The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) has awarded this year's Henry Bergh award to Kathleen Schwartz-Howe and Days End Farm Horse Rescue Inc.

In 1989, after witnessing horse neglect at a local stable, Schwartz-Howe and her family made the commitment to help save equines in her community and founded Days End Farm Horse Rescue Inc. in Woodbine, Md.

This volunteer-based, nonprofit organization is dedicated to the care and treatment of horses through intervention, education, and outreach. Under Schwartz-Howe's leadership, Days End has expanded from an 18-acre facility to a 58-acre facility, rescuing and rehabilitating 50 to 70 unwanted, abused, or neglected horses at any given time.

Schwartz-Howe has worked on behalf of equine welfare, from urging Maryland officials to require proper licensing for equine rescues, to forming the Maryland Association of Rescues and Equine Sanctuaries to discuss various equine-related issues