition and record a plea on video and shared it to her social media pages. In just a few days the petition got 2,097 signatures and The Dodo finally agreed to remove the TOF content from their sites.
After numerous attempts by people to get this story in front of the media and out there to the public, The Dodo posting a story in their Instagram regarding the removal of the content is what first peaked public interest into the Twist of Fate case. The Dodo posted no specific information about what happened, just that it was removing the content from their website. Here is the quote from the IG story:
"We were shocked and saddened to hear the allegations against Twist of Fate Sanctuary, and have removed all of our videos that feature them. In addition, we have contacted our partners at Scholastic, who are in agreement that the book will no longer be sold. Animal welfare has been central to The Dodo's mission since it launched, and The Dodo is proud to have played a critical role in make animal well-being a viral cause."
In general I don't support The Dodo because they sometimes share misinformation about animals and don't advocate for veganism, but I do on occasion enjoy their sweet and silly animal videos. However, I was very disappointed in their initial reaction to this whole thing as well as their stubborn refusal to waiver for so long. Most of their quote above is just self-congratulatory and a bit hollow since they initially refused to take down the videos but then stated that they were "proud" to play a "critical role in animal well-being" and it took a petition to finally get them to comply. Still, we applaud and thank them for their actions in support of Thea and the other survivors.
The lack of reasons why The Dodo made these statements prompted many to start digging and as a result a few articles were FINALLY written and published. Those articles were written by GreenMatters, app.com, HITC, and FreshersLIVE.com.
While Allison was successful at getting The Dodo to take down the video, there are still public articles and videos out there that remain, and there are still comments on them asking about Pumpkin and how she's doing now in 2023, years after her death. There are still comments on these posts praising Ashley, with no idea about the horrific crimes that she committed and her cruelty towards the animals under her "care". However, the comments are also filled with replies informing the viewers of everything that transpired at the former "sanctuary" where Thea and Pumpkin once called home. Many of us have written to these publications and posters to inform them of what Ashley did and requesting that the article or video be taken down considering the circumstances. If you happen to see any of them, please feel free to contact them directly or to leave your own comments requesting that the videos and articles be removed.
Again, when Thea was found she was scared, could barely walk and was in excruciating pain. She had been neglected for a very long time and her recovery process took months and thousands of dollars. This is how Ashley treated the mother of one of the animals that brought her so much money and so much fame, and that she also claimed to love and care about. Without Thea's baby Ashley wouldn't have had a fraction of the recognition or funding that she came into. "Disgust" doesn't begin to describe how I feel about this.
If you would like to support Allison and Red Feather Equine Sanctuary, please give them a follow @redfeatherfarmnc! To make a donation towards Thea's care, you can do so directly through their website via PayPal. You can also send them something through their Chewy Wishlist, sign up for monthly donations in any amount on their Patreon, or contact them about sponsoring an animal. Or check out their events or fill out a volunteer form if you live near them in NC! Red Feather is currently hosting a fundraiser for the intake of two twin horses from the above mentioned Paws Ranch cruelty case. You can donate through the link in their Instagram profile and they're still around $4300 short, so let's help them bring these two yearlings to their new home!
On top of running a sanctuary Allison is an amazing advocate for animals. In addition to the petition about The Dodo posts, her years of research, follow up, and her testimony as well as that of Lesley from Bluemont Equine Rescue in a recent trial helped get Dolores Hanser of Rutherford County, NC found guilty on all 5 of the felony animal cruelty charges against her. You can read about the 'Paws Ranch' case here.
Some personal notes:
I actually broke down while writing Thea's story and cried several times. For the most part I am able to hold it together by compartmentalizing things when it comes to this case, but it wasn't always like that. Initially when the story broke, I inconsolably sobbed for days. I had countless nightmares for weeks. I still do on occasion. In order to write about the animals though, I simply can't do this - I can't break down for each and every one, so I put my emotions and heartbreak in a box in my mind, close up the lid, and put the box on a shelf. I'll think about it at a later date, I'll process it then.
There was an overwhelming amount of info about Thea and her daughter Pumpkin. While it was very useful in writing her story (I don't normally have so much info at my fingertips for any of the animals), it was incredibly maddening to google "Pumpkin the dwarf horse" and come up with gobs of articles online. Articles praising Ashley, calling her a hero and a wonderful mother and advocate for animals. It was overwhelming looking at the old photos from Twist of Fate and hardly finding any of Thea - it was mostly Pumpkin because Pumpkin was Ashley's "moneymaker", not Thea. Thea was largely ignored seemingly ever since she came home to Twist of Fate. I wanted to post a photo of Thea with Pumpkin on this update but I don't have any - you either can't see Thea or they're marred by an appearance by Ashley. It was overwhelming seeing that almost all of the photos of Pumpkin also included Deacon, which carried a heavy weight for so many reasons. It was overwhelming looking at photos of Pumpkin and trying to view her from a mother's perspective - I'm not a mother and have never lost a child. I have never had a child that I had to watch go through pain, surgeries, and then ultimately a premature death. It was overwhelming looking at the photos of Thea from Twist of Fate again and seeing what Ashley did to her. I also find it overwhelming to share these feelings with you all at times, people that are strangers to me but very united in this one specific heart-shattering matter.
Thea's story needed to be told. Thank you for reading all of this and thank you for being here.
I have tons of photos and I'll be sharing pics of Thea, Pumpkin, Cutecumber, and her mini horse friends at Redfeather on my Instagram @ispellithaley in the next day or two.
Ashley's next court date is Thursday, November 2nd. According to the last court date on October 12th, additional charges are supposed to be filed against her at this time.
Please continue to share the petition across all channels. If you have already shared it, please share it again.
We are trying to get as many signatures and comments on the petition as possible before then, especially since the prosecution and the judge are aware of it. Thank you!!