Welcome to our monthly update. Thank you to our regular subscribers. Please encourage your friends and family to become subscribers. At CFH we, like so many other charities right now, need and appreciate the support we get from you. All and any donations you make really help keep us out there and keeping an eye on the welfare of local horses. A regular monthly commitment from our supporters, however small, allows us to plan activities and goes towards covering the costs of our welfare calls. If you can become one of our regular donors, we would be so grateful. Thank you.

Friends, Freedom and Forage

Restrictions imposed by national and devolved governments across the UK are slowly being being stripped back and "business as usual" is resuming, however many are still staying guarded.

The haunting images of empty streets, empty of bustle and life, will remain clear memory to many. This time during the pandemic has caused pain, grief and uncertainty yet also resilience, team work and collaborative worldwide problem solving.

To quote Howard Schultz, “In times of adversity and change, we really discover who we are and what we’re made of.” These words are so very true, as we see a shift in behaviour patterns now forming. Many are opting for a change in lifestyle with companies encouraging hybrid working patterns to better allow for work life balance. We may be entering a new way of working and living, one that is evolving and is in infancy. The same can be said too in relation to the animals in our lives - where and how we relate and think about them, how we use them, keep them, interact with them, train them, breed them, care for them, transport them.

Has the pandemic made you think in new ways when it comes to how you think about what your horses feel?

Maybe the experience of lockdown and vulnerability has given us fresh eyes to their requirements for survival and that they are sentient. With many of us suffering the consequences of being kept from loved one and secluded, do you now savour the company of other human beings and meeting friends to chat?

This luxury of company with friends is not afforded to many of the horses that we see. Secluded, alone and stabled, in the company of other species - ones too tall or too small, they do not speak the same universal language. What a dire existence for those creatures and some of us are so ignorant they fail to recognise what they are doing. It really is so sad. At communities for horses, we do our utmost to give owners all the information that they need to make informed, positive, caring decisions about how they keep their horses. Our knowledge is not always met with a great welcome. However we plant the seed, hope the seed with grow and that they keeper will do something to change the environment.

Plant Of The Month.

Given that it is February - and the weather has been wild and, on occasion, grim the decision on plant of the month was tricky. Instead of one plant, here is a picture of a glorious day in July. It's old pasture filled with a mix of grasses, flowers and herbage. The long grass is full of fibre - and flowers can be selected, if desired. Ponies pick off the thistle heads as they walk past - behind the pasture is a big overgrown hedge of willow and hazel with a bit of oak - fronted with bramble. It's an excuse to post a photo of summer. The first flowers of spring are now with us - and in the month ahead, the leaves will start unfurling.

What has our equine welfare officer been up to?

Support
This month we have had many calls regards horses that are suffering the consequences of unrest on the livery yard. As horse owners there is generally nothing more important than our horses. Therefore when things do not go as planned, or false promises are made, it hurts and it can have detrimental effect on our mental health. Yard bullying or even slight changes to a routine can have devastating effects on some. We try to be a source for impartial advice and understanding. We understand how much your horses mean to you and the effect that someone else's actions, either with intent or not, can have on your relationships with others and your horse.

Cutting Corners
We have also been contacted alot about horses that have been purchased as something that they clearly are not. For example horses described as bombproof or a gelding that turns out to be a rig. We cannot emphasise enough to that if you are considering a purchase of horse you must research, consider cost and seek professional advice. Advice is readily available from many registered charities and welfare organisations as well as veterinary practices, who additionally can offer pre purchase vetting.

Meetings
In January we attended the AWNW (Animal Welfare Network Wales ) meeting where we met remotely to discuss all things animal welfare related. Much focus was on the the new Animal Welfare Framework that has been released by the Welsh Government:

https://gov.wales/sites/default/files/publications/2022-01/animal-health-and-welfare-framework-implementation-plan-2022-2024.pdf

How Can You Help Us ?

We are searching for some fundraisers

We are looking for some local volunteers who do not mind early mornings and love car boot sales. We have a large array for items for sale that would raise essential funds for us at Communities For Horses. With two ponies currently under our care and winter fast approaching we really need your help. If you have your own transport and would like to help us, please contact us.

There are many ways that you could contribute regularly to our work, some that incur no additional costs. Please do take the time to explore the many ways that you can make a difference.
Give As You Live allows you to make a donation, direct from purchases from many businesses.
Amazon Smile donates a percentage of your sale to us as your select Smile charity. You can sell unwanted items on the EBAY, where we can benefit from a percentage or full value of your sale, you choose.
Thank You.

Amazon Smile

Give As You Live

http://paypal.com/gb/fundraiser/charity/245695

We are delighted that some of our supporters are raising funds for us on EBAY. It is really simple to do , if you have unwanted items, that you wish to donate to charity, list them on EBAY. That way a percentage or the full value of the sale is donated to Communities For Horses.

Big Shout out to Kathryn Thomas, Dominic Hughes and Miriam Bowen for your very useful donations this month. Thank you .

We would also like to thank our regular donors:
Sonia Capper (who makes a regular donation to provide phone credit )
Sarah Smith,
Holly Thomas,
Jenni Nellist,
Jo Hockenhull
Rachel Barber
Haydon Middleton.
Ana Pombo Rose
The donations we receive enable us to cover some of the costs associated with attending welfare calls. Many of the calls that we attend allow us to change the welfare status of the horses for the better, whether this is their mental, environmental or physical welfare. 👏

Please stay safe. Thank you all for your continued support ❤

Find Out More

https://www.communitiesforhorses.org/support-us

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