|
Elder
discussion forum
►►OUR
PHILOSPHIES
About Traveller's Rest Equine Elders Sanctuary
WHY AN OLD HORSE SANCTUARY?
by Julie
McClanahan-Chiang
For many years I have seen the need for an organization like Traveller's
Rest Equine Elders Sanctuary. Having loved and worked around horses,
mules, and burros for more than thirty years, I have been aware, all too
often, of the poor treatment of equines in their senior years. Many
times the guardians of these senior horses and burros labor under the
misconception that a happy retirement means banishment to a back field.
I have met several older horses condemned to this sad fate by well
meaning but misinformed caretakers. Proper shelter, good nutrition,
regular vet and farrier visits are critical to a senior equine’s quality
and length of life. Seniors also need mental stimulation to maintain a
happy outlook on life. You wouldn’t want to be separated from friends
and family when your working days are done. Neither do our equine
companions. Equines are herd animals by nature and need companionship to
feel safe and happy.
Nova - 27 year old Thoroughbred
mare
The TREES organization is working to become an information center to
help people learn proper care for older equines. In addition,
Traveller's Rest will provide sanctuary for older equines that have been
forgotten, neglected or abused. TREES hopes to educate current and
prospective equine owners on the life long commitment that is undertaken
when they bring a horse, mule, or burro into their lives. Being the
guardian of an equine companion is a long term and expensive
commitment. Because of advances in nutrition and vet care available
today many horses, mules, and burros live well into their thirties and
the age of forty is possible. In the hopes of assisting people that do
make this life long commitment, TREES will strive to offer current
information on proper care for equines with emphasis on the special
needs of older equines.
By supporting TREES you can begin to change the sad opinion that old
horses are “useless”. It is a sad fact that every year in the United
States that million of horses, mules, and burros are labeled “useless”.
Such a label condemns these poor equines to the terrifying end of being
auctioned to slaughterhouses where their only value is as food for human
consumption. Through education we can help stop the neglect and
slaughter of older equines that accompanies the opinion that old equines
are “useless”.
Mahatma Ghandi said one of my favorite quotes concerning the humane
treatment of animals. He said, “The greatness of a nation can be judged
by the way its animals are treated”. This may sound like a lofty goal
- to create a world where all creatures have value - but it can be done
in small steps. You can take one of these small steps by:
-
helping to educate owners of older horses who appear to be receiving
inappropriate care. Many times neglect is due to lack of
education and the owners are very willing to learn new feeding and
management techniques. Help keep as many seniors as possible
healthy, happy, and at home with their families.
-
informing local animal control officers or humane investigators when
owners appear to be deliberately and uncaringly neglecting or
abusing horses of any age.
-
adopting an older horse from a local equine rescue facility to be a
companion for your working equine.
-
continuing to enter your senior horses (if they are fit for the
work) in shows, organized trail rides, or other events where
spectators can see that "useless" is not attached to a particular
age.
-
providing support for the tender loving care that the residents of
TREES deserve and receive in their twilight years.
-
letting your own equine elders know that they have always been, and
will continue to be, very valuable parts of your life.
OUR PHILOSPHIES:
We and our equine friends live in
interesting times: the industrial age has largely reduced horses,
donkeys and mules to luxury status; current consumer trends foster a
“throw-away” mentality; and finally, advances in medicine and nutrition
are allowing us all to live longer. The result – older equines that are
cast aside by the equine industries (racing, showing, breeding, pleasure
riding) when their needs begin to outweigh the value their owners place
on them. Many of these elders slip into a miserable existence attended
by starvation, lack of proper medical care, and mental abuse. It is for
these old friends that this sanctuary was created.
Each and every animal rescued is allowed to live out
its life here at the sanctuary free from hunger, never to fear neglect,
abuse or abandonment again. As a “no-kill” sanctuary, TREES does not
euthanize any animal unless suffering from injury or disease and it is
determined that a reasonable quality of life can not be restored. We do
not sell animals but occasionally adopt to good homes. The adoption
contract ensures that our animals return to the sanctuary if the
adoptive home can no longer provide adequate care.
