Time on Task, The Power of Numbers...

From Jim: We have 75 equines that are permanent residents of the sanctuary, 6 live with long term foster families. That is a fair number of critters. Our vet says a week here is equivalent to a year for most horse owners. We have a population that is atypical because they're rescues and retirees. That gives us a lot of seniors and quite a few cases of abuse and neglect. We've gotten pretty good at helping equines that have been starved. We've worked out a strategy for overcoming most of the emotional damage caused by abuse. Our efforts, led by Gary, our vet, to repair physical wounds and injuries is successful, for the most part. We don't view our animals as victims. That's not true. They may have been victims, but now they're horses, donkeys, and mules, living out their lives in peace and safety. We tell their stories to visitors, not to paint them as poor sorry creatures, but the acknowledge their capacity to recover and move on with life. There's a lesson there for all of us. We live embedded in the herds. They are all around us all of the time. We see every animal at least twice, and usually more often, every day. Our observations are not casual. We take careful note of their condition and behavior. Our impressions form over time and are discussed throughout the day. I believe this constant contact with them in a near natural setting has been one of the best learning experiences in my life. The list of questions I have, and of the things I don't know about equines is still very long. That said, I feel more comfortable about my understanding of these critters than ever before. After 60 plus years of being around horses, I'm finally at the advanced learner stage. I'll always be a student, never a master.