When horses are rescued from neglect or abuse situations, oftentimes they’re relocated to a local or nearby equine rescue facility.
However, it’s not uncommon for rescue organizations to be burdened with limited staff and funding, or an influx of horses putting them over capacity. Such was the case for Holland’s Hustle, a 10-year-old Quarter Horse mare who arrived at Days End Farm Horse Rescue (DEFHR) in Woodbine, Maryland, in the fall of 2018.
Not much is known about Holland’s past. The mare was initially part of a herd of more than 60 horses that had been seized by law enforcement and transported to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) of Texas. Like the SPCA, one of DEFHR’s key roles is assisting law enforcement with equine seizures.
When it was deemed that the Texas SPCA was over capacity on horses due to several large seizures in a short period of time, DEFHR staff agreed to take six horses from Holland’s herd into its training program. Funding was provided by a grant to cover the cost of transportation, and DEFHR’s Equine Program Director DeEtte Hillman and Head Trainer Sara Strauss worked closely with the SPCA’s equine department to determine which horses would be selected to enter DEFHR’s training program. To continue reading click here