Days End Farm Horse Rescue (DEFHR) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, volunteer-driven organization founded in 1989 to ensure quality care and treatment of horses through intervention, education, and outreach.

DEFHR is a premier all-breed equine welfare facility, supporting animal protection authorities in rescuing horses in Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and surrounding areas. Many of its intakes have been off-the-track Thoroughbreds.

It is a unique facility on the East Coast in that it accepts only horses that animal protection agencies have determined to be suffering from cruelty or neglect. It assists in collecting evidence and preparing documentation so that organization representatives can testify in court on behalf of the horses. DEFHR is an expert in rehabilitating critically ill equines, training, and seeking second-chance homes for them.

Because education is vital to preventing animal abuse, educating animal enthusiasts and the public is at the heart of DEFHR’s mission. It offers many educational programs at the farm and off-site while working with community-based groups such as schools, camps, scouts, and churches to educate on standards of equine care, horse psychology, and more. It also supports the training of animal protection authorities and law enforcement agencies in large-animal rescue techniques and equine cruelty investigation.

When needed, DEFHR deploys its resources across the country and even internationally to lend assistance with emergency post-disaster management and herd rescues.

The organization is proud to be a Maryland Horse Discovery Center certified by the Maryland Horse Industry Board. As such, it welcomes visitors to its flagship facility in Howard County, MD. This provides an opportunity for people who may otherwise never interact with horses to visit a farm, see horses up close, and learn about healthy farm management and horse husbandry.

DEFHR particularly focuses on reaching young people so that they gain an appreciation and sense of compassion for animals and the environment at an early age.