Discovering the Horses

In late November 2022, the MSPCA Law Enforcement team received a disturbing call about a farm in Alford, MA — specifically about the animals on the property. Overall, some of the horses did not look healthy and had inadequate access to shelter, food, and water. After working with the farm's owner, Law Enforcement staff determined 18 of the 25 horses would be surrendered to the MSPCA-Angell: Nevins Farm in Methuen, MA.

Not only were the horses living in less than desirable conditions, but some of the horses were severely ill. “They had a respiratory illness suspected of being equine strangles,” said Michael Keiley, Director of Adoption Centers and Programs at the MSPCA-Angell. The infection causes fever, nasal discharge, and swollen lymph nodes. It's common in horses (and preventable), but because it's contagious, it can spread quickly.

Removing the horses was necessary. “Our first thought was to move them to Nevins Farm, but we already had many horses and other farm animals on our property,” said Keiley. “We did not have room for 18 horses, let alone to quarantine 18 sick ones.”

The decision had to be made fast, regardless of where the horses went. Heavy rains for the upcoming weekend meant the horses risked being outside in the elements without shelter. A mad scramble ensued to make room for the Alford horses at Nevins. Staffers assisted in transporting the 11 horses already on the property into adoptive or foster homes. Two of the resident Methuen horses were taken in by the New Hampshire Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Building a Barn in 48 Hours

In addition to moving their animals and rescuing the horses, Nevins Farm staff had to build a quarantine barn to separate the symptomatic horses from the asymptomatic horses. It was decided to convert the riding ring into a temporary barn. However, another roadblock appeared. “We had to use all our available round pens to help remove the Alford horses off the property, which left us with nothing to build the temporary barn,” said Keiley. Luckily, they located 30 new round pen panels that could be purchased and delivered prior to the horses arriving.

The Nevins Farm staff worked tirelessly throughout the weekend to prepare for the horses' arrival. An emergency ATV four-wheel vehicle was purchased, fences were repaired, and a corral system was created to receive the horses off the transport and into the individual stall setups. The goal was to separate the horses into two groups — asymptomatic horses were going into the main barn and symptomatic horses in the temporary barn

The Big Move

The Nevins Farm maintenance team loaded the trailers with round pens and other equipment to help secure a rescue. It was a three-hour drive to Alford, MA, so they planned to leave at 5:30 am. It was going to be a challenge to get the horses off the property — these horses were loose in a muddy field.

The Nevins staff couldn't just lead the horses onto the trailers — instead, they had to corral them all. “There were a lot of safety concerns,” said Keiley. “The main one was that someone could be hurt or even killed.” But the staff coordinated efforts between law enforcement, the state, and the rescue team, and they safely removed the horses from the property.

The Horses Arrive in Methuen

Finally, three trailers of horses arrived at Nevins Farm. Staff wore full personal protective equipment (PPE) to avoid accidental cross-contamination from the sick horses, and quarantine procedures were established. As the horses were unloaded from the stock trailers into a corral, staff members caught them all by hand and placed halters on them before leading them individually to their appropriate stalls. Health evaluations began the next day, and antibiotics were administered to the sick horses. Fortunately, the herd did not test positive for equine strangles, but Massachusetts regulations required 21 days of isolation. But the horses were safe and on their way to recovery and to new families.

Keiley is still floored by how everything came together. “We brought in support staff in multiple different ways. Almost every MSPCA-Angell department contributed to some degree,” said Keiley. “These efforts coupled with donor funds enabled us to do the impossible — and it worked.”

A Huge Thanks to Staff and Donors

The incredible story of the Alford rescue soon found its way to the local press and social media, resulting in a flurry of donations from compassionate donors. “The public relations and direct-to-donor communications netted over $100,000 to our Pet Care Assistance fund,” said Keiley. The generous funds from donors benefit every inch of Nevins Farm, from hay to halters, and help staff meet the horses' ongoing medical care.

“There have been very few times in my career in which I've said, 'I don't know if this will work,' or 'we're not able to do this,’” added Keiley. “People took this challenge on with the expectation that if we worked together, we would get it done — and we did.”

To date, 11 of the 18 horses have been adopted by new families and moved on to living their best lives.