Walking Back to Happiness

When horses come to us at Remus Horse Sanctuary, we often have to embark on a programme of rehabilitation. Many of them have been starved and neglected, and need to build up their strength and confidence.

So we were very interested to read this excellent article in Horse and Hound about the benefits of walking over ground and raised poles for rehabilitation or for general strengthening work.

The article focuses on research by the Animal Health Trust which found that using poles can help to increase range of movement, strengthen musculature and improve coordination and balance.

Find out more at: www.horseandhound.co.uk/news/how-walk-work-over-poles-benefits-equine-rehab-and-strength-793578.

As you know, we are struggling with our hay stocks and costs currently. If you’ve not already had chance, please do make a donation to our appeal at: www.justgiving.com/campaign/urgenthaysummer2022.

The Dogs are the Stars at Remus Horse Sanctuary

Remus Horse Sanctuary will be opening its gates on Sunday 4 September to welcome members of the public for its fun Dog Show and Family Day from 1pm to 5pm. The Dog Show will commence at 2pm with bookings being taken from 1.30pm.

Special guest Minnie Mouse will also be making an appearance during the afternoon.

The Sanctuary at Little Farm, Buttsbury, near Ingatestone, offers free parking on-site, with disabled access. Admission will be charged at just £5 per adult and £3 for children. Entry to the Dog Show is £2 per class. Cream Teas can be booked in advance for £12 per person, including entry.

The Remus novelty Dog Show includes fun classes such as: Bad Hair Day and Best Sausage Catcher, along with the more meaningful – Dogs with a Disability (blind, deaf or a life-changing illness) and of course, the ever-popular Best in Show. The 1st – 6th winner receives a rosette and best Rescue Dog and Best in Show receive a trophy to keep.

Winner of our Best in Show July 2022 was Flo, a lovely German Shepherd, and Reserve Best in Show was Dan, a lovely greyhound. Congratulations to Dan and Flo and their proud owners and to Janetta and her team for organising and judging it and for running the agility. A great time was had by all.

The events at the Sanctuary are always fun and interesting for the whole family, with a children’s entertainer, live music, delicious refreshments, lots of stalls, a tombola and a raffle.

The Sanctuary provides rehabilitation and care for around 200 animals, including horses, ponies, donkeys, goats, sheep and cats, and has been doing so since it was founded in 1983.

The Open Days are a vital source of fundraising for the charity which, due to its location on greenbelt land, can only open to the public for a limited number of days each year.

Sue says, “We always look forward to inviting the public and their dogs to come and visit the Sanctuary and learn more about what we do.

“Young and old always have such a great time and it means we’re able to show off our facilities and our amazing animals and give people an insight into the valuable work that we do in a fun way.”

To book tickets for the Open Day and Dog Show, visit the charity’s website at: www.remussanctuary.org/events/open-day-sanctuary-september.

For anyone wishing to sponsor a dog class at the event, especially local businesses, please email: info@remussanctuary.org. For information about the Sanctuary, visit www.remussanctuary.org or contact Sue Burton on tel: 01277 356191.

The final Open Day of the season will take place on Sunday 2 October to celebrate World Animal Day, and the charity has created an appeal to raise funds to replenish its stocks of hay. Details can be found at: www.justgiving.com/campaign/urgenthaysummer2022.

Our Urgent Hay Appeal

Can you help us – again?

We thought the last two years were tricky enough with Covid and the lack of fundraising! Little did we know that 2022 would bring us the hottest UK temperatures on record, and over such a sustained period!

The soaring temperatures have meant the grass in the paddocks can’t grow – in fact it’s turned to dust as you can see from the images. So even those animals that aren’t laminitic and can eat grass, have none to nibble!

We’ve had to increase our hay stocks by 75% over the past month! This, combined with increasing fuel and transport costs, mean that we’re also having to buy our hay, straw and woodchip bedding at higher prices than before too.

We know the rain will come at some point, but it will be too late to replenish our stocks this year which means we’ll also be heading into the winter and through into next spring with a shortage.

We fully understand these are challenging times for many, so we know our timing is not good. You’ve helped us in the past and we really hope you can again. However little, every penny really does make a difference.

Please make donations via our Donation page directly on our website or via our JustGiving Appeal page.

If you prefer you can telephone the Sanctuary on 01277 356191 to make a donation via a credit or debit card, or post a cheque to Remus Horse Sanctuary, Little Farm, Buttsbury, Essex CM4 9NZ.

Help your Horse Beat the Heat

As summer continues, and with another heatwave predicted for the UK, it’s important to ensure your horse is well protected against the elements and any pests.

Keeping on top of horse care is half the battle, and we have in place at Remus Horse Sanctuary a summer management routine that ensures that the animals we look after are kept well during this time.

One of the major issues is flies – a real problem in horse yards – and a pest to your horse. A fly repellent and fly rug and mask will help your animal cope.

Another pest to tackle is the Culicoides midge, which can cause a common skin condition called sweet itch, which can make skin itchy and scaly. Stabling your horse between dusk and dawn is one way to avoid this.

