By Elaine Cosby | Project Leader
You may have noticed - we recently doubled our funding goal to $31,650. We want you to know why.
YOU have made this work possible and given us a solid foundation. YOUR contribution has been significant and we continue to be incredibly grateful for the miracles you have helped create. This increase in funding is due to need, not greed, and we intend and want you - our donor and supporter - to know that you are always valued and appreciated.
However, in the past six months we found we missed something when we listed the needs of our herd. We have no stable, no stalls, no shelters for our horses.
CURRENT SITUATION & NEED: Our rescued horses give us their best as therapy horses, and when they’re not working, they have “turn out” and move freely, grazing on the farm. The farm (next door to the center) is 22-acres with a variety of forage and grass. Turn out is the healthiest situation for any horse, providing much needed exercise and grass. So, we do our best to provide this as much as possible. Research shows that horses turned out much of the day with proper shelter have a much lower incidence of colic, ulcers, joint issues and respiratory issues.
On the farm, there are small clumps of trees, but they are not proving to be adequate protection for the horses when the weather is extreme. Very few provide afternoon shade, and in the summer, we frequently experience heat indexes over 100 degrees. We also have heavy rains and winds, at times, and we have found these tree stands are not sufficient protection in these conditions either. In addition, we have no sheltered place (e.g., a stall) to keep a horse at rest if he is injured or ill and requires treatment and rehabilitation.
SOLUTION: We need to provide two 12'x24' run-in shelters where the horses can come and go as they please. These sheds are three-sided structures, built using steel, wood, cement. A run-in shelter gives pastured horses the best of both worlds – freedom and protection, allowing them to self-regulate a bit when the weather is extreme. And, with an extra internal wall and front gate in the run-in, we will also have a stall area for an injured or ill horse to rest and rehabilitate. These shelters will cost about $8,000 each, based on our construction estimates.
We will be sending out another report by April about the amazing therapeutic work the horses are doing - which now includes a grief support group called "Healing with Horses and Each Other." In the meantime, we hope you'll share our project and our need with others (https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/support-5-rescued-horses-who-help-people-in-need/), follow us on Facebook (@horsesofhopepr) and Instagram, and know that every dollar you have already given or plan to give in the future moves us further towards helping our horses empower people in need in our community. THANK YOU!
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By Elaine Cosby | Project Leader
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