Don't visit us at Tractor Supply tomorrow!! (Sat Dec 19, 2009)

Adoption Day event cancelled due to impending snow storm. Thank you, TSC, for your support this year. We hope you continue these events in 2010. If so, see everybody next year!

Meanwhile, thank you Gene, Carol and Jeanelle for helping with storm prep.  Stalls and sheds are cleaned and bedded, water tanks full, hoses drained, paddocks picked, sufficient feed and hay on site........I think we're as ready as we can be.  As long as Mother Nature keeps her sense of humor under control a little.

We Are Thankful......

(In no particular order, for TREES only functions if ALL the pieces, large, small, and in between, are in place……….)

We are thankful for all the support, moral, financial, physical and spiritual, that allows TREES to fill its niche in the world of horse welfare.

We are thankful for being able to work with a veterinary practice, Rappahannock Equine Veterinary Clinic, that not only understands the needs of geriatric equine, but also offers TREES’ residents the same level of customer service that is offered to show barns and top of the line breeders.

We are thankful for every single individual that offers TREES the gift of time, whether he or she comes to the farm weekly, monthly, or occasionally, or staffs special events, spends time researching funding or PR opportunities, works at home, hauls horses, picks up supplies, photographs residents, you name it. You ALL make it work.

We are thankful for Meredith Barlow, of Equidentistry, for her skill in finding whatever loose, fractured, infected, or oddly formed tooth might be causing an otherwise healthy resident to “go off his feed.”

We are thankful for students of all ages, who choose senior horse issues as the focus of field trips, community service or research projects.

We are thankful for animal control officers in surrounding counties who see the line “he’s skinny because he’s old” for the myth it is.

We are thankful for owners of elder horses who ask for advice rather than fall for that same myth.

We are thankful for Ernie Haynes' weekly farrier visits, and his patience with residents who may not be able to lift a leg as high as they did when younger, or who need a little break between feet.

We are thankful for continuing support from “non-traditional” care providers like Jill Deming of Integrated Animal Therapies, Janet Dobbs of Animal Paradise Communication & Healing, and the many volunteers of our Shelter Animal Reiki Association program.

We are thankful to Snow Hill Farm for delivering what seems like a mountain of Triple Crown Senior feed and forage cubes.

We are thankful for the Equine Rescue League (who will celebrate its 20th anniversary next year,) for inspiring the founding of TREES.

We are thankful for area businesses like Tractor Supply Company and Dover Saddlery, that support horse welfare efforts.

We are thankful for Scarlett Grove Stables for retraining a returnee and networking to find the prefect family for her.

We are thankful for all of TREES’ Facebook fans, and blog and web site visitors who help spread the word

We are thankful for Greg Flynn, at Desyne.com for hosting our current web site and for the new layout.

And we are thankful for all of the new friends we meet every year, whether human or equine, veteran horseman or beginner, young or mature. You inspire us with your ideas, motivation and support.

Thank you all. Happy Holidays.

Our day at Tractor Supply

Thank you, again, Fredericksburg Tractor Supply Company for hosting several local animal welfare groups for the day. We always enjoy talking to your staff and customers. "Everyone has a story." We were especially thrilled to meet so many people describing keeping elder horses at home as part of their families.

Thank you, too, TREES volunteers. The items you made to help raise funds were just beautiful. Your creativity grabbed the attention of store customers, though we did not sell as many goodies as we hoped we would. No worries, though. TSC plans another event in December. Think " 'Tis the Season." We're open to any and all new ideas.

We did distribute a good number of brochures and other literature and, since education is part of TREES' mission statement, we can consider the day a big success on that front alone.

We actually had more people stopping to read about the sanctuary (table facing left in the background) than to sample goodies. That's a good thing!



The end to the day. Thank goodness we were inside!

Thank you, Tractor Supply Company

We thoroughly enjoyed our day at the Fredericksburg TSC store today. We met a lot of very nice people, some horsey, some not, but all interesting to talk with. We also very much enjoyed meeting the dogs of Bully Paws (and the humans in tow) that were hangin' out right next to us. Several of these beautiful, affectionate dogs stole our hearts. Please consider this organization when looking for future canine family members.

One of several highlights of the day was finding possible accommodations for an elder we've been trying to help the owner place for some time. Please keep your fingers crossed, hold your tongues just right and we'll try to work out the details in the next few days.

TREES also won a drawing for two bags of Blue Seal Performance, a fairly new low NSC, high fat formula that looks promising for elder horses. We'll let you know how our "trial" goes.

Mike, one of our co-founders, later won third prize in the TSC raffle, winning a TSC gift card, goodies from Smokey Bones, a Carhart wallet and maybe a couple other items I've forgotten.

And as I type, a faint rainbow in the eastern sky.

Over all, a pretty good day!

Tractor Supply is considering hosting animal rescue/ adoption events on a regular basis. These doin's are a little work for them, since they move a lot of their inventory aside to make room for our tables and displays. Next time you shop at TSC, please remember to thank them for supporting local animal welfare charities.

And thank you! to everyone who came out to visit, stopped to chat, and offered support of every kind. See you at TSC again soon!

Visit TREES at Tractor Supply Aug 29!

Ahhhh....

A nice cool, indoor event! On Saturday, August 29, the Tractor Supply Company on Plank Road (Rt 3) in Fredericksburg, VA, is hosting an animal welfare/rescue/adoption event.

Groups representing dogs, cats and horses will be included. The good news is that TREES' booth will be inside the air conditioned store! Golden Geezers will not accompany us to the event due to potential heat and lack of shelter outdoors. How could we ask them to give up their shed fans just to let folks gawk at their beauty? I mean..... Really! Priorities, dontcha know.........

Sonny, at age 36

But I digress.......

As of now, our table will be inside, toward the rear of the store, near the horse supply section. Please be sure to seek us out and say "Hi." The Fredericksburg Tractor Supply is at 4179 Plank Road (Rt 3) just west of the Salem Church Road intersection.

And while you are there, please thank the store management for supporting animal welfare organizations! We all need all the support we can get these days!

Oh, and if you're really more interested in meeting the Elders than you are in saying hi to their human caretakers, please just give us a holler to schedule a tour. 540-972-0936 or info@equineelders.org