MSSPA dedicates new intake barn in Windham

By Ed Pierce

Abused and neglected horses now have a “Safe Place to Land” to heal and recover as the Maine State Society for the Protection of Animals has officially opened and dedicated a new 2,400-square-foot intake and quarantine barn on its farm in Windham.

Guests tour the new 'McCulloch Family Barn' during a 
dedication for the new equine intake barn and facility at
the Maine State Society for the Protection of Animals
in Windham on Sunday, May 31.
PHOTO BY RICHARD SAWYER

MSSPA Advancement Director Peg Keyser said as the number of horses arriving at MSSPA has surged in recent years with many coming from cases of severe neglect, abuse, or with significant medical challenges, the urgency for a dedicated space where incoming horses can receive care they desperately need continues to grow.

She said the new intake and quarantine barn is designed to offer every horse a safe and supportive beginning to their journey of healing.

“The horses coming into this new barn are in quarantine and as you can imagine, many horses come to us with challenging health concerns, and often with no medical records or medical history,” Keyser said. “Many have not had much,if any, vet care. All horses are quarantined for 28 days while they receive an intake exam, do necessary bloodwork, receive vaccines, and begin their journey to rehabilitation.”

A horse will not be integrated into MSSPA’s resident herd until staff there have a thorough understanding of its health challenges and have begun the process of re-feeding, caring for, and returning the horse to optimum health.

“Even after quarantining for 28 days, some horses will stay in the McCulloch Family Barn if they have medical challenges that keep them from joining the resident herd,” Keyser said. “Some need more time simply to get strong and gain weight.”

A $1.5 million fundraising campaign was created last spring to build the new intake barn and facility under the leadership of Kathy Woodbrey, MSSPA’s Executive Director and it immediately got a huge boost when MSSPA received a matching gift of $500,000 from the McCullouch Family of Southern Maine who were extended the opportunity to name the new barn as the “McCulloch Family Barn.”

Dave McCulloch and other members of his family were on hand Sunday, May 31 as the new barn and intake facility was dedicated. During that event, MSSPA staff, volunteers and community supporters got a chance to tour the barn and explore what it has to offer.

The barn and its paddocks and adjacent pastures sit on seven acres at the farm. It has eight stalls, with two stalls each opening into one of four corner paddocks. Each corner paddock also has two run-in enclosures – three sided, covered open enclosures, so that while horses are out in a paddock, they have a place to go into to get out of the elements, sun, rain, and snow.

“Many of the horses that come to us have lived outside 24/7, so unless they are critically compromised or ill, they do well outside with a run-in shed for protection around-the-clock,” Keyser said. “This barn gives us amazing flexibility to accommodate horses in all stages of health and to also receive larger groups of horses. Now we can do that safely and efficiently.”

She said that the fencing was designed and installed so there is no nose-to-nose contact between paddocks.

“We even re-did much of the pasture fencing so that those large pastures also feature no nose-to-nose contact,” Keyser said. “That entire corner of the farm gives us many options to receive small and large herds of horses in varying stages of health.”

According to Keyser, the MSSPA’s goal for each horse is rehabilitation and a new home, but if no suitable adoption is found, horses may live out their natural lives at the organization’s farm.

During the dedication ceremony, Keyser said MSSPA has teamed up with the Safe Voices Domestic Violence Program of Lewiston to create a “Safe Shelter” program to offer respite care to the horses of domestic violence survivors who need to house their horse somewhere while they flee an abusive situation.

“We are very proud of this program, and we have already welcomed one horse whose owner was able to leave her abusive situation and work to re-establish a new residency,” Keyser said. “That horse left the farm last week to re-join his mom. Those incoming Safe Shelter horses will also be housed at the McCulloch Family Barn.” 

Along with the Safe Voices program, MSSPA teamed with RedRover and Greater Good Charities for grants to secure funding and support of the “Safe Shelter” program.

For 154 years, the Maine State Society for the Protection of Animals (MSSPA) has been a sanctuary for Maine’s most vulnerable horses including those rescued from abuse, neglect, and heartbreaking circumstances. Its mission is to provide refuge, rehabilitation, and placement of seized equines. MSSPA does not charge for its shelter services and seeks no reimbursement from any public source. Horses cared for by the MSSPA come from Maine law enforcement officials and most of them have been abused or neglected.

The new intake barn was funded thanks to 269 donations and gifts, Woodbrey said.

