Hey Everyone.

We wanted to reach out and thank everyone for their generous sharing. Every thought, every prayer, every penny helps.

Today was a great day in the neighborhood. We had a good soaking rain last night which helped to drastically improve the air quality. The skies were clear enough that we were unable to look directly at the sun like we have been for the last week. We, actually, for reals, took the horses out for a short walk today. They haven't been out of their paddock for a week! The boys really enjoyed their walk, however we were very careful to keep it short and not taxing as they've been inhaling dense smoke for a week now. They've been so bored. We've ordered and are just waiting for a supplement called Equine Lung Flush to arrive. We normally treat the lads with this twice per year, once mid-summer and again at the end of our riding season. They're getting a "bonus" treatment this summer. Good thing they love it!

The BC Provincial Government lifted the travel ban to parts of the Okanagan at midnight last night. This means tourists are welcome back to our beautiful little town of Osoyoos! This town depends on tourism to keep it alive. Hopefully, the air quality will continue to improve and we can look forward to having a great fall season.

Dave and I think it's important that you know what your donations will be helping us with. These aren't a bunch of bicycles or scooters that can be shelved until we need them again. They require food, shelter, and a plethora of etceteras all year 'round. Our hay costs range anywhere between $16K and $20K per year. If that seems like a big spread that's because it is. Hay prices can vary widely according to availability, quality, and demand. We try to purchase our hay for the entire year as it's more economical and of consisent quality that way. Some of the lads are a little sensitive to abrupt changes in their diets. We also provide the horses with various supplements, minerals, and chopped hay cubes. Those are divvied up according to the individual's requirements. We spend about $6500 per year on those items. Then there's the boarding costs. We don't own our property. We board the horses at Desert Park in the summer and then send them off to "storage" for the winter. I can hear Dave scolding me for calling it storage. Ha! They go to a pasture in the winter where they have unlimited access to hay and horsing around. The annual costs for boarding the horses are over $13.5K. Then, there are the other costs such as veterinary fees and medications, equipment costs, insurances and other incidentals. Horses ain't cheap, but they're totally worth it!

Thanks again for all of your help and well-wishes. We appreciate it more than you know. We have been unable to operate for most of August and the end of July due to fires and smoke. These are the times that we earn the greatest portion of our income that provides for the horse's year-round care. This photo of Dave on Cisco and leading Roy is from today's beautiful walk.

This campaign is unpublished.

GiveSendGo