This Pasture of Toy Horses Near Boston is Sweet and Creepy and Strange
Live in New England and want to make a spur-of-the-moment road trip? Hoof on over to the mysterious field of abandoned ride-on horses.
The horses began arriving on Old Sudbury Road in 2010, although it is still unclear why. One of the more common origin stories says that a single horse was left on the side of the road for anyone to take. But its presence was more of a calling card, attracting other abandoned horses to tie up alongside it. And so the herd of wild toy horses came to be and now nothing can tear them apart.
Residents of Lincoln, Massachusetts, have noted that the herd is growing faster with each passing year. More and more horses appear on the privately-owned roadside property, sometimes lined up like they are in the Kentucky Derby, other times positioned nose-to-tail in a Stonehenge-style circular display, giving it its popular nickname of "Ponyhenge."
Despite its popularity, no ever vandalizes Ponyhenge. It's as if there is an unspoken rule that the herd not be disturbed, and visitors should do no harm. People have pinned blue ribbons on the horses, have donated PPE to the horses to keep them safe during the pandemic, and some people have knit them hats. The hobby horses are taken care of by no one and everyone at the same time, and in a creepy way, is what makes Ponyhenge so magical.
If you ever plan a good, old-fashioned leaf-peeping trip through New England, carve out some time to saddle up and hit the dusty Old Sudbury Road pony graveyard.