TV news reporter Joy Nakrin has long known of her mother’s love of animals, horses in particular. In 2021, when Nakrin moved to Atlanta for a job, her family saw it as a chance to follow and fulfill a long-held goal.
“My mother, Teresita Lim King, has had this life-long dream to have a farm for rescue animals,” said Nakrin. “When I moved here, mom saw it as her opportunity to do that.”
Nakrin, her parents and an aunt moved onto a 21-acre Milton farm with three barns and dedicated it to animals in need of a home. Joyous Acres first welcomed horses, but the menagerie has since grown to include a pig, cats and dogs. It has six equines, including a former racehorse, an injured plow horse and a feral creature Nakrin found in a West Virginia shelter. The idea is to welcome animals whose owners can no longer care for them, and at the same time, brings attention to the plight of retired racehorses.
“There is such a big slaughter issue around race-industry rejects,” said Nakrin, who as a youngster was a nationally ranked show jumper.
But Joyous Acres isn’t just about saving horses, Nakrin said. Since launching the project, her family, now in their 70s, has also benefitted.
“My parents and my aunt have reverse-aged at least 10 years,” she said. “My aunt is so excited every day to interact with the animals. My dad says he has muscles he hasn’t seen in 30 years from hauling water buckets and hay bales. It is a lot of work, and we do it all ourselves.”
The family launched also Seniors for Seniors, a program to share their love of animals with other senior adults, especially those who don’t have the opportunity to interact with four-legged friends.
“We’ve started inviting local senior groups to visit,” said Nakrin. “The caregivers have said it’s been really therapeutic. Some spend time petting the horses, and one lady literally starts dancing when she sees the animals.”
The next phase of Joyous Acres is to expand the senior outreach, said Nakrin, and to get the community involved.
“There aren’t a lot of horse rescues around; they require land, and it’s hard to keep up with the care,” she said. “And there isn’t one in Milton, an equestrian community. I’m hoping because of where we’re situated, we can integrate rescues into that community and encourage other equestrians to consider adopting.”
Information is online at joyousacres.org.
Who’s doing good? Each week, we write about a deserving individual, charity events such as fun-runs, volunteer projects and other community gatherings that benefit a good cause. To suggest an event or person for us to cover, contact us at ajc.doinggood@gmail.com.
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