Raise FREE funds for us this Father’s Day
Did you know that you can raise free funds for Remus Memorial Horse Sanctuary when you shop for Father’s Day gifts via Give as you Live?
This Father’s Day, whether you’re picking a thrilling experience day, a new DIY set, or that pair of socks every Dad is sure to get, please shop via Give as you Live and raise money for us, at no extra cost to you.
Treat your Dad this Father’s Day!
Family Fun Day at the Sanctuary
Remus Horse Sanctuary will be opening its gates for only the second time this year on Sunday 2 June and visitors, members and supporters are welcome to come and meet the 200+ animals and learn about the Sanctuary’s horse welfare programme from 1pm to 5pm.
Parking is available on-site, with disabled access, and dogs are very welcome on a lead. Admission will be charged at just £4 per adult and £2 for children.
The summer Open Days at the Sanctuary are fun and interesting for the whole family, with bouncy castles, a children’s entertainer, live music from Midnite Blu, delicious refreshments – including gluten-free sandwiches and homemade cakes – and lots of stalls including a tombola and raffle.
The Sanctuary provides rehabilitation and care for around 200 animals, including horses, ponies, donkeys, one cow – born at the Sanctuary – 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 us as, due to our location on greenbelt land, we can only open to the public for a limited number of days each year.
The Sanctuary also host Afternoon Teas, Children’s Pony Days and an adults’ familiarisation day – the details for which can be found here.
Sue says, “We always look forward to our Open Days and enjoy inviting the public to come and visit the Sanctuary and learn more about what we do. Everyone always has 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.”
For further information, visit www.remussanctuary.org or contact Sue Burton on tel: 01277 356191.
Ragwort: Be alert!
Spring has sprung and everywhere is looking very green – and yellow! The oilseed rape makes for some stunning scenery this time of year, but there is another, more sinister yellow plant about to make its annual appearance, ragwort.
Ragwort contains toxic compounds which, if eaten, can cause irreversible liver damage to horses. This can happen if it’s eaten fresh, but also dry in hay or haylage, so it’s important to check fields before making hay.
It’s usually found growing on roadside verges and wasteland but is spreading more and more to grazing land. Although it has a bitter taste, horses will eat it if there is nothing else available – and when it’s dry in hay, it’s very hard for horses to tell it’s toxic.
Ragwort starts flowering from May through to October, so do keep your eyes peeled for signs of the plant in your own fields and out and about. Horses left in fields of ragwort, due to cruelty or just ignorance, are at risk, so report any situations you’re concerned about.
There was a story in Horse & Hound about a pony who was rescued after being dumped. About four months into enjoying his new home, he had to be put down due to liver disease, presumably from exposure to ragwort in his earlier life. The owners are now trying to raise awareness of this ‘silent assassin’.
So take action today and let’s stop ragwort from taking any more innocent lives. If you’d like more information, visit the British Horse Society website.
Generate FREE donations with your weekly grocery shop
Did you know you can raise free funds for us when you shop for your groceries in-store at a range of popular supermarkets?
Whether you’re popping to the shops for a pint of milk or hitting the aisles for your weekly grocery shop, our in-store cards are the convenient way to shop and raise money for us, at no extra cost to you.
Choose to shop at Waitrose, Marks & Spencer, Tesco and ASDA, keep it topped up via our website, and use it again and again to keep raising free funds.
Win a Free Holiday
What if we told you you could WIN a holiday AND raise FREE cash for us?
Give as you Live have teamed up with HomeAway to give you the chance to win holiday accommodation worth £1,200!
All you have to do is sign up to Give as you Live by entering the competition and complete a shop of any value to raise a donation for us by Friday 31st May.
If you’re already an avid Giving Hero, you can still enter! You just need to click the link, log in and complete a shop before the closing date.
More Shops = More Entries!
Even better, the more shops you complete, the more entries you receive! Give as you Live will give an extra entry for every shop completed by the closing date, and you’ll raise even more in FREE funds for us!
Simply enter and shop by 31st May to be in with a chance of winning this incredible prize.
First Open Day for 2019 on Early May Bank Holiday Weekend
The humans at Remus Horse Sanctuary are looking forward to welcoming visitors to the Sanctuary to meet the 200+ animals, for the first time this year on Sunday 5 May from 1pm to 5pm.
Parking is available on-site, with disabled access and dogs are very welcome on a lead. Admission will be charged at just £4 per adult and £2 for children.
Further Sundays during the Summer when visitors will be able to visit the Sanctuary are:
- Sunday 2 June
- Sunday 7 July including a fun dog show
- Sunday 4 August
- Sunday 1 September including a fun dog show
- Sunday 6 October
The Open Days at the Sanctuary are fun for the whole family, with bouncy castles, live performances from children’s entertainer Magic Rich, live music from Midnite Blu, delicious refreshments including gluten-free sandwiches and homemade cakes, and lots of stalls including a tombola and raffle.
The Sanctuary also hosts Afternoon Teas and Children’s Pony Days, the details for which can be found here.
The Sanctuary provides rehabilitation and care for around 200 animals, including horses, ponies, donkeys, cows, goats, sheep and cats. The Open Days are a vital source of fundraising for us as, due to our location on greenbelt land, we can only open to the public for a limited number of days each year.
