Sunday, March 4, 2012

Sanctuary or Retirement?

During the last several months, Traveller’s Rest Equine Elders Sanctuary received increasingly frequent requests to take in horses that “need” a sanctuary setting due only to age, or minor unsoundness. These requests come from both private owners and horse welfarists who are having trouble finding permanent homes for such horses.

It seems like a good time, therefore, to re-run a short version of TREES acceptance policy. TREES almost always operates at maximum capacity. Maximum capacity is determined by a combination of financial status, farm size, and available manpower and may vary slightly depending on conditions. Further, because TREES takes in the horses most other places won’t accept – those of the elder set with one or more “special needs” - most often, the only way a space at the sanctuary becomes available is when euthanasia is judged, by caregivers and vets, to be the most humane option.

At that time, if the Sanctuary is able to take in another horse, priority is always given to those that are not receiving even basic care. In other words, the horses that are not receiving food or vet care necessary to maintain life, or those that are suffering pain due to untreated injury or ailment. These horses may be animals that have been abandoned, seized by Animal Control officials, or whose owners have encountered financial or physical hardships that make keeping a horse impossible. Intake functions as a sort of triage process to determine which horse is in the most immediate need.

If an owner or caregiver is ABLE to provide care for a horse, that horse is not deemed to be in immediate need. If a horse is in a well-run rescue barn, that horse is not deemed to be in immediate need. If a person “bailed” a horse and can care for him properly, but now wants to move him along just so he or she can “bail” another, that horse is not deemed to be in immediate need.

TREES is not a retirement farm. The Sanctuary was not built just to provide a leisure home for all horses of a certain age. It is intended as a place of safety for those (over a certain age) who may otherwise slip through the cracks. Please understand that these spaces are reserved for those horses who, literally, have no one else ABLE to care for them. If you’re ABLE….do it.

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Thinking of Re-Gifting? Re-Gift for the Elders!

Did you or someone in your family receive gifts over the holidays you’re not sure what to do with? Receive the same gift twice or got a sweater that’s just not your style? Turn that gift into funding for Traveller's Rest Equine Elders Sanctuary's mission! Sell unwanted presents on eBay and donate 10% to 100% of the final sale price with eBay Giving Works to support our work.

Enjoy the Benefits!
Your listing will benefit from several unique program features that have been proven to attract more buyers and raise awareness of our cause such as the eBay Giving Works ribbon and enhanced searchability. Plus your listings will automatically qualify for the eBay Giving Works Fee Credit Benefit and you’ll receive a tax-receipt for your donation.

How to Use eBay Giving Works
1. Click “Customize your listing”
2. Look for the “eBay Giving Works” field (Click “Add or Remove Options” if you don’t see it) in the Sell Your Item form in the "Choose how you’d like to sell your item" area
3. Choose “Select a new nonprofit”
4. In the pop-up window that appears, type "Traveller's Rest Equine Elders Sanctuary” in the “Nonprofit Name or Keyword” field
5. Select Traveller's Rest Equine Elders Sanctuary and a percentage (10-100%) you wish to donate to TREES (please note: there is a $1 minimum donation if your item sells)

It’s as simple as that! If your item sells, TREES will receive the percentage you selected to donate. It’s giving back without giving your gift back.

Have questions? Please visit http://www.equineelders.org/ebay.htm to learn more.


Wednesday, January 11, 2012

HEAL Hosting Feed Drive for TREES Jan-Feb2012



Helping Every Animal Live - (HEAL) has partnered with an equine (horse) sanctuary to provide much needed supplies and feed to the elderly horses in their care.

Traveller's Rest Equine Elders Sanctuary uses approximately 1,050 pounds of senior feed, 100-150 lbs of alfalfa cubes, and 35 bales (avg 40lbs each) of hay WEEKLY! We would like to raise at least 3,000 pounds of feed and 300 pounds of alfalfa cubes for the horses in their care this year.The sanctuary currently has 23 elderly horses in which they provide care for. Because these horses are elderly they all have long term illnesses or special needs that must be managed daily. As such the veterinary, farrier, and dental costs incurred by the sanctuary are enormous.

You can help by donating items from the horses wish list below. Your donations will free up the sanctuary's funds to provide further veterinary care. Currently, one horse is in need of an eye surgery.

Please consider donating to help and elderly horse this winter.

Join us at one of the below events to pick up a wish list or drop off donations .A wish list of items needed is included below.