As horse owners, we may enjoy not having to wade through mud during the summer months to look after our animals, but the hard ground can also be an issue. It’s important to be aware of the effect hard ground can have on their feet – a regular farrier routine is a must at this time of year.

Finally, when the weather hots up, horses need to be protected from the sun, just like us. You can use a sunscreen or UV-protection fly mask. Be especially careful with light-skinned animals.

There is more detailed advice in this excellent article www.horseandrideruk.com/expert-advice/articles/keep-horse-safe-summer, which should help you keep your horse happy and healthy all summer long.

Special Guest Mickey Mouse to Visit Horse Charity

Remus Horse Sanctuary will be opening its gates to visitors on Sunday 7 August from 1pm to 5pm for one of its summer Open Days. Visitors will be able to meet special guest Mickey Mouse, who will be visiting the charity during the afternoon.

The Sanctuary at Little Farm, Buttsbury, near Ingatestone, offers free parking on-site, with disabled access. Admission will be charged at just £5 per adult and £3 for children. Cream Teas can be booked in advance for £12 per person, including entry. Dogs are welcome on a lead.

The events at the Sanctuary are always fun and interesting for the whole family, with a children’s entertainer, facepainting, live music, delicious refreshments, lots of stalls, a tombola and a raffle.

The Sanctuary provides rehabilitation and care for around 200 animals, including horses, ponies, donkeys, goats, sheep and cats, and has been doing so since it was founded in 1983.

The Open Days are a vital source of fundraising for the charity which, due to its location on greenbelt land, can only open to the public for a limited number of days each year.

Founder, Sue Burton, said: “We love inviting visitors to the Sanctuary during the summer. It gives us opportunity to share the vital work that we do here in terms of both rescue and rehabilitation.”

To book tickets for the Open Day, including the Cream Teas, visit the charity’s website at: www.remussanctuary.org/events/open-day-at-the-sanctuary-august.

Further information is available on the website at www.remussanctuary.org and the charity’s Facebook page.

Feel-Good Shopping with Amazon

Shopping online with Amazon is pretty much everyone’s go-to nowadays, either when we need something in a hurry or can’t find it at our local shops. But did you know that Amazon will make a donation to the charity of your choice every time you shop with them? It’s easy if you use AmazonSmile.

Similar to Give as you Live, if you shop at www.smile.amazon.co.uk they’ll donate to your favourite charity at no extra cost to you. What’s more, it’s really easy to sign up!

It’s exactly the same as the standard Amazon – same products, same low prices and same level of service.

The easiest way for you to generate AmazonSmile donations for Remus is to activate AmazonSmile in the Amazon Shopping App. You can follow a screen recording of the process here. Alternatively visit the website. Once AmazonSmile is activated in the Mobile App, donations will be automatically generated on all eligible purchases.

If you’re signing up via a desktop or a laptop, please sign-up to AmazonSmile here.

Storm Eunice Update

It’s hard to believe now, but Storm Eunice hit the Sanctuary in February of this year. Following on from the devastation it heralded, we had various contractors and volunteers in attempting to fix the extensive damage. Our main concern was the broken fencing and the damaged shelters, as both of these have direct impact upon the animals’ welfare.

Following the storm, we had to move many of our horses into different fields and paddocks due to damaged and unsafe fencing that was not secure for them to stay in. Many of these paddocks we either save for summer months or are not suitable to hold horses long term and so the fencing needed to become a priority.

Additionally, a large volunteer group party came up one Sunday and proceeded to clear a lot of the damaged structures, fencing and debris, leaving big pieces in situ with the hope that they can be rebuilt where they laid. We were very grateful for the help they provided.

Over the course of the next 2 weeks, we had a fencing contractor team in to repair the broken sections of fencing, which was done swiftly and efficiently, and all the fencing is now completed.

Simultaneously we had a roofing company in to repair a skylight in the main building, tiles that had come down, an exterior floodlight that had been severely bent, roofing slates that had come off one of our buildings, and also the main electricity cable loom that had been pulled off that same building.

Work is now starting on repairing and rebuilding the shelters. The one that was in the best shape has already been completed by our handyman volunteer Jon. A new roof is being put on top of the shelter at the back of our barn from which the felting was ripped off and timber roof structures damaged, and which is now being replaced by a tin roof. Then there are still lots of smaller jobs that will require work in the next phase! Although the storm may have only lasted a short time, it has certainly left a lasting legacy on the Sanctuary.

We would like to thank everyone that has donated towards this appeal so far, and those many people who have helped physically at the Sanctuary and have allowed for this work to be completed and continue. Without your donations we would struggle to finance such a large-scale restoration and we are extremely grateful. That said there is a huge deficit in the costs and still more to do so, if you haven’t yet contributed to our appeal, we would be most grateful if you could. You can do so via the link here: www.justgiving.com/campaign/rebuild-remus-after-eunice.

Fun for the Whole Family at Remus Horse Sanctuary

Remus Horse Sanctuary will be opening its gates on Sunday 3 July to welcome members of the public for its fun Dog Show and Family Day from 1pm to 5pm. The Dog Show will commence at 2pm with bookings being taken from 1.30pm.

Special guest Buzz Lightyear will also be making an appearance during the afternoon.

