TREES to Receive Free Vaccine

Earlier this year, Traveller's Rest Equine Elders Sanctuary applied for free vaccines through the Unwanted Horse Veterinary Relief Campaign, coordinated by the American Association of Equine Practitioners and Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health.

Today, TREES received a letter informing us that we will be the recipient of 20 doses of PreveNile, 20 doses of Pres V and 20 doses of Rabies vaccine......enough to innoculate all horses currently in residence.

The vaccines should arrive the first week of April and will save TREES a significant amount in the Spring 2009 budget.

Kudos to Intervet/Schering-Plough and the AAEP for developing this program to help those who dedicate their time to helping horses in need.

.......And a non-Expo-related Thank You!

Thank You to Ruth G for the generous gift of 73 bales of mixed grass hay yesterday. We haven't offered any to the horses yet, but it smells absolutely wonderful to us. We're always happy to get good quality mixed grass forage........horses never evolved to eat only timothy, or only orchardgrass and seem to thrive on a little variety, just as we do.

Thank you Piedmont Horse Expo staff, visitors and TREES volunteers!

Thank you to everyone who made yesterday's Piedmont Horse Expo, in Culpeper, Virginia, a terrific day.

Traveller's Rest, in particular, is more than a little excited to have met so many wonderful Expo visitors and fellow vendors. If you haven't been to this new annual event in the last two years, be sure to watch for the 2010 Expo and mark your calendar early.

There were speakers addressing everything from equine nutrition to training to animal identification. Vendors covered every imaginable aspect of horsedom as well: equine "spinology," boarding, feed dealers, vet clinics, leather care and repair, blanket cleaning, farriery, and of course, equine welfare.

At the risk of leaving someone out.....and please feel free to send me a nastygram if I do......I'd like to try and thank everyone who made our booth one of the busiest in our area of the barn.

We couldn't have pulled this off without:

Gene and Carol Craigo who helped haul every thing to the site, set up, staff the booth all day Saturday, then packed up and hauled everything home. The Craigo's also came to the farm Sunday to man the muck forks for two days worth of cleanup.

Deborah Caprio, candy artiste extraordinaire, got very creative with these horse lollipops. Very popular, we sold out by the end of the day. That buys seven 50-pound bags of senior feed. Deborah also took care of having many of our brochures printed in time for the Expo.

Valerie St Romain and her entire family derusted, primed and painted "Golden Horseshoes," also very popular!

Thank you , too, to Jill Deming of Integrated Animal Therapies for offering gift certificates to sell.

Karen Souder....hugemongous, delicioso chocolate chip cookies, home baked by Karen, appealed to those not quite up for solid chocolate horses. Karen, while manning her own real estate booth (anyone looking for a home in the Culpeper area? Please call Karen!) also sold animal puppets, donating a portion of the proceeds to TREES, and directed visitors to our information table.

Michaele and Jim Babcock, between the two of them, also helped staff the booth the entire day, provided hot coffee and pastries for volunteers and visitors and helped break down and pack up when it was all over.

Trish Hallier took over for Jim when he had to leave for the afternoon, greeting visitors and packing up at the end of the day. Trish has been helping out at TREES booths for a couple of years now and its always a great pleasure to see her again!

Amanda Blanton, DVM, of Rappahannock Equine Veterinary Clinic, wrote some of TREES' brochures, allowing us to pass along professional information on managing elder equine. You will also be able to see Dr. Blanton's articles on TREES' new web site, to launch soon.

To the Orange Madison Farmer's Cooperative, thank you for the bags of feed. Every mouthful is deeply and gratefully appreciated.

Thank you to Sherrie Minkes, the Expos' Vendor Coordinator organizing a smoothly run event for all involved.

And finally, a whopper Thank You to everyone who stopped by the Traveller's Rest table. Its always fun to talk with others who care for Equine Elders, and those who offer services that may help our residents remain healthy and happy. We hope to speak with you again in the very near future. We also look forward to talking more with those who are interested in volunteering with TREES, in having their clubs and 4H groups organize service projects, and in starting equine welfare organizations in other areas of Virginia. Please let us know how we can help.

Whew!

Readers that might like to help, but may not be able to participate in booth staffing or prep, can help enormously by letting us know of other events in the area where our information on Elders would be of interest. We'd love to get out and meet more VA Horse Lovers. (If you know of a potential event, please email Traveller's Rest as info@equineelders.org. Maybe we'll see you there!)

Manurology 101 - roughage

What can your horse's manure tell you about his diet?

In this case, it may tell you whether or not your horse is consuming enough roughage.

Any changes in manure consistency, color, smell, or amounts should be discussed with your horse's veterinarian. If no obvious reason for the change is found, you may want to look at roughage consumption as a cause, especially if your horse is dentally challenged.

Even though most senior feeds are high in "fiber," that fiber may not be a suitable substitute for roughage. Think of it as the difference between Metamucil powder and green beans. Both provide bulk, but of different consistencies. The "long fibers" in roughage provide mechanical benefit in the gut, keeping things moving along at an appropriate pace - not too slow, not too fast - and can help improve digestive efficiency and reduce risk of colic.

Our first Manurology photo shows a normal pile. Nice firm fecal balls, well separated, not too dry, but not overly wet or sticky.

Here, the fecal "balls" are becoming flattened and more sticky. This horse may be showing a slight roughage deficiency.

As roughage intake decreases, we see fewer distinct "balls" and more large "doughy" portions.

