Spring is a busy time here at the Ark and for the past month or 2 now, my priorities have been to get everything cleaned up after the winter, prepare the firewood for next spring’s maple syrup run, prepare our trails and camp “stuff” for this summer’s youth leadership camps, build the new bed and breakfast apartment, start/complete the ensuite bathroom reno…. plus deal with my current spring/early summer clients. So unfortunately with all these priorities, this blog has taken a back seat.
But I’m posting today because I’ve added a new priority to my list of priorities. And this priority fits in with my next VEAR related blog post: Appreciation. I have recently learned about an organization called Whispering Hearts Horse Rescue. This is a farm down in Hagersville, Ontario who have dedicated themselves to rescuing horses in need of rescue. If you read my blog on “Quitting”, you know I am a bit of a horse lover myself. And if you know me at all, you know that I generally prefer the company of animals to people!
The reason for this is that I always know where I stand with animals. They all have integrity and are true to who they are. They don’t hide behind any masks. They just put themselves out there and say “this is me, take it or leave it”. And my experience with my animals (dogs and horses and even llamas and cats to some degree) has been that whatever love you give them is equally returned in kind.
People seem to be a different story… I currently have 190 “friends” on Facebook. What does that mean? I know when I post something on my “Wall”, asking for some help here at the Ark, out of my 190 friends, I usually only get 6 or 7 responses and 3 or 4 of the same folks who come out to lend a hand. Don’t get me wrong, I do have a couple of amazing friends and I’m grateful to have them in my lives. But why do we call those 185 other people I know “friends”?
And this past couple of weeks I’ve arranged to meet some people for a showing of the Ark for a potential wedding or to meet them here because they were interested in purchasing Xena. So I spend a few hours getting everything cleaned up and organized, and then these folks don’t show up. They don’t call, they don’t write, they don’t notify me in any way that they have changed their minds. I just find that rude and inconsiderate. Too many people these days have a double standard… there is the way they would like to be treated, and the way they treat others.
But I’m slightly off-topic here. My point is that animals, and most specifically horses, are completely reliant on us humans. They used to run wild and were quite capable of taking care of themselves. But then we moved in, paved over all of their land and pastures, and domesticated them. Now they are completely dependent upon “us”. And like those people who say they are going to come to the Ark for a tour and then simply don’t show up. There are people out there who think it would be fun to own a horse…. then they learn what a huge responsibility that actually is. And again, like they Ark, they just stop showing up.
There are horses all over this country that are left neglected and/or abused. There is nothing they can do to help themselves and very few people with the means or motivation to help them. Horses are big animals. They eat a lot of food. The need a lot of space to move. And some of the more highly bred and domesticated ones need a lot of ongoing veterinary care. This all equates to a lot of money and time.
This is why I was so amazed when I learned about the Whispering Hearts Horse Rescue. Here are people who have dedicated their lives to helping these majestic animals that have been so badly neglected and abused. I am in awe of what these people do. For me, I think it’s impressive the time and money they invest to helping these horses. But for me, what is more impressive is the emotional toll these folks must pay. I cannot stand to see an animal suffering. It rips my heart out. My wife knows there is no way I’ll even be in the house if she wants to watch Marley and Me. I know the dog dies in the end and I can’t even bear to see a dog die of old age in a movie!
So here these people are, taking in these extremely damaged horses. Many of them will take in the love they receive and give it right back. But for many of them, regardless of the help they receive, it will be too late. They will either die or need to be put down. How can the WHHR folks make that decision? How can they muster the courage to euthanize an innocent creature that needs to be put to rest after a life of mistreatment and abuse? It must be devastating for these folks. I know I couldn’t do it.
But the work they are doing needs to be done and I’m glad they have taken it upon themselves to step up. Like I said, I couldn’t do it for a number of reasons. But just because I can’t directly help these horses in need, I can help indirectly. The way I’m doing this is a) by increasing awareness of the plight of some horses and b) by doing what I can to raise money to help these folks out.
There are so many worthy charitable causes out there and I know we can’t donate to them. Should we donate to find a cure for cancer/diabetes/heart disease? Should we donate to help the people of Haiti? She we donate to purchase African mosquito nets or fresh water projects?
I know there are a million charities and organizations we “can” donate to, and we certainly can’t help them all. But I also think we could all do a little bit more. How many of us buy $5 coffee/snacks or $7 magazines? Many of us will drop 10 bucks here and there without even giving it a second thought. For most of us 10 bucks is nothing. Many of us spend that on a daily basis without even noticing. What if today we didn’t mindlessly drop that $10. What if today my 190 Facebook friends sent me that $10 instead? I would have $1900 to donate to the Whispering Hearts Horse Rescue! I’m certain that $1900 could be put to some very good use there. It would be appreciated much more than you probably appreciate that half-caff, double mocha, pistachio grande with whip cream (although that does sound pretty good!).
I like this charity for a few reasons… First, because it’s not a charity. It’s just some people who recognized a need exists and have stepped up to address it. This is a HUGE venture they’ve initiated, and I’m not saying everyone should start a horse rescue ranch. But what if we all spent more time addressing the smaller problems we have personally identified in the world instead of leaving it to somebody else? I think this world would be a much better place. So I want to help these folks, not only because they are helping horses, but because these are the type of people who deserve our help.
Okay, I’ve made my point. No need to beat a dead horse…. If you want to learn more about the Whispering Hearts Horse Rescue this is their web link: http://www.whhrescue.com/
They are having an open house fundraiser on July 10th and I will be going down to drop off whatever donations I can muster. If you would like to help me in my fundraising mission for them I’ve created a simple PayPal donation link on my website, that link is: http://www.synergyark.com/WhisperingHeartsHelp.html
I’ve already made my plea to my 190 Facebook friends and so far I’ve raised $100. Of course, that was from one single donor. I haven’t heard back from my other 189 “friends” yet….
Thanks for reading, I hope you can help.