Collection drive runs through February 18, 2012

3 Ways to help:

1.Phone in your order of feed, alfalfa cubes, mineral, or salt blocks to Southern States located at 8718 West Broad Street in Richmond, VA 23294. You can call (804) 747-9315 during store hours and place your phone order for any of the below items. When you call let them know you are purchasing feed through the Helping Every Animal Live feed drive. Be sure to leave your name and address with the attendant if you would like your purchase to be tax deductible. We will mail you your letter for tax purposes. Please call in your order in support of the sanctuary today.

We would like to thank Southern States Manager, Ken Long and all of the staff for working with us to provide this phone in ordering service.

Items that can be ordered through the Phone in Ordering Service:

50 lbs Triple Crown Senior Feed - $18.99
Triple Crown Alfalfa Cubes - $16.00
Trace Mineral Block - $5.99
Salt Block - $6.99

You can call 804-747-9315 and place your order during the below store hours:
Sunday:9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Monday - Saturday :8:00 AM - 7:00 PM

2. Visit us during either the January or February Metro Richmond Pet Savers (MRPS) Events to drop off your donations, see photos and learn more about the elderly horses in the sanctuary or pick up a printed wish list. While at the event there will be numerous cats and dogs available for adoption from various local rescue groups. Event dates and locations are as follows:

■Saturday, January 14, 2012 at the Petsmart located at 1276 Car Mia Way Richmond, VA 23235. (Near Chesterfield Town Center) - 11am to 3pm

■Saturday, February 11, 2012 at the Petsmart located at 9870 Brook Rd Glen Allen, VA 23059. (Near Virginia Center Commons) - 11am - 3pm

3. Visit us at our final collection event location to learn more about HEAL, see photos and learn more about the elderly horses in the sanctuary and purchase any items you would like to donate directly at Southern States.

■Saturday, February 18, 2012 at Southern States located at 8718 West Broad Street Richmond, VA 23294 - 8am - 7pm.

HEAL will be making delivery to the Sanctuary Sunday, February 19th.

Elderly Horse Wish List - Please consider donating an item to help and elderly horse this winter.

From Southern States:

Triple Crown Senior Horse Feed
Triple Crown Alfalfa Cubes
Legends Pelleted Rice Bran
Salt Blocks (White)
Trace Mineral Block (Red)
Pelleted Pine Bedding
Double Ended Snaps for Hanging Feed Tubs
50 or 100' water hoses
Cotton Lead Ropes
Nolvasan (or other Clorhexidine) Skin and Wound Cleanser

From PETSMART/PETCO:










Eco Bedding
Kaytee Soft Fiber Blend Bedding (NO GRANULE BEDDING)
Any Carefresh Brand Bedding
Bronco Equine Fly Spray
4" Flexible Bandaging Any Color (Vet Wrap)
Nolvasan (or other Clorhexidine) Skin and Wound Cleanser

From Walmart, ETC

Rubber Curry Brush
Pine Bedding
Desitin
Equate Diaper Rash Ointment
A&D Zinc Oxide Cream
Beatdine Soultion
Equate First Aid Antiseptic
10% Povidone Iodine
Neosporin Original Ointment
Equate Triple Anitbiotic Ointment
Any Size Johnson & Johnson Gauze Pads
Human Hairbrushes - Any variety
Hydrogen Peroxide
Epsom Salt
Grey Duct Tape
Nolvasan (or other Clorhexidine) Skin and Wound Cleanser

Please contact us with questions: info@helpingeveryanimallive.org or at 804. 614.HEAL (4325)

To learn more about us visit: www.helpingeveryanimallive.org
To learn more about the elderly equine sanctuary: http://www.equineelders.org/

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Saturday, January 7, 2012

Lindy Needs Eye Surgery.



Until now, TREES has never solicited donations for specific vet bills. Now however, with rising costs and more horses in need, we need to ask for your help.

Lindy, our little Davenport Arabian mare, who arrived underweight and in need of vet care in the fall of 2011, now needs surgery to remove one eye.

Arrival - November 1, 2011
What probably started as uveitis some time ago has progressed to glaucoma. While it is not yet terribly painful, this eye does cause some discomfort and should be removed before it begins to cause greater problems.

The veterinary surgeon gave us an estimate of $1170. Can you help us help Lindy sooner rather than later, by using button at the top of this post and "chipping in" to her surgery fund ?

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