CANAAN — Zakiya Krantz arrived at Anam Cara Farm on Christmas Eve ready to see her beloved horse, Bill.

The 14-year-old from Waterville said she loves to see horses this time of year, especially her favorite.

“He is just like me — scared to do things at first,” Krantz said.

Bill was among the draft horses at Anam Cara Farm, where owner Pamela Rickenbach has been hosting Christmas Eve with her horses since she moved to Maine two years ago. For over 14 years before that, Rickenbach worked with horses in different parts of the country after first visiting a stable in Philadelphia.

At her Salisbury Road Farm in Canaan, Rickenbach, 62, cares for horses who are disabled or struggle with an illness.

“But they never want you to treat them differently,” Rickenbach said. “They love to work.”

Josselyn Brown, 5, rests her head against Diego, a Normandy steer, during the “Christmas Eve Dinner with the Horses” event at Anam Cara Farm in Canaan on Sunday. Brown, who volunteers at the farm, helped groom horses Sunday while preparing for the special dinner of warmed bran mash for the farm’s herd of 12 horses and four working cows. Rich Abrahamson/Morning Sentinel

On Sunday, visitors and neighbors of Rickenbach gathered together for the “Christmas Eve Dinner with the Horses” event, where they helped prepare warmed bran mash featuring chopped apples, carrots and peppermint candies for the farm’s herd of 12 horses and four working cows.

Rickenbach recalls how the American history motivated her to get into farming and rearing horses. “They have always been a part of our culture,” she said. The cultural influence of horses, she said, has played an integral part in shaping who she is.

Her farming partner, Clifford Atwood, said he always felt drawn to caring for animals, even though he worked as a full-time engineer. “I needed to find balance and engineering felt more constraining,” he said.

During his six years working with Rickenbach, Atwood found joy working at the farm and spending time with the horses. As he lifted hay into the cart, he said, watching people come down here during Christmas and spend time at the farm is what he truly enjoys.

Maureen Calder of Canaan carries a pan of warmed bran mash to horse Silver Fox, an English Shire, during the “Christmas Eve Dinner with the Horses” event at Anam Cara Farm in Canaan on Sunday. A special dinner of warmed bran mash featuring chopped apples, carrots and peppermint candies was fed to the farm’s herd of 12 horses and four working cows. Rich Abrahamson/Morning Sentinel

“Watching kids interact with the horses is a nice sight to see,” he said.

Rickenback said the Christmas Eve event is intended as “a beautiful way to relive the American tradition” of caring for horses.

“There is always a sense of community here and appreciation for the animals,” she said.

Over the years, she has adopted 500 horses and found homes for over 300 of them. Those interested in learning more about the Farm and the horses can visit her website.

As she stroked a horse named Punch gently, Rickenbach said, horses also “reflect onto us what we feel on the inside.”

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