Welfare Update

We’ve had many welfare calls so far this winter both from the floods and then the severe cold. We dealt with a particularly bad case of a whole flock of sheep in a field in Boston, Lincolnshire, where the field was so wet and boggy (this was prior to the countywide flooding) that the sheep were black as they only had wet mud to lie on and one ewe was stuck up to her knees in thick mud.

The sheep were all trying to lie as close to the fencing as possible, to keep out of the wet mud. It was pitiful to see so many animals affected. All animals are entitled to somewhere dry to lay down, and food to eat.

In the photo there is a line of electric fence between the sheep in the thick black wet mud and the soft grass which would have given her somewhere dry to lie down and something to eat, but the electric fence prevented it and everything on the field had been eaten as the animals were starving.

Thankfully we were able to get these sheep moved onto better more drained land.

As we have said repeatedly in our Born to Die Campaign no one wants to take responsibility and often authorities don’t know issues are their responsibility. It took us over 4 hours on the phone going round and round in circles to try to get help for these poor sheep, and we knew who to contact! What on earth does a concerned member of the public do?!

There are many ways you can help us through 2024 and beyond:

• Make a regular donation. Can you spare even just £5 a month?
• If you are clearing out your wardrobe, please do consider donating your clothes to the Sanctuary as they have become a very good fundraiser for us, we can also take shoes and handbags.
• If you aren’t close enough to drop them to us you can use the i-collect clothes website and they will collect from you. So long as you click on the Remus logo all funds will come directly to us.
• If you have any unwanted gifts after Christmas or items that might just sit in a drawer unused, we would love to have them to help raise funds for the animals.
• Let your love for animals continue in your memory, with a legacy. Do consider leaving a donation to Remus in your Will, if you are able.
• Do make a donation towards our winter hay appeal and general winter feed, bedding and vet costs.
• If you have any jewellery or even broken jewellery, we can turn that into funds for the animals.
• Organise an event to raise funds for the Sanctuary and/or support our events.

And finally, thanks so much to everyone who purchased tickets for our Christmas Draw last year. Our congratulations to the winners were: John and Brian from Rayleigh, Philip from Billericay, and Mrs Jeffery from Chelmsford. Our sincerest thanks go to Bridgit Tappin for all her hard work and effort in producing these amazing hampers for us at her own cost.

Thank you so much Bridgit, and to all our supporters – your help is so very much appreciated.

Celebrating 40 Years

2023 marks the Sanctuary’s 40th Birthday, which is an absolutely amazing achievement especially given all the setbacks and issues that we have faced over those years. We are proud to have done so much good work and touched, helped and saved so many horses, ponies, donkeys and other animals over the years but we could not have done it without you and your help and support. Thank you so much for all that you do and have done for Remus over the years, and to our staff and volunteers, our vets and suppliers, and the Holistic Team and Physiotherapists who all come together to do the very best that we can for as many needy animals as we can.

“Wherever man has left his footprints in the long ascent from barbarism to civilization, we find the hoofprints of a horse beside it!”

It’s been a busy winter at Remus. You’ll remember that in the summer we had no grass due to the heatwave – the paddocks turned to scrub and dust! Then in October and November it was so mild that the grass just kept growing and growing, so we experienced (and saw) a lot of laminitic cases at a time of year when you would not expect it. Since then, we’ve seen flooding and freezing, and snow, and more flooding. And freezing. Which is why we have just launched our winter hay appeal. Please will you help us?

There are lots of other ways you can help us too: are you able to get one new member signed up; get some of our leaflets out; organise a fundraising event for us; ask your local shop about taking one of our collection tins? The winter is a particularly difficult time for us at the best of times, but in the present economic climate, that of course, becomes much more difficult – so please if you can support Remus in any way it would be such a tremendous help.

Please do get in touch if you can make a donation towards the winter appeal – you can do so online or by calling the office to make a donation over the telephone, or by sending a cheque. It is so rewarding at the end of a working day to walk around the Sanctuary and see all the animals happy, contented and eating, and relaxed, and to know that they are all safe for life and will never have to fear hunger, pain or suffering again. YOUR help makes this possible.

Click to learn more and donate to our Winter Hay Appeal.

Keep calm its November the 5th

While lots of us, especially those with children, look forward to November the 5th and firework displays, for animals it can be a really stressful time of year!

At Remus Horse Sanctuary we recommend you follow this advice:

• Horse owners should find out dates of local firework displays so that they can be prepared.
• Let the organisers and neighbours know that there are horses nearby so they can set off fireworks away from the animals.
• Horses usually kept in a field may be happiest staying there with their companions, but do make sure the fence is secure in case they bolt, and there are no objects on which they could hurt themselves.
• For horses in stables, check for anything that could harm them if they become stressed, such as protruding nails or loose boards, and play music to mask the sound of the fireworks.

There are more excellent tips for horse owners here.

Of course, cats, dogs and other pets also need to be kept safe at this time of year. For more advice on keeping pets safe and happy over Bonfire Night, check out this article.

Horse Sanctuary Open Day Entertainment for the Whole Family

Remus’ Open Day on Sunday 6 August will see children’s entertainer, Magic Dave, joining the entertainment line-up, alongside various Princess characters from Children’s films and a children’s area with two bouncy castles, music from Midnite Blu and competitions and games to entertain the whole family.

