Four sheep and aging pony staying put at East Setauket farm, for now

A flock of four sheep and an aging pony set to be relocated from the historic Sherwood-Jayne Farm in East Setauket will remain on the property for the time being following a public outcry, an animal rescue group told Newsday.

The animals that were scheduled to be relocated to a Massachusetts sanctuary Wednesday under a change in the stewardship plan for the property by owner Preservation Long Island, are still at the site after critics of the relocation plan arrived to voice their objections. Preservation Long Island said Thursday they still believed the sanctuary is the best place for the animals.

Dori Scofield, founder of Save-A-Pet animal rescue and the operator of the sanctuary, said the chaotic scene led to police being called and forced her to reconsider taking the animals.

“The animals got stressed,” Scofield said. “I said, ‘This is not happening today.’ So I left.”

A video of the incident shared with Newsday showed a handful of adults and children pleading to enter the property to say goodbye to the animals as a Suffolk police officer attempted to restore order. Critics of the plan include a resident caretaker for the animals and neighbors who believe their presence has enriched the community.

Scofield said she was asked by Preservation Long Island executive director Alexandra Parsons Wolfe to find a new home for the animals earlier this year as they no longer fit plans for the site. Scofield had intended to first relocate the 40-plus-year-old pony named Snowball, who is mostly blind and deaf, to another farm on Long Island for a veterinary examination. The sheep were set to be transferred immediately to Berkshire Farm Sanctuary, which Scofield operates in Peru, Massachusetts.

In a statement Thursday, Preservation Long Island said it believes Berkshire Farm Sanctuary is "perfectly suited for rehoming the grazing animals at Sherwood-Jayne Farm.

"Regrettably the emotions of our property custodian and some protesters disrupted the attempt to gently move the animals yesterday and that effort had to be paused," the statement continued. "We continue to believe that Berkshire Farm Sanctuary will provide the humane and caring environment we seek for the grazing animals.”

The statement did not say when the animals would be moved.

Opposition to the move began this past summer after the Long Island nonprofit announced it was terminating an agreement with a caretaker for the property and would no longer keep animals at the site.

The caretaker, Susanna Gatz, said she has lived on the farm and cared for the animals for more than eight years. She said Wolfe told her on Wednesday that she would soon be evicted. Gatz said she hadn't been given an update on the plan to move the animals since Preservation Long Island told Newsday in August that it might still allow them to live their lives out there.

"It felt pretty awful," Gatz said. "What if I hadn't been home? These are animals that I took care of for eight and a half years. This is my life."

Neighbor Jennifer Torre said the animals have been like “second pets” for her children living next door to the Old Post Road farm the past 12 years.

“It's a beautiful sight to see,” she said of the horse and sheep roaming the pasture. “They're peaceful animals that do no harm to anyone.”

Torre and Gatz said they are concerned about the pony’s well-being learning a new terrain.

The Sherwood-Jayne Farm sits on land that once was a working farm tilled by members of the Jayne family from 1730 to the late 1800s. It was bought about 120 years ago by Howard Sherwood, a collector of historical artifacts who founded Preservation Long Island.

The farm is open year-round for private tours available by appointment. Preservation Long Island, which is supported by donations and fundraising, also operates historic sites in Lloyd Harbor, Sag Harbor and Cold Spring Harbor.

The farmhouse, restored about a century ago, contains period furnishings and hand-painted floral wall frescoes that date to the late 1700s.

By Grant Parpan

grant.parpan@newsday.com@GrantParpan

Grant Parpan covers Suffolk County courts and federal courts for Newsday. A Long Island native, he joined Newsday in 2022.