We do not breed nor will we permit any animal adopted
from TREES to be used for breeding. Rescued stallions are gelded as
soon as their health permits. Overpopulation, fueled by indiscriminate
breeding, enables the “throw-away” mentality that makes this sanctuary a
necessity.
TREES can not serve as a retirement home for
animals that are merely no longer "convenient" for their owners. Our limited
space is reserved for abused or neglected animals that must be
rescued from life-threatening conditions. We strive to always have
space available to support law enforcement seizures of animals in
critical situations. TREES occasionally accepts elders whose
owners suffer sudden financial hardship or loss of farm property.
We recognize that there are many more unwanted horses
than all the rescue facilities in the country can house. We encourage
concerned owners that intend to give up possession of hard-to-place
animals to consider humane euthanasia as an alternative to dropping the
special-needs equine into the horse trade pipeline which too often
becomes a downward spiral into abuse, neglect, and cruel death.
TREES
believes that we can help many more animals through education of the
public and the equine community than we could ever care for here at this
small sanctuary. We strive to help owners and potential owners
appreciate the responsibilities of a lifetime relationship and to
provide medical and nutritional resources for owners that need
assistance with equine elder management.
NOTE: Material presented by
Traveller's Rest Equine Elders Sanctuary on equineelders.org or in any
other manner is for information purposes only. It is in no way
intended to replace the services or advice of your veterinarian.
|
A question commonly heard at TREES is
whether or not the name has anything to do with General Robert E.
Lee's famous grey mount, Traveller. The answer is YES!
Most people know that, although he rode
several different horses during the course of the war,
 Traveller
remained Lee's favorite. After
the war, while Lee was President of Washington College, Traveller
lived in the stables next to the President's residence.
When Lee died in 1870, his family kept
Traveller and cared for him until the next year, when he died of
tetanus. Both General Lee and Traveller are buried on the grounds
of Washington and Lee University in Lexington, VA.
We'd like to think that, had he lived
many more years, Traveller would have remained a beloved member of
the Lee family, cared for as though the General himself were still
in charge.
Thus, "Traveller's Rest," providing a
home for those horses whose families chose not to take on the
responsibility assumed by the Lee family.
WHAT TRAVELLER'S REST IS
(AND ISN'T)
Traveller's Rest Equine Elders Sanctuary
is not a retirement farm for horses who are thought of, by
their owners, as "no longer competitive."
Traveller's Rest Equine Elders Sanctuary
is not a boarding facility for horses whose owners are
hesitant to invest a little extra time in proper care when riding is
no longer possible.
Traveller's Rest was founded as a safe
haven for elderly horses whose lives or well-being appear to be in
danger due to neglect, abandonment, or abuse. In other words,
Traveller's Rest is a sanctuary for horses who have no one who cares
whether they live or die.
Your horse has someone who cares.
If your horse has served you loyally and well, do you not owe him
just a little reward in his retirement years? No matter how
plush the accommodations at a retirement farm, or how meticulous the
care at a sanctuary, your horse will never be as happy there as he
would be at home with his family.
Just as you would not enjoy being sent
to "An Old Folks' Home," surrounded by strangers in your golden years, your
horse would not be happy separated from his family herd.
There are many sources of information
concerning geriatric equine care. Please contact your
veterinarian, read any of the many
books on the subject, or
contact us with
questions. We'd like to help you keep your Equine Elders
healthy, happy and at home!
The
three underlying rules of spiritual ecology:
-
"In a
connected world, the whole is no longer the whole when it is a
part."
-
"No
person or group is the enemy."
-
"Human
Beings do not own the Earth."
Jim Nollman, Spiritual Ecology : A Guide to
Reconnecting with Nature, Bantam New Age Books, 1990, pg 7-8
|