J.M. Brown was the contractor, sitework was done by Shaw Brothers Construction and fencing completed by Main Line Fence. The site plan was done by Andy Johnston at Atlantic Resource Consulting, and the Owners Representative was Blaine Buck at Cordjia Capital Investments. <

MSSPA donkey foal’s name fits fiery personality

By Erin Rose

After more than 400 votes and many comments on Facebook, the newest donkey at the Maine State Society for the Protection of Animals (MSSPA) has a spicy name to match a fiery personality.

The donkey foal born in April at the Maine
State Society for the Protection of Animals 
in Windham has been named 'Pepperjack'
following a vote by the public on social 
media. The foal's mother, Diane, was
part of a group of donkeys and miniature
horses that were surrendered last fall
to the MSSPA. COURTESY PHOTO 

The public chose “Pepperjack” from a list of five names, which were selected by the MSSPA staff from names proposed by the organization’s Horse Heroes, monthly donors who support their work and receive special updates from the MSSPA. Members of the public were asked to vote via a link on the MSSPA’s Facebook page.

“’Pepperjack’ was by and large the runaway winner,” said Peg Keyser, MSSPA Advancement Director. “It also means we get to call them ‘Jack and Diane,’ which will be meaningful to music fans.”

The foal’s adorable features, including oversized ears, and impish personality have enraptured the staff at the MSSPA.

“He is the cutest thing in the whole world,” Keyser said. “His ears are adult sized and the rest of him is just catching up.”

Diane delivered the male foal (also called a “jack”) in the early hours of Monday, April 20. She is part of a group of five donkeys and two miniature horses known as the “Thanksgiving Angels” who were surrendered to the MSSPA in November 2025.

The staff suspected the 15-year-old donkey was expecting but had been waiting for a blood test to confirm the news when Pepperjack arrived in the night.

“When donkeys get close to delivery, they typically get a little uneasy, dribble a little water from their udders, they get a little waxy on their udders, and none of that happened,” Keyser said. “She was completely chill with no indication of any uneasiness or anything like that.”

When staff came in to start the morning routine and feed the animals in the outdoor paddock, they were shocked to find an extra inhabitant in the pen.

“Kenny, one of our staff members, came around the corner to begin to deliver the morning breakfast, and did a rub-your-eyes double take as there was little Pepperjack,” Keyser explained, saying that the staff have a group text chat, which exploded with talk of how many speeding tickets would be issued to the team that morning as everyone raced to the facility to get a look at the new baby, who was already walking around and nursing.

“The vet said he was born probably very early morning, likely 1 or 2 a.m., just like they’ve been doing since time eternal,” she said. “By the grace of God, everything went seamlessly.”

In the winter, staff started noticing Diane growing in unexpected ways and suspicions began to grow that the herd would soon expand.

“Around February or March, Diane started getting quite round and everyone noticed,” Keyser said. “She was round in a way that looked like she was carrying a baby and wasn’t just her putting on weight.”

Determining when donkeys are pregnant is challenging, as they carry babies for 11 to 14 months, meaning Diane was likely pregnant when she was surrendered to the care of MSSPA last fall.

“We had zero idea when she got pregnant, so this could have been in April or even maybe July,” Keyser said.

Prior to being surrendered, the two intact males of the farm’s Thanksgiving Angels, Kevin and Finn, were able to freely mingle with the two intact females. While Olive, the other female donkey of the group, arrived with a six-month-old baby named Yahtzee, Keyser explained that “a week after having that baby, she’s available to get pregnant again.”

The staff are now watching Olive even more closely, as they suspect she may be expecting a new baby.

“It’s too early to say for sure, but we’re hoping for a Christmas donkey,” Keyser added, noting that the MSSPA is waiting for the results of a blood test to confirm the pregnancy.

From information received by the MSSPA, they believe this may be Diane’s third baby meaning she was well-versed in the process of delivering the foal.

“She is an amazing mom. He was checking things out, nursing well, and she would push him in the right direction to guide him,” Keyser said. “We reveled in the sight of the paddock, but Diane, God love her, was just saying ‘it’s no big deal.’”

One of the biggest struggles for the Thanksgiving Angels has been developing a positive and healthy relationship with humans, including trusting their caregivers to halter and lead them. None of the equines were handled much prior to their surrender, so the staff at MSSPA have worked hard to build bonds to allow for easier handling.

