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.

Hoofs, Paws and Claws Crossed at Remus Horse Sanctuary

The animals and staff alike at Remus Horse Sanctuary in Essex are crossing everything that the weather before and during their next Open Day on Sunday 7 August will be fine and dry, unlike the three previous dates.

Unfortunately, the charity has had to cancel its three previous Open Days due to either very wet weather beforehand or devastating flooding, as was the case in July. Losing such prominent dates in the fundraising event calendar has been financially crippling for the Sanctuary who rely on the Summer events to boost their finances ready for the Winter.

Sue confirmed, “To lose half of our major Summer fundraising events is a very hard blow indeed. These events are essential to us in order to replenish our depleted coffers to help fund the Sanctuary through the rest of the Summer and most essentially the Winter season.”

On Sunday 7 August, the gates at the Sanctuary will open to the public for the first time this year from 1pm to 5pm. Visitors will be able to meet all 200 animals – including the new born and rescued foals from 2014 and 2015 – enjoy refreshments, musical entertainment from Midnite Blu and, for the children, there will be lots of activities and games. Admission for adults is £4, children £2 and dogs are more than welcome if kept on a lead.

Due to the Sanctuary’s location, which is on green belt land, it can only open to the public six times a year, and has already lost out on May, June and July. The Open Days, which are the Sanctuary’s primary source of fundraising, along with membership sales and animal sponsorship, help contribute to the annual running costs of £440,000.

Sue Burton, the Sanctuary’s founder says, “Our Open Days are a great way of introducing the public to the escalating plight of horse welfare, currently in crisis in the UK, and for them to learn more about animal husbandry.” Sue went on to say that not everyone mistreats an animal through malice, but that sometimes it is through sheer lack of awareness or education, “the Open Days are a fun way of introducing young and old to animal welfare and we’re all looking forward to opening our doors for the first time in 2016!”.

For further information, browse the website – www.remussanctuary.org – or contact Sue Burton on tel: 01277 356191.

And the animals went in two by two…

And the animals went in two by two… alongside is Amber and Blossom slowly making their way to shelter following the horrific flooding experienced at the Sanctuary recently.

For those unfamiliar with the Sanctuary, there are no lakes within the grounds (or at least not normally!).

On Thursday 23 June, all three roads into Buttsbury were flooded and the road direct to the Sanctuary was 5ft deep! Our muck heap collector lorry got stuck in it! The staff all had to walk across fields to get in. The cows shelter was under water and the cows and some of the ponies needed to be moved to the back fields for safety. One of our volunteers was up to his chest in the flood water on the road and nearly floated away!

Five days on and the road into us was still flooded and the water on the fields lasted for a further three days. In addition to our own problems, a large fish was left flapping in a field and was rescued and returned to the river by Charlotte, and Alex, whilst taking one of the horses out heard screaming and rescued a woman who had fallen into the ford!

This is an extreme situation. Once again we will have to cancel the Open Day, now for the third time in a row. The last time we saw it this bad was in 2012. We are so proud of our staff who walk in and out before and after work and continue to care for the animals and still smile.

We need to get ourselves back on our feet and we can only do that with your help. Please contribute to our Cry For Help Appeal today! We will also be holding a Summer Sale at Stock Village Hall on Saturday 2nd to help raise funds following the floods and cancellations. Full details here. If you can’t donate, please visit us on Saturday and vice versa!

Thank you!

Sun, Sea and a FREE Donation for Remus

Support Remus when you book your Summer Travel

Did you know that you can raise money for Remus Horse Sanctuary when you book your summer travel, without it costing you a penny extra?

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

Get the best travel deals from 1000’s of online stores, including: Thomas Cook, Expedia, Trainline, Hotels.com, Lastminute.com, Booking.com, P&O Ferries and Best Western.

So, this summer, whether you’re planning to holiday abroad or somewhere closer to home, please remember to book your travel through Give as you Live and raise money for Remus Horse Sanctuary, at no extra cost.

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!

Have a Wonderful Day at Remus Horse Sanctuary

Visitors to the Remus Horse Sanctuary Open Day on Sunday 5 June will be able to meet special guests, Alice in Wonderland and The Mad Hatter – visiting for afternoon tea and photographs. The Charity will also be hosting a Teddy Bear Clinic. Visitors are invited to bring along their teddy bears for a post-hibernation check with a Remus nurse. Once Teddy has been checked out, each one with a clean bill of health will receive a certificate. 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.

The Sanctuary was unable to open its gates to the public earlier in May due to wet fields where visitors would park. So this June date will, in effect, be the first Open Day of the 2016 Season.

The Sanctuary offers entertainment for the whole family and, in addition to Alice and the Mad Hatter, there will be competitions and games, music from local band Midnite Blu, delicious refreshments including sandwiches (including gluten free) and homemade cakes, many stalls and a raffle.  Parking is available on-site, with disabled access and dogs are welcome on a lead.

