MSPCA waiving adoption fee for companion horses
Does your horse need a friend? This may be your chance to adopt one, fee-free.
Companion horses such as Socks cannot be ridden or pull carts.
From November 15 to 30, the MSPCA is waiving its $200 adoption fee for companion horses at Nevins Farmduring its first ever equine “Adoptathon,” the shelter said in a statement Thursday.
From 5 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, potential adopters can visit the farm at 400 Broadway in Methuen to meet some of the horses during an open house event.
There are 13 companion horses currently living at Nevins Farm. The MSPCA said a companion horse is no longer able to carry a rider because of its age, or medical or behavioral issues. They are often passed over for adoption as they are seen as past their prime.
“These horses are anything but ‘broken’ or past their prime and our hope is that by waiving the adoption fees in this period we can spotlight their true value,” Gia Barss, barn manager at the MSPCA at Nevins Farm, said in a statement. “These animals are ideal friends who offer other horses the security, friendship, and social benefits that herd animals need.”
One such horse is Stella. A 24-year-old thoroughbred, she spent the 90s racing professionally all over the East Coast, according to the shelter. In 2012, she was discovered injured and living in neglect on a Central Massachusetts farm.
Stella, 24, has been at Nevins Farm for four years.
“When Stella arrived she could barely walk. She was emaciated, scared, and suffering from a painful, infected gash on her leg,” Barss said. “She is now fully recovered and is once again a stunningly beautiful animal.”
Stella and her stable mate were brought to Nevins Farm via the MSPCA’s equine ambulance, where she has remained since. Her stable mate was adopted four years ago. The Nevins Farm staff said they hope to find permanent, safe, and comfortable homes for all their companion horses.
“Stella lacks for nothing except a permanent home with another horse who also needs an equine friend,” Barss said. “We owe it to horses like Stella—who entertained and served us for years—to find a loving and safe place for them to spend their golden years.”
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