“Diane was so unhandled and un-handleable that two staff members would each have a lead and try to lead her from the paddock to the barn, and she would drag them,” Keyser said, adding that she wanted nothing to do with humans.

Hours of work from the staff and from Chris Lombard, a professional horse trainer who donates his time to the MSSPA when able, and their limitless patience, helped show Diane how to trust the people around her.

“Diane was such a dramatic transformation,” Keyser said. “She became affectionate, curious, gentle; she began to trust humans.”

“When you have the gift of time to spend with these horses, and they begin to realize that they’re in a different place, a place where they can start to trust that the humans here are nice to them, you can really see the difference,” she said. “Their eyes start to brighten, they become curious. They come to the fence as opposed to standing in the back corner of the paddock and making very clear they don’t want to have anything to do with you.” 

“It’s inside all of these horses; it just takes time, patience, love and skill to peel those layers back,” Keyser said.

Diane has regressed slightly in her amazing progress from becoming a mother, but Keyser said it is to be expected.

“That’s because she’s a protective mom,” she said. “She’s not as interested in engaging, but now she’s allowing staff to be with her and be with the baby.”

“All of that training, we had no idea how important it was. Had she had this baby and she hadn’t been handled, it would have been very different,” Keyser said. 

Interest is high in donkeys, but none of the now six donkeys from the Thanksgiving Angels have been adopted yet, due to each of their own unique situations and needs. Olive was only recently weened from Yahtzee, and if she’s expecting again, she will remain under the care of the MSSPA until delivered. While there has been some interest in adopting her, Diane also will remain with the center until Pepperjack is weened and the two can be separated. Finn and Kevin have been gelded and are working to recover from that procedure before being considered for adoption.

The two mini horses from the group have found a new home together after spending some time at the MSSPA to lose some weight.

“It was unusual for us, as they were quite overweight,” Keyser said. “They were like meatballs with legs. They lost a good amount of weight and have been adopted together.

The 501(c) (3) charitable organization uses a combination of donations, bequests, grants and fundraising to provide care and support for equines that have been abused or neglected. Volunteers provided more than 10,700 hours of service to the MSSPA last year. Visitors are welcome to the MSSPA’s facility on River Road in Windham on “Summer Sundays”, which run from May through October from 11 a.m.-2p.m.

For more details about Pepperjack or Diane, or about donating to the MSSPA to support the duo or its other equines, visit www.msspa.org <

MSSPA breaks ground on new intake barn in Windham

By Ed Pierce

Tuesday morning was a dream realized for everyone associated with the Maine State Society for the Protection of Animals in Windham as the non-profit organization officially broke ground a new intake barn for abused and neglected horses.

Donors Laurie Hooker, left, and her father, Dave McCulloch,
center, join Kathy Woodbrey, Executive Director of the
Maine State Society for the Protection of Animals during
a groundbreaking at the Windham facility for a new intake barn
for abused and neglected horses on Tuesday. The McCulloch
Family donated $500,000 to the 'A Safe Place to Land'
campaign to help build a new barn at the site.
PHOTO BY ED PIERCE    

For 152 years, the Maine State Society for the Protection of Animals (MSSPA) has been a sanctuary for Maine’s most vulnerable horses including those rescued from abuse, neglect, and heartbreaking circumstances. Its mission is to provide refuge, rehabilitation, and placement of seized equines and the idea to build a new intake barn at the facility on River Road in Windham was proposed more than three years ago.

Over the past five years, the number of horses arriving at MSSPA has grown with many coming from cases of severe neglect, abuse, or with significant medical challenges. As the complexity of these cases surged, so did the urgency for a dedicated space where incoming horses can receive the care they desperately need.

Earlier this year, MSSPA announced a $1.5 million fundraising campaign for a new “A Safe Place to Land” intake barn and with more than four-fifths of the way toward that goal now accomplished, staff, volunteers, donors, sponsors, and board members gathered at the site to celebrate starting construction for the new facility.

“It’s taken a group of individuals who have come together to make this barn possible, and it’s been a group effort,” said Kathy Woodbrey, MSSPA’s Executive Director.

The 3,000-square-foot intake barn will be situated on the other side of the MSSPA property from where other MSSPA horses are being cared for. It will include dedicated stalls for each new equine arrival, reducing potential disease transmission and offering a dry, warm space for horses to heal. Its secure paddock areas and improved footing will allow horses to slowly acclimate to their new surroundings and room for veterinarians to perform health assessments.

