Redesigning a Sanctuary

When Traveller’s Rest Equine Elders Sanctuary was founded, the goal was to provide sanctuary; a place of safety; a stress-free home where everything fits together as a smooth, harmonious whole. We tried to take into account everything that might affect the well-being of both horses and sanctuary, physically, emotionally and spiritually.  Somewhere along the road our program took a slight detour, veering into a commonly seen model in which as many horses as possible are taken into a facility, filling every available pen, paddock, and stall.  Housing too many horses at the sanctuary drove the stress-free and harmonious factors in the equation into the background.  While TREES’ residents have never lacked food, shelter, veterinary, farrier or dental care, just meeting “the basics” is not enough to make our Sanctuary whole. 

 

With that in mind, Traveller’s Rest is undergoing a metamorphosis; not so much a change in purpose as a rebirth – a return to our roots.  We are making some changes in order to return to a more holistic path toward sanctuary; a path we hope will lead beyond “good enough” and set a standard of excellence.  

 

First and foremost, that means moving away from the idea of accepting another horse any time there appears to be physical space for one more.  “Space for one more” means far more than having a spare stall or a vacant paddock.  We want our horses to live peacefully in harmony with their environment.  Operating a farm under crowded conditions automatically creates conflict with that environment.  Pastures become unhealthy, parasite and pest control becomes very difficult if not impossible, and the horses themselves become stressed, anxious, and irritable, all leading to a decrease in the horses’ physical well-being as well as damaging the land the horses call home.  TREES hopes to develop Sanctuary as an all-encompassing concept rather than being seen merely as a horse farm that happens to house elder equine.

 

From this point forward, TREES will set a maximum herd size of 12-15 horses rather than the average of 18-20 we tried to maintain for the past several years.  Not only will a smaller herd lead to a more balanced sanctuary environment, but it will also allow time for more educational efforts, something that suffered greatly in the last few years.  Education will, of course, remain focused on equine elder care, but we will also begin to incorporate more “green” horsekeeping philosophy.  Our standards will include integrative management techniques in which the sanctuary environment is every bit as important as the horses in it.  Practically speaking, there is no way to separate the two facets of the sanctuary – what we do with the horses affects the farm environment and what we do with the farm environment affects the horses.  The Sanctuary is a microcosm of the interconnected nature of all things; what affects one thing affects all things.

 

So, as TREES enters its second decade, we continue to grow by becoming smaller in one sense, while hopefully achieving more balance over all. 

It’s exciting to imagine what that balance may bring. 

 

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.

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.

HEAL Hosting Feed Drive for TREES Jan-Feb2012

(From http://www.facebook.com/notes/helping-every-animal-live-heal/heals-elderly-horse-feed-and-supply-drive/309692395741481 )

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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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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Winter Feeding Arrangements

During the warm months, when there is plenty of grass, horses are able to determine their own feeding space.  Some may graze close together, others may want a larger personal bubble to feel comfortable and secure.

Now that lower temperatures have arrived and the grass is dormant in most of the US, feeding arrangements may need to be adjusted to ensure each horse receives his full portions of feed and hay.

Separate everyone at meal times to allow slower eaters to finish and to make sure less confident horses are not pushed away from their feed.

At other times of the day, make sure every horse has relaxed access to hay.  if you feed round bales, this may mean unrolling the bale to allow more timid horses space to forage.

 And, as always, feel under those winter coats and blankets to monitor body condition and adjust feed as needed.

“I’d Rather Not”

Earlier this month, Traveller’s Rest Equine Elders Sanctuary was invited to present a talk on Equine Elder care at the Equine Extravaganza in Doswell, VA. The talk lasted about forty minutes and the floor was opened to questions. The room became silent. Either I had told the listeners everything they needed to know about keeping weight on senior horses, or I had baffled them into a state of confused speechlessness.

Finally, in the last row of chairs, a hand rose. What a relief. Unfortunately, the question did not concern the topic of geriatric horse health.

“Do you take donated horses?”

I repeated the question into the microphone. “Do we take donated horses?”

I thought: “I can answer this question two ways.” First, I can explain why we don’t consider TREES residents to be donations. Or, probably more to the point of this specific instance, I can explain how we decide which horses we accept into the sanctuary. I chose to start with the latter.

The decision process is really quite straightforward. First, and perhaps most importantly, the sanctuary must have the room and resources to take in a new horse without jeopardizing the care of the current herd. Since the farm continually operates at maximum capacity, we often have a waiting list of sorts. There are always more Elders in need than there are places for them to go for care. Because we can’t take them all, we have a basic triage system. Horses who will immediately suffer hunger, untreated illness or injuries, or other life-threatening issues if left where they are at the time, are given first priority. Underlying circumstances may include outright neglect, abandonment, or owners’ physical or financial hardships.

The bottom line is that, when we accept a horse surrendered directly to TREES by his owner, it is because the owner is no longer able to provide even basic care, usually through no fault of his own.

Following this explanation, the lady in the back row began to explain that she had recently rescued a horse at New Holland (a large auction barn in Pennsylvania) but that the horse turned out to be several years older than she believed at the time of purchase.

I repeated the basics of our acceptance policy – horses not receiving even basic care, i.e. food, basic veterinary care, etc – and followed up with “Are you able to provide basic care?”

“I’d rather not.”

Silence. Her “I’d rather not” hung in the room like a noose.

Thousands of people who desperately want to be able to provide basic care to their horses, literally, cannot. You can see it on local bulletin boards, classified sites and on internet forums. They’ve been laid off. They’ve taken lower paying or part time jobs to put food on the table but don’t have much left over for hay. Some are working two or three part time jobs, which almost makes ends meet, but doesn’t leave time for the actual labor involved in horse care. Other people are losing farms, losing homes, moving into smaller, more affordable accommodations that don’t include space for horses (and if they can’t afford a mortgage payment, they certainly can’t afford to pay boarding facilities to care for their horses.) Even so, I am regularly amazed at what some people are willing to sacrifice to buy a bag of feed or a bale of hay.

Now, at the Equine Extravaganza, I stood looking at a woman who apparently could afford to care for her “rescued” horse, but didn’t want to. I took a deep breath and, for the third time, explained that those horses whose owners cannot provide basic care take priority and that there are always – always – more waiting in the wings. It will be a long, long time before TREES will be able take in a horse whose owner is able to provide feed and vet care but would “rather not.”