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Greetings
This month we want to share with you a story about Sun, one
of the newest residents of Eye of the Storm Equine Rescue.
The photo we have of him can be upsetting to look at, but
please be assured that by now he already looks a LOT better.
In the next issue we will include a photo of Sun in his woolly
winter coat, with a lot more meat on his bones.
Thank you!
Nina Arbella, Chief Manure Mucker, Eye of the Storm Equine
Rescue
Skinny Sun
 September
10, 2004 was a good day. It was the first cool day all summer.
I had no help this day and was afraid I could not care for
the fifteen horses alone, but I did. I even had time for a
few little projects like dragging all the bins of winter blankets
out of storage. Before we know it, it will be winter.
This was was the day that Sun came into my life. Sun is
a quarter horse palomino, about twenty four years old, starved
almost to death. This was his reward for having been a slave
all his life.
I don’t know much about his story, only that he was
a school horse no longer needed and growing old. This kind
old soul, perhaps, taught scores of people to ride, maybe
hundreds. From what I can tell he was probably a pretty handsome
guy. I pray I can bring him back to that. He is small, maybe
14.2 hands, but sturdy (he probably packed a lot of muscle
in his day) and a bright golden color. What, I wonder, brought
him to this?
You can always tell if a horse has been abused or not by
handling their ears. Almost every abused horse I have ever
known won’t let you touch their ears. Stupid people
use them for handles, restraint or punishment. Make note of
this: never, under any circumstance, grab or twist a horses
ears. They never forgive and they never forget. Sun lets me
touch his ears. He has probably never been abused. He is almost
comatose from lack of nutrients, he is certainly extremely
weak and unsteady. His left rear leg seems to bother him but
I don’t yet know why.
Sun is a horse that is completely used up and thrown away.
When his useful days were over instead of being retired on
the farm where he worked, he was given to people who had never
owned a horse, for their daughter, who soon lost interest.
Evidently she also stopped feeding him. What really disturbs
me is the MSPCA went to see this horse and did nothing. Do
you know that the MSPCA has one hundred seven million dollars
in assets? Yet with all that, they didn’t do a thing
to help this horse. Did you know that they are doing a nine
million dollar overhaul on Nevin’s farm? That they are
fundraising to do this instead of using the money they already
have? And they are getting it. It saddens me that the small
rescues that are saving animals for love are barely getting
by while a huge multi-million dollar organization couldn’t
save this poor old Sun. I know of other horses as well.
The point I am getting to is this: if you can’t commit
to a horse for its entire life, in sickness and in health,
‘til death do you part,’ do not own a horse. Sun
could be your horse. But Sun is a lucky one, he came to me.
He will never suffer again. I promised him that I will care
for him until his last breath. He will never be hungry again.
There are thousands of suffering horses that will never come
to me. I will never be able to help them, but I can help Sun.
The horse you give away to a non-horse person will in all
probability die because of that person’s ignorance.
Or, end up being passed on to someone else, maybe end up at
an auction to be bought by a killer. Being dead is not so
bad, it’s what leads up to it that really sucks.
In a perfect world all my wishes would be fulfilled. No
horse or child or even a frog would die by violence or neglect.
Not all stories end horribly, but Sun has made it painfully
clear by reminding me of how rough the world is for such innocent
ones. We can’t fix the world, we can’t make everyone
be responsible, but in the small circle of you all receiving
this newsletter, do your best to keep your own circle safe,
and know that you are a hero by doing so.
(View a larger
image of Sun when he arrived.)
Frogs
At the farm we have a puddle
with 23 frogs. I love frogs. The puddle is right in the middle
of the driveway. I blocked it off so no one can drive through
it and I have kept it full by dumping the horse’s yesterday’s
water buckets into it all summer. Last year we had one frog
living in a tire. I would rinse it out every few days and
replace the water. The year before, a frog lived in a cup
just outside the door. I kept the cup full all summer. And
the year before that, a toad lived inside the barn. I made
it a little door to the outside and gave it a bowl of water
to sit in.
Horses, frogs, we love them all!
Butterfly
We promised in our June
issue that we'd tell you more about Butterfly, our new
miniature hourse. Finally, here we are:
Butterfly, our tiny somewhat blind mini-horse, is doing great.
She is two years old and has grown into a more “horse-like”
shape. She was very funny looking at first with a huge belly
and not much else. Everything has caught up with everything
else. Though not “show quality,” she’s pretty
darn adorable. She’s about thirty inches tall with hair
the same color and texture of a baby chick. She reminds me
of those marshmallow peeps they sell at Easter time.
I can see why mini’s are often little monsters. They’re
so darn tiny that you hate to get after them like a big horse.
Butterfly has gotten very good at kicking us when we least
expect it. While bringing her in one day on a lead, she cantered
past me, somehow curled her body around me and kicked me behind
the knee! A rather athletic maneuver, I’d say, and quite
a surprise to me! Now she knows what “no” means
and usually stops her naughtiness, at least most of the time.
She is extremely smart and independent and makes the big mares
stand up and take notice when she gives the what for! Even
our alpha mare, Fancy, backs off with a puzzled look when
the mad Butterfly puts her foot down! I guess it goes to show
you, in the grand scheme of things, size is not all that important.
Butterfly is also, I believe, pregnant. That may make a difference
in their attitude towards her. She was in a farm living as
a wild thing with six hundred other little horses, breeding
indiscriminately. She has not come in heat since we got her,
though surrounded by all our wanna-be stud muffins (we have
five geldings and one stallion). I have mixed feelings about
her pregnancy. It is exciting and wonderful, but also scary.
She is so small and so young. But what will be will be. We’ll
deal with it when the time comes! Butterfly has a sponsor,
who pays for her support. Because of her failing eyesight
(she has iris cysts) she will remain with us for life. She
will not be available for fostering.
See a photo
of the other horses checking Butterfly out on the day
of her arrival.
About the new ads on our
home page
If you've visited our home
page recently, you've noticed the new Google adwords ads
appearing along the side. We're experimenting with including
these ads as anothe way to get some additional income to buy
food and supplies for the horses.
Every time someone clicks on one of the ads, Eye of the Storm
earns a few cents. So please, feel free to click on them.
All the ads are related to horses, so you'll learn about some
new products and services while helping Eye of the Storm at
the same time.
We thank you for your support!
New Status for Eye of the
Storm!
Eye of the Storm received its final IRS determination in
2004 after a 5- year working period. We are very excited that
we were designated 170(b)(1)(a)vi, a non profit organization
for the prevention of cruelty to animals, under section 501(c)(3)
of the IRS code.
I'm always happy to talk to people who call Eye of the Storm
for advice about horse care. But it's become a bit of a problem
if people leave messages and I have to call back long-distance.
We really have to focus our limited funds on horse supplies,
not phone calls.
I still want to talk to you, but please, call back if you
don't reach me. Or, if you're willing to make a donation,
I can call you back long-distance. Thanks for understanding!
-Nina-
978-897-8866 |
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