PATTERSONVILLE — Nanci Beyerl received an e-mail Tuesday afternoon from an out-of-state resident looking for someone to take in three mustang horses whose owner could no longer care for them because of illness.

A week ago, two similar requests came in for two thoroughbreds and a Tennessee walking horse. She heard about three painted horses the week before that.

“Now, you’re looking at the economy. You’re looking at health problems. It’s just a bad situation,” said Beyerl, a 42-year-old Schenectady native.

As high gasoline and food prices force families to choose among driving, eating and keeping their horses, more people are turning to Beyerl and her Pattersonville equine rescue operation and riding business for assistance. Without additional funding, Beyerl has had to turn down the horse owners’ requests.

However, Beyerl’s Peaceful Acres farm is in the midst of a transformation that promises to help not only more people with mental illnesses or cancer but also more horses.

Beyerl in April acquired a 144-acre former cattle farm on Rynex Corners Road, increasing twelvefold the size of her neighboring Peaceful Acres.

No longer crammed on the 12-acre farm she bought in 2002, Beyerl is planning to develop new facilities on her now 156-acre farm. Children there can work with counselors and horses on everything from improving communication skills to working in teams to building self-esteem.

“You can’t be a rescue sanctuary on 12 acres,” said Beyerl.

Peaceful Acres initially opened in 2003 as a horse-assisted mental health center. Beyerl started taking in unwanted horses three years ago.

By next summer, Beyerl plans to build a pavilion on her newly acquired property, halfway up a hill she dubbed the High Point. Its summit provides panoramic views of the southern Adirondacks. She also wants to demolish part of a barn on Peaceful Acres’ original property and build a welcome center with offices, a reception area, bathrooms and care stalls for rescued horses that require round-the-clock monitoring.

“We don’t have any people space. We have a barn,” Beyerl said.

As far as animal space goes, Beyerl has already established on the new property two pastures with three-walled shelters. Another three pastures with sheds should be developed by year’s end. Further down the road, she plans to build a 40,000-square-foot indoor riding arena that will better support year-round operations.

Beyerl became certified six years ago in equine-assisted psychotherapy and learning. She then launched her animal-assisted therapy business with four of her own horses.

Beyerl uses her horses as a form of therapy that fosters growth and learning for individuals suffering from a variety of problems, including attention deficit disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, social anxiety and autism.

In addition, the therapy can be used for victims of domestic violence, families going through divorce and at-risk youth, Beyerl said. Many of her clients are referred to her from mentor programs, schools and youth organizations from around the Capital Region.

For the most part, therapy with Beyerl’s stable of horses and donkeys doesn’t involve riding them. Instead, it involves individual or group interactions with the animals in ways that foster care, respect and personal behavior responsibility.

Beyerl’s technique largely focuses on achieving an objective with the horses, whether it’s saddling them or leading them around a paddock. During these activities, her subjects are encouraged to communicate with one another and the animal to reach the set goal.

Peaceful Acres has grown to include 19 animals, including horses and donkeys. In February, she hired a full-time barn manager for the farm. Volunteers largely help out with many farm activities.

Along with providing more room for meeting space, the additional land will support new programs, such as hikes up to and counseling sessions on the High Point. In November, Peaceful Acres established a nonprofit arm for its rescue wellness programs, though its horseback riding business remains a for-profit enterprise.

Beyerl said a private donor, whom she did not identify, helped her buy the 144 acres.

The Chamber of Schenectady County will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Peaceful Acres at 4 p.m. Aug. 6.