1 of 2
2 of 2
By Cynthia Marone
They have been the subject of books and stars of the small screen. Known for their thick, glorious manes, they need an entourage of at least six to get them out the door. Just the sight of them causes squeals of delight in kids and misty eyes in adults. Stevie and Harley, when not being outright inspirations or the focus of admiration, are curious, playful and never say no to a tasty carrot or a nice patch of grass.
Hmm … The names “Stevie” and “Harley” probably caused a brain jump to, say, singer Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac or maybe Harley Quinn, the Batman foil with the two-toned ’do. Nope, this Stevie and Harley are two Gypsy Vanner horses that live at Sommerfield Stables in Richboro. “I had one woman who literally came and held the horses’ muzzles in her hands, and she started to cry. She said, ‘I'm never around horses anymore. I just love them so much, and thank you for being here.’ All I did was show up,” Diana Hasen, the horses’ owner, said. “It can be something just as simple as looking at them or patting them. The thing that really blows me away is how simple a thing it is to make somebody happy.”
With their flowing manes and tails, feathering along their lower legs and sweet dispositions, it’s easy to see why, in mere seconds, people become smitten with Stevie and Harley, but the duo’s beauty goes much deeper. These gentle souls have true purpose as horse ambassadors, spreading their brand of goodwill and uniting people by fostering connections, that Diana has celebrated in three books with a fourth on the way and in cartoon form on YouTube, and most recently, with The Stevie and Harley Foundation that focuses on good works and kindness. “They're so beautiful and unusual to look at. They're very fantasy-looking. That's an attraction, but the thing that really nailed it for me was when I was reading about their temperament,” Diana, a Rydal, Montgomery County, resident who has been wed to her high school sweetheart Kirk for 46 years, said. “When I read that, I was like, that's the horse for me, but I never thought I'd get one. I never thought I would end up with one let alone two.”
Diana was introduced to the breed by her uncle. Now 68, she was in her 40s at the time. She said she has always been “obsessed” with horses. As a kid, she owned tons of horse-themed books and occasionally would visit a farm near her childhood home in Bryn Athyn, Montgomery County, to see its Shetland ponies. Her uncle, though, was an encouraging force throughout her childhood. He shared her love of the animals, and he and her aunt would gift her stuffed ponies and a riding outfit. The day after he mentioned the horses, stacks of photos and information appeared on her doorstep without so much as a ring of the doorbell, but Diana knew who dropped off the mystery post.
Stevie, now 19, was acquired in 2007, and Harley, now 17, about two years later. Relatively new to the United States, the breed originated in the United Kingdom and is also known as the Irish cob, Romani cob or Tinker horse. Stevie and Harley were very special to Diana’s uncle, who “made every effort to get there and meet me at the barn,” she said, even though he was in his 80s. He is the inspiration for her first book, “Stevie & Harley’s Purpose,” and its main character, Otto G. Rowe, who loves his flying machine, which resembles a helicopter, and his horses, Stevie and Harley. “I started the first book because I really wanted to, even though he's passed on, honor my uncle for bringing these beautiful boys into my life. If he hadn't told me about them, I wouldn't have gotten them,” Diana, who previously had a career in food and catering as the owner of Valley Gourmet Cooking Company, said. “I came up with the name Otto G. Rowe because my uncle used to fly something called an autogyro. My uncle was a pilot and that was one of his first loves in life, so I called the character Otto G. Rowe, so it sounds like autogyro.”
Diana never envisioned herself as a children’s author, jumping into it on a “whim,” she said, but her series now includes three award-winning books. The initial entry in 2021 was followed by 2022’s “Stevie & Harley’s Friendship Bridge” and 2023’s “Stevie & Harley’s Woodland Rescue,” which introduced Wallace, a character based on Diana and Kirk’s 3-year-old French bulldog. The books let people know about Stevie and Harley’s message of kindness, but in 2020, Diana fostered a real-world connection.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, she arranged for a parade with the horses and a bagpiper. It was the first step in showing that ponies with purpose have a lot of positive power. “People just flocked out of their houses and lined the streets. I remember one older lady was standing out there by herself, and she was crying and saying, ‘Thank you. This is so awesome. This is such a beautiful thing to brighten our day.’ We actually did that a couple of times in a couple of neighborhoods,” Diana, who is the mother of two and grandmother of five, said. “You would not believe the reactions from people. You would've thought we were doing the most amazing thing. People were clapping. It's just a really fun thing to make people smile.”
Diana did not want the smiles to stop, so she started performing acts of kindness to brighten those dark days. She would buy gift cards for unsuspecting shoppers, telling people it was courtesy of Stevie and Harley. When a woman who routinely visited the horses was celebrating a birthday, she was surprised when the duo showed up at her door with their version of best wishes. Diana, Stevie and Harley were spreading their brand of big-heartedness, but she knew more could be done.
Diana established the nonprofit Stevie and Harley Foundation in late 2024 with the goal of expanding on what she had started. “I need to affect more lives. I want to do more things,” Diana, who enjoys cooking and reading in her spare time, said. “The foundation promotes and helps to provide an animal experience for children. We will often have children visit the farm to meet Stevie and Harley, or it could be to sponsor a child’s experience for horse camp at a local barn. It could be another animal experience, not just horse-related. We are excited for the future of this project.”
The foundation will ultimately hold fundraisers, Diana said, adding an online shop of Stevie and Harley merchandise will soon launch with its proceeds going to the foundation. Diana, who said people may contact her to arrange a supervised visit with the horses, is growing the reach of positive pony power another way, as well, through the cartoon “Stevie & Harley.” A trailer by Earworm Media in Doylestown about the horses’ adventures has already been an award-winner, taking the honors for Best Children's Animated Film at the 2024 EQUUS Film & Arts Fest.
The sunshine Stevie and Harley are spreading is just starting it seems. Whether in person, on the page or in animated form, the two are making people happy, teaching kindness and showing children the joys of animals. In fact, one of Diana’s goals, she said, is a hands-on educational farm for kids to learn about its inhabitants beyond horses, such as rabbits and goats.
“Why is it important for me to make Stevie and Harley a well-known duo? The answer is to create a movement of kindness,” Diana said, adding that trainer Sue Knoll and a team of volunteers also help with the horses’ care. “Hopefully, by Stevie and Harley’s example, it will inspire children to want to do the same.”
But exactly where did those names come from?
“My first horse, Stevie, was named after my uncle, Stephen, and he was thrilled about that,” Diana Hasen said. “Harley is named after my husband's motorcycle. My husband named him, needless to say.”
For more information about or to arrange a visit with Stevie and Harley, visit www.stevieandharley.com or email info@stevieandharley.com. The Stevie & Harley book series is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and various other outlets. To see the cartoon “Stevie & Harley,” visit youtube.com/@stevieandharley.
Cynthia Marone is a freelance writer who lives in Philadelphia.