Asking for donations in order to save money sounds kind of crazy. I know.
But... hear me out.
There are ways that we can be saving money in our day to day operations.
Money saved = more resources available to save more lives.
Let's talk about hay. We are feeding 10-15 draft horses on any given day. We feed high quality round bales. The horses get great nutrition from them. But, here's the problem: the horses waste an incredible amount of hay. It gets tossed out of the feeders, stepped on, pooped on, napped on, and who knows what else.
There are also some horses that eat more than they should (according to the vet, but we don't tell them they are over indulging) and then there are horses that need to eat more.
Roll out the hay nets! ($225.50 Each plus shipping, THREE hay nets needed.)
Hay nets have a lot of research behind them documenting their safety, waste control, and evening out who is eating how much.
We would like to give these nets a try in order to save considerable money on wasted hay. $$$$$
Next on our list of needed equipment is a set of oversized shoeing stocks. ($1350 plus shipping.)
Shoeing stocks make a draft horse trim safe for the horse, and safe for the farrier.
Over the past few years we have gotten through without using them. The way we have done that is by having our veterinarian present during our farrier appointments to give sedation when needed. This is an extra expense that we could be saving money on.
Most of the draft horses in our care have been trimmed in shoeing stocks their whole lives. They are comfortable in them, they are used to being in them, and having the supports to lean on makes the process even easier for them.
While working with Samuel this summer, we got a crash course on using stocks safely and efficiently. We have one small set that was donated to us. Thankfully we had those for Samuel.
We are hoping to be able to purchase the oversized set because some of our horses do not fit into the stocks that we have. (See earlier note about eating too much hay!) The oversized set would be more comfortable for most of the drafts in our care.
We'll save $75 every time we don't have to call the vet out for a farrier visit, plus $35-$55 per sedation. The savings are clear and the health piece of not sedating is incredibly valuable.
The savings made possible with the purchase of shoeing stocks and the hay nets will make a significant difference to our budget, improve the health of the horses, and make the day to day care more manageable.
Will you help us purchase this much needed equipment?
Thank you!
ps. Any funds raised over our goal of $2345 for this specific equipment will be used to meet the highest needs of any of the rescued draft horses in our care. <3
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