Shopping at Co-op Stores offers Life Saving Paddocks for Horses

Sue Burton, Founder of Remus Horse Sanctuary, is delighted to announce that the Co-op Local Community Fund is now supporting the charity through to October 2020. The project supported is to create hospital paddocks for sick and debilitated horses, such as those suffering from a condition called Laminitis.

Laminitis is a prevalent, extremely painful condition in horses that has significant welfare implications for owners. It is an inflammatory condition of the tissues (laminae) bonding the hoof wall to the pedal bone in the hoof. It is often a recurring condition. In excess of seven percent of equine deaths are linked to laminitis, with many animals being euthanised.

There are a number of risk factors associated with the development of laminitis including the spring and summer months, obesity, being a pony rather than a horse, older age and hormonal diseases such as equine Cushing’s disease (pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction; PPID) and equine metabolic syndrome (EMS).

Ms Burton says: “A lot of our horses have laminitis as they have spent many years not receiving the care they should. These special paddocks are expensive to create and maintain but they allow the horses a quality of life that would otherwise be denied them. 

“Every year these paddocks need new woodchip flooring which allows the animals (a) to be kept off the grass which would otherwise add to the problem (b) means they can be kept outside with their friends and can walk around rather than being box rested, and (c) ultimately is very often the difference between life and death for them.”

Every time a Co-operative member buys selected own-brand products and services, 1% of the money they spend goes to help support local causes in the community, such as this project with Remus Horse Sanctuary.

The stores in the immediate vicinity of the Sanctuary include:

Store Name	Store Postcode	Business Unit
Billericay Queens Park	CM12 0UA	Food
Billericay	CM12 0RP	Food
Billericay	CM12 9BQ	Funeralcare
Blackmore	CM4 0RU	Food
Hutton	CM13 1LZ	Food
Ingatestone	CM4 9EA	Convenience Store
Pilgrims Hatch	CM15 9PD	Food

 

Ms Burton concluded, “Laminitic paddocks are very much a life-saving opportunity for many of our animals who deserve a right to some good quality life after all they have endured but it does come at a significant cost.

“We’re absolutely delighted that Remus Horse Sanctuary will be able to access this funding opportunity and I’d like to thank everyone involved for their support.”

Members can choose which causes to support by signing into their membership account or by calling the membership helpline on 0800 023 4708. For further information, please visit the Co-op web page at: https://membership.coop.co.uk/causes/22277 or, to become a member and receive exclusive offers throughout Co-op, please visit: https://membership.coop.co.uk/new-registration.

Find out more about Remus Horse Sanctuary at www.remussanctuary.org or contact Sue Burton directly on tel: 01277 356191.

Giving our horses the quality of life they deserve

Quality of life is so important to us here at Remus. We aim to give all of our residents as comfortable a life as possible, but can we really know what makes our horses happy?

A group of researchers from the UK, New Zealand and Australia are working to identify accurate ways to measure a horse’s emotional wellbeing, so that we can all keep better track of our horses’ welfare.

The researchers have reviewed two areas that could reflect their wellbeing; equine behaviours and physical measures, such as heart rate.

They found that behaviours were more reliable in assessing welfare than physical measures, although these should still be taken into account. Behaviours such as: feeding behaviour, interaction with other horses and with humans, and interest in the environment around them most clearly indicated their emotional state. For example, when they were happy, the horses had more friendly social interactions.

Basic welfare requirements include food, water and shelter, but this study reinforces the fact that horses’ needs are much more complex than this.

At Remus our residents have access to whatever their individual needs require. They have deep beds, heat lamps and pain relief, if needed, for arthritis or other issues to keep them stress free and relaxed. We also have music and give self-selection herbs, and of course regularly check for dentition issues, take worm counts, feed high-calorific, high-fibre mashes and weigh them weekly to ensure we are keeping on top of their weight.

You can read more about the study into quality of life here.

If you would like to sponsor one of our animals, you can do so here.

Abandoned and Tethered Horses and Ponies Need Help

Sue Burton, Founder of Remus Horse Sanctuary near Ingatestone in Essex, is appealing for urgent assistance to help save the many horses and ponies that will die needlessly this year from starvation. The charity has created an appeal page on Just Giving to help raise £2,500 towards the cost – www.justgiving.com/campaign/WinterFeedAppeal2020.

