MSSPA takes in six neglected Vermont horses

Several mini horses are among a group of six
neglected horses now being cared for at the
Maine State Society for the Protection of
Animals in Windham. The horses were seized
by police last month in Colchester, Vermont and
will be treated and once recovered, will be put
up for adoption. COURTESY PHOTO 

The Maine State Society for the Protection of Animals in Windham has taken in six of the 14 horses seized from a Colchester, Vermont farm as part of an animal neglect investigation.

Police seized the horses Feb. 9 from a 22-year-old man who became their owner late last year when his mother died.

According to police records, the horses did not have sufficient access to food, water and care and were in dire need of help.

At the time of their seizure, some of the horses were severely underweight and experiencing eye issues.

This marked the first time in its 150-year history of horse sheltering that the MSSPA received neglected horses from Vermont.

Officials there sought help from outside the state following a large seizure of neglected Morgan horses from a farm in St. Albans, Vermont earlier this year which placed a great strain on the state’s neglected animal care system.

With seven of the seized horses currently being cared for in Vermont, six were transported to Maine for care.

MSSPA will nurse the horses back to health and then put them up for adoption by the public.

The group of rescued horses traveling to Windham on Feb. 19 included three minis and three saddle horses.

The rescues are now in quarantine and will receive treatment during their recovery, MSSPA says. <