A Horse Rescue Organization
Ask for advice from an equine nutritionist. Many feed manufacturers have free helplines. Make sure you are spending your money on the best feeds and not overfeeding expensive supplements. And always remember never to try to cut corners at the expense of your horse.
As the old man walked the beach at dawn, he noticed a young man ahead of him picking up starfish and flinging them into the sea. Finally catching up with the youth, he asked him why he was doing this. The answer was the stranded starfish would die if left until the morning sun.
“But the beach goes on for miles; there are millions of starfish,” countered the other. “How can your effort make a difference?”
The young man looked at the starfish in his hand and then threw it to safety in the waves.
“It makes a difference to this one,” he said.
-Minnesota Literacy Council
I guess it isn’t officially summer for a week or so, but here at Sky Ranch we’ve gone into summer mode. It’s warmer, the flies are here (though our Fly Predators keep them at bay), the horses wear their fly masks every day (note photo of Snitch sporting his), the sun/rain shelters in the pastures will get more use, and it’s daylight when we feed the horses in the morning.
During the winter, we spend more time indoors and that makes for lots of time for reflection. When the day’s work is done, winter welcomes a fire in the fireplace, a good book, or maybe an indoor project.
When spring arrives the juices start flowing faster again, and we are reminded to take action. There are so many things going on in the world and a lot of them are distressing: mass shootings, wars, extreme poverty, and on a more personal level, the often petty, but at times overwhelming frustrations of our daily lives. And for those of us who love animals, hearing about the abuse and neglect they suffer can make us feel helpless to turn things around.
I think it helps to “do something.” It doesn’t have to be a big thing. You can adopt an animal, support a friend who has animals by offering to pet-sit, volunteer at an animal rescue or advocacy group, or make a donation to an animal welfare organization. Don’t be stopped by thoughts that the “little” you can do is insufficient considering how huge the problem is. Each contribution to the cause matters, and even small steps get us closer to our goal.
Use the energy of the summer life to take action. Think small, do what you can, and help make a huge difference.
When Digger arrived at Sky Ranch last November, above is the way he looked. The caretaker at his former home would throw out hay which worked fine for the other horses, but Digger couldn’t chew it. When they discovered his teeth were probably the culprit, the absentee owner didn’t want to pay for dental work. The only options left were to let him starve or put him down. Well there was actually another option: Sky Ranch.
The caretaker and owner were anxious to try this third option. After Digger’s arrival here, and after allowing a few days for him to settle in , he had his teeth done. He needed a couple of extractions and lots of remedial work. Then it was just a matter of giving him food he could eat. He loves his senior feed and enjoys his softened alfalfa cubes. As you can see from the photo below, he’s doing much better. Regular dental check-ups are critical to a horse’s health and survival. If you have a horse of your own, make dental care a priority.
Disaster preparedness is important for all animals, but it takes extra consideration for horses because of their size and requirements for transporting them. It’s imperative to be prepared to move the horses to a safe area. Access to a trailer, in good condition,and a pre-planned route of escape…actually two possible routes of escape..are necessary. Evacuation experts suggest practicing routes with the trailer and making sure all of the horses are willing to be loaded with only one handler.
Planning ahead is critical, and that plan must be in place before you see smoke or fire.
The Humane Society stresses that if you are unprepared or wait until the last minute to evacuate, you could be told by emergency management officials that you must leave your horses behind.
Purchasing a horse trailer will help us become better prepared in case of a fire emergency…
Here are links to other preparedness sources if you are interested in researching further:
http://traveltruth101.blogspot.ca/2013/10/fire-preparedness-for-horses.html
http://extension.colostate.edu/docs/pubs/livestk/01817.pdf