Vineyard is also a haven for horses

The pristine white fences, soft whinnies and distant vista of horses grazing by fields of grapevines are not-so-subtle hints that the Baiting Hollow Farm Vineyard has an agenda that sets it apart from vineyards farther along the North Fork winery trail.

As Sam Rubin accompanies a party of visitors around his 17-acre spread, he sniffs the earthy aroma of stables and ripening grapes and says, "It's like perfume to me."

For the past four years, vineyard owners Sam and Rhoda Rubin and their extended family have run a program that rescues horses from this country being shipped to Mexico and Canada, where the meat can be sold for human consumption. Equine slaughter is illegal in the United States, but transporting the horses is not.

Currently, the vineyard houses 20 rescued horses, and with six more stalls being added to the farm's stable, it is one of the larger equine havens on Long Island. There are numerous homes for rescued horses on the Island, but most accommodate only one or two animals - probably because of the land needed to let them roam and the expense of maintaining them.

While the Rubin family's rescue program carries a hefty price tag (last year, it cost $150,000 for the horses' upkeep), Rhoda Rubin says: "We've always tried to make a difference in the lives of those around us. These are beautiful animals. They may not be human lives, but they're lives all the same. . . . Besides, we're all softies for animals in our family."

In their 62-year marriage, Sam and Rhoda have seen their family grow to 40 members, including 11 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren. The family matriarch and patriarch - like others of the clan who were interviewed for this article - declined to reveal their ages.

Sam Rubin was born in Brooklyn, but "I wanted to be a farmer," he recalls. As a World War II Army veteran, he studied horticulture under the G.I. Bill. While keeping his job with the New York City newspaper delivery union, he and Rhoda scouted land upstate for areas suitable for weekend farming. They bought and soon sold a few parcels in a vain attempt to find the perfect oasis.

All that changed in 1988, when they purchased a 3-acre farm in Calverton that included a barn and an 1861 farmhouse. "We wanted to live on Long Island," Rhoda says. "Sam knew that the soil on this place was really fertile, and he grew organic vegetables for our family."

Eventually, Sam's hobby turned into a business.

"My dad decided to try his hand at growing grapes for wine commercially, using the organic methods he has always practiced," says Richard Rubin, a son and CEO of the family concern. "He purchased 14 adjoining acres, and by 2007 we bottled our first merlot. The horse rescue program took shape that same year, and the two enterprises are so intertwined, we named that debut wine 'Angel,' in honor of our first rescued horse, a thoroughbred filly. We named another wine 'Mirage' for our Arabian mare, and all profits from the sale of both wines help to support our horse rescue efforts." (For more information, visit bhfvineyard.com.)

Sharon Rubin Levine, another of the Rubins' five grown children, heads the rescue project.

"My parents and brother and I had been discussing starting a horse rescue program in the barn for months. I'd been educating myself on what was involved. None of us knew anything about it, only that our hearts melted at the thought of those fine, intelligent animals being killed for their meat," she says. "I found out that they're not even stunned before they're slaughtered. It's barbaric. We knew that integrating a totally unrelated project into the vineyard business would be a hard nut to crack, but we were all anxious to do it."

The exciting new ventures into winemaking and horse rescue convinced Rhoda Rubin it was time to give up her own business interest. She had been the president of Weight Watchers' entire Suffolk County franchise since 1965, and "after 41 years, I thought it was time to quit," she says. "I sold out to Weight Watchers International in 2006, and my son, Richard, who had been my executive vice president, and several of my daughters who had run programs at Weight Watchers turned our efforts into making Baiting Hollow a success."

This was no toe-in-the-water start for the rescue program. With her family's blessing, Sharon purchased five horses for $200 each online from the "kill pen" of a livestock auction. "Buying that way is an act of faith," she says. "You're told only the basic facts about the horse and just hope it's healthy." Many of the horses are in their prime, only two or three years old. Some are retired racehorses. Two of the horses at the farm are descendants of famous stallions, Secretariat and Man o' War.

Richard points out miniature horses Miley and JoJo, and their foals, born recently on site. "They're like living toys," he says with obvious affection.

The horses have become superstars to visitors who crowd the fences, petting and feeding carrots to the gentle animals that are handled by professionals, including trainer Edgar Morales.

"Sam and I are blessed that many of our family have become involved in some way with the vineyard and the horses when they have some spare time from work or school," Rhoda says. Some give free tours of the paddocks or offer pony rides. Others might help with the field crews or with feeding, grooming and exercising the herd.

"We are all totally committed to the horse rescue operation and not just because we're saving their lives," Rhoda says. "It sets an example for our grandchildren, it builds character, it helps to teach them that compassion for others can enrich their own lives."