June 1-14, 2011: Buy natural products, support TREES' geezers!

Ferrell Hollow Farm (FHF) is a dedicated retirement farm in TN for senior horses over the age of 20, most of who arrive with special needs. In keeping with our passion to help as many senior horses across the country as possible, we have selected a non-profit sanctuary also dedicated to caring for senior horses to help!

Traveller’s Rest Equine Elders Sanctuary (TREES) is a non-profit rescue located in VA. They are not your typical non-profit horse rescue organization though. Many of the residents come to the sanctuary from backgrounds of neglect or abandonment, but TREES does not dwell on the past. Instead, they celebrate the personalities that emerge as their elders return to "just being horses" in a low stress environment. http://www.equineelders.org/index.htm “Honor the Wisdom”!

For a limited time, Ferrell Hollow Farm will donate a portion of its proceeds from sales on their website’s store page to TREES! Any web order placed from June 1st thru June 14th qualifies! Please visit

http://www.ferrellhollowfarm.net/Store.html to begin shopping!

Ferrell Hollow Farm’s Natural Horse Care line was developed out of a need for non-chemical products that actually worked. All formulas are developed and tested by Cindy Daigre on the senior horses at our retirement farm. Only pure grade essential oils and pesticide free herbs are used. FHF also has a natural body care product line for PEOPLE! As with all of our products, only cruelty-free ingredients are used (no animals are harmed)!

TREES has created a wish list of FHF items they would love to have. You can help them double up on the benefits of this program by not only receiving a monetary donation at the end of this fundraising period from your purchases, but consider ordering something just for them to use on their elder residents!

TREES' Wish List of Ferrell Hollow Farm Natural Products:
*Herbal Skin Gel
*Fly Spray
*Fly Balm
*Colloidal Silver Wound Spray
*Colloidal Silver Wound Gel
*Mosquito Spray

Please use this link to begin shopping!
http://www.ferrellhollowfarm.net/Store.html






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Ciao Bello, Parker.

In the summer of 2010, TREES agreed to assume custody of a young paint horse in need of immediate veterinary care.  Infection had caused swelling in most of Parker's face.  Over the course of many months, Parker's foster mom and several vets, in consultation with a surgeon at NCSU, cleaned up infected tissue, removed fragments of diseased bone and tried to deal with an opening that led from Parker's mouth into his sinus. 

Under their care, Parker seemed to improve somewhat, had a good appetite, played with herdmates and appeared to be happy, but the cavity in his face would not heal and the infection always seemed to lurk, waiting for an opportunity to make itself known again.

Following months of xrays, biopsies and cultures, it was decided to take Parker to NCSU, where a surgeon would attempt to give Parker a normal life.  Sadly, his prognosis was that surgery would be "heroic" and gave the little paint only a 20% chance of a good quality of life.

And so, with a mouthful of sweet spring grass, with his foster mom close by, Parker left his earth in the gentlest manner possible.  While we won't have specific results for several weeks, it was thought the tissues involved looked cancerous. Even if that proves to not be the case, the surgeon confirmed, during necropsy, that there was nothing else to be done.  If there is an "up side" to this case, it is that Parker was able to be an organ donor, allowing other horses corneal transplants.

Our hearts go out to Meredith who cared for Parker for almost a year and stayed with him as he left for greener pastures.  No one could have done a better job.  We know he is missed already.

Ciao Bello, Parker.

Our Residents' Names

If you've been watching the rebroadcast of Ken Burns' Civil War on PBS this week, you may be figuring out where we get many of our horses' names.  Here are a few hints regarding some past and current residents.

_________ Hampton
_________'s Heights
_________ Early
_________ Bedford _________ (one officer - 2 different TREES horses)
_________ Stuart
Pierre Gustave Toutant ________
_________hugh Lee
William Tecumseh _________
________ Chamberlain
________ was General Sheridan's horse at Winchester
________ Long was said to be General Lee's "other" favorite mount
________llorsville
________(y)sburg
Some Confederates wore uniforms of _________ color

52 Thoroughbreds - Fact or Drama?

Over the past week or two, a message about 52 horses in Ohio needing homes "went viral" in the horse world. These horses were said to need homes within in few days or they would "go to slaughter."

