Show Some Love

Show some love this Valentine’s Day with Remus Horse Sanctuary and take advantage of our special offer!

Sponsor an animal as a gift for your loved one this Valentine’s and you’ll receive a free cuddly toy horse and valentine’s day badge… all at no extra cost.

Our Sponsorship Programme is a vital part of our fundraising efforts – you will be contributing directly to the upkeep of the animals we rescue and re-home, to ensure they live out the rest of their days relaxed, happy, loved and nurtured, free from disease and well-fed. By helping to care for the animals we have already saved, you are also helping us to go on and save more.

You can sponsor one of our animals for just £25 a year.  Alternatively, if you prefer, you can now sponsor one of our animals for as little as £2 per month, payable by Standing Order. Just download and complete the form and either post it or scan it back to us by email, with your choice of animal.

You can choose your animal to sponsor, order and pay for your Sponsorship online or download the form and post to us at: Remus Memorial Horse Sanctuary, Little Farm, Buttsbury, Near Ingatestone, Essex, CM4 9NZ.

Please, help us to help them! Take a look at our Sponsorship Programme today!

World Animal Reiki Day

Our good friends at SARA – Shelter Animal Reiki Association – will be celebrating World Animal Reiki Day on Friday 5 February and we’ll be joining in with our own activities too. If you would like to join us, please email the Sanctuary for more information and do let us know if you will be attending.

Who’s behind World Animal Reiki Day?

World Animal Reiki Day is organised by the volunteer members of SARA, whose mission is to bring the healing benefits of Reiki meditation to rescued animals and their caregivers worldwide. We, and they, welcome all animal Reiki practitioners from all lineages and forms of practice to join us to celebrate this special day!

What’s special about 5 February?

The 5 February was the birthday of SARA President Kathleen Prasad’s first animal Reiki teacher, Dakota. An Australian shepherd mix, Dakota was rescued from Sacramento Animal Control as a puppy and spent over sixteen years by Kathleen’s side. In addition to awakening Kathleen to the benefits of Reiki for animals, Dakota inspired Kathleen to create the Shelter Animal Reiki Association (SARA).

Why celebrate World Animal Reiki Day?

Spreading the celebration around the world brings people together for healing, compassion and honouring of animals. Together, we can make a better future for animals in the world!

• To raise awareness around the globe of the healing benefits of Reiki for animals, as well as honouring all animals as our spiritual teachers.
• To achieve this, we and SARA encourage shelters, sanctuaries and other animal welfare organisations, veterinary clinics, animal groups, animal-related businesses and individuals who love animals to organize Reiki events in celebration of World Animal Reiki Day.
• In addition to larger, organised events, celebrating can also be as simple as lighting a candle to honour your animal teachers, sitting in silent Reiki meditation with your animals, or doing a compassionate act for your local shelter or sanctuary.

Unite the world animal Reiki community by sharing your thoughts, messages and pictures of your celebration of World Animal Reiki Day on their Facebook page and ours too! For Twitter please use the hashtag #WorldAnimalReikiDay and tag us both @SARA_news and @remushorse.

Winter Chill and Caring for your Horse

We’re finally seeing the cold weather we would ordinarily expect for Winter, with probably more to come, here are a few tips to keep yourself safe, make life a little easier and ensure your horse is as warm as can be.

Winter Prevention Measures

• Lag pipes now to help prevent them freezing.
• Remember to drain out pipes and hosepipes at the end of the day.
• Put a ball in the water troughs to prevent them freezing over.
• Buy in extra hay and feed in case you can not get supplies in due to snow.
• Stock up on grit now. Always carry some in your car in case you need it – but ensure it’s in a sealed container as it is corrosive.
• Keep antifreeze and WD-40 in your car.
• In case of snow carry a blanket, torch and shovel and ensure your mobile phone always has some charge on it.

Safety

• Beware the ice – do grit where possible or put down used straw to make a safe walkway for you and you horse
• Beware the risks of heaters and putting clothing etc over them – whilst we are all trying to dry our gloves and socks and dry out our horse’s rugs we put ourselves at more risk of fire. Never dry or warm anything over an open flame and never leave clothing unattended on a heater.

Warmth

• In winter, keep your horse as warm as it needs to be using rugs, stable bandages and deep beds.
• If your horse is living out ensure there is a deep bed in the shelter and plenty of hay for it to eat. Remember a horse uses food to provide inner warmth.

