Build a barn and training facility

Our idea fits into several categories. We are an equine rescue in Central PEI. We take in horses whose owners can no longer keep them, provide training, vet and hooftrimming services and then place them in loving homes. We have a donation of 40 acres of land, but need money to put a barn, fences and maybe an indoor riding arena on the property. In our current economic times, owners often run out of options and perfectly good horses and ponies are trucked over long distances to be slaughtered for pet food or human consumption, in facilities not designed for slaughtering horses. With our facility in place, not only can we help more horses avoid slaughter, we can bring happiness to many different groups.

We are designing a program to help disadvantaged and troubled youth, allowing them to come to the facility and work with the horses. Similar programs around the world, including the famous program at the Carson City prison recently showcased on CBC, show that learning about and handling horses can change lives. It teaches skills, calms nerves and improves self-esteem. It makes people feel like they can do anything, because this 1000 lb animal trusted them. We want to open up this opportunity to troubled youth.

We hope to become a teaching facility, for both the general public and veterinary students from UPEI, on how to appropriately look after a horse, how to rehabilitate a horse and how to correct misbehaviour. Just like children, horses need to be taught manners in order to live happily in society. We hope that by offering these educational services, we will no longer see owners selling their horses because they are too afraid to handle them, because of the horse's bad manners. Also, since PEI lacks a large animal equivalent to the SPCA, we hope that having a larger facility will allow inspectors more leeway in removing animals at risk (instead of issuing warnings), as they will now have someplace to take these animals.

Thirdly, we feel that our enterprise will help with rural development. We want to offer an opportunity for young trainers who are just starting out, to get their name known. If we have a facility for training, as well as housing, young people who want to train, but can't afford to buy and board an animal at an appropriate facility, can come out to work with the animals, teach them useful skills and perhaps develop their own business. The rural lifestyle is a wonderful one and we owe it to our communities to make any effort to find ways to keep people working in the country.

What would we do with the money? Well, first off, a snug barn, with 10-12 box stalls for horses that need to be kept warm (starvation or sickness) or need to be rested (lameness), with a tack room for equipment and feed. A hay storage barn, so that our hay doesn't get moldy or wasted. At least 3 three sided shelters, for horses that prefer to be outside all the time, or those who have breathing conditions and can't stay in the barn. A small indoor riding arena, for trying out the horses to see what they know and retraining those who need new skills. Two quarantine paddocks with a small three sided shelter in each (so we can make sure that new horses coming in are carrying something contagious).

We are fundraising ourselves for this as well. We will have it all, in time. But many more horses will slip through the cracks, many more troubled youth will miss out on the chance to learn about themselves and about horses, many more young trainers will give up on their dream and move to the city. Please vote for us, so we have rejuvenate our rural area and bring all these benefits to our community.

Visit our website at www.sadiesplace.ca to read more about us, and our blog at www.sadiesplacepei.blogspot.com to read more about the horses!