Northeast Equine Sanctuary

Northeast Equine Sanctuary (NES) is one of four state-licensed animal shelters that is operated by GFAS-accredited Peace Ridge Sanctuary (PRS). In 2020, PRS was presented with the opportunity to build on our already successful equine rescue program, which has been run alongside our farmed animal and companion animal rescue programs for more than twenty years.

With a generous gift of a nearby 640-acre parcel and another substantial capital contribution for major facility buildings, NES built a specialized equine rescue and rehabilitation center to expand our essential services for horses here in Maine. Developing a horse rescue facility of the scale we envisioned was no small undertaking, but we hit the ground running and completed phase one in our comprehensive shelter development plan, which included building a large horse barn with surgical space, smaller run-in style barns, and a multi-use building providing housing for a live-in steward and around-the-clock care attendant. Thus, Northeast Equine, our fourth animal shelter, was born and has been in operation since 2022.

At Northeast Equine, our primary program goal is to build a safety net for vulnerable equines here in Maine by providing comprehensive rescue, rehabilitation, emergency, state services, and high-quality adoption placements. We want equine welfare to be supported in a way that horses receive the help they need, when they need it, before it is too late. We carry out this critical mission work by investigating local cases to ensure horses aren’t starving and suffering to death in backyards, that victims of domestic violence can place animals and flee their abusers, that local and state welfare officers have safe, reputable placement and rehabilitation options for equines in need, and by strategically trying to keep horses out of the auction and slaughter pipeline to begin with through direct interventions at the ground level here in Maine.

Our team takes great pride in our superior shelter management and is highly skilled in medical care and supported by a team of local and regional veterinarians and specialists who ensure each of our residents receives the highest level of daily, individualized attention. Once valued only for what they can do for humans, our rescued horses are given the space to recover and thrive. Our adoption ethic focuses on placing animals in loving homes, but every animal who comes through our doors is offered a safe home at our shelters for as long as they need it. Our adoption contracts stipulate that any animal we have placed cannot be passed around and must always come back to us if needed. Our commitment to each horse is for the rest of their lives – no matter what.

As the saying goes, “if you build it, they will come,” and as soon as we opened, the messages immediately started flooding in for help. So, we prioritized the most pressing emergency cases, welcoming home as many new residents as we could, while also building a wait list of others needing assistance. With the major capital infrastructure pieces now in place at Northeast Equine, we are seeking much needed operations support to increase our capacity.

For more information about this project and how you can help please contact us at northeastequine@peaceridgesanctuary.org