Ummm. Not so much.

Here is a snippet from a post written by someone who actually took time to talk to the family:

{The horses' owner} was diagnosed with Congestive Heart Failure about 6 months ago and at that time, they began to find homes for all the horses, knowing he would not be here much longer. They have all been placed, but it was not a hurried or concerning situation, by any means. They all went to homes that were picked by the family.

At no time, were they EVER in danger of going to a slaughter house.

Now, this is not the first time something like this has happened. On the contrary, its a regular occurrence. I have no idea why people feel the need to add threats and emotional blackmail to the mix when they hear news of a group of horses needing new homes. Isn't the current number of horses needing places to go enough of a problem without adding melodrama to the issue?

Frankly, this type of reaction makes those working in "horse rescue" look like a bunch of fruitbats and impacts our credibility as a whole.

The habit of screaming "slaughter, slaughter!!" every time a horse is advertised as needing placement is a reason TREES does not publicize or forward this type of post unless we have personally talked to the owners .

Please -- when you get an email like this, or see a post on a forum, RESEARCH it, before you pass it on to 5000 of your closest friends. I feel fairly confident in saying the owner would rather get one call from you than a hundred calls from said closest friends. If you can't take the time to call, don't take the time to pass it on.

FREE SEMINAR - Geriatric Horse Jan 12

FREE SEMINAR

Medical Conditions Affecting the Aging Horse

Rappahannock Equine Veterinary Clinic - Locust Grove, VA-

Wednesday Jan 12, 2011, 6PM.

RSVP by Jan10, 540-854-7171, or revc@rappahannock-equine.com

Sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim.

Presented by Dr Marian Little, DVM of Boehringer Ingelheim.

Seriously Short Summary of Sherman's Saga

Sherman, age 30-ish, November 10, 2009

December 11, 2010

The Myth of Skinny Old Horses busted again.

Equine Elders holiday feed drive

Helping Every Animal Live (HEAL) is hosting a holiday feed drive for the residents of Traveller's Rest Equine Elders Sanctuary (TREES.) Visit the HEAL FB page to see how you can participate.  (Then be sure to "Like" and follow the HEAL page to keep up with future projects to help all animals in the area!)

From HEAL's info page:

"Helping Every Animal Live - (HEAL) is a newly forming non-profit. (501(c)(3) status is pending). Founded by an executive with experience in veterinary medicine as well as a former non-profit and governmental entity auditor, HEAL was formed to answer a much needed void in the community. We look forward to introducing our non-profit to the local community and aiding those animals in need.Mission:The mission of Helping Every Animal Live (HEAL) is twofold:

Give animals access to critical and quality veterinary care by providing financial aid and fundraising assistance to those in need.

Educate animal owners, caregivers, first responders, and veterinary professionals in order to improve the health and welfare of all animals through program resources.

Through fundraising efforts, community support, and innovative programs, HEAL will:

• Provide financial assistance for veterinary care to families who qualify for assistance

• Provide veterinary care to treat and rehabilitate sick or injured animals within local municipal animal control facilities in order to return them to a healthy and adoptable state

• Contribute veterinary assistance to animals in custody of local rescue groups, foster programs, animal sanctuaries, wildlife parks, farms, and zoos

• Track euthanasia rates within veterinary settings to reduce medically unnecessary deaths

• Maintain cancer resource center for animals in need of cancer treatments

• Conduct educational seminars to raise public awareness of key topics in veterinary medicine and other important issues as well as offer continuing education to veterinary professionals

• Offer first responder training in animal oxygen administration, CPR, first aid, and restraint and provide all local fire departments with pet oxygen masks and first aid supplies

• Offer CPR and first aid training to the general public

 Provide support to research institutes specializing in emerging veterinary treatments and procedures

• Run a wildlife triage center

• Maintain a Senior Center for aging animals, including access to in-home hospice care

• Provide access to specialized products and services for animals with disabilities

• Sponsor various animal support groups

Through long-range planning, HEAL will:

• Provide a state of the art non-profit veterinary center for specialized and critical care for all species, including wildlife and exotic animals

• Partner with the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine to improve educational standards and requirements for successful completion of a doctoral degree in veterinary medicine

HEAL web site