Because of its location away from the MSSPA herd, the new barn also will have separate grain and medication stations to prevent cross-contamination of food and medicine and help to streamline operations for MSSPA staff. The new barn will feature additional space for equipment and the project includes the installation of an electronic security gate at the MSSPA property.

Donors attending Tuesday’s groundbreaking festivities included members of the McCulloch family who provided a gift to MSSPA of $500,000 for the new “Safe Place to Land” intake barn. As a result of their generosity, the barn will be known as the “McCulloch Family Barn, A Safe Place to Land.”

Dave McCulloch of Scarborough and his daughter, Laurie Hooker of Alton, New Hampshire, each spoke during the groundbreaking event and they both expressed what a great and caring organization that MSSPA is.

“MSSPA has found a way to rescue horses who had nowhere to go,” McCulloch said. “It shows their devotion and that people do choose to care. And it says a lot about the resilience of horses.”

Hooker said that after visiting MSSPA in Windham for the first time, she knew this is a great cause to contribute to.

“The work they do here truly moved me deeply,” she said. “It’s more than a facility, it’s a sanctuary.”

MSSPA Board Chair John Lescure told the gathering that the new barn has been carefully planned and will provide the foundation for recovery of every new horse placed into the care of the organization.

“All around it’s such a great thing,” Lescure said.

The MSSPA does not charge for its shelter services and seeks no reimbursement from any public source. Horses cared for by the MSSPA come from Maine law enforcement officials and most of them have been abused or neglected.

Peg Keyser, MSSPA Advancement Director, said MSSPA also wishes to thank all donors of the “Safe Place to Land” campaign and that the society also is grateful to receive thousands of feet of donated fencing and run-in sheds from the Dyke Horse Farm site in Windham and RSU 14 now that the school district is building the new Windham Raymond Middle School at the old Dyke farm site.

She said MSSPA’s goal for each horse they take in is rehabilitation and to find them a new home, but emphasized that if no suitable adoption is found, horses may live out their natural lives at the organization’s farm.

The new intake barn site will be located on 7 acres of MSSPA’s 124-acre property.

To make a donation online, visit msspa.org/asafeplace or in person at MSSPA, 279 River Road in Windham. <

MSSPA launches campaign to build new intake barn

By Ed Pierce

The future is now for the Maine State Society for the Protection of Animals in Windham and a new $1.5 million fundraising campaign will help the organization build a new intake barn for abused and neglected horses to heal and recover.

The Maine State Society for the Protection of Animals is
conducting 'A Safe Place to Land' fundraising campaign to
raise $1.5 million to build a new eight-stall intake barn
at their facility on River Road in Windham. The project
includes improved paddocks and better footing for healing
horses. Shown is an artist's depiction of the new barn.
SUBMITTED PHOTO     

Kathy Woodbrey, MSSPA’s Executive Director, said that plans for the “Safe Place to Land” intake barn have been carefully weighed and discussed for the past two years, and the fundraising campaign has already reached more than halfway toward its $1.5 million goal.

“This will such a huge upgrade for us,” Woodbrey said. “Our current facilities, while functional, no longer meet the needs of our mission. This new barn is so much more than a barn, it’s a promise. A promise to every horse that has a safe place to land, to recover and to start life anew. Everything about the new barn has been discussed, from how the stall doors open to how the fencing is to be configured.”

MSSPA Advancement Director Peg Keyser said that in the last five years, the number of horses arriving at MSSPA has surged with many coming from cases of severe neglect, abuse, or with significant medical challenges. As the complexity of these cases grows, so does the urgency for a dedicated space where incoming horses can receive the care they desperately need.

Keyser says that the “Safe Place to Land” Capital Campaign is an opportunity to create that space, an intake and quarantine barn designed to offer every horse a safe and supportive beginning to their journey of healing.

“This vital facility, along with secure paddocks and necessary footing improvements, will provide the foundation for every horse’s recovery,” she said. “By working together, we can ensure that incoming horses are cared for in an environment that protects their health and wellbeing from the moment they arrive.”

For 152 years, the Maine State Society for the Protection of Animals (MSSPA) has been a sanctuary for Maine’s most vulnerable horses including those rescued from abuse, neglect, and heartbreaking circumstances. Its mission is to provide refuge, rehabilitation, and placement of seized equines. MSSPA does not charge for its shelter services and seeks no reimbursement from any public source. Horses cared for by the MSSPA come from Maine law enforcement officials and most of them have been abused or neglected.

