Mullica Township farm rescues horses from negligence and slaughter

The Press of Atlantic City has a wonderful article today about a Mullica resident and all her sacrifices she has made to save horses from slaughter and how she has found new homes for these horses.

When Ellen Strack purchased Kate, then a sick, bony, 27-year-old thoroughbred being auctioned for her meat, she didn’t think the mare would make it.

A veterinarian came to look at the horse, and brought a needle in case it was beyond saving.

The vet found it had EPM, an infectious neurological equine disease that made her seize and spasm several times a day.

But Strack said she felt the horse wanted to live, so she gave the mare a chance on her 30-acre farm, where she gives neglected or unwanted horses a new home.

A year later, on a recent afternoon, she looked at Kate again. Her ruddy hair shimmered in the sun, and Strack said she wanted to cry.

“People keep saying, ‘Ellen, you’re going to fail,’” she said. “But I’m not going to fail at this.”

Strack founded South Jersey All Breeds Horse Rescue in February 2010, after learning that horses are still auctioned in New Jersey and shipped to either Canada or Mexico for slaughter to make cuisine in other countries. With the help of volunteers and donations, she has rescued dozens of horses from those auctions as well as negligent homes.

To read full article in the Press of Atlantic City, please follow this link.