This afternoon, we received a call from a friend—part of a chain of concerned women trying to help a young horse owner in her 20s.

Struggling to afford board, the young woman was considering surrendering her horse to a rescue. But thankfully, our friend warned her contact to be very cautious—too many horses are unknowingly relinquished to kill buyers and end up in the slaughter pipeline.

It turns out the “so-called” rescue contacted was Above the Stars Equine Rescue.

They requested $150 to secure a spot, plus an additional intake fee.

The woman was told—by Stephanie Martin, also known as Stephanie Redlick—that the horse would be taken to a property in the Ottawa Valley. Once picked up, she would never be allowed to see her horse again.

As reported by Orillia Matters, Above the Stars is not a registered charity—despite public claims to the contrary. The owner of the so called rescue – Stephanie Redlick who also goes by over 30 aliases including Stephanie Martin – is now facing multiple animal neglect charges by Animal Welfare Services AND criminal charges related to cattle theft and fraud.

“They are not, and never have been, a registered charity,” said Charity Intelligence Canada managing director, Kate Bahen, in the July 2025 Orillia Matters article.

Thankfully, the women advising this young horse owner quickly connected the dots. The horse is safe—and will not be surrendered to this so-called “rescue.”

Let this serve as a critical reminder:

Do your homework. Ask questions. Trust your gut.

And when in doubt—reach out to those who can help vet the situation before it’s too late.

We continue to receive troubling reports involving Stephanie Redlick, who is already facing multiple animal neglect charges filed by Animal Welfare Services of Ontario, along with unrelated criminal charges for fraud and theft reported by CTV News.

Redlick now appears to be operating alongside a partner, Lilianna (Lili) DiMatteo, and continues to represent herself publicly as both an equine therapist and the operator of a so-called horse rescue called “Under the Stars Equine Rescue.”

According to several accounts, Redlick has been offering “therapy” sessions, describing herself as “like a doctor but not a licensed therapist, so OHIP doesn’t cover my charges.”

Redlick reportedly requires payment upfront for multiple sessions via e-transfer, and if someone asks to meet her or see the property where the horses and sessions supposedly take place, she allegedly insists that payment must be made first — after which she proposes to meet the person at a Tim Hortons, rather than at any facility.

These reports are deeply concerning — especially given Redlick’s existing criminal and animal welfare history.

We urge anyone approached by Stephanie Redlick or Lilianna DiMatteo regarding horse purchases, therapy services, or “rescue” operations to exercise extreme caution and verify all claims before engaging in any transaction.

We are NOT going to be ignored.  Please join us in demanding answers and ensure that AWS does its job to protect animals in the future. Details below — we need your voices now more than ever.

Pictures and videos on this page are courtesy of Summer Secord, Crystal Mitchell and Celia Carletti.

Press contact: marie@banhorseslaughter.com or phone: 250 801 8231