As I write this article, it is the middle of October. The mornings have been delightfully cool but warm up quickly when the sun gets higher in the sky. There’s no denying we had a long and brutal summer. I could not wait for fall and here it is with winter right around the bend – I dread it! Frozen hoses, ice and snow and wind that chills me to the bone. There’s nothing good I can say about winter and I’m sure the animals like it less than I do. The great news is we have a 22-stall barn and every field and paddock has a run-in shed. We are also fortunate to have automatic waterers so there’s no “chopping ice” like in the old days. But still I worry, mostly about rising feed prices and the availability of hay. I have several hay suppliers, but the cost seems to go up with every load that’s delivered. Hay is extremely important to the horses during the cold months as it helps take the place of pasture so they can keep their bellies full. I have many older horses that can’t even eat hay and for those we purchase hay cubes (which are soaked in water) and bagged, and chopped hay which they also enjoy. Keeping weight on an old horse is a constant struggle, one that I fight even during the summer months. Sadly, the special hay products are very expensive and really take a bite out of our feed budget. But their health and welfare are of the utmost importance to Rainhill so we provide what they need.
If you are touched by our mission and would like to help Rainhill’s 48 horses we would be so honored. Please remember that we are a 501c3 non-profit organization and all donations are tax-deductible. No one at Rainhill receives a salary of any kind and all donations go directly to help feed and care for our precious horses.
We purchase our feed at TSC and are grateful for gift cards which help lighten our load. The baled hay is $7 a bale right now and a donation of any size will be so appreciated. The weather has been so crazy lately and I fear a long and difficult winter.
I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving, as we all have so much to be thankful for. I always feel blessed to be able to give a home to these beautiful horses who did not ask to be born but do ask to be cared for and loved.
I am enclosing a photo I took of Comanche, a long-time resident of Rainhill, as he was enjoying some grass by the pond a few mornings ago. It’s horses like this that arrive at Rainhill sad, confused and unwanted and are now happy and relaxed.
Bless you all for caring.
-by Karen Thurman
11125 Ky. Hwy. 185
Bowling Green, KY 42101
270-777-3164
