Things we hear...

From Jim: There are several recurring comments we hear pretty often. The most frequent is "We really like or appreciate what you do". Thanks for that. It's a nice affirmation that we're not viewed as totally demented by everyone. Actually, it's humbling to have our work acknowledged by other caring folks and it does mean a lot to us. We also hear, "I didn't realize there was such a big problem with unwanted horses". That doesn't surprise us. The plight of horses in our modern society is not very well known. Part of our mission is to make this issue more generally understood and to work toward lasting solutions. We share our beliefs about responsible ownership, breeding, and good practices regarding care and training. We have tried to be a resource to the horse community and we've certainly received a warm welcome from many folks. We hear, "How do you afford it? Isn't it really expensive?" We work very hard to raise the necessary money. We are so grateful that folks make donations and support the thrift store. We hear, "I wish I was wealthy and could give more!" All of our gifts are deeply appreciated. When someone donates, no matter what the amount, we know they have made a choice to help the horses and that they've sacrificed something to do that. Wow, that's pretty incredible! We hear, "I hope you're getting help. How do you two do all the work?" Donna and I love what we do. We're getting older, but we're used to physical farm/ranch work. Our days have a structure and pattern we find purposeful and comforting. And, yeh, it gets cold and wet, and hot and sweaty, and dusty and muddy. That's part of the deal. We hear, "Why do you do this?" We say, "Come meet the herd and see if you think they don't deserve to live and be cared for". We hear, "Aren't you angry at the people who have abused these animals?" We want abusers held to answer and restricted from having animals. We prefer to use our energy, our life forces, to care for and love our critters. We think it does them more good to be loved, than to have us spend our efforts being angry. There's a lot we hear. Most of it is music to our ears. We hear from really wonderful people that really "get it". We like that! Take some time to love on your critters. It'll be good for all of you!