The Golden Carrot Newsletter's Archive
The Golden Carrot
September 2015 Newsletter
O my, it’s been so long since I’ve written a newsletter for you. Please accept my apologies. It’s been a terrible four months.
Old friends passing
During these months, we’ve lost six horses. Please read about Saki, Queenie, Medina, Shawnee, Sarge and Cinnamon, and remember who they were.
It’s part of the difficulty of running an old folks’ home for horses. They come in aged, many so damaged by overuse or neglect that nothing we can do can heal them completely. We do the best we can to keep them happy, and give them some control and autonomy for the first time in their lives. If you’ve followed us for long, you know these dear horses are my only family, my friends. And while I can understand that death comes to all of us, and that sometimes our physical self will linger and linger long past any quality of life, and ending the pain is an actual mercy, still, having this final duty is far and away the worst part of this work. I look at the herd everyday, and always lurking at the back of my mind is - Who will be next? I’m actively looking for problems, hoping desperately I won’t find something bad.
This year has already been horrible with loss. I still must anticipate losing Hershey any day. Some horses had been with us for decades. Some barely had a few months. All dear to me. All deserving of our help, and the healthy safe retirement we were able to provide. We are THEIR family. The only people who will mourn them, and who they were. Remember them.
New horses
In an effort to honor their memory and continue our good work, we brought in Trace, Jules and Weekend Rebel as well. In addition, we have Tolly coming in tomorrow, a lovely little gray mare from Polo Pony Rescue (I'll have a page up for her soon, just check the website at "Meet the Horses"). And at the last minute, we picked up Beppe at the request of the San Bernardino Animal Services investigator. He was part of a starvation seizure, a lawsuit is pending. I'm working on a page for him and ask that you check our website (www.thegoldencarrot.org) for information and the shocking pictures (the pictures we have are him 6 weeks after he was seized. Imagine what he looked like then!) So don't think we've given up, or don't need your help just because we've lost some friends. Remember that the costs associated with a death often are the equivalent of several months maintenance - it takes us time to recover from these losses in more than one way. And the new horses are just as deserving of our help. Please read their stories, such as we have, and if you can, donate toward their care, either once, or if you can, monthly as a sponsor.
Song to Sponsors
My sadness was alleviated a little when Sponsors of those who passed were willing to transfer their sponsorships to other horses here. Queenie’s sponsor now cares for Jeepers. Sarge’s sponsors now help Rebel. Cinny’s sponsor now plans to help Tolly. This says to me that these sweet human beings support what we do here, not just a particular horse. And that is great. Honestly, sponsors are the best people in the world. They trust me to use their money for the benefit of the horses; they commit to their sponsoree; they care about their sponsorees and you’d be surprised how often a sponsor will do “more” than their commitment, like when Biscuit’s sponsor ships a special packet of Winnie’s cookies here when she hears that he cast himself and is dealing with the aches and pains! Even $10 a month will make you a part sponsor of a horse. I tell them when they get a sponsor, and I swear to you it perks them up! They strut out a little, telling the other horses, Yeah - I have a sponsor. Do you? :-D The committed funding from Sponsors enables me to make large purchases of feed (thus saving money), allows me to know I have funding for a medical emergency, and its money I can COUNT on. Every donation, whether one time or regular, is deeply appreciated, but with sponsors, I can have something resembling a budget, and the feeling of security that gives me is priceless. Can you consider a sponsorship? Here’s the link to our website page which should have all you need...
Our Blue Bayou was abandoned by his former owners this year, and has finally now got his own part sponsor, Nancy Aziz! Thanks Nancy for stepping up for this sweet boy!
New volunteers:
We’ve met Mary, who comes from Temecula to help with stall cleaning and even some horse bathing, and who fell for our new boy Trace and is his part sponsor now!
Deb and Jon, some local horsefolk, have also tried to come once a week and help with chores and grooming/bathing chores. With Irene, they mostly come on Tuesdays (as that’s farrier day) and so one day a week, I really don’t have much in the way of basic chores to do! Whoohoo!!! Dang it, now I may have to do some housework...
Ton of Hay
We were also happy to win a little contest on FB sponsored by National Equine Resource Network “NERN” (www.nationalequine.org). We had enough followers follow the instructions to vote for us that we won a ton of hay! 20 more nice bales of bermuda grass hay from our usual supplier, free! Whoohoo! Since then, I’ve also purchased another 120 bales, in an effort to get a stockpile of nicer cheaper summer hay to get thru the upcoming winter. El Nino is supposed to be coming, with lots of rain, and I’m not thrilled at that news - I sure wish I had a hay shed to store this stuff in. Bermuda hay molds if you sneeze on it. I’ve got it double tarped but .... wouldn’t it be nice to have a three sided shed to put it in? Or a really cool barn? I could look for grants for something like this, if I had a property to put it on.... (hint, hint, see land plea below)
And that last, brings me again to my endless plea that you all spread the word of our need for land. That land would expand our ability to help. With the right place, I'd have the ability to provide sanctuary for 100 horses; and layup for maybe 10 horses for other rescues (freeing up a stall they can use to take in another, less injured, horse).
I’d like to have a barn for the frailest horses, and to provide a weather proof place for our vet and farriers to work; I’d love to have a three sided roofed structure to store hay. I could apply for grants for such improvements, if the horses had their own land. I’d like to have a nice arena and parking for enough vehicles that perhaps I could offer riding lessons; or a facility for events to help earn some $$ which might pay for a full time helper. So much more could be done, if we just had the space...
Again, I want to stress that the land will be in the name of the Golden Carrot. I do not hope to profit from this myself. The purpose of having the land in the name of TGC is simply this - I could die. I’ll be 60 in a few weeks and I feel 90 some days! If that should occur, at least the horses would be safe on their own place, and my board members and volunteers could keep them that way. My fellow rescues would continue to use the property, and help the sanctuary horses. It wouldn’t all hang on me, you see - it would be a TRUE sanctuary. I know it happens. Please tell everyone you know.
A donation of land is deductible on your taxes, up to the rate your total net worth allows (only your accountant can tell you how much). If you have a lot of money, that COULD be full market value! Whoohoo!! If you have a parcel you’re not using; that maybe you’re thinking you won’t be developing; that you’re tired of paying taxes and insurance on ..... would you consider whether the horses could benefit? Literally a gift of life .... The need is great. The recipients of this generosity are the horses, and they are truly deserving. They have earned it with a lifetime of service, and their broken tired bodies. It can't be that their only reward is death. With a gift of land, we can give them a reward that includes time to be a horse, as Nature intended them to be. Please tell everyone of our need. Someone somewhere out there will help. I have got to believe it....