With Fall firmly in place and Winter following close behind, it’s time to start thinking about what lies ahead for horses in this region. The lucky ones will be tucked into cozy stalls with piles of hay in front of them and warm blankets to shield them from the cold. The ones who are not so lucky? They will grow leaner as the last of the summer grass dies away. They will lose precious calories as they shiver in the wet rain. Some might not survive until spring comes again.

Some of those horses will end up at SAFE. Winter is when we see the worst starvation cases and the largest number of horses in need. Some will be seized by or surrendered to Animal Control agencies, and here at SAFE we have to ready when the call comes.

The horses that SAFE takes in over the winter will be in our care for a long time afterwards. First, they have to regain their health and their strength. After that we begin the long process of finding them new homes. Some will go into training, some will be given time to grow up. Most will be with SAFE for another 6–8 months, or longer.

In preparation for the coming winter, we are holding a feed drive to raise money for the hay and grain we will need in the months ahead. Our goal is to raise $20,000 which will give us the security of knowing that we will be able to provide for all the horses in our care, present and future, for close to a year. Anything above that will go towards our Community Outreach Program, to help horse owners in need.

If you’d like to contribute to our Fall Into Winter feed drive, there are lots of things we need that you can provide:

Help us reach our goal of $20,000 by November 30, 2011. And as always, thank you for supporting SAFE!