Horse Rescue Farm Seeks Donations To Expand Area

by Jo Taylor | Special to the Gazette

Thursday, May 3, 2007

Bill Ryan⁄The Gazette

Marta Esposito gives a treat to ‘‘Runaway Jane,” a horse that she adopted from the Days End Farm Horse Rescue, at her Mount Airy home. The sick and starving horses that find their way to Days End Farm Horse Rescue have been the victims of abuse and neglect, some of it horrific. All have been taken from owners by authorities and most would die without the nonprofit’s professional rehabilitation efforts.

But the 18-year-old volunteer operation has outgrown its 10-acre property in Lisbon, south of Mount Airy. The 77 horses it currently cares for are well above the 50-horse limit it can comfortably support.

“Over the years, the needs of the horses have exceeded our capacity to help them,“ co-founder Kathy Schwartz said.

That’s why Days End is reaching out to businesses and individuals in the communities it serves for major donations to purchase between 20 and 50 acres in Frederick, Carroll or Howard counties. Zoning restrictions that would not present a problem in those counties recently quashed a proposed purchase in Montgomery County. Schwartz wants to stay within 25 miles of the current site on Route 144 to retain the corps of volunteers who handle daily farm operations, from stall mucking to grooming.

Susan Rosenberg, co-owner of Foggy Bottom Information Systems in Mount Airy with her husband, Evan, has made animal welfare a focus of her charitable giving. “My wish is for other businesses to be generous and give to Days End Farm,“ Rosenberg said. “Horses keep coming in bigger numbers and they need bigger space.“

Days End returns a bigger bang for the charitable buck than most nonprofits: Fully 85 percent of its $946,980 2007 budget will go toward services while a slim 5 percent is earmarked for fundraising. Charity Navigator, an organization that ranks charities on the basis of accountability, transparency and quantifiable results, has given the nonprofit its four-star “exceptional“ rating and it has received a “Best in America“ seal of approval from Independent Charities of America, a distinction shared by only 1,500 of the group’s 50,000 participating charities.

“From the inside out, we try to find organizations that are well-run,“ Klosko said. Tami Klosko is the owner of the Olive Leaf Café in Mount Airy, where Schwartz often eats lunch. “We try to support our customers when we can,“ Klosko said. “It’s really important for people to remain grounded and support each other. It’s important to remember that we’re all connected and to support people who are doing good things in the world.“

Before Schwartz founded Days End, horse abuse and neglect were rarely recognized and even more infrequently acted upon by animal control and humane organizations already overwhelmed with helping dogs and cats. Except for the lucky few horses that might end up at a small farm somewhere, there were no shelters or rehabilitative programs. Nor were there education programs aimed at preventing the abuse.

“Education is the biggest part of Days End Farm,“ said farm manager Erin Ochoa. “It’s a fun place to volunteer and when you have 20 horse-crazy girls running around, it has a huge impact because it lets them carry the love and passion for horses for the rest of their lives.“ About 300 of the farm’s 700 volunteers are 12 to 18 years old.

Volunteer Judy Gilbert, a nurse at Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington, D.C., cares for Zippo, an appaloosa gelding who was the youngest of the “Calvert County Nine“ impounded by authorities late last year. The nine were the most malnourished of 18 horses that authorities seized from an owner believed to be using them solely for tax purposes. All have recovered, including Baker Bean, who was so sick that he was unable to eat or stand on his own. Zippo was “really bad, just bones,“ Gilbert said. Today, he is well on his way to a full recovery. “I love seeing the horses getting better. I love being with them.“

Days End was the Maryland organization to provide vital education for emergency first responders who get the call if a horse or other large animal is in trouble. To date, it has trained members of 14 East Coast fire departments and a fire department crew in Finland, and aids in rescuing horses that have gotten into precarious situations. A recent Sykesville rescue involved deconstructing a stall to lift a walking breed horse out of a 2-by-4-foot feed box it had somehow fallen into. Speed is essential in such operations, as an immobilized horse is prey to pneumonia, shock and nerve damage. “We foot the bill and ask for a donation,“ said Brooke Vrany, Days End’s director of programs and emergency services. “The people who are calling are desperate and we really get a lot of thanks and praise.“

Each impounded horse sent to Days End Farm by an animal control agency or humane society gets its own nutrition plan and feeding schedule. The small, multiple feedings and the necessity of helping the weakest animals get up and down makes rehabilitation both labor-intensive and costly. “If we see them, they are in pretty bad physical condition,“ Ochoa said. Their appearance can be heartbreaking, “but once you see the ones that have been rehabilitated, you have a lot of confidence and hope for these horses.“ Once the horses have regained their health and have either been signed over to authorities or taken from their owners by the court, they are ready for adoption.

Marta Esposito, owner of the Roy Becker Insurance Agency in Mount Airy, has adopted two: Brigadoon, after whom she named her corporation, and Runaway Jane. Brigadoon died in 1998; Runaway Jane, who escaped from her abusive owners during an ice storm, now pastures in Esposito’s spacious front yard. Esposito said she makes monthly donations and is a business sponsor of the of the farm’s fundraisers because “I have been privileged in this world. If everyone gave a little, it would help a lot.“