The New Year generally brings colder weather as we’re already seeing and, as well as giving top class care to the Sanctuary residents, there are many more horses and ponies out there who are not so lucky and that Remus Horse Sanctuary also need to keep an eye on.

However, at this time of year, Remus Horse Sanctuary struggles to respond to all of the reports they receive from members of the public.

Ms Burton commented, “We try and rescue as many animals as we possibly can, but we just cannot physically be everywhere we are needed – and it all comes at a great cost. This situation continues to be a huge crisis in the UK, which many people just don’t realise.”

The horse welfare crisis in the UK has been escalating for many years and the news regularly features horses that are victims of physical and mental abuse.

Remus continue to receive calls daily throughout the year. However, the cold winter months will make any situation worse. With the public’s help, the Charity’s Welfare Watch aims to deliver assistance to horses in crisis in and around Essex and the South East of England.

Keeping an animal fed over winter will give it a chance to thrive into Spring. Forage will also help keep horses and ponies warm, yet a tethered horse may not have access to this. Without the Sanctuary’s help, many animals will die a slow, painful and unnecessary death in the unrelenting cold weather.

“The public can help us by working together. Please take a look at our Welfare Watch and we will continue to do everything we can to avoid many horses and ponies from suffering. The more information you can provide on the form, the better.”

Details of the Remus Welfare Watch can be found online at: www.remussanctuary.org/horse-welfare/welfare-watch.

Additionally, the Sanctuary sustained a lot of damage during Storm Ciara, losing an entire field shelter (pictured) and felt from roofs.

The charity also offers a variety of foodstuffs online which people can buy: donate a bale of hay, bag of animal food, straw bedding etc. A week’s supply of food and hay for a tethered horse will help improve their life and wellbeing for just £25 and help get them through the cold winter months. Visit: www.remussanctuary.org/product-category/animal-treats to find out more or contact Sue Burton on telephone: 01277 356191.

Introducing a new, speedy way to donate on JustGiving

We’re excited to share that JustGiving is the first fundraising platform in the UK to launch an exciting, new payment method enabled by open banking that will make it even easier for people to donate to us here at Remus Horse Sanctuary.

This message is perfect timing in one regard as we lost one of our field shelters over the weekend to Storm Ciara – will you help us raise the necessary funds to replace it? You can find out more and see pictures of the damage on our Facebook page at: facebook.com/RemusHorseSanctuary.

Anyway, the new payment method is called Pay with Bank transfer and just like the name suggests, it enables donations to be made on JustGiving via a bank transfer. There’s no set up required, it’s very simple and speedy to use, and with the payment handled entirely by the donor’s bank, it’s super secure.

Pay with Bank transfer is powered by American Express but open to everyone, so any of you with a UK bank account will be able to give to us and our appeals on JustGiving in just a few clicks – all without card details to hand.

How does it work?

All a donor will need to do is click on the ‘Bank transfer’ button on the donation page of JustGiving and select their UK bank. They’ll then be automatically redirected to the bank’s webpage or app, where they will authenticate using their normal method and approve the pre-filled transfer details. That’s it. Check out the video on YouTube to see it in action: https://youtu.be/Bn8OzlPOlHU.

What are the benefits of donating with Bank transfer?

Pay with Bank transfer allows people to make donations on the go, even when they don’t have their card to hand. It also shows them their account balance before they approve the donation, and means they’ll benefit from bank-grade security, as the payment will be handled entirely by their bank.

You can view and please donate to our Winter Feed Appeal on JustGiving here: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/WinterFeedAppeal2020.

Keeping our horses and ponies safe this winter

The New Year generally brings colder weather and, as well as giving top class care to our Sanctuary residents, there are many more horses and ponies out there who are not so lucky and who we also need to keep an eye on.

The horse welfare crisis in the UK has been escalating for many years and our countrywide Welfare Watch aims to deliver assistance to horses in crisis in and around Essex and the South East of England. At this time of year, we struggle to respond to all of the reports we receive from members of the public; we just cannot physically be everywhere we are needed – and it comes at great cost! Will you donate to our Winter Feed Appeal?

We’ve put together this simple five-step checklist, designed for everyone to refer to before contacting us, so that we can all work together to help more horses and ponies at this time of year. Why not print a copy and save it to hand?

