Origins

In 2020, the world seemed to stop. Yet, my family and I were moving.  I was following through on a professional transition set into motion long before COVID took a strong grip on daily life.  Balancing our apprehension of so much change and uncertainty, we were also excited to begin exploring our new home in New England.  We settled into Lancaster, a small town with a long, interesting history I still have much to learn about.  My decision to open Nashaway Equine Veterinary Wellness in this beautiful region of central Massachusetts is based on an interest in the foundation of equine health and wellness.  How horses eat is the gateway to every aspect of their well-being.  Movement is essential for their survival, both from an evolutionary standpoint as well as by anatomical design

Our practice name reflects this interest and a desire to connect with the origin of our new home.   Nashaway is an Algonquian name meaning “river with a pebbled bottom” (Native American Heritage 2014). The Nashaway tribe were the indigenous people who inhabited the region near the intersection of the North and South branches of the Nashua River, which is now known as the towns of Sterling and Lancaster.  Sometimes also referred to as Nashua, they were a subtribe of the Western Abenaki tribe, members of the Eastern Algonquin tribe.  Some sources also place them as a subtribe of the Nipmuc of Central New England. References I consulted, including information provided by Elizabeth Dion, in her article entitled, Indigenous Heritage of Southern New Hampshire: From the Past to the Present, https://indigenousnh.com/2020/01/31/indigenous-heritage-of-southern-new-hampshire-from-the-past-to-the-present/   describe the Nashaway as “freshwater people”, living along rivers and streams, with farming and fishing central to their way of life.  Conflict, disease, and oppression led to the disappearance of the Nashaway tribe by the late 1600s.

 https://westbrookfield.org/?s=nashaway

 We honor this history, these people, and their origins in the land we now call home with our practice name.

For those who came long before us, we make a start in providing services to the equine community of central New England and a future based on optimal wellness for our patients.