According to Keyser, the MSSPA’s goal for each horse is rehabilitation and a new home, but if no suitable adoption is found, horses may live out their natural lives at the organization’s farm.

The “Safe Place to Land” campaign has already a matching gift of $500,000 from the McCulloch Family of Southern Maine who will be extended the opportunity to name the new barn. MSSPA also has been fortunate to receive donated thousands of feet of fencing and run-in sheds from the Dyke Horse Farm site in Windham, and RSU 14 now that the school district is building the new Windham Raymond Middle School at the Dyke farm site.

The site for the new intake barn sits on 7 acres of MSSPA’s 124-acre property on River Road in Windham. Plans call for the intake barn to be open-air with eight wooden stalls. The contractor for the intake barn project will be J.M. Brown and sitework will be completed by Shaw Brothers Construction.

Keyser said that the 3,000-square-foot barn will be built on the other side of the MSSPA property from where other horses being cared for are kept. The new barn will feature space for equipment and the project also will include the installation of an electronic security gate at the property.

The new barn will feature dedicated stalls for each equine arrival, reducing potential disease transmission and offering a dry, warm space for horses to heal. Its secure paddock areas and improved footing will allow horses to slowly acclimate to their new surroundings and room for veterinarians to perform health assessments. Because of its location away from the MSSPA herd, the new barn also will have separate grain and medication stations to prevent cross-contamination of food and medicine and streamlines operations for MSSPA staff.

Woodbrey said there is tremendous interest in this project and MSSPA’s engaged donor base consists of horse lovers willing to help.

“We welcome people to make a donation of any size,” she said. “We’re happy to give donors a tour and we really want to make it easy to support this project. The tens of thousands of dollars and donations we’ve received so far represents the best of this community and we could not be more grateful.”

To make a donation online, visit msspa.org/asafeplace or in person at MSSPA, 279 River Road in Windham.

Donations may also be made using the QR code:

 

Woodbrey confident in leading Windham’s MSSPA

By Ed Pierce

When the Maine State Society for the Protection of Animals was looking for a new leader to replace longtime executive director Meris Bickford last month, it didn’t have to search very far. Kathy Woodbrey of Raymond, who has been part of the leadership team at MSSPA for the last 11 years, has assumed the leadership role for the nonprofit organization and is eager to put what she’s learned through the years to good use.

Kathy Woodbrey of Raymond will lead the
Maine State Society for the Protection of
Animals as its new executive director. Woodbrey
has worked for the MSSPA for 11 years and
succeeds Meris Bickford, who has retired.
COURTESY PHOTO 

Woodbrey was born in Pennsylvania and her family moved to the mid-coast of Maine the summer before she entered sixth grade. She graduated from Lincoln Academy in Newcastle and went on to receive an Associate of Science degree in animal medical technology from the University of Maine at Orono. In 2004 and 2005, Woodbrey attended Andover College to study accounting and in 2021 she earned a Non-Profit Management certificate from the University of Southern Maine.

She originally joined MSSPA because she was looking to change careers.

“Before working for the MSSPA, I worked for the Raymond School Department while attending Andover College in the evenings. Shortly after graduating from Andover College, I saw a job listing for a "local non-profit," Woodbrey said. “The job listing was a little vague and it did not disclose the name of the organization. Imagine how thrilled I was when I learned it was the Maine State Society for the Protection of Animals. I have always loved animals, I am one who roots for the underdog, so I was very pleased to work on behalf of the horses.”

Based in Windham, the mission of the MSSPA is to provide refuge, rehabilitation, and placement of seized equines. MSSPA does not charge for its shelter services and seeks no reimbursement from any public source. Horses cared for by the MSSPA come from Maine law enforcement officials and most of them have been abused or neglected.

The MSSPA’s goal for each horse is rehabilitation and a new home, but if no suitable adoption is found, horses may live out their natural lives at the organization’s farm.

“Most of the MSSPA herd has experienced abuse and neglect at some point in their life,” Woodbrey said. “So, for me the best thing is seeing them content in their surroundings, watching them happily munching on hay, and hearing them nickering to one another.”

According to Woodbrey, she’s not planning on making significant or community engagement regarding MSSPA.

