The Maine State Society for the Protection of Animals in Windham welcomed four horses this week who were rescued from inhuman conditions in Upstate New York.
Peg Keyser, the society’s advancement director, said a total of nine standardbred horses were rescued from a farm in Rensselaer County, New York, by the Vermont-based Dorset Equine Rescue. When the rescuers arrived, she said, four mares and a foal were outside in a paddock, while four stallions were in a barn, standing in stalls filled with 5 feet of impacted manure.
Keyser said the situation was such that the local fire department was called in to use the Jaws of Life to cut through the stall door, and a ramp had to be built out of hay for the horses to get out of the stalls. The stallions, along with a mare that had a gash in her head, were then taken directly to veterinary care in Saratoga, while the other mares were transported to the society.
After receiving veterinary care, being gelded and having their teeth and hooves cleaned, two of the stallions stayed with Dorset Equine Rescue, while a third was sent to Tomten Farm and Sanctuary in New Hampshire. The fourth stallion, Gibson, arrived at the society on Jan. 6 and, along with the mares, was given an intake examination on Thursday, Jan. 8.
Keyser praised the coordination between the different rescue organizations, saying that when rescue organizations come together to save animals from conditions as horrific as the ones they found in New York, it can help everyone have a part in it.
The MSSPA regularly works with animal rescue organizations across New England, including New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Vermont. Executive Director Kathy Woodbrey worked with her counterpart in Dorsey over the course of the last week to make arrangements for the horses to travel across state lines, Keyser said.
The horses were holding up well, and were surprisingly friendly, she said. One of the mares started rolling in the snow as soon as she arrived at the society, which Keyser described as being a sign that the horse was relaxed and comfortable. Gibson, she said, was very relaxed and friendly despite his trauma, greeting staff as they come to the fence. However, he was at first very reluctant to enter his stall, only recently becoming comfortable enough to move about in his enclosure.
The horses are in quarantine, meaning that only staff can interact with them. Keyser said the horses did not receive routine medical care in their previous location, and that one of the mares has a very serious eye disease which may necessitate one of her eyes being removed. While Gibson’s feet were surprisingly healthy despite having spent years in manure, Keyser said they would be examined in the future.
Nevertheless, Keyser was optimistic and said that all four horses had a really good prognosis and will hopefully be adopted to a loving forever home.