Remus Horse 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, “Because we were unable to open in May, due to the weather, this will be our first public event of the season and its always special. We’re really looking forward to welcoming Alice in Wonderland and the Mad Hatter – the kids are going to love them – and our Teddy Bear Clinic is sure to be a success!”

For further information, visit our events page or contact the office on tel: 01277 356191.

7,000 Horses Under Threat

With over 7,000 horses currently under threat – how you can help

Concerns continue to rise over the escalating horse welfare crisis in the UK. Many thousands of horses  around the country are in need of homes or shelter. This post contains some graphic images which demonstrate the all too real impact of this issue.

Why is this? Problems with indiscriminate horse breeding and the current economic climate mean that many people have horses that they can’t afford to feed or shelter – or pay for veterinary care. All horse charities have seen an increase in horses found straying on roads, being abandoned at livery yards, or dumped on land, whether council or private.

• In Kent, for example, over the first couple of months of 2016. animal charities saw a spate of dumped horses – including 25 that were dead, dying or in really poor condition.
• In 2014 alone, Swansea council received 664 complaints relating to horses and seized 225 animals, at a cost estimates at £74,000. And between 2012 and 2014, the authority destroyed 224 horses.
• 33 years after the Mardyke Plains disaster (see below), we see that the RSPCA is allowing a number of horses stranded thigh-deep in water near Wellingborough embankment to remain, despite already losing one in January. Situations like this need to be addressed before the animals die.
• In 1983, we saw 13 horses die as a result of being cut-off on Rainham Marshes as the plains flooded, just one of the reasons why Remus was founded. Every year since we battle with Thurrock Council to avoid this same scenario re-occurring on the Mardyke.

Daily alerts of dead, dumped horses and foals across the country is a common occurrence. Many believed to be the responsibility of travelers.

Last year, The Control of Horses Act 2015 gave landowners more control over what they could do with horses illegally placed on their land, called fly-grazing, by irresponsible owners. They now have the right to seize control of the horse after four days, and it can be sold or given to a charity, such as Remus. Whilst this has enabled landowners who don’t want fly-grazed horses on their land to act to remove them, many corporate landowners don’t care and aren’t prepared to pay to have them moved, so thousands of horses are not protected by this Act.

While this is good news for the horses, which are often left unchecked on land, with no shelter from the elements, it does mean that charities will be under even more pressure to care for them, and that all costs money, rescuing one horse can cost up to £1,500, which does not allow for the animal’s ongoing care, upkeep or vet bills should he become ill.

Here at Remus Horse Sanctuary, we have 10 staff to care for our animals, plus a band of wonderful volunteers, whose tireless efforts make such a big difference to what we can do as a Sanctuary.

Although we take in any horse that needs care, we have particular expertise in looking after veteran animals.  Horses can live well into their thirties, in fact we’ve been home to three of the oldest horses in the world, and we ensure that however badly they have been treated before they come to us, all our  residents are well-fed, happy and pain free – and enjoying life.

Many of our animals are available for Sponsorship for only £2 a month by Standing Order, or £25 a year. Sponsorship is of enormous help to us, it allows us to care for the animals at the Sanctuary and helps  fund our important welfare work in the wider community. Click here to find out more about our Sponsorship Scheme.

Please help us tackle this growing crisis – every donation can really make a difference – go to https://www.remussanctuary.org/donate/ and please, if you can, donate whatever you can, even if its just £5 a month via JustGiving or PayPal.

Storm Katies Visit to Remus Horse Sanctuary

On Tuesday 29 March 2016, a gust of wind from the tail end of Storm Katie completely demolished one of the Sanctuary’s much-needed field shelters. This particular shelter is beyond repair and will cost approximately £3000 to replace it. The double shelters that the Sanctuary would like to provide cost in the region of £7000 each.

Following the storm, the total number of single shelters has now been reduced to seven, and all horses, ponies and donkeys have access to them. The Sanctuary home over 200 animals and this type of structure provides shelter from all weathers whilst the animals are in the paddocks. The shelters need little ground work, just a flat field or other suitable surface, and are moveable if required.  At times the shelters are also used for temporary stabling if any of the permanent stables need refurbishment and animals cannot be left overnight without shelter in a paddock.

The Sanctuary rents 40 acres of green belt land near Ingatestone, which consists of 16 paddocks. “This is a real blow to Remus, in more ways than one,” said founder, Sue Burton, “this type of structure is invaluable and we just don’t have the funds to replace it let alone improve on those we have.”

Remus Horse Sanctuary is funded totally by public donations and its own fundraising and event activities – the first Open Day of the 2016 season will be taking place at the Sanctuary on Sunday 1 May from 1pm to 5pm and all are welcome.

