Los Angeles herald., 1909-05-15

the horse could not afford to pay the
animal would be- cared for anyway;
temporary loans of horses would be
made to the owners of horses taking
the rest cure at the farms. and old
favorites or family driving and riding
horses would find a permanent home
wherein to spend their last days
The first home for horses on Ameri-
can soil was established near Ph1la-
7o'~r'a in 1880. the sum of $4,000 hav-
ing been left for that purpose by the
behest of Mrs. Mary Ryerss of Phila-
delphia. A beautiful farm near Fox
Chase, twelve miles from Philadelphia,
was bought for the home, the 114-acre
tract being part woodland, part in grain
fields and part used for raising Vege-
tables. The superintendent lives in y
tWo-centuries-old stone house, and the
nearby barns have room for thirty
horses at a time. Here are brought
the overworked and wornout horses, the
very old ones and the ones that ara
permanently disabled by strain or ac-
cident, the Pennsylvania Society for
the Prevention Of Cruelty to Animals
having supervision of such work, and
it is all free to the owners of the
horses. 1t is a temporary home for the
overworked, a permanent one for the
aged and disabled.
Six years ago the second farm of
the kind was established in the United
States near Stowe Massachusetts,
twenty-three miles from Boston Miss
Harriet Bird gave the farm and her
own services, only asking that some
organization raise means for support
ing the institution. The idea was i'm
mediately taken up by public minded
people of Boston. and the farm Of
ninety acres was incorporated under
the name of Red Acre farm and became
the immediate refuge of the flotsam
and 1etsam OF horsedom for Boston,
Formerly in that city the old horses,
worn out in the service Of the fire de-
partment or other municipal work,
were auctioned off. Now, by enact
ment of the state legislature, they are
taken to the farm to end their days in
peace. By law enacted in Massachu.
sets in 1907 the officers or agents of
the Humane society may take posses
sion of and have condemned old work
horses, a reasonable price being named
for the horse and it's purchase made by
the society. Maine and Ohio have
similar laws. The ones so condemned
in Boston are sent to- the Red Acre
farm, and the average price paid for
these derelicts is about 81.
The lame, the sick the overworked,
the very old, and those suffering from
blood poison or disease find refuge at
the farm, 1872 being cared for the first
winter alone. Those owned by the farm
association are given the best medical
attention, fed, pastured and given a
good rest; then IL they have recovered
sufficiently to do light work, some are
placed with masters of guaranteed
kindness of disposition, the others re-
main as pensioners on the bounty of the
farm. There is a tale told of a pitiful-
ly thin, bad-tempered, half-sick mare
brought to the farm for treatment and
rest that had SO far recuperated in a
months time that her temper was
good and her strength restored, but so
fond had she grown of the farm that
she promptly came back after her
owner had taken her back to the city,
and in kindness of heart he left her
there permanently.
In 1907 the third home for horses was
established at Pine Ridge, near Ded-
ham, Massa chusetts, within ten miles
of Boston, being a part of the work
of the Animal Rescue League of Bos-
ton, a ten-year-old organization that
has been also cared for 1900 homeless
dogs and cat during it's existence. The
Pine Ridge farm is used as vacation
home for horses, taking about dozen
out at a time.
A most excellent branch of this or
ganization's work is that which has
taken the form of a club for men own
ing one, perhaps two horses, but not
over two This is called the Horses
Aid association, and the chief of the
conditions named for its members is
that each will bring his horse and outfit
for inspection at least once month.