Community Highlights: Meet April Hollingsworth and Bryan Krieger

Today we’d like to introduce you to April Hollingsworth and Bryan Krieger.

So let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?

Fabled Farm Rescue & Sanctuary is a 100% donor-funded and volunteer run middle Tennessee based 501(c)3. Committed to accepting and then placing unwanted equines and farm animals in qualified, loving forever homes, Fabled Farm continues care for the unadoptable animals with medical or behavioral issues through our sanctuary program. 

Fabled Farm rescued over 45 farm and equine animals in 2021, the first year of operation. All rescues are given thorough medical care from veterinary specialists and farriers along with proper feeding and socialization. Once they are healthy they can be adopted through a vetted program seeking forever families. Those sick or injured animals that are not adoptable are given sanctuary at the farm for their lifetimes. 

Partnering with many other rescues, Fabled Farm helps with overflow and critical cases needing specialized attention. 

Coming 2022 – Community Education Program, Expanding Volunteer Program, Small Animal Program focusing on litters of kittens, rabbits, special needs goats, and Feathered Butt Hut chicken and duck area. 

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing, can you tell us a bit about how you got started? 

I (April) have always had a special relationship with animals. As a child, I would bring home lost dogs and injured birds constantly. It wasn’t a surprise to anyone that I found my first job at a veterinary clinic. While working there in high school, my love and appreciation for animals – and the people who helped them – grew into a passion. When I met Bryan in 2014, he had never had a pet! By the time we got married in 2016, we had five dogs and a cat. Moving to the country and starting a rescue farm and animal sanctuary soon became a dream for both of us. Turning this dream into a reality to meet the local need over the last few years has been full of worthwhile challenges. When we were finally able to bring

rescued animals to the farm and offer a safe place for these sweet souls to live and be loved, we knew we were beginning an exciting rescue journey. 

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way? 

Moving from East Nashville to Christiana, TN to a farm without a livable home or running water was a shock! Over the next several months, we gutted and rebuilt the inside of the house and then started to add fencing, to build barns, and to renovate existing structures. 

I (April) am a professional photographer doing business as Harmony Designs Photography for almost 20 years. Bryan is an insurance claims adjuster. There were many days we wondered what we had gotten ourselves into! 

At one point we had adorable baby pigs and a silly goat with a broken leg staying in our master bedroom so we could keep a close eye on them (think barnyard smells). Or when we found an orphaned litter of kittens or a snake in my boot (aka Woody). Then there was the time it was 98 degrees and we had to rip out four layers of old flooring in the kitchen without air conditioning (heat exhaustion!?). However, seeing the animals who come to the farm recover and blossom continues to make all of the hard days worthwhile. 

What makes you happy? 

Our happiness is seeing an animal who arrived at Fabled Farm in a traumatized condition, gradually learn to trust, get the medical care they need, gain weight and show their true personalities once they finally feel safe and loved. Also getting trampled by goats for animal crackers!

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: https://fabledfarmrescue.org/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fabledfarm/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fabledfarm
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@fabledfarm?

Image Credits
Image Credit: Harmony Designs Photography