Sketch & Paint at Remus

Sketch and Paint at Remus Horse Sanctuary!

Would you like to spend a day sitting out in the Essex countryside surrounded by fields of horses, ponies, donkeys, sheep and goats, whiling away the hours sketching or painting?

If this sounds idyllic to you, then we are running ‘sketch and paint’ days during the summer months.

For £10 you can come along, have a tour of the Sanctuary and then decide where you would like to spend the rest of your day. This day is for adults only and pre-booking is essential.

You will need to bring a packed lunch, but teas and coffees will be provided along with a room to use as a base. You will also need to provide your own sketching and painting materials. 10am arrival.

If this interests you please book online to reserve your place and contact Sara on education@remussanctuary.org for more information. The dates will be:

22 June
29 June
20 July
27 July
24 August
31 August

We look forward to seeing you soon!

Your Mission, should you choose to accept it…

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to carry out one or more of the following tasks.

This mission is not impossible, nor is it top secret. Read on to find out more…

Treat your dear old Dad on Father’s Day to something other than socks or aftershave this year! Sponsoring Blossom and Amber will make a unique and different gift…
Minstral came to us after being dumped with an awful hernia. Her eye ulcer has ruptured and she needs emergency surgery to remove her eye. Please help pay for her operation…
Our Novelty Dog Show in July is always a crowd pleaser and includes, amongst others, Best in Show and Waggiest Tail! Sponsor a class from £25…
Climb a mountain, run a marathon, hold a bake sale, the choice is yours but you must commit to raising £200 before Summer’s out! You’ll find lots of useful information here…
And last but not least, please forward this blog to five of your friends to share our mission and encourage them to choose… MISSION: POSSIBLE.

The work at Remus never stops; Minstral’s eye operation is a big concern as we daren’t give her a general anesthetic due to her other problems, and losing out on not one but two Open Days as a result of wet soggy fields has been financially crippling for Remus.

Please complete your mission.

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.

Photographic Competition

This summer we’re inviting children and young people up to the age of 15 to enter our photographic competition.

Photographs are to be taken at our Open Days and can be of any of the animals (including dog show entrants). The photographs will then be displayed at the Open Days and winners from each Open Day will be put forward to the final round in October from which an overall winner will be selected.

Download your entry form online here.

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.

Teddy Bears Picnic

Join us on Wednesday 8 June for our first ever Teddy Bear’s Picnic!

Bring your bears and picnic to visit with our animals. Have a guided tour of the Sanctuary and then enjoy your picnic between the hours of 11.30am and 2pm – just £5 entry per family.

This event is aimed primarily at pre-schoolers, ie 5 years and under, and their families. However, of course, everyone and their teddy bear is welcome!

Book online or call the Sanctuary today.

Find out more here.

Remus Young Hoofers

Join Our Club

If you’re interested in animals, why not join the Remus Young Hoofers club?

We are forming a new club for all young people aged 5 – 15 years. The membership fee will be £15 a year and as a member you will:

Receive regular newsletters
Receive a free entry to an Open Day
Be invited to club sessions at the Sanctuary

Email Sara Hampson for a membership application form at: education@remussanctuary.org.

Help Remus just by Shopping Online

Did you know that you can now help support Remus for FREE just by shopping online?

You can shop via Give as you Live at over 4,000 top online retailers and, when you do, Give as you Live will donate a percentage of every pound you spend to us!

How Do I Start?

Start shopping now at: http://www.giveasyoulive.com/join/rmhs.

Just follow these 3 simple steps:

Step 1

Step 2

Shop for millions of products at over 4,000 top online retailers including Amazon, John Lewis, eBay and Expedia.

Step 3

When you shop, a percentage of the purchase value is donated to Remus Horse Sanctuary. The best thing is, it won’t cost you a penny extra!

How does Give as you Live work?

See how you can support us – just by shopping online – watch the video by clicking on the PLAY link below.

Play video.

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.