The events at the Sanctuary are always fun and interesting for the whole family, with a children’s entertainer, live music, delicious refreshments, lots of stalls, a tombola and a raffle.

The Sanctuary provides rehabilitation and care for around 200 animals, including horses, ponies, donkeys, goats, sheep and cats, and has been doing so since it was founded in 1983.

Every year the Sanctuary faces the risk of closure due to lack of funds. The Open Days are a vital source of fundraising for the charity which, due to its location on greenbelt land, can only open to the public for a limited number of days each year.

Sue says, “Our fun dog shows offer a new dimension to our Open Days and we always look forward to inviting the public to come and visit the Sanctuary and learn more about what we do.

To book tickets for the Open Day and Dog Show, visit the charity’s website at: www.remussanctuary.org/events/open-day-at-the-sanctuary-july.

The August Open Day will take place on Sunday 7 August.

Little Ted’s New Shoes

Little Ted, one of our Shetland ponies, has been struggling a lot this spring with laminitis and has been extremely sore.

Working with our Vet and Farrier we agreed to try plastic glue-on shoes on him as they have helped some of our other horses. Ted is tiny so the shoes are very small, but they have made a huge difference. Of course, like everything now, they are very expensive to have fitted, but they have given him back a quality of life and given us back our happy old fella! You can see the little shoes shown resting on his back before being fitted.

With the increased nutrition, especially sugar that the spring and summer grass brings, it causes a condition called laminitis.

Laminitis is inflammation of the laminae of the foot – the soft tissue structures that attach the pedal (pee-dal) bone of the foot to the hoof wall. The inflammation and damage to the laminae causes extreme pain and leads to instability of the pedal bone in the hoof. In more severe cases it can lead to complete separation of and rotation of the pedal bone within the hoof wall which can penetrate through the bottom of the sole. This then becomes life threatening and often results in the horse being put to sleep.

To treat this, we remove the horse from the grassy paddock or field it is on and move it to a balder paddock or woodchip area or stabled facility. Grass is then completely avoided; hay is given in its place on a strict dietary amount. Pain relief is given as required and sometimes remedial farrier work is done. The horse or pony is closely monitored over the next few weeks for signs of improvement and to ensure it’s coping with this new management structure accordingly.

The vet will be contacted and will visit if necessary. Once an animal has a laminal episode they are then prone to it for life which is why we need more woodchip paddocks so that we can provide more laminitic horses with an outside environment where they don’t have access to grass but can still be outside with their friends and see what’s going on, rather than being stuck in a stable.

Over 90% of all episodes of laminitis are brought on by endocrine disease so either Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction (PPID, previously known as Equine Cushing’s Disease) which is a complex condition associated with abnormal function of a small, hormone-producing organ, the pituitary gland, that lies at the base of the brain. Or Equine Metabolic Syndrome which is a hormonal disorder quite similar to Type 2 diabetes in humans. Laminitis and its associated issues are responsible for approximately 7% of all equine deaths.

You can see further images of Little Ted supporting some very fetching glue-on shoes which reduce the concussion on his feet whilst walking to help support his laminitis.

If you’d like to make a donation towards a new laminitic paddock, please do so here.

Enjoy a Cream Tea Fit for a Queen

Celebrate the Jubilee with Remus Horse Sanctuary and a Cream Tea on Sunday 5 June.

Remus Horse Sanctuary has pledged its support for The Big Jubilee Lunch, which will be bringing the Platinum Jubilee celebrations into the heart of every community this June. The Sanctuary will be bedecked with bunting on Sunday 5 June in celebration of HM The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee for a special celebratory Open Day.

In traditional street party-style, a sit-down Cream Tea will be served at 2.30pm, and a special commemorative tree will be planted as part of the Queen’s Green Canopy.

During the afternoon, visitors can meet the 200+ rescued and rehabilitated horses, ponies and donkeys, learn more about the Sanctuary and enjoy a singalong with guest band Midnite Blu. Whilst children can enjoy face-painting, up close magic and a very special guest – Minnie Mouse will be making an appearance.

The Cream Tea will consist of two plain scones, butter, jam and clotted cream and will be served with a choice of tea or coffee. The Cream Tea is £12 per person including entry. Entry only tickets are £5 for adults and £3 for children.

In addition to the Cream Tea, a range of delicious refreshments will also be available and there will be lots of stalls including a tombola and raffle.

Gates open at 1pm and close at 5pm. Parking is available on-site with disabled access, and dogs are very welcome on a lead. Admission will be charged at just £5 per adult and £3 for children. Advance online booking is recommended via the charity’s website.

The Sanctuary provides rehabilitation and care for around 200 animals, including horses, ponies, donkeys, goats, sheep and cats. The Open Days are a vital source of fundraising for the charity which, due to its location on greenbelt land, can only open to the public for a limited number of days each year.

Sue Burton, Founder of the Charity says, “We’re delighted to be supporting The Big Jubilee Lunch this year and hope to see many people and supporters from around Essex and beyond having fun, reconnecting and celebrating the things they care about this summer!”

For further information, visit www.remussanctuary.org or contact Sue Burton on tel: 01277 356191.