Sky Ranch Sanctuary

A Horse Rescue Organization

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Be Prepared/ Horses and Disasters

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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…

Please donate to the Sky Ranch Sanctuary Horse Trailer Fund

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

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Spirit

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Spirit, a pretty mare, came to live at Sky Ranch on Halloween of 2014. We had no way of knowing her name, so I named her Spirit because I liked the name! Little did I know how apropos it would be in her case. She has plenty of spirit! She stomps her feet and kicks the barn walls with impatience when it’s time to go out into the pasture. If she were a human, she’d be standing, arms folded, foot tapping and rolling her eyes; wondering why no one knows it’s HER turn.

We didn’t always know Spirit like that…or Sheldon..or Digger..who were severely undernourished when they came to our attention. Food does more than keep the body going physically. It’s nourishment for what makes a being “alive” and willing to address life head on. One only has to look at the photos of children who are starving to see how dim the light is in their eyes.

One of the greatest aspects of this work, is seeing an animal who has been deprived, come alive in spirit as well as in body. Personalities unfold and their individualities shine.

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Frostie: A Memorial

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Frostie, a beloved barn cat, died last week of complications from lymphoma. Frostie was born on this ranch 10 plus years ago, to a feral mom and a stray, but tame, dad. He had five brothers and sisters and his mom, Hissie, moved the kittens from a Mercedes chassis in my husband’s shop to under the gas tank behind the house. Frostie was a handsome, leggy, silver gray tabby and he survived, and I’m sure outlived, many of the predators who would have loved to have him for lunch!

In losing Frostie, I lost a dear friend. I was his “only human:” no one else could pet him or pick him up. Most mornings he was waiting for me near the porch, appearing from out of nowhere and standing at my feet. I would pick him up, snuggle him into me, and bury my nose in his fur. Then I could listen to him purr all the way to the barn.

It was like that for us. Even though he’s gone, I catch sight of him everywhere. The heart has a different sense of reality. In a couple of weeks I’ll pick up his ashes at the animal hospital and will scatter them in one of the places where he hung out on the ranch. It will just be the two of us, like always.

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Spring at Sky Ranch

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Spring can arrive with subtlety on the California Central Coast. Cold frosty nights can be followed by  sunny beach days. Hard to know what to expect let alone what to wear: sweater, shorts? And rain is part of our winter weather as well as spring (though of late we’ve not had enough in either season!) But the wildflowers on the hillsides and the California poppies lining the roadsides are a dead giveaway that spring is really here.

One of the pluses, and there are many, of caring for horses, is that seeing to their needs get me   outdoors…early. Too much time is spent chained to desks, planted on couches in front of the TV, hunched over in front of our computers, and whisking off here and there in our cars. Just being outside clears the head and works at something deeper inside. Maybe because our species began living outside, it refreshes us to be there. I’d like to say that I hop out of bed each day enthralled with the prospect of what lies ahead, but that’s not true. Barn chores await and all the stresses that modern living can bestow. But what is true is if I remember to breathe and glance up while I’m filling and hauling buckets and flakes of hay I can see the the shadows disappearing as the sun rises with its unique majestic glow. It always surprises me, gives me  energy and at least a smidgeon of hope for getting on with my day.

Whether you celebrate Easter, Passover, or just the wonder of nature this spring, spend some time outdoors It will help.

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