MSPCA Rescue: Worst case of neglect in nearly 40 years of working in horse rescue

The MSPCA at Nevins Farm in Methuen, Mass. is caring for two horses that literally had to be dug out of their stalls at a Ludlow home on Feb. 5 because the manure in which they were standing had piled so high that they could not exit through the doors, the organization announced today.

According to MSPCA Angell, the horses were freed after nearly two hours of digging by MSPCA Law Enforcement and Adoption Center personnel. Once extracted from the stalls in which they had been trapped, the sores on their backs—a result of standing on piles of manure so high that their backs were pressed into the building’s rafters—were made plainly visible.

The MSPCA-Angell’s Law Enforcement department has, in coordination with the Hampden County District Attorney’s Office, leveled four counts of felony animal cruelty against Nancy L. Golec of Ludlow, the former owner of the horses. Golec was arraigned in Palmer District Court on Feb. 24, 2020.

The horses—a 13-year-old Arab named Shakira and an 11-year-old Quarter Horse/Arab cross named Tia—were surrendered and immediately transported by way of the MSPCA’s equine ambulance to Nevins Farm.

Roger Lauze, the equine rescue training manager at Nevins Farm, said he hasn’t seen such neglect in nearly 40 years of working in horse rescue. “The hooves on these horses were so overgrown and disfigured that it will take years of farrier work for them to reshape—if that’s even possible,” he said.

Both horses had overgrown teeth, with hind legs were caked in manure. Tia is underweight, an additional sign that she had been neglected for years.

Their overgrown and misshapen hooves contributed to imbalances that have significantly impacted their health. “We’re going to do everything possible to help them live the rest of their lives without pain, but that will be determined by the degree to which we can reshape the hooves,” said Lauze.

X-rays confirmed changes to the coffin bones of both of Shakira’s front hooves, but the staff are hopeful these changes will not further erode the quality of her life. “It really depends on the extent to which her hooves can be reshaped,” added Lauze.

Tia’s radiographs, however, show immense deformation of the coffin bones in her hind hooves, among other bone changes that could forever compromise her health.

The Nevins Farm team will continue to rehabilitate both horses in hopes that they can be placed for adoption. Anyone interested in adopting can email barnstaff@mspca.org for more information.

Those who wish to contribute toward the horses’ mounting medical bills may do so by way of the MSPCA at Nevins Farm Ashton’s Hope Fund.