Like an iceberg of need, only a small portion of our tales surface above the waterline for all to see. Requests are steadily increasing for our intervention, probably in proportion to our growing visibility. I say requests for our ‘intervention’ because I do not deem them all requests for ‘help’; some are people that don’t want their horses anymore, or people who ‘saved’ the horse and now feel that it’s someone else’s job, since they didn’t mean it to be ‘their’ horse forever. God help me to not ever become one of those.

Fact is, it’s still the horse who will suffer, losing home and herd to shuffle around, likely again and again. Fact is, tho’, that we simply cannot help all of the horses. We cannot. We have a record 40 living here right now, in health and harmony. I hope that as our land resources grow, and our financial support grows, that our herd will increase. As it is right now we are working for free full time caring for the sanctuary, scrambling to support ourselves part time, and trying to raise funds to feed the herd in between. Busy doesn’t begin to describe it.

But I digress. Back to the stories, the ones untold. Some aren’t told because we are protecting an innocent, perhaps a child who could suffer from the telling, or another horse still with someone abusive. Sometimes it’s not our tale, we only play a part. Sometimes it is too sad and nothing productive will come from the recounting. Sometimes I am just too tired. The emotional toll of what I see and hear about, on a daily basis, is real. Which is why cuddling late at night with a favorite mare is such a cathartic end to many a day. The peaceful munching in the dark of 25 horses in a herd, the soft nicker of greeting, the gentle nose saying hello…this group of horses that would otherwise be dead, but instead living happy here as a herd; this is why we do what we do.

I am burdened today by a very sad tale that I do not feel at liberty to tell, but yesterday was a hard day and not just for me. There are other brave friends also standing up for their beliefs and working to help a horse have a better life, or, a better death. Equally important but one more wrenching.

So if I sometimes seem short, if my answer is curt, or delayed, please have patience with me. I try not to reflect what I see but I am not perfect. Any kindness on the part of our friends goes a long, long way.