Many of Remus’ animals are an older population compared to other horse sanctuaries, Sue Burton explains, “many of our horses are 30 to 45 years old.  They’re in excellent condition, happy and pain free with a good quality of life – for some of them for the first time in their lives. It takes a lot of hard work money and effort to keep old and sick animals in such good condition, but that is our stated mission.”

The work at the charity is often very similar to that of a hospice; 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 get over their abuse and develop into happy adults, or for the older ones to spend their twilight years doing as they wish. The animals are fed, watered, cared for and loved. They receive regular veterinary and farrier attention, and the benefit of holistic therapies.

“Sadly the milder weather has not brought with it any uplift in our finances, nor have we seen any improvement in the horse welfare crisis” said Sue. “I’m fully aware that we keep asking for donations, and unless we can find a way to pay off our debts and build up our reserves, this situation will continue.  If people can’t donate, we’re asking them to fundraise on our behalf, with a bake sale, sponsored walk or some such. Our website also features a section called ‘How You Can Help’ with lots of other ideas on how people can support us.”

The link for the field shelter appeal is: https://campaign.justgiving.com/charity/rmhs/fieldshelter.

 

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 1 May 2016.  Further dates throughout the 2016 season can be found below:

• Sunday 5 June
• Sunday 3 July
• Sunday 7 August
• Sunday 4 September
• Sunday 2 October

Open on each of the above dates from 1pm to 5pm, the Sanctuary offers entertainment for the whole family including competitions and games, 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 7-month old foal Charlie [pictured], who was cruelly wrenched from his mum in 2015 when his owners simply had no use for him, Dante who was dumped at the Sanctuary’s gates again in 2015 and Jess and Bracken, born at the Sanctuary in 2014 to rescued, blind mares, Grace and Hollie.

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.”

For further information, contact Sue Burton on tel: 01277 356191.

One of the Lucky Ones

Do you remember little Charlie, who is a 7 month-old colt, cruelly wrenched from his mum when his owners simply had no use for him! An hour later, he arrived at Remus Horse Sanctuary to start his new life. Charlie is one of the lucky ones!

We can only imagine what Charlie has been through in his young, short life. We can’t heal the mental scars, but we can, with your help, give him love, care, attention and a safe place to live for life, without cruelty and without placing any demands on him.

We are dealing with hundreds of horses in dire conditions, and are constantly called upon to help more and more innocent creatures who, through no fault of their own, are caught up in this ever-widening horse welfare crisis. There is no let up, which is increasingly straining the resources of the Sanctuary.

It Starts With You

As the winter weather continues, many horses across the county (and beyond) will stand tethered to the ground without access to food, water, attention or care, let alone love. Many will die.

Please, help us to give a future to Charlie and to help get food and water to the hundreds of other horses and ponies out there, who are less fortunate.  Charlie is now out of isolation and making friends with the others animals, but it’s a slow process to win back his trust.

Can you make a donation to help us to help Charlie and others like him and then share our plight with your friends and family, co-workers and clubs?

Our resources are stretched almost to breaking point, we are not yet out of the mire and we need both financial assistance and more volunteers to help fundraise on our behalf. Can you help us please? It really does ‘start with you‘.

 

Meet Charlie – One of the Lucky Ones!

Charlie is a 7 month-old colt who was cruelly wrenched from his mum when his owners had no use for him. An hour later he arrived at Remus Horse Sanctuary, to start his new life.

Remus can only imagine what Charlie has been through in his young, short life. Charlie is underweight and clearly hasn’t been fed regularly. Remus can rectify that and deal with the lice that are eating him from the outside and the worms attacking him from the inside, but sadly they can’t heal the mental scars. What they can do, with the public’s help, is give him love, care, attention and a safe place to live for life, without cruelty and without placing any demands on him.

Charlie is the lucky one!  The Sanctuary is dealing with hundreds of horses left in dire conditions, and the staff are finding themselves called on to try to help more and more innocent creatures who, through no fault of their own, are caught up in the ever widening horse welfare crisis. The crisis is getting worse and is already putting huge financial strain on the Sanctuary, yet it is still early in terms of the winter season.  This Christmas many horses across the county (and beyond) will stand tethered to the ground without food, water, attention or care, let alone love.

Sue Burton, Founder of Remus Horse Sanctuary says: “Charlie’s been so sad that we’ve placed a mirror in his stable for company whilst he’s in isolation. All day he looks at that mirror and it breaks my heart to see him licking it, obviously thinking of his mum. We’re sure he’ll make friends and bond with our other animals once he’s out of isolation. Please, help us to help Charlie and to help get food and water to the hundreds of other horses and ponies out there, who are less fortunate.”

All of Remus’ animals are available for sponsorship and make a truly unique Christmas gift.