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Sponsorship |
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Helping those in need is inherent to
so many of us. We do it without hesitation. By helping one of our horses, or becoming a general
sponsor of our organization, you are helping horses that would otherwise not be with us. Each horse that comes to Bright Futures Farm is a
horse that can no longer remain with it's donor. The reasons
vary, and some of them are certainly understandable, but for many horses, the reason is
simply that they are no longer profitable to their owners, and therefore have become a
financial liability. Some owners
don’t care what happens to their horse after it’s career with them is over, and
some of them would certainly think twice about the alternative to choosing Bright Futures
Farm if they had any idea of how cruel death at a slaughter facility truly is. Read more about how you can help us help them, after you meet one of our special friends, Shifter. ___________
Shifter at approximately 26 (August 2002) Shifter is sponsored by C. Kirkpatrick Shifter is a truly special horse. His first career was that of a racehorse. He raced for a number of years, concluding his career at Commodore Downs in Erie, Pennsylvania. It appears that while racing he injured the sesamoid bones in both hind legs. Sometime after he left the track, he was acquired by an individual for whom he was a trail horse. He was well cared for but at some point during this part of his long life, Shifter sustained an injury to his left hind leg near the fetlock that severed a tendon. This injury, in combination with the sesamoid problems, would cause Shifter some pain and discomfort from time to time, and when he was no longer able to work regularly as a trail horse he was donated to a local youth home for occasional use. This home had developed a program for their residents that included working with, caring for and riding horses. Shifter made a home, and a name for himself, at the home for several years. He has his own way of doing things, and sometimes he cooperated and sometimes he didn't (that "personality" also garnered him a name at the track as well). Eventually, it was decided that he was "too much" horse for the youth to work with, and he found his way to Bright Futures Farm through his donor, who is a member of the staff at the home. In the time Shifter lived at the home, he made a lasting impression on Melissa, and they forged a bond and grew to understand each other (and understanding Shifter can be a daunting task at times). Shifter has been with us since early 2001, and has become a permanent fixture at our farm. In all fairness to Shifter, he has earned his permanent retirement. Because of his age (somewhere between 26 and 28, but only 9 or 10 in spirit, looks and vitality) and his limitations, people often pass over him when looking for a horse to adopt - even though his personality is so captivating and he may truly be a horse they'd love to be around - rideable or not. And, at this point in his life and mine, I'd find it very difficult to let him leave here. He knows each horse in his pasture and I've seen him teach them from his years of wisdom. And, to let you know just how special Shifter is - I recently saw a lone Bald Eagle flying over the farm. One morning, shortly after that, and after all the horses had eaten breakfast, Shifter stayed behind close to the gate never moving from the spot where he stood. I know his time is limited, and to see him acting unusual gave me cause for concern. I walked into the pasture and put my hand on his head and started a conversation with him. At one point, he turned his head to the left, and dropped it. I followed him, and lying on the ground, about four inches from his left front foot was a large white feather. Perfectly clean, and completely in tact. Nine horses just finished making their way through that section of the pasture not half an hour earlier, and yet this feather had never been harmed. I reached down and picked it up. I thanked Shifter for the gift, and after I rubbed his head, he slowly meandered off to be with his friends in his pasture. I know there is great spiritual meaning in this gesture, and I sent the feather to a friend of mine who will use it in ceremony to heal and bring comfort to others. For this, and many other reasons, Shifter is truly one of a kind, and so very special. ___________ Each horse that arrives at Bright Futures
Farm goes through a period of acclimation before we ever begin working with them. They may require rehabilitation and/or retraining or
they may just need time to readjust to life away from the race track. Some horses that have special needs, training issues, or are just older horses that
many people hesitate to adopt, require a great
deal of attention over and above day to day care, and they are usually here for
several months before they are ready for new homes and
careers. The cost to care for one horse at our
facility is approximately $120.00 per month. At
any given point in time, we have between twelve and fifteen horses here. The cost to care for just one horse is certainly manageable alone, but to care for a dozen of these
magnificent animals runs well over $1500 a month! So, you can see we need your support. Anything you give is helpful and greatly appreciated. And, you can support us in so many different ways. We need volunteers – people who can give us their time and effort to make ongoing repairs, groom horses and clean stalls. We
need donations of feed and hay.
A list of our suppliers is shown
below. All you need to do is
call them, place the order and designate delivery to Bright Futures Farm. They all know us. You
can help us by fostering one of our horses until we have room for them
here. We always have a waiting list of horses
that need to come into our program. Many
private owners can keep the horse with them until we have room. However, racehorses are much more vulnerable, and
time is of the essence for them. When we
receive a call to take a horse from the track, we need to take it then, or they will have
to “move” it elsewhere. Elsewhere,
in almost every case, means a meat truck. We need some office items and farm equipment as well. A list of those it also provided below. Donate a vehicle. . . You can donate a vehicle, or recreational vehicle to us for auction. We work with Car Program LLC who will arrange pickup, and auction the car with all of the proceeds minus a small fee coming back to us, and you are able to write off the fair market value of the vehicle on your taxes - which, may be more than you might get by selling it outright. And
finally, we need word
of mouth advertising. Tell your 4-H group,
your riding stables, your tack and feed stores about us.
We will provide brochures for you to leave at these places for the general
public to take home with them (just ask us to send you some). We always have
a wonderful selection of horses available for adoption, and each time we place a horse
into a new home – we make room for one more to come into our program. Feeding and caring for these horses is a costly undertaking. Because horses at our facility are constantly changing, we must vaccinate all equine residents, worm at the very least bi-monthly, and do coggins, tetanus and rabies on all horses annually. And, special needs horses require special supplements or more frequent veterinary care. Help us help them. . . Please consider sponsoring our organization and efforts. Our Suppliers Feed: Long Acre Potato Farm. 814-744-8454 Ask for Bryan Hay: Ned Wojtowicz. 814-763-7860 Veterinarian: Amanda Turner. Marley Veterinary Clinic. 814-827-1778.
Thank you for your support !
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Bright Futures Farm - 44793 Harrison
Road - Spartansburg, PA 16434 |
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