WOODSTOCK, Maine — A woman dedicating her life to saving the lives of horses is in serious need of help herself.
Sarah Page has worked with horses for more than 20 years.
Her dream was to do lessons and trail rides on her farm.
“I discovered, when looking for horses for that project, how many were going to slaughter every year,” Page said. “Upwards of 120,000 to 130,000 a year or more.”
Former race horses, carriage horses from New York City and pets people no longer cared for.
Page started a nonprofit, the Whole Horse Experience in Woodstock, rescuing the animals, nursing sick horses back to health and finding new homes for the ones that can be adopted.
“They’re frequently very sick and thin when they get here and they come with unbelievable emotional baggage,” Page said. “These horses have been through unbelievable trauma, neglect and abuse in most cases.”
The Whole Horse Experience currently cares for 29 animals, almost all of them need special medical care that Page pays for, on top of everyday expenses like food.
“We are up against a wall, for sure,” Page said. “We are definitely in need of some help here.”
Page works a full-time job on top of her rescue and they rely heavily on donations.
Soon, she could lose her home and her farm, leaving the animals with no place to go.
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