And here, subtle suggestions of individual segments, but mostly "doughy" feces. This horse is definitely not getting enough long fiber.

And finally......"cow pies." These piles came from horses unable to consume any grass or hay at all. This is what we see when functionally toothless horses are fed exclusively senior mash.

In a worst case scenario, a horse getting no real roughage can develop projectile diarrhea, and begin to lose condition very quickly.

To combat the inability to chew grass or hay, these horses may be offered a substitute such as well soaked forage cubes, in moderate portions, several times a day. Many do very well on these "processed" roughages and can return to normal or near normal manure production, a sign of a more normally functioning digestive system.

If you give soaked forages a try, remember to soak and serve only what the horse can easily consume in one meal. Soaked forages can spoil quickly during warm weather and will freeze solid in winter. At TREES, we soak alfalfa or timothy/alfalfa cubes in hot water for 30-60 minutes, then "squish" them with our hands to make sure no hard portions remain.

Basic Sanctuary Rules

As Spring begins, Traveller's Rest Equine Elders Sanctuary always experiences an increase in visitors and new volunteers. In anticipation of new friends this year, we'd like to post our Basic Farm Rules, so you will be familiar with them ahead of time. While many of these rules apply to volunteers, many also apply to one-time visitors and tour groups.

The Farm Rules are intended to make your time at Traveller’s Rest both safe and pleasant and to keep the equine residents happy and healthy.

Previous “horse experience” is not required.

All volunteers must sign a Waiver of Liability before volunteering for Traveller’s Rest Equine Elders Sanctuary in any capacity at any location. A parent or legal guardian must sign a Waiver of Liability for each minor volunteer between the ages of 12 and 17 years.

Volunteers must be at least 12 years of age. All volunteers under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian when volunteering for TREES, whether at the farm sanctuary or at off-site events.

Wear appropriate clothing during every visit. This includes safe footwear. No sandals or other open-toed shoes will be allowed. Most of the work at TREES takes place out of doors. Dress for the weather.

No Smoking! If you are on the farm, you are likely standing very near a horse, a pile of hay, a shed full of sawdust, or other fire fodder.

Be aware of weather conditions. Take frequent breaks and stay hydrated during the summer. Take breaks to warm up in the winter.

If you are unsure of anything at any time, please ask what is appropriate. No question is “dumb.” We would rather you ask the same questions a dozen times than do anything to put yourself or one of the horses at risk.

Please call or email before coming to the farm unless you have a previously scheduled visit. On occasion, there will be no one at the farm. Letting us know before you come also allows us to organize a work schedule for the day based on the number of available volunteers.

Do not bring dogs or other pets to the farm. They will not be allowed on the premises for the safety of the horses and other volunteers. Please leave them at home. It is not fair to ask them to sit in the car while you are here.

Do not climb on, or allow children to climb on, fences or gates, farm machinery, vehicles or trailers. Climbing on fences, then leaning over to pet horses is particularly dangerous.

Please do not sit or kneel on the ground when in any area containing one or more horses. This includes, but is not limited to, fields, stalls, paddocks and sheds.

When grooming, take the horse with which you are working into a stall or private paddock. Never stand among a group of horses at liberty to work. If herd dynamics come into play, remember you are the smallest animal out there.

Do not take food of any kind into the fields where horses are at liberty.

When feeding the horses, do not take a feed bucket or pan into an area where more than one horse is loose. Make sure the horse for which the feed is intended is secured in its stall or paddock before serving a meal.

Do not offer the horses treats of any kind without specific permission. Some have very few teeth left and cannot chew well. Others are on special diets for health reasons. In other cases, “hand treats” may not be permitted due to behavior issues.

When approaching any of the horses, make sure they are aware of your presence before making any physical contact. Some have impaired vision, some doze more soundly than others. Talk to them, sing if you like, and watch for them to look at you or otherwise acknowledge your presence. Never approach a horse from the rear.

When you go through a closed gate, close and latch it behind you. Even if you will “only be a minute.” Some horses watch very closely for the opportunity to go exploring. If a horse does get loose, notify farm management immediately. Do not try to catch the horse yourself.

The farm house is a private residence, not a part of the Sanctuary. You are welcome to use the powder room, accessible through the door on the right at the end of the house near the parking area, at any time. There is also a refrigerator available to store drinks and snacks, accessible through the left hand door on the same end of the house. The remainder of the house is private. Please do not enter. In addition, please do not enter the chain-link fenced-area in back of the house. The dogs that may be in there are privately owned and not a part of the sanctuary.


TREES reserves the right to amend the Basic Farm Rules at any time. Updated copies will be provided to all volunteers as necessary.

Our intent in compiling these rules is not to make your visit overly structured or restricted, but to make every visit as safe and enjoyable as possible. The horses enjoy visitors and we want you to have fun and to return often!

The Reiki Digest: Wordless Wednesday: Reiki for horses

TREES' Grande Dame, Emma, was honored with a mention in The Reiki Digest. Well, not a "mention" in the literal sense, since it was Wordless Wednesday, after all. But this one's worth more than a thousand words.

The Reiki Digest: Wordless Wednesday: Reiki for horses

Hey, Good Lookin'!

We are so thrilled with this beautiful mare's recovery, we wanted to share:

Remember.....don't dwell on the memory of this:

Delphi - August 9, 2008 - Age 28

Instead, celebrate this!

Delphi - March 16, 2009 - Age 29