Open Gates Equine Rescue, located in New Gloucester, Maine is a horse shelter founded by Deb Hutchins and Linda Walker. The shelter is a safe have for horses, victims of abuse or neglect. Horses come to Open Gates from different backgrounds, some seized by the state, some donated by their owners, others obtained from auctions just before they would be taken for slaughter in Canada. A group of dedicated volunteers help to clean stalls, raise funds, and work with the horses to hopefully make them adoptable. If a horse is not eligible for adoption, Open Gates provides a safe and loving home for the life of a horse. Determined to keep Open Gates running, Deb and Linda face their biggest shelter challenge: financially supporting their organization through an economic recession of national size. Recently denied a grant they normally receive, Open Gates fears they may not have enough hay to last through the winter.
Courtesy of the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies
