Florida Research Institute for Equine Nurturing, Development & Safety, Inc. aka F.R.I.E.N.D.S. Horse Rescue & Sanctuary: COVID-19 Operation Grant Report

How did this grant help your organization and the pets in your care?

The $250 was used toward the feed bill for the 21 non-sponsored horses under our care.

Your donation of $250 helped us purchase 10.44 bags of grain for some of the "orphans" under our care. The cost per bag was $23.95 for Triple Crown Senior.

How many pets did this grant help?

5

Please provide a story of one or more specific pets this grant helped.

We used the funds received to cover the expenses of the grain for five of our senior horses for one week. Usually, seniors are the last horses to ever get sponsored because most people want young horses they can ride and they are generally looking for a horse that has no health issues. Sadly, most seniors have underlying health issues, whether it be hooves, stomach, legs, or past injuries, and people don’t want the added expense. Even if a senior has no health issues, they are still difficult to place; most people want a younger horse because they don’t want to get attached to an older pet who may only have only a few years left.

We are a sanctuary, so we accept horses of all ages, for all different reasons and needs. The horses we applied your funding toward were Eddie, a 30-year-old Appaloosa gelding; Cisco, a 25-year-old mustang; Pavarotti, a 27-year-old warmblood; Sheba, a 28-year-old mustang; and Junior, a 23-year-old quarter horse. All of these horses have a life of sanctuary at F.R.I.E.N.D.S., but none of them have been sponsored yet.