NORTH MIAMI, Fla. – As Local 10′s animal advocate, Jacey Birch always preaches “adopt don’t shop” and encourages everyone to save rescue animals instead of purchasing pets from stores and puppy mills.
Well, imagine her surprise and excitement when she found a local farm filled with rescue animals that are now helping humans step away from the city and immerse themselves into a little farm life.
“We’re right here in the middle of North Miami, so we’re kind of hidden, which is great, by all this nature and the trees and the animals that are here,” Melissa Benton, owner of MM Equestrian Farm, said.
“I like to call it a rural experience in an urban metropolis,” farm volunteer Susana Escayola added.
MM Equestrian Park, also known as the Enchanted Forest, is just blocks away from Biscayne Boulevard and the Bay, and this oasis of farm life is quite the opposite of the normal northeast Miami-Dade madness.
“If you just come and visit and connect with the animals, within minutes you’re just going to see how you’re transformed,” Escayola said.
Escayola became enchanted herself when she first came here.
Now she volunteers at the barn and teaches kids how to connect with Jimmy the donkey. You can get up close and comfortable with him at the petting farm.
“We have goats, mini goats, big goats, three miniature horses, the mini donkey, three miniature pigs and we have one big la mancha goat,” Benton said.
The children who come to visit get to collect eggs the hens have laid as they learn about the foods we eat.
Benton grew up in Ocala and Davie, so living with and caring for animals was like breathing for her.
“We had animals and horses since the day I was born,” she said. “You know, I was the typical farm girl, raising all the baby animals and the baby squirrels.”
So when she decided she wanted to build an equestrian park and give riding lessons 8 years ago, she had no idea the animals would lead her in a different direction.
While there are plenty of horses to ride and ponies for the munchkins too, there are so many other furry faces she hadn’t even counted on that have made their home there.
So much of the beauty on this farm is that many of the animals there were dumped or abandoned, so they became rescues. But it seems like they’re the ones doing the rescuing right back to everybody who comes to visit.
This agriculture education spot has evolved well past its horse farm status and has become a sanctuary of wellness brought about by the adventures with the animals there – whether it’s a piggy, a bunny, a goat or a smiling donkey.
You just never know which of these critters you may connect with.
MM Equestrian Park is located in North Miami, and they are open pretty much every day.
They do things like mommy and me classes and school field trips, but you can also check it out anytime.
Visit their website and social media pages for more information.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MMEquestrianFarm/
Instagram: @mmequestrianmiami.