Already over half the year has gone by and it seems as if I just wrote
you a few days ago with the financial breakdown. Bu here we are
again! The horses, pony and burrows are doing great. Bosco
has brown up in body but not in soul. He still runs up behind the
horses and "gooses" them and runs off. He nearly caused a stampede
a time or two!
I would like to acknowledge some great volunteers that have been so
faithful in working with the animals. Keith along with his wife
Pat come at least every week and does a lot of barn work, cleaning
stalls, grooming horses and generally helping to get to know all about
our guys. Pat comes when she can and helps Keith. Patrick
Damond brings his groups of young people twice a month to learn about
horses and be around them. They are from the city and most have
never been up close to anything other than dogs and cats.
Many thanks also to DR. Eric Lorens, who is our neighbor and a local
small animal vet. He spent so many hours helping my husband
to hold up a horse that suddenly kept falling and apparently he suffered
a stroke. We were sad to have to put him down. He could no
longer stand on his own, let own eat or drink.
We are
constantly being asked to take additional horses just needing
retirement, but we have to hold off helping those in desperate need of
placement due to severe abuse, neglect or medical issues. We are
already over our "limit" but as they say, there is always room for one
more.
We are in the process of getting in our winter supplies. That
includes all medication for the various cases of arthritis, laminitis,
bone spurs, hoof treatments and the ever needed wormers. The
farrier came last Sunday and trimmed all the horses hooves. We
also wormed everyone in preparation of fall and winter. Not to be
too explicit, but worms have a horrendous impact in the horses
gastrointestinal system. Left unchecked, it can debilitate a horse
to the point of a very painful death. It is crucial to worm every
two to three months as horses graze off the ground and can get infected
at any time. One type of wormer costs about $13-$14 a tube, times
11 animals, times every three months.....Well you get the picture.
Now we need to get our hay in and make sure we have enough hay to carry
us through the winter. This is usually 45-50 round bales weighing
about 1,000-1,500 pounds each. Its hard to imagine a bale this
big. We put out 3-4 round bales at a time and they last about 1
1/2 to 2 weeks. At this time of the year, expenses are usually
very high.
All of the horses are looking extremely healthy, as they need to be
coming into winter. We have the winter flu shots coming up along
with tetanus boosters. The Vet is coming out in a couple of weeks
to administer those shots. Teeth need to be checked for points
that need to be filed down to prevent mouth sores, and enable the horses
to get enough nourishment from their food this winter to carry them
through the harsh weather.
I would like to extend an invitation to any one of you that lives near
us or that might at some time be traveling through this area. My
phone number is 540-489-1262 and I would love to have you stop by and
see how your wonderful donations are being used. Just give me a
call as I work a full time job to help offset additional expenses of the
Sanctuary, but I would love to set up a time to have you come by.
Everyone stay health and happy. I look forward to hearing from
you. I love getting your letters as well. I m ay not be able
to respond to all but your thoughts and prayers are so needed and
wanted!!!
Thank You!
Catherine (Kitty) Sutphin.
We are Still Fighting to Keep Their Home.
Click here for more details.
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