Water

• Ensure you break the ice of your horses’ water supply so that it can get to fresh water. Bring hoses in etc.
• Your horse is more prone to impaction colic in this weather, so why not add some warm water to its feed to ensure it takes in enough water to ensure gut mobility.

Food in the Winter

• Try to warm food before feeding if you are feeding wet products (ie, soaked foods such as sugar beet or mashes) rather then feed icy cold food. You can do this by just adding warm water.

Older Horses

• Remember that older horses that are more restricted during the colder wetter weather are more prone to impaction colic. Because the water is cold they tend to drink less and this also increases the risk, so if you can’t keep the water above freezing then try putting water in their food to ensure that they are getting sufficient fluid intake.

The Less Fortunate Ones

• Please do keep an eye on any horses near you that aren’t getting the care they should, and either help out as needed or report to one of the welfare groups. We provide more information on Horse Welfare here.

There is no let up in the horse welfare crisis in the UK. In fact the RSPCA only reported an increase just a week ago. Please continue with your support. We can only help these poor animals, if you help us.

Win Win with Remus Affiliate Partners

You may have noticed on the home page of the new website that we have some affiliate logos at the bottom of the page, for Monster Pet Supplies, Pet Plan and Pets Pyjamas. Indeed some of you might have enjoyed the Black Friday deals that we advertised last November on our Facebook page!

These affiliates offer us a WIN WIN situation. Every time you shop with one of these companies, Remus will receive a commission. But don’t worry it doesn’t cost you anything extra, in fact you can SAVE MONEY, and that’s where the Win Win comes into play, with their special deals that only we can offer you through them as an affiliate partner! All you need to do is use the special link that we publish.

Monster Pet Supplies

Monster Pet Supplies is a friendly online pet store that helps owners make their little monsters happy from head to tail!  They deliver all your pet food, meds, toys, treats and beds directly to pet owners at home or at work and offer up to 40% off the biggest names in dog and cat food, pet food and accessories – PRO PLAN, BETA, Royal Canin, James Wellbeloved, Iams, Burns, Eukanuba, Arden Grange, Naturediet and many more. They also offer FREE delivery on orders over £29. Founded in 2010, they are the UKs fastest growing online pet supplies retailer enjoying a 5-star rating on Trustpilot with a ranking of 9.4 out of 10 for customer satisfaction.  You can receive up to 40% off retail prices!

Pet Plan

Petplan specialises in pet insurance for domestic pets and was one of the first companies to enter the market back in 1976, and still leads the way. Over the past 30 years, millions of pet owners have chosen them to look after their pets, and their pockets, helping them with the cost of veterinary care when things go wrong. You’ll receive a 10% discount by shopping via Remus.

Pets Pyjamas

PetsPyjamas.com is the luxury online pet lifestyle site where smart pet lovers go to shop, network and discover pet-friendly places. From leads, collars and pet accessories to pet sitting facilities and dog walking services, PetsPyjamas brings together the hottest trends in designer pet products and lifestyle, alongside a unique Pet Neighbourhood.

PetsPyjamas prides itself on being able to showcase wonderful pet designers to a wider audience, many of whom run small British businesses. Their Pet Neighbourhood offers an overview of all pet-friendly places and services, where pet lovers can book via the site everything from grooming to pet-friendly hotels, as well as receive exclusive discounts and offers.

All you need to remember is to use the links we provide either above, or via the links on our website, in order to receive the savings and to ensure that we receive the commission from your purchase.

As always, thank you for your support, every little helps!

In the Heart of a Horse

This post is written in memory of Jimmy, Milo, Ruddles, Sky, Rosie, Timmy, Rosie Goat, Orchid and Scoobie. If you would like to make a donation in their memory, and help us take care of more rescued animals in the future, please do so via Just Giving and PayPal.

From everyone at Remus, animals and humans alike, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

In the Heart of a Horse – Poem by Unknown Author

When your day seems out of balance
and so many things go wrong…
When people fight around you
and the day drags on so long…

When parents act like children,
in-laws make you think “Divorce”…
Go out into your pasture…
and wrap your arms around your horse.

His gentle breath enfolds you,
and he watches with those eyes.
He may not have a PhD,
but he is, oh so wise!

