Short virtual tour

Some video from the Bayside Portsmouth Harley Owners Group visit a few months ago

October Mornings

Val - October 28, 2010

Mona - October 27, 2010

Super Sunday Volunteer Crew

Wow! We’re developing quite a team on Sundays. The energy on Sundays is great as several people work together to whip the sanctuary into shape. We catch up on a little more cleanup each week.

Today, TREES volunteers:

• Cleaned up ALL fields and paddocks (as in every single one)
• Cleaned out all run-in sheds
• Scrubbed and refilled water tanks
• Scrubbed feed tubs
• Took down fans and old fly strips
• Replaced burned out light bulbs
• Stripped and rebedded Butternut & Henry’s stalls
• Bedded Kelley’s shed
• Replaced several boards in older sections of fence
• Cleaned up the scrap wood left after storage shed construction
• Fluffed several geezers’ winter coats
• Put away most of Saturday’s load of donated supplies

And all before 1PM.

Then we discussed several admin and fundraising ideas – keep ‘em comin’!

You guys are great. “Thank you” doesn’t seem like enough.

(Now to develop several more teams that work this well together -- both at the farm and "behind the scenes.")

Another Volunteer Orientation! Sept 27, 2010

WE'VE ADDED ANOTHER VOLUNTEER ORIENTATION

Monday, September 27, 2010, at 10AM

Traveller's Rest Equine Elders Sanctuary - Spotsylvania, VA

Looking for a way to help horses "hands-on?" More than just "petting horses," we'll offer an opportunity to play a role in maintaining a high standard of daily care at the sanctuary. Several people who couldn't make it to the orientation on Sept 18 are nonetheless interested in getting started as soon as they can. So, WE'VE ADDED ANOTHER ORIENTATION this Monday, September 27, 2010, at 10AM.

Interested in learning how you can help?

Email info@equineelders.org for directions.

To Alleviate Some Local Confusion:

Almost every time TREES sets up a display at a local event, we are asked "Oh, are you the place that {fill in the blank}?" or “Are you the place on {fill in the blank} Road?”. To alleviate some confusion, here are a few bits of TREES trivia:

Traveller’s Rest Equine Elders Sanctuary specializes in the care of geriatric horses that have been abandoned or neglected or whose owners literally can no longer offer even basic care. TREES is not a retirement board facility.

Traveller’s Rest Equine Elders Sanctuary is in Spotsylvania.

Traveller’s Rest Equine Elders Sanctuary does not buy horses.

Traveller’s Rest Equine Elders Sanctuary does not “import” truckloads of horses from other parts of the county.

Traveller’s Rest Equine Elders Sanctuary only accepts as many horses as it can properly care for at the time.

Traveller’s Rest Equine Elders Sanctuary customizes a diet and care program for each horse based on its individual needs.

Traveller’s Rest Equine Elders Sanctuary feeds a high-quality, balanced feed appropriate for our residents’ needs and stage of life.

Traveller’s Rest Equine Elders Sanctuary feeds each horse separately.

Traveller’s Rest Equine Elders Sanctuary’s horses all have access to hay or pasture 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

Except during meals, or in cases of a veterinarian's instruction, Traveller’s Rest Equine Elders Sanctuary’s horses are turned out 24/7, not kept in small pens.

Traveller’s Rest Equine Elders Sanctuary provides adequate shelter to every horse.

Traveller’s Rest Equine Elders Sanctuary documents date of arrival of every horse and condition upon arrival.

Traveller’s Rest Equine Elders Sanctuary checks on every horse a minimum of three times a day at breakfast, supper and bedtime, many times more often during the course of daily chores.

Traveller’s Rest Equine Elders Sanctuary keeps its residents on a 6-week farrier schedule, though some are trimmed more often if needed.

Traveller’s Rest Equine Elders Sanctuary consults with veterinarians regularly, often weekly, about everything from acute or chronic illnesses to allergies and alternatives to current management techniques.

Traveller’s Rest Equine Elders Sanctuary also consults with complementary practitioners on a frequent basis to augment but not replace “traditional” veterinary care.

Traveller’s Rest Equine Elders Sanctuary has each horse examined by a dentist at least annually, more often if problems arise.

Traveller’s Rest Equine Elders Sanctuary does not keep intact male horses on the property or allow residents to breed.

Traveller’s Rest Equine Elders Sanctuary’s volunteers are asked to follow policies and procedures intended to keep them AND the horses safe.

Traveller’s Rest Equine Elders Sanctuary does ask parents to remain at the farm with their children because we have neither trained daycare staff, nor a daycare insurance policy.

Traveller’s Rest Equine Elders Sanctuary continuously researches horse care options and tries to keep abreast of new developments in geriatric equine care. If we don’t know, we’ll tell you we don’t know then try our best to find an answer.

For more information, please visit TREES Facebook page or TREES web site.

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.