“I have to say that our local community is incredibly supportive of the MSSPA. Members of the local community volunteer at the farm and donate to fundraising campaigns,” she said. “Residents of the Southern Maine Re-entry Facility regularly volunteer and one resident at SMWRC is employed by MSSPA. Students from Windham High School and Windham Middle School volunteer every Friday during the school year. And the Windham Primary School second graders hold a fundraiser for the horses and then come for a field trip each spring. It's a wonderful community and we are glad to be a part of it.”

But like every other nonprofit organization these days, MSSPA is adapting to changing needs in the 21st century, such as working with other groups to help save the lives of animals.

“We are expanding collaborations with other equine shelters in New England and beyond. The MSSPA, the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty of Animals and the New Hampshire Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals occasionally transfer equines between the shelters which ultimately increases adoptions and affords each organization to help more horses in need,” Woodbrey said. “MSSPA is one of 10 equine shelters in the U.S. to be named as a Mentoring Partner of the Equus Foundation. The Equus partners are recognized for operating at the highest standards for business and equine welfare practices. And last summer, MSSPA transported three wild mustangs from the River Road farm right here in Windham to Skydog Sanctuary's 3,000 acre ranch in Bend, Oregon.”

Her family is excited and supportive about her new leadership role with the MSSPA.

“My husband, Mitch, has always been supportive of me and he values the work of the MSSPA. We live on a small farm in Raymond with two horses, one of which we adopted from the MSSPA,” she said. “Mitch and I share in their daily care. I do morning chores before work, and he does the evening chores after work. My sons Patrick and Justin are also very supportive and help out on the farm when they can.”

She says that her favorite horse at MSSPA is the one who hasn't quite made its way there yet.

“It's the horse who is out there waiting for human intervention, waiting to be brought to the MSSPA where it will receive the very best care from the skilled staff and volunteers,” Woodbrey said. “I’d like readers to know that the MSSPA couldn't rescue, rehabilitate, and adopt formerly abused and neglected equines without their support. Last year MSSPA provided life-saving programming to 134 equines, 32 horses were adopted, fundraising efforts exceeded $1 million, and volunteers donated over 8,500 hours. It may sound cliche but MSSPA's supporters make this vital work possible, and we thank you.” <

Seized horses recovering at MSSPA facilities in Windham

Since July, the Maine State Society for the Protection of 
Animals in Windham has been caring for 18 horses that
were seized from an owner in Springvale. The MSSPA 
aims to rehabilitate the horses, get them healthy and find
them new homes, COURTESY PHOTO

By Ed Pierce

The Maine State Society for the Protection of Animals is always prepared to handle emergency care situations for horses but nothing the nonprofit rescue organization has seen before could prepare them for what they’ve experienced this summer.

On July 14, Maine’s Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry's Animal Welfare Program seized 20 horses, 11 chickens, two pigs, six dogs, six cats, two geckos, three rats, and a bearded dragon from an owner in Springvale and at that point the MSSPA assumed care for the horses, many of whom were in desperate need of food, vaccines, and veterinary care.

According to Meris Bickford, the MSSPA’s chief executive officer, the 20 rescued horses joined 27 other equines at the facility on River Road in Windham, swelling its population to 47 in just one day.

“To the best of my memory it’s the largest equine seizure I can ever recall in Maine,” Bickford said. “We used a caravan of trucks and trailers and vehicles to bring them here.”

Almost immediately two of the suffering horses were determined to be beyond the scope of medical help and were euthanized. The remaining horses that were seized range in age from a month-old filly to in their 20s.

The rescued equines include a group of wild mustangs captured by the Bureau of Land Management agents out west and shipped to the farm in Springvale where the owner was struggling to care for them.

“These mustangs are a band of five,” Bickford said. “They have not been touched before by human beings. Some had lice, some had not had their hooves trimmed or had basic vaccinations.”        

Liam Hughes, Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry's Animal Welfare Program director, said that he’s pleased that organizations like the MSSPA exist to assist in helping these horses recover and find new homes.

"The animals are getting the medical care and attention that they need to thrive," Hughes said. "We are immensely grateful to all of the animal sheltering organizations, animal control officers, and volunteers who worked together on this important cause."

During a hearing in July, the owner of the seized horses acknowledged an inability to care for the animals and received a lifetime animal possession ban, Hughes said. The owner can ask the court to amend the ban in five years and no charges will be filed.

In a little more than month since the seized and suffering horses arrived at the MSSPA facility, many are improving significantly, Bickford said.