His head rests on your shoulder.
You embrace him oh so tight.
He puts your world in balance,
and makes it seem all right.

Your tears they soon stop flowing.
The tension is now eased.
The garbage has been lifted,
and you’re quiet and at peace.

So when you need the balance
from circumstances in your day…
The best therapy that you can seek…
is out there eating hay!!

 

 

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.

PT Office Manager Required

We are looking for a Part Time Office Manager to join the Remus team. Ideally you will be an animal lover and we suggest not allergic to animals!

Details as follows:

• Part Time Office Manager
• Job Sector –  Management/Admin/Secretarial
• Salary – £12 per hr
• Job Type – Permanent
• Location – Ingatestone, Essex

Job Description

Remus Horse Sanctuary is a registered charity providing lifetime help and care for horses, ponies, donkeys, goats, sheep, cows and cats, that are victims of physical and mental abuse, be it as a result or ignorance or malicious intent.

In terms of the position, we are looking for an experienced office manager to work part-time approx 20 hours a week.

Duties will include:

• To manage the office functions and office staff including Office Administrator, Education Officer, Subscriptions Coordinator and Training & Events Coordinator
• To process inbound and outgoing post
• To answer the phone as required
• Liaison with Founder, Yard Manager and Trustees as required
• To set up and manage a new Filing system
• To manage the main Sanctuary database
• To manage fulfillment of the online shop orders and stock
• To manage all stationery, stock, order processing and budgets
• To manage all Remus literature ensuring stocks available for events and mailings

You the candidate will have:

• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Excellent communication skills
• Highly computer literate
• Excellent organisational skills
• High level of attention to detail
• Ability to work on own initiative as well as under direction and with a team

To apply, please send your CV in the first instance with a covering letter identifying why you think you will be suitable for this position to Sue Burton at info@remussanctuary.org. Closing date for applications Monday 11 January 2016.

Give the Gift of Life this Christmas

The nights are drawing in and the weather is significantly colder – time for those winter woollies and hot toddies! But remember, whilst you and your pets are keeping snug and warm, there are plenty of animals left out in the cold, without food or shelter, which need your help; already we are seeing horses in dire conditions. We are doing our very best to help them all but we need your support to do so.

Starting tomorrow and leading up to Christmas, we will be posting a special message every day onto our Facebook page, with ways in which you can help us to help these animals, please do what you can and remember, every little helps! Please share it with your friends and family too.

There are many varied ways in which you can help Remus, from donating to our appeal, to shopping at our online gift shop, to sponsoring an animal. You’ll also find lots of ideas on our ‘How You Can Help Page‘ on our website, such as the recycling of used postage stamps, used printer cartridges, coins and clothes, plus lots more!

Please, dig deep and do everything that you can!

Cashing in the Chips for Remus Horse Sanctuary

Supporters of Remus Horse Sanctuary enjoyed spinning the dice at a fun Casino evening organised by Remus trustee, Linda Croton, at The Holiday Inn Brentwood last week and raised just under £3,000 for the charity.

The event was organised to raise much-needed funds for the charity and enjoyed sponsorship from a number of companies including: Ace of Diamonds Fun Casino who provided the tables and fun money, Green Thumb Lawn Treatment and Stockbrook Manor Golf & Country Club in Billericay.  Ravens Bakery in Ingatestone provided the cake and Aura of Ingatestone card and gift shop provided balloons and sashes. Black Square Print Media printed the event programmes. Positive Signs Ltd provided British Sign Language interpreters’ ensuring the event was accessible for deaf people to enjoy.  Raffle prizes included a hamper from Harrods, John Lewis vouchers, a meal for two at Genting Club Westcliff Restaurant at Westcliff-on-Sea, tickets to Windsor Castle donated by The Royal Collection.

The overall winner of the evening was Dena Schwartz, Holistic Animal Therapist from Hertfordshire, who won a 3-night stay at Pebblegate B&B in Sheringham on the North Norfolk Cost kindly donated by Chris and David Parmenter – Chris is the author of the Wally the Worm children’s book sold via the Remus website. Celebrity guest, Basil Fawlty, played by Tim Farmer awarded the prizes throughout the evening.

