Frequently Asked Questions

AHF’s current 3-year lease expires in 2025. On the November 5th ballot, residents will vote on a proposition to decide whether to extend AHF’s lease 10 more years.

If a 10-year lease is not passed, the $125,000 RACF grant will be withdrawn, and the horse barn will continue to deteriorate, risking costly repairs or demolition at taxpayers’ expense.

AHF is a 501(c)3, non-profit organization offering a recreational horsemanship program for youth at the Town of Rush’s White Springs Farm at 6565 East River Road.

AHF nurtures relationships between children and horses, building their confidence while having fun. The program teaches children about trust, discipline, responsibility, respect, and teamwork. Many of the participants come from disadvantaged circumstances and thrive through their connection with horses and the outdoors. AHF offers programs for Rush residents at the farm (see complete list below).*

AHF has been offering life-changing horsemanship experiences for 20 years to nearly 5,000 children and youth throughout the greater Rochester region. AHF moved into the Town of Rush’s White Springs Farm in 2022.

The Town of Rush acquired White Springs Farm in 2010. Due to lack of Town funding and staffing, the property and its buildings lay vacant and neglected, and vandalism and illegal hunting were common. The farm’s numerous buildings fell into disrepair. These buildings are the Town’s responsibility and are costly both to maintain or demolish.

Since AHF moved in in 2022, AHF has recruited volunteers to paint and improve the buildings, and the property is being cared for as a showcase open to the public at no expense to the taxpayer.

Other buildings deemed structurally unsafe are not used by AHF, and must either be repaired or demolished by the Town at taxpayer expense.

The horse barn (Building #7) is owned by the Town and is currently uninhabitable. Most of AHF’s horses are housed in temporary stalls in the indoor arena, requiring AHF program participants to ride outside, rain or snow, year-round. If the horse barn were restored, AHF could move their horses into the barn and use the indoor arena for riding.

In 2023, Rochester Area Community Foundation (RACF) awarded the Town a $125,000 grant to repair the horse barn to safe standards at no cost to Rush taxpayers. However, that grant is dependent on AHF receiving a 10-year lease.

No. No tax dollars are used to support AHF’s programs or operations. However, the Town, through taxpayer dollars, is responsible for maintaining all Town-owned buildings and grounds, including White Springs Farm.

The New York Museum of Transportation (NYMT), Rush Fire District, the Monroe County Fair, and A Horse’s Friend. The NYMT and Monroe County Fair have 10-year leases; the Rush Fire District has a 5-year lease. A Horse’s Friend currently has a 3-year lease that expires in 2025. The proposed 10-year lease for AHF is consistent with the other leases.

The NYMT and Rush Fire District each pay the Town $1/year; the Monroe County Fair pays nothing ($0); AHF pays $18,000/year.

• AHF has brought this long-neglected, deteriorating Town property back to life, unlocking its potential for the public to enjoy now and into the future.
• AHF offers its horsemanship program for Rush children and adults through the Town’s Recreation Department as well as through other towns’ recreation departments.
• AHF offers “Sunday Fundays” for families from June through September.
• AHF offered free tuition to 15 Rush youth to attend winter vacation horse camp.
• AHF offered a summer camp program with the Rush-Henrietta Central School District.
• AHF collaborates with the Rochester and Genesee Valley Railroad Museum and the New York Museum of Transportation to enhance recreational opportunities for Rush residents and the broader community.
• Vandalism at the property has been virtually eliminated since AHF has been on site.
• AHF’s improved facilities allow Rush’s annual Fall Festival to be held at White Springs Farm in September 2024.

AHF determines the number of horses in a paddock based on each horse’s needs. Paddocks are sized to limit horses from eating too much lush grass, a leading cause of life-threatening laminitis. Horses are rotated in and out of fields regularly so that the grass has time to regenerate.

The safest types of horse fence products on the market are electric fences. Electric fencing is standard in horse pasture management and increases safety for both the horses and the public. They reduce the risk of horses escaping the paddock or running into the fences and damaging themselves or the fencing. AHF’s fencing is solar-powered. Warning signs are prominently posted on each fence. The Town approved permits for the fencing.

The Town of Rush.

No. AHF is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization. Like all non-profits, AHF is allowed to provide goods and/or services that generate funds to support its programs. Boarding raises income that supports AHF’s programs. AHF boards a few horses, while all others belong to AHF and are used in its programs.

No acreage would be added.

No. The deed states the property can be used for “educational, park, recreational, and ancillary purposes.” AHF is a recreational program open to everyone.

Yes! White Springs Farm is open daily to pedestrian traffic from 7 am to sunset, and to vehicular traffic from 7 am to 7 pm (see Town Resolution #221-2022).