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Maine State Society for the Protection of Animals
Although she is now in excellent condition and is very lively, Ducky is no longer young. She won’t see 20 again, but given her overall robust health, her prospects for longevity are excellent. While we can’t say for certain, it appears Ducky may have enjoyed a good bit of trail work and ring performance during her prime. She knows her way around an arena and also enjoys a brisk walk about the farm property with an unmounted companion. She has developed arthritis, together with a general “creakiness,” and a prominent bone spur that prevents her from being even pasture sound without the support of Platinum Performance CJ. Ducky has been receiving the joint support formula since early spring of this year and her comfort level has dramatically improved as a result. When Ducky is adopted from the shelter, her new family will be encouraged to keep providing her with Platinum Performance CJ. We believe when something good is going on, keep it going!
Relationship of Nominator to Nominee
As Chief Executive Officer of the Maine State Society for the Protection of Animals, a nonprofit horse shelter, I am privileged to be personally acquainted with every horse who comes through the barn doors. Unfortunately, a traumatic barn fire is how I made the acquaintance of Paint mare Ducky and her companion, a mini donkey named Pearl.
It was a bitter cold and windy February night when a fire fully engulfed the barn in southern Maine where Ducky, so-called because a beautiful duck profile is prominent on her forehead, and Pearl were stabled. Thanks to the good work of local officials, including the animal control officers involved, the MSSPA was able to immediately respond to the need for safe shelter for the animals. Truck, trailer, and experienced horse handling staff were dispatched to the scene where, with the help of their distraught but relieved owner, Ducky and Pearl were loaded for a quick trip to New England’s premier horse shelter in Windham, Maine. Both horse and donkey were safely transported and settled into their temporary quarters without incident.
Over the following months, as Ducky and Pearl settled in on the MSSPA farm, their owner dealt with the blow of completely losing his restored 1800s post and beam barn. The devastating loss of the barn also included losing expensive equipment and all the accouterments for the equines and poultry that had been housed within it. Given his personal circumstances and the challenges of re-building, their owner realized that the well-being of both animals was best served by rehoming them. He surrendered them to the Society to facilitate finding the best possible new homes for his girls. Ducky is a great favorite here and I have taken a particular interest in this lovely mare as she has comfortably settled into the routines of life at the River Road Farm. -- Meris J. Bickford
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