Week 3 - Safer Sonoma Action for Equine Rescue

'Saving one Horse
may not make
a difference to the world:
But it makes a world
of difference
to one Horse'.

This week's donation is in honor of my best friend of over 20 years, Amanda. Her birthday is January 17th and I am thrilled to be out here on the beautiful Pacific coast visiting her family, so I asked her to choose the organization for week 3.  We have remained steadfast friends while living on opposite coasts and using Skype as our means of near daily communication.

Amanda is a fellow horse enthusiast and we grew up loving horses together. One of my earliest memories of our friendship was riding the city bus into Boulder, CO where her pony was stabled. (City bus story will remain in my memory forever as well, but that we will leave as a private joke, Amanda!) Her pony was a spotted furry little guy and we jumped on bareback and rode double around the field. I think we were about 10. No supervision and no helmets. Life was a bit simpler then with fewer worries.

As the years went by Amanda did the show circuit with various thoroughbreds and was entrenched in the horse world along with her mom who bred thoroughbreds and paints. I always envied her farm filled with beautiful horses.

Amanda rescued her thoroughbred mare a few years ago from an equine rescue organization, so understands the importance of rehabilitating off-track thoroughbreds and other horses. She choose Safer Sonoma Action for Equine Rescue for my organization this week. I got to speak with Kate Sullivan, the founder, today while at the barn with Amanda. I especially like her Hay Assistance Program. Keeping horses in their original homes, but offering some assistance to those who can no longer afford to feed their beloved companion is a smart alternative to taking on the additional expense of fostering these horses. Kate told me an endearing story of a woman struggling to care for an aged horse and how she feels her program helps people just as much as it helps the horses. I too believe in the emotional healing power that horses have and how they can help people overcome personal struggles.

SAFER provides the following community services and has no paid positions:

1. FREE extensive website listing for rehoming horses quickly.
2. Hay Assistance Program for short term emergencies.
3. Newsletter for community horse issues and new horse Alerts.
4. Auction saves and emergency owner surrender.
5. Phone counseling for horse owner's options.
6. Educational Booths at community gatherings.

You can find more information about SAFER at http://www.saferhorse.com/ or on Facebook. My donation will be matched 100% by my employer.

Back to work next week, but enjoying a few more days of vacation this week!