DAYS END FARM HORSE RESCUE
Orchestrates Emergency Evacuation Of “Arabber” Horses

By Sue Rosenberg

Lisbon, MD – August 13, 2007 – When an unsafe electrical box forced the emergency closure of the condemned Retreat Street stable in West Baltimore housing 51 “Arabber” horses, city officials had to move quickly. They turned to the Maryland Jockey Club for temporary housing, and Days End Farm Horse Rescue for evacuation and immediate care for the horses.

The “Arabbers,” a group of vendors who traditionally sold produce on city streets from horse-drawn wagons, have kept their horses at the stable, in the 1900 block of Retreat Street, for the past ten years. The city-owned building has been declining over the years, and this summer’s inspections by the Baltimore City Health Department found it to be “a great fire hazard” on the verge of collapse. It was so dilapidated that, after the electricity was turned off, the Office of Emergency Management had firefighters stay on site until all 50 horses could be evacuated.

Brooke Vrany, Director of Programs and Emergency Services at Days End, got the call from the Baltimore City Health Department and Animal Control, and promptly pulled together a team of trained staff and volunteers. On the morning of August 9, the Days End team, along with Brian Rupp, Chief Animal Control Officer, of The Humane Society of Carroll County, arrived at Retreat Street with five tractor trailers capable of hauling all 51 horses and making only one trip.

Some of the horses balked getting onto the trailers, seeming to resist leaving their long-time home. All arrived safely at the Maryland Jockey Club’s Training Center in Bowie, where they stayed until being moved to temporary stalls at Pimlico Race Course. Days End provided staffing and daily care for the horses during the 6 days they were housed at the Bowie Track.

“The evacuation was a huge success and would not have gone nearly as smoothly without the work of Days End Farm,” wrote Brooke Courtney, Director of the Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response, Baltimore City Health Department, in an email to Vrany. “You did a great service for the horses and the City of Baltimore.”

 

 

For more information call:
301/854-5037 or 410/442-1564
E-Mail: info@defhr.org

Physical Address:
1372 Woodbine Road
Woodbine, MD 21797

Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 309
Lisbon, Maryland 21765

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Days End Farm Horse Rescue, Inc. is a non-profit, volunteer based humane organization whose mission is Fostering compassion and responsibility for horses through intervention, education, and outreach.