BELGRADE – The Montana Awareness, Education and Equine Rehab Association, a nonprofit in Belgrade, has opened its facility to help anyone anywhere who needs to move horses or livestock from any fires to get them out of harm’s way. MAERA is also opening its doors and paddocks for found animals or those in need or rehabilitation due to extreme injury.
MAERA has outdoor paddocks and 150 stalls, and can house over 400 horses/livestock. The facility has 24-hour supervision, and the group will also providing hay, sawdust, vet care and transport at no charge, and has trailers ready to shuttle livestock if needed, as well as volunteers for transportation across all states.
Quite a few animals displaced by the Beartrap II Fire have already come to MAERA, and “what’s awesome is that they were all able to go back home,” said executive director Sasha Hyland.
The group will pick up stock or horses, help with rehab, and can then arrange for transportation back when danger is over or when the animal has recovered. The services will be available all summer long and includes stock found without owners.
It also has access to an airplane in Montana and will use it to fly over burnt areas and look for horses and livestock. MAERA is also networking with pilots in other states to set up similar programs.
“We’re trying to find out what people are still missing,” Hyland said. Volunteers are on call with horses and trailers, so if they locate stock they can go wrangle them up.
MAERA is located at 16355 Frontage Road (recently changed to 150 Overo Trail) in Belgrade, Montana. Call before dropping animals off.
The group is also looking for volunteers, donations, hay, buckets, feed and additional supplies, as well as temporary fencing, corrals and panels.
For more information or to get involved, contact MAERA executive director Sasha Hyland at (406) 600-3756, (406) 551-4913, or sasha@montanaawareness.com. A list of missing and found livestock is available at montanaawareness.com.
