Do you have a big space in your barn and your heart for a very large horse? There could be one waiting for you at the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MSPCA).
The Percheron horses—one mare and nine geldings—were surrendered by their previous owner last month after having worked with the MSPCA to try and keep the horses in good condition.
“Some of them are underweight and some have teeth and hoof issues,” said MSPCA Law Enforcement Officer Christine Allenberg. “But at the end of the day, the owner did the right thing, which was to accept that he could no loner meet their needs and to surrender them to our care.”
The horses are now housed at the MSPCA’s Nevins Farm in Methuen, Massachusetts. The staff at the farm is working to bring all of the horses up to a healthy weight and to provide needed farrier work and dental care.
The horses aren’t yet available for adoption, but the MSPCA is accepting inquiries about the horses. They are also seeking donations to help fund the horses’ initial veterinary care, which is estimated to total between $5,000 and $8,000. Find out more at www.mspca.org/drafthorses.
Leslie Potter is a writer and photographer based in Lexington, Kentucky. www.lesliepotterphoto.com
Leslie Potter is a graduate of William Woods University where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Equestrian Science with a concentration in saddle seat riding and a minor in Journalism/Mass Communications. She is currently a writer and photographer in Lexington, Ky. Potter worked as a barn manager and riding instructor and was a freelance reporter and photographer for the Horsemen's Yankee Pedlar and Saddle Horse Report before moving to Lexington to join Horse Illustrated as Web Editor from 2008 to 2019. Her current equestrian pursuits include being a grown-up lesson kid at an eventing barn and trail riding with her senior Morgan gelding, Snoopy.
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