And, suddenly we are here – the end of another year and the Start of the new! All the craziness of Christmas and New Year over until same time, same place next year. Wishing you all a VERY HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR!
Figurework for 2017: Over 200 Complaints received and acted upon. Township visits 30. Country trips 16. Covering all equines: 768 Thoroughbreds, 1118 Crossbreeds and Thoroughbreds, 1306 Crossbreeds, 342 donkeys. And that is all excepting for those in December 2017. Not too shabby, hey! … AND 30 horses and 6 donkeys adopted out .
We started off December by collecting 2 adopted out donkeys for a holiday with us while their parents went overseas on holiday. Well done!
Suddenly 2 horses pitched up in Stanford Road. Could only be one owner so he was contacted to tell him where they were and he undertook to fetch them. Such a pity that pedestrians find it ‘funny’ or easy to untether the animals and let them loose in the traffic and who their very responsible owner loves.
Our Kwanobuhle owner, Jackson, phoned about his lame pony Whitey. Stan and Sally went and collected Whitey and admitted him. Stanley found a big abscess in the hoof, probably caused by the stone hidden there! Still with us, but hopefully going home soon.
A complaint received about a belligerent owner whose pony’s hooves were going ‘slipper’. Stanley sorted them out pronto!
I attended a meeting of all the local Animal Organisations at the City Hall at the request of the Mayor. Various people made very pertinent points about stray animals in PE and how best to handle the problem. Mainly about small animals, or cows, not our donks!
On the way to another Complaint, another Complaint was received about 3 horses stray on a busy road, so the original Complaint took a back seat for a while until the 3 were moved off the road and back into the care of their groom. The original complaint was attended to without the owner present. A phone call later to the owner led to the one horse being surrendered to us for Veterinary Care. After which X rays were taken only to find that both pedal bones had rotated leading to severe lameness. Unfixable!! Instructed euthanasia carried out poste haste.
The burned donkey jenny who came in last month for treatment was well enough to be taken home to her delighted owner. And the Nobuhle donkey with Proud Flesh was also returned home to his very happy owner without his Proud Flesh.
Then all the staff took off with both bakkies and horseboxes to go and collect 8 Crossbreed ponies from a drought area and that had been surrendered to the Unit, rather than being sold for the meat trade. All different ages, colours and various stages of training but coming nicely to hand. Accomplished over two days, admitted, dewormed, treated for ticks and had a mane cut and currently munching their way through fodder like there is no tomorrow and Available for Adoption.
Finally we were advised by our Auditors that our Audit 2016 had been ‘clean’. Yaaay!
One of our adopted out donkey jennies returned for a two week holiday while her parents went on holiday. Returned home safe and sound.
Just to add to the stress, my home PC, 10 years old after a lot of work done, went on permanent strike. Lucky for me, Computer Bits and Pieces came to my rescue and I now have a replacement. Nice Christmas present for myself!! Unfortunately I have not managed to work out how to resize pictures, so there will be none in this newsletter!
And then, not a minute too soon, we had our Raceday 2017 at Fairview Racecourse. Generous donors had sponsored the Races, and four tables for a delicious lunch were bought. We invited some of our Volunteers and Friends to join us and we had a lovely afternoon. Thank you, ALL Including the Race Sponsors who have made it possible for us to continue through 2018: Ascot Stud, Klawervlei Stud, Mauritzfoontein Stud, Mining Pressure Systems, Ridgemont Stud, Cape Breeders Club, Narrow Creek Stud, IL Services and Moutonshoek Stud. All Thoroughbred lovers giving back to the Thoroughbred and in some cases, the Crossbreeds and donkeys!
And so, because it was that time of the year, I took all the staff off for Christmas Lunch on the Friday before Christmas my treat to say thank you for their hard work and support over the past year. My treat! Much enjoyed by 5 of us except for Stanley who was on a Transkei Mission and groom Alfred who was on his day off.
Tracy who runs the ECHCU Auction Room most efficiently was happy to announce to the Directors that she had raised over R50,000 over the year. SO well done, Tracy! AND Thank you to all the donors and bidders and buyers – we could not have done it without you!
It had to happen! A horse surrendered on the penultimate day of the year, was adopted out the next day.
And in the final hours of 2017 a donkey jenny with a vaginal prolapse had the Vet in attention!
Donations received in December 2017 for which we are thankful:
REAL EXPOSURE – new branding on the bakkie.
FEED AND SEED – donated teff and lucerne
Laura – via Antoinette – teff roll and lucerne bales
Sam – fodder sweepings
Wentzel - Beer dregs donated
Karen – donated carrots
Heather – donated lucerne
Rosy - donated tack
MegM – donated tack and grooms T shirts
Amy – brought her 10 friends to carrot and watermelon the horses and donkeys
Heidi – donated lucerne
Mandy – donated grass roll
Tana – returned her Collection Tin with R222.50
Monique - donated tack via Dave Fisher
Mrs Farrington – donated tack.
Siobhan – donated tack
VOLUNTEER – Jamie grooming, Eugene, Erin – riding, Isabella -tack sales, Janie – grooming, Pillippa and
Lorenzo, Karen, Tana, Hildegaard – grooming
Thank you all for your support, both financial and emotionally and donations for the Auction Room and for
redistribution where necessary.
M
Banking Details: Standard Bank Current
Account Number: 080733875
Universal Branch Code: 051001
Account: Eastern Cape Horse Care Unit (all donated monies are used by us in the Metro and beyond!)
Landline: 041 366 1594
Cellph: 072 357 2505
email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Fb: East Cape Horse Care Unit