What Its All About

This

is what its all about at TREES.

Maryanna, mid-20's

August 29, 2010

And.........

as a reminder:

This was Maryanna on May 6, 2010

Short 'N' Sweet

On a fairly frequent basis, TREES is asked to take in a horse who is in good health, has an owner who "loves him," but can no longer perform well in competition.  The email or call almost always includes the phrase "....and I can't afford to take care of a horse I can't ride/show...."

From that we infer that the owner could afford to take care of his or her horse if the horse was still able to meet some threshold of performance. 

Here's the honest truth.  TREES' current budget isn't big enough to help all those horses and their owners who truly need --repeat-- NEED help: those who have been abandoned or neglected; those whose owners have lost jobs or suffered illness or injury and literally can't afford the next load of hay or a veterinarian's services to treat a current illness or injury.

Those are the people and horses who have priority here.  Those who are no longer able to pay horse-related expenses, not those who choose to not pay for horses they can no longer show.

Reiki Level I - Sept 25-26, 2010

Reiki Level I - Shoden

Saturday - Sunday, September 25-26, 2010

10:00am - 5PM

Traveller's Rest Equine Elders Sanctuary

Begin your study of Traditional Japanese Reiki, as closely as is possible following Usui Mikao's philosophies as researched by the International House of Reiki. This class is taught by Reiki Teacher Janet Dobbs. who adds her own lessons about working wtih animals. For more information about this class or others, cont...act Janet at janet@animalparadisecommunication.com

Yard Sale Report!

Drum Roll, please...........

At the end of six hours of selling and repurposing your donated treasures, Traveller's Rest was able to add $1,077.89 to the bank account!  Not bad for half a day's work .  I'm also happy to say we sold all the large items which means, in addition to the boost that gave to the coffers, we don't have to store them. 

What a great crowd. Some shoppers came from as far away as the Virginia Beach area, just to support the Geezers.  I can't tell you how much that means.  We saw a lot of old friends who can't get to the farm as often as they'd like.  It was wonderful to see you all again.  Some friends were Facebook "fans" whose names were familiar.  Putting names to those faces means a lot, as did hearing that FB readers enjoy our educational posts.  Since education is a big part of TREES mission, it was gratifying to know we're making some difference in that way.

We also met several exciting new friends, many offering to support TREES' future endeavors with their time and services.  We'll be in touch!  There are some who feel yard sales are not the best fund-raising method for growing organizations, but I have to say you can't beat it for community networking opportunities.

Thank you to everyone connected to yesterday's sale.  Carole, Janet, Helen, Trish, Carol, Deborah, and everyone who donated such "sellable" items, put up flyers, shared on your FB pages or contributed in any other way.  Some of you snuck in and dropped off bags and boxes without waving us down. and we want to make sure you know how much every treasure was appreciated.

Thanks, too, to Carol, who came back early Sunday to help catch up on the general farm cleanup.  Whew. 

Hope got some rest today - you made a great contribution to the geezers yesterday in more ways than you know.

It’s a Fine, Fine Life

Whenever I’m engaged in work that doesn’t require deep thinking – mucking stalls or putting out hay, for instance – I’ve noticed I almost always hum the song “It’s a Fine Life” from “Oliver!.” I’ve done this for years, not consciously, but on a very frequent basis. Granted, in the musical, Nancy was trying to convince herself that hers was a fine life, but in the case of performing TREES’ work it’s true. This is a fine life.

There are moments of stress, like welcoming a new arrival and not knowing if attempts at rehabilitation will succeed. Of course, saying goodbye to an Elder when the time comes is not a favored aspect of this work. Overall, however, the sanctuary lifestyle is very satisfying.

Much of the reward comes in seeing TREES’ residents respond to good nutrition, vet and dental care and regular visits from several practitioners of complementary techniques.

Just as rewarding, though, are the daily restorations of faith in humanity.

In general, people have enormous compassion for those who can’t help themselves, whether the helpless are two-legged or four. We are continually overwhelmed by the generosity of people who themselves have few “extras” in life: Neighbors who offer help in a snow storm; People who donate like new, but seldom used, items for tack and yard sales; Moms and Dads who drive back and forth so their children can fulfill community service projects at TREES; Supporters who cannot perform physical labor but can spend time researching or networking via computer, collecting things like proofs of purchase, or picking up supplies at local stores; Home business owners who offer services free or at a significant discount.  And, of course, the people who do the "dirty work," scooping ton after ton of poop, scrubbing water tanks, raking up old hay, etc etc etc.

All of those people, and many many more like them, find ways to help even though they may not be able to make large or frequent cash contributions. They do these “jobs” with no fanfare, no tooting of horns, and no expectations of compensation. They do it because they want to help.

Meeting such people makes this one fine, fine life.

Important News! -visitors, vols and staff

We've found a place very nearby that takes plastic bottles for recycling.  Therefore - beginning today, July 28, 2010 - no more water, soda, or Gatorade (any #1 or 2) bottles are to go in the trash.  For now we'll use feed bags to collect bottles, but will work on setting up more permanent collection containers (heavier bins that won't blow away in a breeze.)

We Don't Buy Horses

In response to several recent inquiries:

No, Traveller's Rest Equine Elders Sanctuary does not buy horses. 

The horses in residence come from a variety of sources.  Some had been abandoned at boarding stables, Some were left behind when farms were sold.  Several came to the sanctuary as the result of law enforcement investigations into cruelty or neglect.  Many were victims of starvation or lack of veterinary care.  A few came to us when owners encountered catastrophic changes in their lives, putting the horses' futures at risk.

The unfortunate truth is that TREES is asked to take in far more horses than we can possibly accept if we are to maintain high standards of care.  With so many horses in desperate need of places to go, purchasing horses is not an efficient use of available space and resources needed to care for current residents or to develop educational and outreach programs. 

In response to one follow up question - No, most of TREES residents were not "saved from slaughter."  Slaughter is just one of many many dangers horses face.  The horses here, abandoned or left to "let nature take its course," were never headed for the meat industry.  They, instead, were simply dipsosed of on their own home turf, like a car up on blocks at the edge of the woods in the Back Forty.  The difference, of course, is that the car does not suffer - sometimes for months or years -  when the owner stops feeding it or denies treatment of injuries or illness.  

Rienzi August 9, 2007

Rienzi August 7, 2008