Equine Times E‑Newsletter =

Sterling Silver Farm Equine Rescue Inc.

April 27, 2006 &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; www.ssfer.org &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; Volume 1, Number 1

In This Issue

· Progress at Sterling Silver Farm

· DONATIONS Needed by Horse Rescue

· Rescue invited to set up at HITS

· What we do for the Horses

· Horses get their smiles worked on

· Where do they go from here?

Important Info

Click on Links bel= ow for more info…

<= span style=3D'mso-ansi-font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt'>How can I D= onate?

I would = like to DONATE, but how do I go about it?

How can I Volunteer?

I want to Volunteer, what can I do to help?

How can I r= eport Abuse?

I saw a = starved horse what should I do?

Progress at Ste= rling Silver Farm

Progress is happenin= g at SSFER as evidenced by the sound of hammers and excavating equipment being heard at the 21 Acre site. = A new Quarantine Stall as well as a new Holding Pen and the Temporary stalls for the Horses that have taken up residence at the Rescue have already been completed. Excavating has begun to turn the once lush pasture areas turned ju= ngle back into much needed pasture. We cleared several areas for a couple of corrals and started fencing the are= as until it was pointed out to us that there were several very large wild ch= erry trees (very poisonous to animals) in the vicinity of the new corrals. Work has stopped in those areas = until the trees can be safely removed. Anyone wanting to donate some tree cutting work would be an angel. We are current= ly working on preliminary design plans for the Main Barn and Feed Storage area. We had Nola Wilson fr= om the Ag Extension office out to asses the area and make suggestions for placem= ent of the different facilities, which helped a lot. Fundraising has begun for the pu= rpose of implementing these plans as well as feeding and caring for the growing herd.

New Holdi= ng Pen = ;

&nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; Land clearing

Quarantin= e Stall

&nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; New Paddock

Donations Needed by Horse Rescue

    Donations are needed by SSFER in o= rder to continue saving Horses from abuse, neglect and abandonment. We receive no government funds n= or are we independently wealthy, we are a group of ca= ring individuals who depend upon the kind heartedness and generosity of the pu= blic at large. All donations are needed and appreciated and every part of your donation goes to directly h= elp the horses in our care. We = need donations of Money, Feed , Services, new and u= sed equipment and other items. = Please check out our wish list.

Rescue Invited to set up at HITS

    SSFER was invited to set up an information booth at the HITS (Hor= se Shows in the Sun) in Ocala by Tony Hitch= cock Vice President of the Hampto= n Classic. We set up almost every weekend for the 5 week event. We were inv= ited back for next year so we will need some more volunteers to help out with = the setup.

What we do for the Horses

   We= rescue abused, neglected and abandoned horses then rehab them and adopt them out= to loving homes.

“Ricky” before and after, he is a = 35 yr old that was starving to death when we rescued him, now he is strong and = as healthy as he can be. Just because they get old doesn’t mean they need less loving and caring,= they need more. We get so= many calls on horses in a similar situation to Ricky. You can= help sponsor Ricky and other horses like him or give them a good forever home = to retire in. These horses rea= lly appreciate the love and affection that you give them, they love to be hug= ged and you can see in their eyes the gratitude for all that is done for them= .

Horses get their smiles worked on

The horses got a visit from an E= quine Dentist who graciously donated his services on a number of the Horses. The smiles were brightened by th= e by the dental procedures performed on them, which made eating an easier chore for the lucky Equines. Camp Thomas did a great job floating the teeth of some of our residents.

Where do they go from here?

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A quiet afternoon at the local horse show brought about the usual excitement of watching those wondrous creatures flying over the jumps and traversing the obstacle course with amazing ease and agility. They are trained to do this task= , yet they almost seem to enjoy the adoration and applause when they win, not to mention bringing ribbons and monetary reward to their owners and riders.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> There is little on this earth to= match the grace and strength of the thoroughbred horse, it is a gentle giant who allows us to be a passenger on its back when it performs all these amazing feats. We ask of it and it = gives willingly, lovingly, all it has to offer for a simple pat on the neck and= an ‘atta boy”. A few square meals a day, a dry = place to sleep and a nice field to romp around in for some exercise is another = way we pay them back, that is, until they stop performing for us. When the horse gets injured or c= annot make the jumps anymore due to age or whatever the reason, we turn on the horse. No longer is it the = wonderful animal we used to brag about at the dinner parties and club meetings, now= it is a shameful thing not to be mentioned any= more.

        The horse that we paid so much money for, paid so much for it̵= 7;s training and all the related costs and expenses over the years, is now worthless. He is not even <= span class=3DSpellE>ridable anymore so what is he good for, nothing.

All the ribbons he has won, all the prize money he has won, all the wonderful write-ups in the horsey magazines and newspap= ers no longer count for anything, not even the time when he was exhausted at the final run of that competition and you asked him to give it all he had and= he did and you walked away with the win.&nb= sp;

        Where does he go from here? Where too many of them go eventually, to the auctions frequented by meat buyers where they are bought for pennies a pound and then shipped of= f to the meat plants to be turned into dog food or even worse human food, or t= hey are bought by people who think they can force a few more years of riding = out of them or if they are mares they will try to breed her until she is unab= le to produce then they will get dumped again.   Some of the horses are luc= ky enough to end up in the hands of a l= oving new family or are rescued by a caring organization. Over 60,000 horses were slaughte= red last year with similar numbers for the previous years and it will not stop until the problem is addressed by everyone involved in the horse industry. It is the responsibility of everyone who makes their living from horses to help pro= vide a well deserved rest for these precious animals. The horse industry is a multi bi= llion dollar provider every year in this country, it= is time the industry gives back a little to a very deserved worker. Without the horses, they would h= ave nothing, with them they have everything.= The horses only want what they deserve, a chance to live out their lives in a loving and caring atmosphere, where nothing is asked from them again. After all the money = they have made for their previous owners, it is the least that can be done for= the horses.

If you do= not wish to receive this E-Newsletter just email us at l= isa@ssfer.org and write unsubscribe. &nbs= p; Thanks

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© Copyright 2006 Sterling Silver Farm Equine Rescue Inc.