Just a few weeks ago, Aaron Stuart didn’t know what he’d do with the field and barn next to his new house in Blue Hill.
Nor did Kelly Saunders and Mary Cockburn know if they would be able to meet their growing need to house horses and donkeys that are so traumatized or in such poor health that they can’t be rehomed.
Now, a bonded pair of rescued horses, Nick and Romeo, have moved into Stuart’s barn. Up to five animals could eventually live there.
The two were surrendered to Bagaduce River Equine Rescue by an owner who couldn’t care for them. The rescue, which Cockburn and Saunders have run together for seven years, has seen a need to take in more horses like them since the pandemic but had difficulty finding suitable space to expand.
The connection was made by Blue Hill Garage mechanic Blaise DeSibour, who works on Stuart’s cars and knew the women were looking to grow.
Stuart said he isn’t a horse person – in fact, he’s physically allergic to them – but liked the idea of having a farm, though running one himself wasn’t on the table.
“It’s a win for us, and it’s definitely a win for those two,” he said on Thursday as Nick and Romeo roamed the pasture.
Cockburn and Saunders were both raised around horses and met working the front desk for a local veterinarian. When Saunders brought her first three horses home from a “kill pen” in Texas, Cockburn was the friend she called for help.
The rescue has since grown on the Brooksville farm where Saunders grew up. It initially focused on buying from kill pens and auctions in the southern U.S., but they realized that these animals could have come from Maine.
“If we can cut that off before they head out, it saves them all that trauma, sickness, horrific handling, terror, money, transport, the whole nine yards if we can get them before they leave the state, or even get into an auction,” Saunders said. “That’s our goal now.”
Overbreeding contributes to the need, according to the duo, which both takes in owner surrenders and purchases animals out of poor conditions. Surrenders have spiked since the pandemic. Other equine rescues in Maine have seen a similar trend, according to past BDN reporting. Causes include rising costs, neglect and new owners who didn’t realize what they were in for.
Social media has also fed urgency about horse welfare in some cases; as one example, Maine’s state agriculture department in May asked people to stop contacting it about an alleged abuse case that generated thousands of emails and calls that disrupted its ability to work.
Though there are positives to social media, things can also get out of control online when people try to be heroes, the Brooksville rescuers said. At the same time, they believe it’s important to pay attention; the rescue recommends calling the state animal welfare program directly.
In seven years, Cockburn and Saunders have taken in more than 70 animals. Some are adopted out. Many others were euthanized, which Saunders said people often don’t consider and are unable or unwilling to do themselves.
“If the person who loves them doesn’t want them anymore, then nobody else does,” she said. “There’s a lot of horses out there that are not rideable and are old and are lame and have geriatric issues, and we try to educate people that it is a humane option. It’s the best gift you can give them.”
Other horses are sanctuary cases, meaning they’re cared for for the rest of their lives. An increased number of such animals limited their space for new intakes in Brooksville, so for the last year and a half Cockburn and Saunders were on the lookout for expansion.
But they needed a location close enough to keep an eye on, share equipment with and respond to quickly in emergencies, which proved hard to find on the peninsula – until Stuart came along, looking to make connections in his new community.
“What I’ve learned is these are really great people, and their mission is incredibly selfless,” Stuart said. “…I’m honored, my father’s honored, my wife is honored. So for us to be a part of it, we’re proud of that, and knowing Mary and Kelly has been nothing but a pleasure.”
There may be some bumps along the road, Saunders said, but they are doing their best to prepare.
For the most part, the rescue has relied on its small local community for support and has tried to increase its reach. While it receives some larger grants, $25 donations are its major backing.
“Something else that we try to get across to the public is you can get so much more from a horse than just riding,” Saunders said. “That if you stop asking from them, they give you way more.”