SARA Group Reiki July 17, 2010

SARA Group Reiki

Saturday, July 17, 2010 at 10:00am
Traveller's Rest Equine Elders Sanctuary
Spotsylvania, VA

TREES is a founding shelter member of the Shelter Animal Reiki Association. Practitioners participating in the SARA @ TREES program gather at the sanctuary once each month to offer healing to residents. Participating practitioners are also invited to work individually with sanctuary residents as their schedules allow.


For more info on the SARA program at Traveller's Rest, please contact Janet Dobbs at janet@animalparadisecommunication.com

Henry's Miracle

Much to our chagrin, a recent visitor mentioned that we never "talk" about Henry on the blog.  She's right.  Henry's arrival was not a dramatic one.  No starvation.  No neglect. No abandonment.  But Henry's story has developed into a noteable one.

Henry, a retired eventer, arrived at Traveller's Rest about four years ago when his owner encountered very serious family difficulties.  The big chestnut Thoroughbred cross actually came here on what was supposed to be a temporary stopover on his way to another sanctuary.  Watching his reaction to a big change in his life, however, led us to offer Henry permanent sanctuary here rather then subject him to another move in a short time. 

Henry - August 2005

We really didn't know what to think of Henry at first.  In most situations, he was a very kind, affectionate horse, but two aspects of his personality were troubling. The first was that he pinned his ears in a very threatening manner every time someone approached with food.  (Very odd, we thought.  Most horses celebrate the approach of food.) 

The second problem was Henry's behavior around other horses.  He was extremely aggressive, more so with mares than with geldings, and on two occasions drove horses into corners and attacked.  After several attempts, over two years, to find just the right companion, we resigned ourselves to the idea that Henry didn't possess even basic equine social skills that allow most horses to live in herds.  He was set up with his own paddock, with "fence buddies" on three sides, and a shed he could share with other horses, but with separate access doors and a partition between himself and the others.

Two years after his arrival, Henry was diagnosed with Cushings disease.  Was that part of the problem?  We've seen no published information on this, but have observed more than once that extreme irritability in a previously good-natured horse is one of the first signs of Cushings.  Before "the coat."  Before the weight gain.  Before most other observable symptoms. 

Henry before pergolide - March 2006

Henry was started on Pergolide, and seemed to respond in terms of physical symptoms, but he was still very irritated by other horses in close proximity.  At this point, we were very leery of putting another horse's safety at risk and decided Henry was going to be a loner for whatever years he had left.  He seemed content enough on his own, but not entirely happy.

Then, almost a year ago, Henry met a new friend.  A wonderful lady named Carole came into Henry's life.  Carole has attended Reiki workshops at TREES and was attracted to Henry from her first visit.  The two formed a friendship that even observers new to horses noticed. 

When TREES later became a founding shelter member of SARA (Shelter Animal Reiki Association,) Carole signed up as a volunteer and began visiting Henry every week.  The practice of Reiki in human hospitals has been shown to promote healing though relaxation and stress reduction techniques.  Those same techinques helped Henry heal whatever mental or emotional issues he dealt with for several years. 

There was no instant "fix."  No flash of light or fanfare. Carole has been working with Henry for several months.  Gently, steadily, consistently helping him relax and accept things previously deemed out of the question.

The result?

Henry, left, and Josh, right

No matter how you look at Reiki, the results for Henry have been life-changing.  We're forever grateful to Carole for sticking with Henry and giving him the ultimate gift.  He's no longer just content.  He's happy.


For more information on Reiki, see "What is (and isn't) Reiki?"  (Be sure to scroll down to the Fact/Myth chart.)

Kids Today......

We'd like to thank Caroline B. and her family for dropping by for a visit today.  For her senior project, Caroline chose to do a presentation on senior horses.  As part of that project, she built a display which featured some of TREES' residents (Miss Mona in particular) to take to local horse shows, and also collected donations and used tack for Traveller's Rest to use in fundraising efforts.  Today TREES was presented with 8 saddles, among other items, that will be used to generate funds for residents' care.  Caroline will also be building a PowerPoint presentation as the final phase of her project.  We hope she'll send us a copy! 

As a side note........Sherman - (formerly) timid, detached Sherman - thoroughly enjoyed Caroline's company and I think would have stayed right next to her as long as she stood in one place. 

Thank you, again, Caroline.  Hope you enjoy your holiday weekend in DC!

"Leave It At The Gate" Reminder

Seems to be time for a gentle reminder to leave certain feelings at the gate when visiting the residents of Traveller's Rest.

Our residents may be elderly and have special health considerations in most cases, but all are still vital, perceptive representatives of the equine world.  Remember that horses are very sensitive to their handlers' moods and emotions.  When you work with a horse and focus on past mistreatment or current health issues to the extent that it causes obvious anger or anxiety, the horse picks up on those emotions.  Very often, anxious handlers cause horses to be anxious as well.

