Emergency Fundraiser Alert: One Last Rescue Before the Year Ends
As we approach the close of the year, we were urgently called to help with what would become one of the most challenging and emotional rescues of 2025.
Nine horses needed immediate help. Four of them had been trapped inside their stalls for years, standing in as much as 5’ + of manure! Their elderly owner became overwhelmed and simply could not keep up with the care they desperately needed. When we saw the conditions, we knew we could not walk away.
Given the size, complexity, and urgency of this rescue, we knew it would require additional manpower on the ground to safely move horses, navigate hazardous conditions, and complete the operation efficiently. We reached out to trusted colleagues to bolster our boots on the ground efforts, and our longtime friends Michelle and Amanda from the NHSPCA stepped in without hesitation, standing shoulder to shoulder with our team in freezing temperatures on icy terrain.
As a result of extraordinary teamwork on December 30:
• Four stallions, one mare, and her filly were transported to Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital, where they are now receiving top of the line veterinary care.
• Three additional mares were transported to a generous foster home graciously opened by a Rood and Riddle vet tech.
• Every horse is safe, warm, and cared for.
We will be sharing more as the days go on as these horses begin their healing journeys.
Once medically cleared:
• The Dorset Equine Rescue will welcome four horses, a mare, her filly, and two stallions, into our long term care following castration and recovery.
• A heartfelt thank you to the Maine State Society for the Protection of Animals, who will be welcoming three mares this Saturday and a stallion once he has healed from surgery.
• Thank you to Tomten Farm and Sanctuary, who will be opening their hearts to a 22 year old stallion once he is healthy enough to be released from the hospital.
• Thank you to Little Brook Farm for your extra effort, your compassion and for welcoming a mare from this property earlier this week, who was in desperate need of rescue just ahead of yesterday’s efforts.
This rescue required true collaboration. We extend our deepest gratitude to:
• Tiffany, Sara, Jesse, and our incredible DER team
• Michelle and Amanda of the NHSPCA
• The fire department, who used the Jaws of Life to cut through stall walls and free one of the trapped horses
• Every partner who stepped in without hesitation
This rescue happened because people refused to look away. ❤️
💙 How You Can Help and Why It Matters
Dorset Equine Rescue will be covering:
• All rescue day expenses
• Coggins tests and health certificates for all 9 horses
• Castration surgeries for three of the four stallions
• Bloodwork, x rays, and medications
• Multiple emergency and follow up trailer transports
• Hoof trims and rehabilitation, dentals, and vaccines
• Transportation for a stallion to Maine
•Grain, hay, supplements
• Long term rehabilitation and care for four horses until they are healthy and ready for adoption
Total projected expenses are estimated to reach at least $30,000.
As we take on this final life saving rescue of the year, we are asking our community to help carry these horses forward. Every donation, no matter the size, directly funds medical care, rehabilitation, and the months of support these horses will need to heal.
If you have ever wondered how to make a real, tangible impact before the year ends, this is it. Your generosity today helps ensure that this rescue can be completed without hesitation and that no horse’s care is ever compromised.
✨ One last rescue. Nine lives saved. A powerful way to close out the year. ✨
Please consider donating today and sharing this fundraiser. Together, we can turn the end of this year into a beginning these horses never thought possible.
If you prefer to donate by check, please mail to:
The Dorset Equine Rescue
P.O. Box 92
East Dorset, VT 05253
Thank you for standing with Dorset Equine Rescue and for standing with them.