March 2021 Issue

The News East Coast Horse Owners Need To Know OUR TH YEAR 993 - PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT 280 LANC., PA 17604 Vol. 28 No. 2 March 2021 (Continued on page 4) Inside... By Marcella Peyre-Ferry For more than 30 years, Days End Farm Horse Rescue has been working with law enforcement and animal control organizations to provide help to horses suffering from abuse and neglect. To date they have saved more than 2,300 horses. Founded in 1989 by Kathy Howe, the non-profit organi- zation is determined to make a difference in the lives of ani- mals. They are also making a difference in the community through education and outreach. Days End Farm Horse Rescue is particularly involved with young people across the community, building a connection between children and horses. From the beginning the farm has been a place for the community draw- ing people of all ages and all levels of experience with horses. Volunteers and supporters range from equestrian professionals to people who have no previous horse experience at all. Located at 1372 Woodbine Rd., Woodbine, Maryland, Days End Farm Horse Rescue operates similarly to a shelter model with horses coming in and going out to allow space for more animals to be taken in. “All rescues have their mission. Ours has always been to support law enforcement and animal control so every horse that comes to us is a legal seizure and impoundment. Our role is to support animal control and assist the County. When the County calls us, and there’s a need and a horse that needs to be rescued our team deploys and helps with the removal of the horses from the property and takes on all costs. It’s a free service to the County and any law enforcement agency,” Community Outreach Director Nicky Wetzelberger said. By Educating Children, Days End Farm Horse Rescue Hopes to End Cruelty Once the animal is safely seized, the work continues. “We oversee the rehabilitation and we’re a forensic farm as well. We help build the case and document the entire rehab process for the animal control officers if they do go to trial and it’s an active court case,” Wet- zelberger said. “Every rescue has its own mission and its own way to help. Thankfully for us, we’ve been able to find our own niche. “When a horse arrives, their body score is essentially a one or a two. It really is a life and death situation when we are called in, but we have a very high success rate, and a high adoption rate. Our team is really great at what they do,” Wetzelberger said. Covid’s Impact Covid-19 has impacted everyone, including the rescue. “This year’s definitely been challenging,” Wetzelberger said. “We are starting to see the chal- lenge from the pandemic coming to light. Horses that were not getting proper care in the course of 2020 are now needing to be rescued.” The pandemic has also had an impact on how the organiza- tion interacts with the community and particularly youngsters. One major change for 2020 was the inability to hold the annual sum- mer camp. “In 2019 we won the Best of Best Award from the Fredrick News Post,” Wetzelberger said. “As kids come and have these unique and inspiring experiences with horses at our farm, we find that the need and the demand is there.” Even though they could not hold summer camp at the farm in person, the event still took place in a different way. “This past year has pushed our team to think creatively and outside the box in different ways. We can connect with our community and inspire people from the safety and com- fort of their homes,” Wetzelberg- er said. “We cancelled camp and in- stead had camp in a box. It’s been a lot of virtual learning. We tried our best to package up all the fun and everything that we love about camp at the farm and send that to kids at home,” Wetzelberger said. “There were do it yourself activities, games, and all kinds of different ways for them to interact from home while learning about horses and the environment.” Days End Farm Horse Rescue is planning to return to in person camp this summer, even Through hands-on time with the farm’s more than 70 horses, Days End Farm Horse Rescue educates kids to appreciate horses, the responsibility they bring and how they can be an advocate for change. Their programs aim at teaching empathy, compassion and respect in the hopes of ending cruelty and neglect. Photo by Kathy Milani The Right Horse Initiative helps horses find their right person … pg. 6 Kim Walnes brings a spiritual aspect to communicating with horses … pg. 10 … and much more! Events & Experts…pgs. 18-24 Real Estate Showcase…pgs. 12-17 Two features!