In trying to keep our residents' environment stress-free, we ask that visitors focus on more positive aspects of the Elders' present lives.  Focus on progress they've made, whether that progress is measured in leaps or in baby steps.  If hearing stories of past treatment causes anger, or if you cannot look past issues yet to be resolved, let us know and we will help you find another horse with which to spend your time.  Anger and anxiety are understandable reactions to certain situations, but neither benefits the Elders. 

That said, here's a picture of progress:

Sherman today, February 20, 2010

And as a reminder, here is Sherman November 10, 2009

Is Sherman fully "rehabbed?"  Not yet.  He needs to put on a few more pounds and there are still some issues requiring further diagnostics, but the baby steps are piling up.  A lesson in patience for those of us who wanted him to recover at a faster pace, but Progress none the less!

Not Gone & Not Forgotten

Sherman had visitors today!  Visitors who came specifically to see him.  Before he retired, Sherman held a job at Hazelwild Farm, where he was known as "Jake."  Apparently Sherman, aka Jake, taught quite a few area children to ride in his day.

When two of Sherman's former students learned he was at Traveller's Rest, they decided to stop by for a visit.  Rachel and Katelyn's first horseback rides were on Sherman!  He must have done a good job since both are still involved with horses. 

When the ladies mentioned visiting Sherman to another Hazelwild (adult) member who had ridden Sherm as a child, his response was "He's still alive?" 

You bet!  He may be a little more frail in body, but still strong in spirit.  You're only as old as you feel, dontcha know. 

Thank you for stopping by, Rachel and Katelyn.  We love it when old friends come to re-visit and pay tribute to our residents. 

Its the "little guys" who have the biggest impact on the horse community.  Very few people outside of the Spotsylvania/Fredericksburg area have heard of Jake or Sherman, but there are quite a few Virginians whose lives were impacted by this horse and hundreds of school horses like him.  Give your Schoolies a hug today.  They've earned it.

VOTE! for TREES in Chase Community Giving (Please)

VOTE, vote VOTE! for TREES in Chase Community Giving on Facebook . Not only will one of the top prizes fund general operations, it could help launch programs in development: programs in education and community outreach aimed at senior-horse owners who need a little assistance during a temporary rough patch.  Programs intended to allow long-time owners to keep their elder equine healthy, happy and at home.

Please, vote for Traveller's Rest, then "pass it on."

http://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/charities/200331606-travellers-rest-equine-elders-sanctuary?ref=mf
One charity will receive $250k
4 runners-up will receive $100k
195 others will receive $20k

We're resurrecting the Blog!

After an attempt to move our news and updates to Facebook, it has come to our attention (many times) that a percentage of Traveller's Rest's followers will simply never, never, never use Facebook.  Ever. 

Fair enough.

Starting this week, we'll resume posting regular blog updates.  For FB fans, links will be posted to all new blog posts.

If you do not regularly use Facebook please remember that the TREES page is "public content."  You do not have to be "on Facebook" to view our posts.  We will continue to post lots of photos and updates on Facebook, since it is a more interactive/immediate feedback venue, but will also return to the more in-depth narratives previously posted on the blog.

Please bear with us as we work out a good relationship between the two applications. 

Facebook page

Blog

Geezers Rule!

(Sonny, age 39 - June 15, 2010)

Yard Sale Report!

Drum Roll, please...........

At the end of six hours of selling and repurposing your donated treasures, Traveller's Rest was able to add $1,077.89 to the bank account!  Not bad for half a day's work .  I'm also happy to say we sold all the large items which means, in addition to the boost that gave to the coffers, we don't have to store them. 

What a great crowd. Some shoppers came from as far away as the Virginia Beach area, just to support the Geezers.  I can't tell you how much that means.  We saw a lot of old friends who can't get to the farm as often as they'd like.  It was wonderful to see you all again.  Some friends were Facebook "fans" whose names were familiar.  Putting names to those faces means a lot, as did hearing that FB readers enjoy our educational posts.  Since education is a big part of TREES mission, it was gratifying to know we're making some difference in that way.

We also met several exciting new friends, many offering to support TREES' future endeavors with their time and services.  We'll be in touch!  There are some who feel yard sales are not the best fund-raising method for growing organizations, but I have to say you can't beat it for community networking opportunities.

Thank you to everyone connected to yesterday's sale.  Carole, Janet, Helen, Trish, Carol, Deborah, and everyone who donated such "sellable" items, put up flyers, shared on your FB pages or contributed in any other way.  Some of you snuck in and dropped off bags and boxes without waving us down. and we want to make sure you know how much every treasure was appreciated.

Thanks, too, to Carol, who came back early Sunday to help catch up on the general farm cleanup.  Whew. 

Hope got some rest today - you made a great contribution to the geezers yesterday in more ways than you know.