Remus Horse Sanctuary Hit by Storm Katie
Remus Horse Sanctuary – Ingatestone, Essex – 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.”
For further information, visit www.remussanctuary.org or contact Sue Burton on tel: 01277 356191. The link for the field shelter appeal is: .
Suzanne Ashton, Founder of Everything Horse (Est, 2012), has a BA Hons in Marketing Management and a Diploma in Equine Science. Suzanne has ridden and owned horses all her life and has twelve years of experience in marketing, writing, design, SEO, and website creation.