The Maine State Society for the Protection of Animals, a horse sanctuary in Windham, has had an eventful week, hosting a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its new quarantine barn and welcoming a new executive director.

Kerrie Leclair took over as executive director of MSSPA on Monday, succeeding Kathy Woodbrey, who is retiring after 15 years in the role.

Leclair has served as assistant director of the organization for three years. Prior to joining MSSPA, she served at the Animal Welfare Society in Kennebunk for 13 years, and is serving on the State of Maine’s Animal Welfare Advisory Council and the board of Maine Humane.

Leclair said she primarily worked with smaller domestic animals such as dogs and cats while at the Animal Welfare Society. While vastly different creatures biologically, the horses at MSSPA often come from similarly unfortunate situations as the household pets she previously worked with.

Leclair also said that, due to dogs and cats mostly living in greater proximity to and having a stronger relationship with humans, there was more grant funding and support toward care for them than there is for horses.

Regarding plans for the near term, Leclair said the board of directors is drafting a strategic planning process to help the center get through the next five years. She said the transition between executive directors was “great timing,” as she could be part of the process from the beginning. The sanctuary’s priorities, she said, included drying the paddocks housing its main herd to provide more stable footing for the resident horses.

On May 31, the farm held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the McCulloch Family Barn, an eight-stall quarantine barn used to house incoming horses. The horses, who are often taken from abusive or otherwise unsanitary conditions, are quarantined in the barn for 28 days before they join the main herd, during which they are fed, vaccinated and treated for parasites. The barn was completed in November, and has already seen multiple horses go through it, including four rescued from “horrific conditions” in upstate New York.

Leclair said 75 people attended the grand opening, despite the rainy weather, including the barn’s namesake McCulloch family, who gave the sanctuary a matching gift of $500,000 while money was being raised for the barn’s construction. The McCulloch’s were among 269 individual donors who helped the sanctuary reach its goal of $1.5 million for the barn, which Leclair praised as being a “community effort.”