It almost seems like a moment from a movie: The sun is setting over a field in Milton as three horses canter across the grass. The heat of this July day has passed and the horses can leave the barn. There’s even a deer standing on the edge of the field.
On the other side of the fence, more horses watch from their stalls, and a pig named Humphrey sniffs the ground for any dropped treats. Joy Lim Nakrin watches the beloved rescue animals, some of whom came from situations of near death.
Taking care of one animal can be a big responsibility. Caring for a farm of animals — while also juggling a full-time job in TV news — is an even heavier lift. But Lim Nakrin is doing just that and loving it.
Lim Nakrin and her family have run Joyous Acres rescue farm in Milton since 2021, fulfilling a lifelong dream of Lim Nakrin’s mother, Teresita King, to run a horse rescue.
That’s when Lim Nakrin moved to Atlanta for a job in TV news. Her family had been based in Boston, which they felt wasn’t a great place to have the farm.
“Our goal is to give the best care possible to animals entrusted to us, helping them live healthy, happy, and meaningful lives,” the rescue website says.
The farm includes nine horses, cats, dogs and Humphrey the pig.
The horses at Joyous Acres come from a variety of backgrounds. Four of them were race horses, one of whom, Berries, fractured her leg on the track. For race horses, a fractured leg is often a death sentence.
Another horse, a half-blind Mustang named Onaqui, was rescued from conditions so neglectful that his pasture mates starved to death and his ribs were visible, according to Nakrin. He is almost unrecognizable in pictures from when he first arrived at Joyous Acres. Geronimo, an Amish workhorse, was going to be slaughtered after an injury left him unable to pull plows and carts.
Thousands of former racing thoroughbreds and other horses are slaughtered each year. But rescues like Joyous Acres help save some from this fate.
“It’s like they know that we gave them a second chance and they are so grateful,” Lim Nakrin said. “And we are so grateful for them.”
According to Lim Nakrin, patience is key. Sometimes horses will come in terrified of humans, but Lim Nakrin works to make them more comfortable — and even teaches them tricks.
A recent partnership with a New Jersey-based Thoroughbred adoption center will allow them to foster even more horses. Joyous Acres has also taken in multiple animals — including Humphrey and their first horse, Bella — from Save the Horses in Cumming and Second Call Thoroughbred Adoption & Placement.
The benefits aren’t limited to the animals. Lim Nakrin and her family have had their own benefits from caring for the animals.
“They provide us a lot of sanity,” King said.
In addition to her duties at the rescue, Lim Nakrin is an anchor for Atlanta News First, which creates a busy schedule and some long days.
“It is a lot of work, but it is really rewarding,” she said. “I feel like I’m always 24/7.”
Teaching an old horse new tricks
For Lim Nakrin, one of the most rewarding aspects of the rescue has been discovering how horses’ lives can completely turn around. One of the clearest examples is Honor, the first former racing thoroughbred Joyous Acres took in, becoming an award-winning jumper.
In addition to being short, Honor isn’t considered ideal for jumping competitions because of his breed. But he and Joy are currently ranked 1st in the 3-foot Adult Hunter division on the Georgia Hunter Jumper Association local circuit. He was also 2023 and 2024 GHJA Thoroughbred Hunter of the year, and top Thoroughbred Hunter in the nation according to the 2024 Thoroughbred Incentive Program rankings.
His adoption fee was less than what most of his competitors’ saddles cost, but Honor is consistently coming out on top. In fact, all of Joyous Acres’ horses were adopted for $2,500 or less, according to Lim Nakrin.
With Honor’s story, Lim Nakrin hopes to inspire others to adopt former race horses and give them a second chance, even if they aren’t the typical show horse or casual riding partner. She hopes a new annual trophy Joyous Acres is donating to GHJA for all future Thoroughbred Hunter Year End Champions will incentivize more riders to “recycle a race horse.”
In the future, Lim Nakrin hopes to increase the number of fosters Joyous Acres is able to help find forever homes and continue encourage second-chance adoptions.
“We want to inspire other horse lovers to consider adoption before dismissing these rescues as inferior to horses they may get from breeders or elsewhere,” Lim Nakrin said. “We want to show that rescues can be champion competition horses, gentle therapy horses, trail partners and loving companions.”
AJC Her+Story is a new series in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution highlighting women founders, creators, executives and professionals with in-depth profiles and stories exploring important topics. AJC Her+Story is about building a community. Know someone the AJC should feature in AJC Her+Story? Email us at herstory@ajc.com with your suggestions. Check out all of our AJC Her+Story coverage at www.ajc.com/herstory.
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