Sue says, “We look forward to this time of year immensely and love inviting the public to come and visit the Sanctuary and learn more about what we do. We always have such a great time showing off our facilities and our amazing animals and giving people an insight into the valuable work that we do.
“On May 5th we’re also expecting the local fire brigade to attend and put on a display, which will be exciting to see!”
For further information, visit www.remussanctuary.org or contact Sue Burton on tel: 01277 356191.
Keep fit to reduce laminitis risk
An Australian study has shown that light exercise can help to reduce the risk of laminitis for horses and ponies. It’s a worry we all have at this time of year, but, while we can become obsessed with restricting grazing and getting out the weight tape every week, are we overlooking the need for simple exercise?
Busy holiday schedules and hotter summers can see our horses and ponies left out in the field and not ridden as often as we’d like. This study by the University of Melbourne has shown that even gentle exercise can make a real difference.
They studied two groups of horses; a diet-only group and an exercised-only group. High levels of insulin have been linked to laminitis and the diet-only group showed both lower insulin levels and weight loss at the end of the trial. The exercised-only group didn’t lose weight but had improved insulin sensitivity, which means they needed to produce less insulin to control blood sugar, therefore reducing their laminitis risk.
So keep an eye on your horse’s weight and get out for those evening hacks where you can. If your horse is retired or not ridden, like our residents here at Remus, then some walking in hand could be beneficial.
You can read more about the trial in this Horse & Hound article.
If you’re interested, you can also read our previous blog on the subject here: Laminitis Alert for Horse Owners and/or download this article from Horse Magazine which featured our research work.
Happy hacking!
Raise FREE Funds for us this Easter!
Did you know that you can raise free funds for Remus Memorial Horse Sanctuary when you shop for Easter goodies via Give as you Live?
This Easter, whether you’re buying goodies for the kids, food for the perfect Easter Sunday lunch, or a gift for someone eggstra special, you can shop at over 4,200 stores via Give as you Live and raise money for us, at no extra cost to you.
Treat the ones you love this Easter!
Raise FREE funds for us when you book your summer holiday
Did you know that you can raise vital funds for Remus Memorial Horse Sanctuary for FREE when you book your summer holiday via Give as you Live?
Whether you are booking a family holiday, a romantic break in the sun or taking the trip of a lifetime, you can book via hundreds of travel retailers and raise money for us, at no extra cost to you. If you haven’t signed up for your Give as you Live account yet, it only takes two minutes and is totally free!
Find the perfect getaway this summer!
Help spread the word and get others raising free donations when they shop online through Give as you Live. Use Twitter and Facebook to tell all your friends today.
Combat your Horse related Fears at Remus Horse Sanctuary
Remus Horse Sanctuary’s much-loved Pony Days for children will be returning in 2019, with the first one taking place during the Easter holidays on Wednesday 10 April. However, a unique Adults-only day has been introduced for 2019 which will be taking place on Sunday 26 May.
Take a look here for all dates and to book your place: https://www.remussanctuary.org/event-category/pony_days/.
The gentle familiarisation offered during the Adult’s day will be perfect for those who have always felt slightly nervous and apprehensive around horses and would like someone to help them overcome their fears. Alternatively, it is perfect for those who have dreamed of owning their own horse or pony but feel they need guidance in the care and responsibility that comes with caring for these wonderful animals.
Children’s dates in previous years have fallen strictly within school holiday periods but, due to demand, further dates have been released for 2019 including many Sundays. Further children’s dates for the year include: Sunday 12 May, Wednesday 29 May, Sunday 9 June, Sunday 14 July, Wednesday 31 July, Wednesday 7 August, Sunday 11 August, Wednesday 21 August, Sunday 15 September and Wednesday 30 October.
Priced at just £45 per person (adults and children are priced the same) and taking place only on selected dates, the Children’s Pony Days are suitable for boys and girls aged 10 years and over and will take place from 11am until approximately 4pm.
Remus Pony Days are a fun and educational day for a child – they will learn how to care for a pony and the responsibilities that come with it.
Each day, attendees will be ‘loaned’ a pony or horse, and taught to make up its feed, how to groom and turn it out into the field, shown how to clean out the animal’s stable and make a nice new bed for him or her to come back into later. There’ll also be lots of tips, information and fun throughout the day. Full supervision is provided throughout the day.
Places are limited to just six people per date and bookings can be made online via the website at www.remussanctuary.org or by contacting the Sanctuary on tel: 01277 356191. Those visiting the Sanctuary for the Pony Days will need to bring a packed lunch and refreshments for the day.
Events and fundraising play a vital part in raising much-needed funds to keep the Sanctuary open and Sue Burton, Founder, says, “We’re always delighted to welcome children and horse lovers to the Sanctuary for our Pony Days. The work we do here is vital and our Pony Days are both great fun and a great way of educating children on animal welfare.
“That said, we’re equally aware that many adults can find these magnificent creatures quite daunting and our Adult’s date is a great way to help overcome those fears or hesitancy and learn that actually they are very gentle and responsive creatures who love human interaction.”
For further information, visit www.remussanctuary.org or contact Sue Burton on tel: 01277 356191.
Pictured top left: Apollo and Clyde who also featured on our 2019 wall calendar under the month of March.
Other Appeal
