A YEAR IN REVIEW
To say that 2020 was unprecedented would be an understatement. We never would have imagined that we would be facing a global pandemic, mandatory quarantine, minimized volunteer staff, diminished donations or cancelations of all but one of our annual fundraisers this year. All the while, the need for us to take in more rescues didn't slow down. In fact, with so many people facing financial hardship, we had more and more requests to take in horses from across the state.
This year we have been faced with tremendous loss and disappointment, but also incredible successes as well. Let's take a look back at 2020; the good, the bad and the hopeful.
WELCOME TO THE FARMILY
Over the course of 2020, we have welcomed 9 new rescues into our program. Because we had to prioritize our intakes based upon our limited resources, each of them had varying degrees of starvation and medical concerns.
Most of the new horses simply needed groceries, while others were plagued with chronic COPD, cancer and laminitis. The most notable of them all was our beloved Chief.
Chief arrived at the rescue with a prominent squamous cell carcinoma on his left eye which needed to be removed. Little did we know that was the least of his problems. Over the course of three months, he developed an ulcer from his surgical site, dealt with severe colitis that caused high fevers and multiple colic episodes and multiple hospitalizations. Volunteers spent countless hours cold hosing him, packing icepacks, doing alcohol baths, hand walking him and coaxing him to eat and drink. He was the poster child for 2 steps forward and 3 steps back. There were at least 3 instances where we thought we were going to have to make the decision to euthanize, when at the last moment he would rally and begin to improve. Had he been a cat, he would have used up his 9 lives pretty quickly and was most definitely shortening the lives of his caretakers with his constant near death experiences.
After months of battling his numerous health issues, Chief began to improve. His appetite returned and he began gaining weight. He was strong enough for regular turnout and was able to develop a great friendship with our yearling, Sundance. Just as things were looking up, Chief's body gave in to his illness and he crossed the Rainbow Bridge with his best friend by his side, licking his muzzle as he crossed over. His loss was a devastating blow to our volunteer staff, and one we will never quite get over. If love and dedication is what it takes to survive, he would have lived forever.
RAINBOW BRIDGE CROSSINGS
Chief's was one of three crossings that we experienced this year. We lost them all within 6 weeks of one another, which only added insult to injury. Our other two crossings were Roxie the wry-nose pony and Sutton, who was in hospice through the rescue at one of our foster homes nearby. Although we knew that both Roxie and Sutton were not to be in this world with us for long, their losses left a deep hole in our hearts. Both were beloved souls who captured the hearts of all that met them. They may be gone, but they will never be forgotten.
HAPPY TRAILS TO YOU
We said farewell to 6 horses this year as they made their way to their new forever homes. Noelle, Hank, Cassidy, Jessie, Diego and Milo all found their happily every after with adoptive families. There is absolutely nothing better than watching a rescue horse develop a connection with their new family and seeing them blossom into the horse they were meant to become. We are very particular with our adoptive families and we make sure to take whatever time is necessary to confirm that it is the right fit for the family and the horse. When the stars align and we have the right fit, it is nothing short of magical.
AROUND THE FARM
We were fortunate enough to be able to complete several large projects this year. In partnership with the Boy Scouts of America, a prospective Eagle Scout completed the enclosure of one of our two run in shelters for our senior sanctuary herd and commissioned signage for the rescue.
A second project is underway as we speak to build out two treatment bay/wash rack areas that is set to be complete before the end of the year. As a bonus project, one of our Eagle Scout parents is building a four bay feed container that will keep up to 400 lbs of feed stored safely at any given time.
NEW AND IMPROVED
Finally, we are excited to launch our new Trinity Rescue and Equine Sanctuary website, which has been a labor of love this year. We wanted to make sure we were providing our followers, sponsors, donors and volunteers the best possible website experience. We have added all of our adoptable horses with links to adoption applications, as well as all of our sanctuary horses that are available for sponsorships. Volunteers can signup on line to volunteer in several different ways, from hands on at the farm to volunteering talents/services. Not to mention, the new Around the Farm blog!
We are looking forward to 2021 and hoping for a health and happiness for our herd and all of our extended FARMily. Make sure to subscribe to our website for updates and happenings around the farm at www.trinityrescueinc.org