1. Keep safe yourself. This is the most important thing: first of all, horses can be unpredictable and so you must always put your own safety first, secondly if you don’t know the owner of the land, you could be trespassing.
2. Make yourself aware of the Five Freedoms (see below) to help you decide the nature of the problem.
3. Collect information about the horse(s) you are concerned about and fill in our online form. The form will ask you for:
   • The nature of the problem in line with the Five Freedoms
   • Supporting photographs, if possible, to demonstrate the nature and scale of the problem and so that we can prioritise the visits
   • Horse(s) details including how many, gender, breed, colour and age (if known) and also horse(s) owner’s details, if known
   • The landowner’s details, if known
   • The location of the horses
   • Your contact details
4. If it is an emergency situation, contact the RSPCA immediately on 0300 1234 999.
5. If it is safe to do so, take the horse(s) some hay and water until further help is sought.

The Five Freedoms

There are many reasons why a horse may be distressed or need assistance. We’ve chosen to align our Welfare Watch with the ‘Five Freedoms’ identified by The Animal Welfare Act 2006, which enshrines the animal owner’s ‘Duty of Care’ in British Law:

• Freedom from hunger or thirst – the animal has little or no access to fresh water and/or food.
• Freedom from discomfort – the animal does not have somewhere to lie down or gain shelter or is exposed to extreme weather conditions.
• Freedom from pain, injury or disease – the animal clearly shows disease, an untreated injury or perhaps severely overgrown hooves.
• Freedom to express (most) normal behaviour – the animal is tethered incorrectly and/or does not have sufficient space or proper facilities and living conditions.
• Freedom from fear and distress – abandoned animals, those subject to dog attacks, low flying aircraft, or similar, or those suffering from any of the above.

Remember, it is really important that you send us photographs of the horses, ponies or donkeys in need so that we can prioritise our visits and their care.

Download the form here.

Get Fit During 2020 Without Joining a Gym

Remus Horse Sanctuary is inviting people to step up and join their charity as a volunteer this year and save on those expensive membership fees at the gym!

Remus is actively seeking adult volunteers (both men and women) to join the existing and dedicated team and there are many ways in which an individual can help – whether in the office, manning a stall at an event, helping with enrichment, working on the yard, helping with the animals, maintenance, cleaning, knitting or stuffing envelopes.

Sue Burton, Founder of the Sanctuary, says: “We’re looking for people to help us at the Sanctuary and fundraising. So whatever their fitness levels we have something to suit! No experience is needed, and people will have opportunity to get away from their screens and out into the great Essex countryside to breathe some fresh air!”

Located near Ingatestone in Essex, the Sanctuary’s first two induction days of the year will take place between 11am and 1pm on Sunday 16 February and Sunday 8 March. However, it’s important to note that these dates are for adults only and everyone must complete and submit an application form in advance, which can be obtained directly from the Sanctuary or downloaded from the website at: www.remussanctuary.org/what-we-do/useful-downloads/.

Sue says: “All we need is for the person to want to help us, to be able to spare a few hours and to be flexible and happy to work as part of a team. There is no long-term commitment or requirement for minimum hours.”

The induction will give interested people an insight into the issues that Remus face and the support needed, including relevant Health and Safety information, and offers the chance to meet other prospective volunteers.

Sue concluded, “We have found that many lovely friendships are born out of volunteering.”

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

Please Donate your Unwanted Gifts to Remus

We’re urging people to donate their unwanted Christmas presents to the charity!

We all receive the odd gift that we don’t like or wouldn’t buy for ourselves, but rather than throwing these presents away or sticking them in a drawer, you could help Remus to rescue and rehabilitate more horses and other animals across Southern England.

An unwanted Christmas present will be a delight to someone else, and we can make good use of the unwanted gifts at our sales, fundraising events, raffles and tombolas throughout the year.

Additionally, any other items in a good saleable condition can also be sold, such as clothing and bric-a-brac.

Research from WhatWeWant last month revealed that over half (53%) of UK adults have received unwanted gifts over the past 12 months. And while some are resourceful enough to regift the ill-fated presents or take them to a charity shop, one in five (20%) are guilty of binning the gifts without using them! And, as we say, we can make very good use of them.

