Walking through the metal gate for the first time at the entrance of Days End Farm Horse Rescue in Lisbon, Md., I saw the newest arrivals grazing in the small paddocks, an area that adjoined the white and dark green outside stalls of the main barn. They were some of the 50 or so abused, neglected, and unwanted horses living on the farm that had been impounded by the state’s animal control bureau.

In one paddock was a bay horse with a white blaze, his ribs protruding noticeably, a victim of starvation. Nearby was a black horse with its hooves bandaged, its feet neglected for years. In close proximity, a psychologically abused brown mare moved skittishly away from a volunteer handler.

That day I learned that Kathleen and Allan Schwartz founded Days End Farm Horse Rescue in 1989 when they discovered many cases of horse abuse and neglect in Maryland. The horse rescue, which is a non-profit organization, was established as a refuge, a home where horses and other animals could be rehabilitated and adopted into pre-screened homes.

“Like people, animals need companionship and attention as they regain their health and spirit,” the farm manager, Brooke Bierman-Vrany, told me on a tour of the farm. She took me to an outdoor stall and showed me a horse that had been at the farm about six months. Standing alone in a small paddock was a striking-looking chestnut pony with a long flaxen mane and tail.

“She is a Haflinger,” said Bierman-Vrany. “Her name is XOXO (which is pronounced zo-zo and stands for hugs and kisses), and she needs a friend.”

Meeting XOXO

Each horse at Days End had a story, and XOXO was no exception. Her story began at the New Holland, Pa., sales auction, where each Monday at 10 a.m. some 250 emaciated, neglected, and unwanted horses are sold. Of that number, approximately 60 to 100 are bought by so called “killer buyers,” who transport them to slaughterhouses in the United States and Canada, where they are killed and sent abroad for human consumption.

In July of 2003, a young man from Maryland visited the auction at New Holland and saw a pretty Haflinger. He bought the mare for $50, saving the horse from certain death at the slaughterhouse. However, in the weeks that passed, he noticed the horse was not well and needed medical treatment that he could not afford. With no place to turn, he took the mare to Days End, which agreed to take the sick horse.

The mare was determined to be 16 years old, 13.2 hands and weighed 596 pounds. She had severe dermatitis, skin lesions, edema, swollen fetlocks and acute respiratory problems. Over the next six months, the mare improved markedly; however, she was under daily medication for her coughing and wheezing.

On the way to recovery, she required more personal attention than the staff and volunteers, who were already spread thin, could adequately provide. With Bierman-Vrany close by, I looked at the chestnut mare. She was a quiet, pretty animal, with a sad look and docile appearance.

I learned that the farm offers a foster care program that allows both adults and children to tend a horse of their choice while learning about horse care, grooming, feeding, and cost of ownership. Through the donation of a small monthly gift, a person is able to visit the horse weekly, groom the animal, and bring it treats. I decided to foster care the Haflinger.

I was taught how to groom the horse, shown how to use a curry comb, a mane comb, hard and soft body brushes, a hoofpick, and other grooming tools. I enjoyed grooming her as she ate hay from her feeding pail. I also learned about lead ropes, winter blankets and much more. It was all new and enjoyable.
I also volunteered to muck stalls and to haul and spread wooden shavings. I liked watching the farrier shoeing the horses and the staff hosing the animals.

The more time I spent at the farm, the more I learned about horses and how to care for them.

As time went on, the Haflinger mare recognized me. When I called her name, she walked over looking for the carrots and horse treats that I always brought. I looked forward to visiting the farm; the sweet smell of hay in the barn, the sight of horses grazing in the pastures, and the birds chirping in the sunlit trees became a place of solitude in an otherwise busy life.

A Common Desire
And I found there were other rewards. There was the chance to know the staff and volunteers who worked at the farm, a group of fine people who had one thing in common–a desire to help animals that were abused, unwanted, or neglected.

One day I met David, who was a volunteer. He came to the farm weekly and fed the horses, swept the barn, and did general chores. David was retired and liked horses. He had taken up eventing about 12 years ago and enjoyed competing with the two horses he owned. Unfortunately, both horses developed arthritis and could no longer compete. Today, David boards and cares for the two horses near his home, believing they should also have a peaceful retirement.

One Sunday afternoon, I met a lady named Susan. She was visiting an over-weight bay-colored mule named Xanadu, an exceptionally friendly animal that shared a paddock with the Haflinger. She explained that her sister had adopted a Thoroughbred and Xanadu from Days End sometime back. (Days End will not approve an adoption unless the owners have a companion for the horse). When the sister had an accident and could no longer care for them, she sold the Thoroughbred and returned Xanadu to Days End.

Susan, who had always liked the mule, came each Sunday to groom the animal and to bring treats for him and some of the horses. Susan grew so fond of Xanadu that she adopted the mule.

In the late afternoon of a recent day, the horses at Days End were led out from the pastures to the outside area of the main barn, where each was tethered to a fence and fed. Under a blue, cloudless sky, I stood close by and watched as XOXO ate feed from a red pail with her usual gusto.

After she finished eating, the chestnut mare turned slowly and nuzzled close to me. As the horse stood calmly by my side in the warm sunlight, her ears moving attentively to the sounds all around, I stroked her chin gently.

The mare’s contentment was the best reward of all.

Fred Glueckstein is a writer in Lisbon, Md, and since he wrote this story, XOXO has been adopted by a family with a little girl.