2015 has been an extremely tough year for Remus.  Founder, Sue Burton, says, “We have noticed an immense decline in donations as people continue to be very careful with their money.”  In fact, it took the charity 197 days to raise just £1,454 for an operation for one of their ponies.  The effect on the Charity is considerable, and this in turn has a huge impact on the Sanctuary and their work.  Furthermore, it comes at a time when the horse welfare crisis is escalating in this country and therefore putting even more pressure on their already depleted funds.

Linda Croton said, “I wanted to do something different for the Sanctuary and it really was a fantastic night! On behalf of Remus, I would like to thank everyone involved in helping us raise much needed funds for the Sanctuary and also for making it such an enjoyable evening for all our guests.”

Essex woman to receive national award for dedication to rescuing thousands of horses

An Essex woman is to be recognised with a special award from the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) at the House of Lords, honouring her dedication to rescuing and improving the welfare of thousands of horses.

Animal lover Sue Burton, (52), from Billericay, set up Remus Memorial Horse Sanctuary and animal centre more than 30 years ago and now provides rehabilitation and long-term care for around 200 animals at any one time. The centre focuses particularly on horse, pony and donkey rescue but Sue and her team of 15 staff and 40 volunteers also take in goats, sheep, cows and cats, along with one resident dog, at the 40-acre site in the Essex countryside.

Sue was inspired to open her sanctuary in 1983 after being moved by the plight of horses on Rainham Marshes, where more than 100 horses were left on the bleak marshland and 13 died in horrific conditions after being cut off by floodwaters. The Rainham Marshes incident was followed by the case of Remus, a horse which was stolen and starved for three months in a feud over a £50 debt.

Remus was left tied to a lamppost and despite Sue’s valiant efforts to save him, he eventually had to be put down, but these cases emphasised to Sue the huge horse welfare problems in the county and she was determined to help other animals in Remus’s memory. Many of the animals she takes in have suffered physical or mental abuse because of human cruelty or ignorance.

Sue aims to help all the horses she can which have been left in fields to die and if she has no space at the centre she will travel out to keep feeding them. The sanctuary has also gained a reputation as a specialist centre for the treatment of veteran and blind horses, including having provided a home to two of Britain’s oldest known horses, one of whom recently died at the age of 50. Sue and her team also offer advice and workshops for the owners of elderly horses to ensure their animals can thrive in their final years.

Philip Mansbridge, UK Director of IFAW, said: “Sue’s dedication to horse rescue and protection is a great example of animal welfare in action. Her efforts have saved thousands of horses and other animals and she is a true inspiration to others. She is a very deserving winner of IFAW’s Equine Welfare Award.”

Sue said: “I was very pleased for the whole team to hear I would receive an IFAW award, as it represents the work done by everyone here. Our work is often very much along the same lines as a hospice, giving these animals, which have usually suffered greatly, 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 while enjoying the highest quality care that we can achieve.

“I don’t think a horse should be put down because it has reached a certain age if it can still thrive; I think we should be giving something back, especially when so many of these horses have suffered in the past. The most satisfying aspect of the work is seeing a horse that at first had completely shut itself down and wouldn’t interact suddenly coming to you or playing with other horses in the field. This is how they should be, full of life, and when you see that restored it is very special.”

The work of the centre also extends into the wider community, with ponies taken to visit care homes for the elderly and schools to educate young people about respecting and caring for animals. Remus is an accredited organisation offering work placements to young people and is a Duke of Edinburgh Award training venue. Tours and talks are also provided for disabled and deaf and blind groups.

Around the clock, Sue is available to respond to calls to help animals in need and is also under constant pressure to fundraise to pay the running costs of the centre, which are in excess of £400,000 annually. She relies completely on public donations.

Despite all the demands on her time from running the centre and carrying out hands-on rescue work, Sue continues to campaign for improved horse welfare and has lobbied at Westminster on the issue. She also promotes horse welfare and cruelty issues locally and encourages members of the public to be on the lookout for signs of distress in horses and to report any suspected cruelty or neglect, in Essex and across neighbouring counties.

Sue will receive her award at IFAW’s prestigious Animal Action Awards event, hosted by Baroness Gale and presented by TV wildlife presenter Bill Oddie at the House of Lords on October 20.

About IFAW

Founded in 1969, IFAW rescues and protects animals around the world. With projects in more than 40 countries, IFAW rescues individual animals, works to prevent cruelty to animals and advocates for the protection of wildlife and habitats. For more information, visit www.ifaw.org. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

Animal Action Awards are sponsored by the Express newspaper.