18 horses removed from Alford property in one of MSPCA's largest rescue operations
METHUEN - Eighteen horses were removed form their home in Alford in what the MSPCA is calling the largest surrender of horses in the last five years.
The horses, who are now at Nevins Farm in Methuen, were removed on Monday. The MSPCA said some of the horses are ill but haven't received a diagnosis yet.
The MSPCA said adding 18 horses to the farm has been a challenge.
"We have so many horses and other farm animals on our property already at this time of year, so our teams spent the weekend resetting interior and exterior spaces to ensure the horses, many of whom have a contagious respiratory illness, can settle in safely and comfortably," said Mike Keiley, director of adoption centers and programs at the MSPCA-Angell.
Keiley said getting the horses off the property under investigation and to the farm involved one of the fastest movement of large animals in MSPCA history.
"Within two days we were able to place 10 horses already on the property into adoptive or foster homes to make space for the new arrivals," said Keiley. The New Hampshire Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals agreed to take two of the horses. Keiley said that before the horses arrived at the farm, the MSPCA spent $20,000 on supplies for the animals.
The cruelty case is still under investigation by the MSPCA Law Enforcement Department and the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources.
Donations for the horses care can be made to mspca.org/alford.
sure we can accommodate!