Entry to the event will be just £4 for adults and £2 for children and will take place from 1pm to 5pm at the Sanctuary near Ingatestone.  Parking is available on-site, with disabled access and dogs are welcome on a lead.

The Sanctuary opens its gate just six times a year offering entertainment for the whole family, with a kids’ corner, bouncy castles, competitions and games, music, delicious refreshments including sandwiches (including gluten free) and homemade cakes, alongside stalls and a raffle.

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

Founder of the Sanctuary, Sue Burton, says, “The Open Days are a really important to us, not only in terms of fundraising, but educating people about what we do here. Visitors will be able to meet Blax, our latest rescue, and learn about our many other successes.”

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

The Countess of Wessex Informed of Escalating Cruelty to Horses in the UK

On Thursday 29 June, Sue Burton, the Founder of Remus Horse Sanctuary, along with the Mayor and Mayoress of Chelmsford and the Mayor of Brentwood, welcomed Her Royal Highness The Countess of Wessex to highlight the equine welfare crisis in this country.

The Countess, who joined the charity as a Patron in 2013, visited the Sanctuary for a tour of the facilities, and to learn more about issues such as: tethering, cruelty and neglect, indiscriminate breeding and abandonment, and elderly horses – all of which continue to escalate around the UK.

The Countess met staff, volunteers and guests and many animals including those that have been victims of all of the above types of cruelty including Dante, two blind mares Hollie and Grace, and Blax – the charity’s most recent rescue.

The Countess was also shown before and after videos of Blax’ recovery and the amazing difference in her wellbeing since arriving at the Sanctuary four months ago.

Hundreds of horses are suffering every day and many are suffering despite the Authorities being aware of them. In one week alone at the end of June, the Sanctuary heard of three young colts abandoned in different areas nearby, and that’s without the many they don’t get to hear about.

Sue Burton said, “It was a delight to have The Countess here and to show her first hand some of the issues that we are facing amidst the country’s largest ever equine welfare crisis and what we are doing to help the many horses caught up in this crisis.

“Without question action needs to be taken to help these animals, it seems so wrong that we can send a rocket to the moon but we still allow horses to be chained to the ground by the neck for their entire life with many being covered by the stallion, giving birth and dying on that same chain.

“There has to come a time when we say enough is enough and surely now is that time. Remus aims to take an active role in helping to make that happen.”

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

Open Season at Remus Horse Sanctuary

Remus Horse Sanctuary is delighted to open its gates and welcome visitors to the Sanctuary for the first time this year on Sunday 7 May 2017.  The Mayor for Brentwood, Noelle Hones, will also be in attendance during the afternoon to express her support for the charity.

Further dates throughout the 2017 season can be found below:

• Sunday 4 June
• Sunday 2 July
• Sunday 6 August
• Sunday 3 September
• Sunday 1 October

Open on each of the above dates from 1pm to 5pm, the Sanctuary offers entertainment for the whole family including competitions and games, special guests such as Cinderella or Snow White, music from local band Midnite Blu, delicious refreshments including gluten-free sandwiches and homemade cakes, lots of stalls and a raffle.

Parking is available on-site, with disabled access and dogs are welcome on a lead.  Admission will be charged at just £4 per adult and £2 for children. Members of the Sanctuary will receive a discount upon presentation of their membership card. Visitors to the Open Days will be able to meet horses, Blax and Lady, recently rescued from Kent.

The Sanctuary is currently providing rehabilitation and care for over 200 animals, including horses, ponies, donkeys, cows, 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.

Founder of the Sanctuary, Sue Burton, says, “we 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 here.”

For further information, browse the website or contact Sue Burton on tel: 01277 356191.1

Volunteers Drive

Remus Horse Sanctuary is inviting people to attend one of its volunteer induction days at the Sanctuary located near Ingatestone in Essex on either Sunday 30 April for adult volunteers or Sunday 11 June for young volunteers. The events will take place from 11am to 1pm and include refreshments. Everyone must complete an application form in advance, which can be obtained either directly from Remus or downloaded from the website.

Remus is actively looking for volunteers to join the existing and dedicated team and there are many ways in which an individual can help – whether in the office, helping with the animals, maintenance, cleaning, knitting or stuffing envelopes.  Remus can accept volunteers from the age of 11 upwards.

Founder, Sue Burton, 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.”

The induction days will give interested people an insight into the issues that Remus face and the support needed, including relevant Health & Safety information, and offers the chance to meet other prospective volunteers. Remus are always looking for additional volunteers to help at their Open Days during the summer season; the Open Days are held on the first Sunday of the month from May to October and help is also required with set-up the day before.

Sue Burton, Founder of the Sanctuary says, “an additional bonus is that many lovely friendships are made between the volunteers and its always really nice to hear the volunteers refer to Remus as an extended family!”

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

Support Remus when Shopping for Winter Clothes

Love shopping online? You can raise free donations for us when you update your winter wardrobe and shop at Next, House of Fraser, Debenhams and many more via Give as you Live.

Did you know that you can raise money for Remus Horse Sanctuary when buying your winter clothing, without it costing you a penny extra?

Well you can, just by shopping online via Give as you Live.

So, this Autumn, whether you’re buying new wellies, warm coats, fluffy hats or snuggly scarves, please remember to shop online through Give as you Live and raise money for Remus Horse Sanctuary, at absolutely no extra cost.

Please help spread the word and get others raising free donations for Remus when they shop online through Give as you Live. Use Twitter and Facebook to tell all your friends today.

Start shopping HERE!