So, don’t bin your unwanted present, donate it to Remus instead!

Drop-offs can be made to the Sanctuary near Ingatestone between 10am and 4pm, any day of the week, throughout January. You can find confirmation of our address (and directions) on our website here.

Charity Reminds People to Remember Rescued Animals this Christmas

As families and friends sit down to their Christmas feast on Christmas Day and pile on the leftovers on Boxing Day, Remus Horse Sanctuary are asking people everywhere to consider its rescued animals.

Sue Burton, Founder of Remus Horse Sanctuary commented: “Every year we see hundreds of horses and ponies die during the winter months through starvation. This continues to be a huge crisis in the UK. We try and rescue as many animals as we possibly can, but this comes at a substantial cost.”

Remus Horse Sanctuary will not euthanise by age alone and, as our rescued animals get older, the medical bills increase, and they require more time, care, special food, and heat to keep them warm over the winter months.

The charity has created an appeal page on Just Giving to help raise £2,500 towards the cost.

The news regularly features horses that are victims of physical and mental abuse and Remus continue to receive calls daily throughout the year. However, the cold winter months will make any situation worse and the animals at Remus need your help.

Keeping an animal fed over winter will give it a chance to thrive into spring – forage also helps keep horses and ponies warm. Without the Sanctuary’s help, many animals would die a slow, painful and unnecessary death in the unrelenting cold weather.

Sue added: “We’re launching the new winter feed appeal to raise £2,500 to help feed not only the animals in our care at the farm, but also to help aid more rescue operations.” 

We also offer a variety of foodstuffs via our online shop where people can buy and donate a bale of hay, bag of animal food, straw bedding and more. A week’s supply of food and hay for a tethered horse will help improve their life and wellbeing for just £25 and help get them through the cold winter months.

Visit: www.remussanctuary.org/product-category/animal-treats to find out more or contact Sue Burton on telephone: 01277 356191.

Donations to the appeal can be made via the website at www.remussanctuary.org/donate or via the Just Giving appeal page at: www.justgiving.com/campaign/WinterFeedAppeal2020.

PayPal match-funding for Giving Tuesday 2019

PayPal have once again stepped in to make your Giving Tuesday 2019 bigger and better than ever.

Make a donation using PayPal on the PayPal UK’s fundraising page,  or the PayPal App to PayPal Giving Fund between 06:00 on Tuesday 3 December 2019 and until such time as the cap of £150,000 has been reached, and PayPal Giving Fund UK will grant an additional 10% of the donation to benefit Remus Horse Sanctuary.

This means 100% of the donation, plus the 10% match, will come to us, in accordance with PayPal Giving Fund Donation Delivery Policy.

For further information and to read the Terms and Conditions, please visit this page.

Remus Reminds People to Donate Two Coffees to Help Rescue Horses on Giving Tuesday

Giving Tuesday is just around the corner and this year Remus Horse Sanctuary is asking their members and supporters to donate the cost of a couple of cups of coffee to help rescue more abandoned horses this year.

Giving Tuesday is a day when people and organisations from all over the world come together to support the causes and communities that mean so much to us all. Remus are asking you to help us reach ourr goal on Tuesday 3 December and really make a difference for the animals we rescue and care for by donating just £5 a month – the equivalent of just two cups of coffee!

Remus Horse Sanctuary provides rescue and rehabilitation to abandoned horses, ponies and donkeys that are victims of physical and mental abuse, be it as a result of ignorance or malicious intent. The work at the Sanctuary  is often very similar to a hospice situation, giving these animals, most of which are survivors of the most horrendous cruelty at the hands of mankind, the very best of care, allowing the younger ones to develop into happy adults, or for the older ones to rest and recuperate.

Sue Burton, Founder of Remus Horse Sanctuary says: “The aim of #givingtuesday is to get people thinking about others this Christmas and doing little things that can make a big difference.

“It could be donating money or volunteering but, if we all do something small this #givingtuesday, it will make a real difference not only to the hundreds of abandoned horses in this area but for Remus too.

“We’re asking people to use the hashtag #givingtuesdaypledgeRemus to help promote our cause and to donate the equivalent cost of a couple of cups of coffee.”

To find out how to set up a monthly donation, visit www.remussanctuary.org/donate or call Sue Burton directly on tel: 01277 356191.