At the Massachusetts SPCA/Nevins Farm and Equine Centre, horsing around is all in a day's work As the staff and volunteers of the Methuen chapter of the Massachusetts SPCA go about their morning tasks, they hear the faint sounds of sleepy animals who are just beginning to stir. The shelter buildings lie in a hardened cover of snow that's fallen, melted, and frozen again into a hard shellac, and on the hill above the facility, a ridge of snow has dripped into a glittering waterfall of icicles. Most of the animals seem invigorated by the February cold. The dogs in their runs are alert and barking; in the cat houses, pairs of kittens and yellow-eyed older cats peer out at a mother and daughter who've come for a pre-adoption visit. Norman and Moe, two Vietnamese potbellied pigs in the shelter's care, let out a series of satisfied snuffle-snorts from under their coverings of hay. The air is charged with the noises of waking animals: barks, purrs, and—could that be a whinny? Yes, the sound is unmistakable. The Methuen chapter of the MSPCA, which takes in nearly 9,000 cats, dogs, and other small animals every year, is also home to a horse haven: the Nevins Farm and Equine Centre, which cares for between 75 and 150 horses annually. On the snowy hill above the shelter's buildings, several horses are munching on a bale of hay. They stand close together as they eat and observe the goings-on below. Some of the horses have been at the center for more than a year, gaining much-needed weight, undergoing training, receiving treatment for emotional and physical ailments, and awaiting permanent homes. The staff of the Centre run their stables with the help of nearly 70 barn volunteers, who feed and groom, clean stalls, and help with other tasks required to make the horses happy and healthy. Employees still in training learn the ropes while grooming the gentler, older horses—animals affectionately referred to as "our lawn ornaments"by the Centre's director, Joe Silva. On this bitter cold day, several employees and volunteers are busy cleaning out the horse stables, removing poop and filling each stall with fresh new bedding. They receive some comic relief from Clementine, a little black goat who's eager to come out and play. Upon being released from her stall, Clementine bursts into an ecstasy of bucking and jumping. She doesn't aid in the shoveling of horse poop, but she's good company for those who are saddled with the job. The MSPCA has been horsey from the start. In fact, it was a horrible abuse case in which two racehorses were ridden to death that inspired George Angell—with financial support from Emily Appleton, a Boston socialite and animal lover—to found the MSPCA in 1868. In 1917, Nevins Farm was donated to the organization as a rest and retirement home for police and fire department horses. As an early humane education project, the MSPCA distributed free copies of Black Beauty, Anna Sewell's classic story of equine neglect and abuse. In Post Office Square in downtown Boston, another early project still stands: a three-tiered fountain designed so that horses could drink from the sink-like top level, people from the lower bubbler, and dogs from the shin-high bowl at the bottom. Today, a capital campaign is underway to fund an expansion of the Equine Centre: Within the next few years, the MSPCA plans to add a large indoor training facility. There, staff will focus on the behavior issues of the horses in their care, in addition to helping members of the public who are having trouble training their own horses.
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