“Of the 18 that are left, many are making good progress,” she said. “Some are thin, but they are not malnourished. A couple are in decent condition.”

The MSSPA’s goal is to rehabilitate the horses and then find new homes for them. They receive the best possible veterinary and farrier care on site and some eligible horses receive professional training in groundwork, riding, and driving. If no suitable adoption is found, the horses may live out their natural lives at the farm.

“For some it will be a fairly short turnaround,” Bickford said. “One of the mustangs though we have not been able to have hands on yet because it is wild.” 

Bickford said that MSSPA prepares, plans, and budgets each year to assist up to 100 rescue horses at one time but acknowledges that a large group like the one arriving this summer from the seizure does indeed put a strain on some areas associated with their care.

“It means more veterinarian resources, more feed and that our budget expenses have doubled,” she said. 

She said the MSSPA is thankful that many people have called or emailed them asking how they can help or be of assistance following the seizure, even though the facility remains closed to the public because of continuing COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.

“We’ve had a tremendous outpouring of interest in these animals and had all manners and offers of in-kind assistance,” Bickford said. “The best way someone can help us is by making a donation at www.msspa.org/ and to also vigorously report animal abuse to the authorities when they see it. <

MSSPA’ s ‘Feed and Care Bank’ a lifeline for horses, owners in need

Remy, a 6-year-old Tennessee Walker horse living
on a farm in Cumberland County, was helped this spring
by a donation offered by the Maine State Society
for the Protection of Animals. The program assists
equine owners in need with hay, veterinary care and
other essentials on a temporary basis.
SUBMITTED PHOTO

By Ed Pierce

The fourth year of a unique assistance program offered by the Maine State Society for the Protection of Animals has been its most challenging yet, but a growing need is evidence that its value is substantial among those caring for horses.

Founded in 2017, MSSPA’s ‘Feed and Care Bank’ provides temporary, emergency assistance for Maine horses in need and helps equine owners with stop-gap funding that can be used for hay, feed and nutritional supplements, farrier or dental services, routine vaccinations, and veterinary care.

According to Kathy Woodbrey, MSSPA assistant CEO, about 28 applicants have received funding from the ‘Feed and Care Bank’ program in 2020, which she attributes to the effect of the COVID-19 economy on horse owners. 

Woodbrey said applicants for assistance may have lost a job or been furloughed from work, suffered a health issue, or even been challenged by a tough hay growing season.

“And we’re seeing that the pandemic has caused some people not normally in need to seek help,” she said.

The average amount of funds a recipient typically receives from the program is about $250 to $300 per animal and it allows horses to remain in loving, healthy homes and to avoid further interventions.

MSSPA Vice President and CEO Meris Bickford said the “Feed and Care Bank’ program support the organization’s ultimate vision of eliminating equine abuse and neglect.

“We are so moved by circumstances and the applicant’s stories are so compelling when you know they will need a bigger boost,” Bickford said. “The best thing about this assistance is that it prevents horses at risk from coming into the program.

The MSSPA was originally formed in 1872 to protect the horses who pulled Portland’s streetcars and fire engines. It now offers shelter services for equines across Maine with access to veterinary medical care and maintains dozens of equines at its South Windham facility.

Potential applicants for the “Feed and Care Bank’ program can either complete a short application form online or can call the MSSPA to give details by phone. MSSPA staff or volunteers then will visit with applicants, check references, and may conduct on-site visits, as needed.

Once a determination of eligibility has been made, assistance in the form of hay, grain, supplements, farrier services, dental services, and/or routine veterinary well care and vaccines may be provided for recipients.

To qualify, applicants must be Maine residents with horses stabled in Maine.

The MSSPA is a tax-exempt, 501(c)(3) and receives no federal, state or local funding, but rather is funded by a combination of donations, bequests, grants, and fundraising activities. It uses its resources to provide direct care to equines who have suffered abuse and promotes humane treatment, training, and the use of animals through education and hands-on experiences.

“It is very important for people who need the ‘Feed and Care Bank’ program to know that we’re not judging them, and we encourage them to apply if they need help,” Bickford said. “We want horses to stay out of the system.”

To apply for help from the ‘Feed and Care Bank’ program, visit msspa.org/hay or call 207-892-3040.

Anyone interested in supporti8ng the ‘Feed and Care Bank’; with a donation can do so by visiting msspa.org/give or by calling 207-892-3040. <