Upcoming Events to Support Horse Rescues

There are several upcoming charity events throughout the United States that support horses, here is a sampling of just a few:

New Jersey and Pennsylvania:


Children's author Diana Tuorto will participate in several book signings this fall to benefit New Jersey and Pennsylvania-based horse and cat rescues.

Tuorto will appear on Saturday, Oct. 10 at REASON Horse Rescue’s annual open house in Harveys Lake, Pa. and 50 percent of Tuorto’s book proceeds will benefit REASON. She will also appear at the Mylestone Equine Rescue’s annual open house in Phillipsburg, with 50 percent of book proceeds benefiting MER. On Saturday, Oct. 24, Tuorto will participate in Thoroughbred horse rescue ReRun’s open house at its new facility, Reindancer Farm, in New Egypt, with 50 percent of book proceeds also benefiting ReRun.

For more information,visit http://cayuse.8k.com.

Vermont

Hair Cuts for Horses
Heidi Olson-Hilder is hoping haircuts will help horses who need help in North Clarendon.

The Rutland hairdresser will put her scissors to good use Friday when Avanti, the salon she works at on Center Street, will host an all-day "cut-a-thon" to raise money for Spring Hill Horse Rescue.

Olson-Hilder, who keeps a coin-can for the rescue on her cutting table, said she's been trying to help the group ever since one of the stable's nonallergenic horses helped her fulfill a longstanding wish.

"I'm deathly allergic to horses, but I've always dreamed of riding them," she said.

The rescued horse she rides has granted her wish. Now, she's trying to give back to the shelter that takes in equines from a wide range of venues and backgrounds and either permanently cares for them or tries to find them new homes.

It's an expensive undertaking, according to the rescue's director, Gina Brown.

"It's about $40,000 a year to provide feed and medical care under normal conditions," she said describing the needs of her 23-member herd. "If a horse has suffered cruelty or has medical needs it costs more."

This winter, Brown is worrying about more than just the medical needs of her horses. Her 15-year-old daughter, Zoey, was recently diagnosed with leukemia and Brown said she's grateful for the fundraiser.

"If I know I'll have money through the fundraiser to pay for hay, I can focus on Zoey and getting her well," she said.

Brown said all the money raised by the cut-a-thon would go toward the horses. The nonprofit rescue is supported primarily by donations, she said, along with a small amount of grant funding.

The cut-a-thon will run from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday with Olson-Hilder donating all the proceeds from her haircuts. Other hairdressers at the salon will donate portions of their day to the fundraiser, she said, with a minimum donation of $20 per customer.

In addition to the haircuts, interested donors can buy raffle tickets for gift certificates from local businesses. The raffle will be drawn during an event at Pub 42 on Wales Street from 6 to 8 p.m. which will include live music.

Arizona

Hunks & Horses Calendar Launch Event

The launch of the 2010 "Hunks & Horses" calendar will be from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at Boot Barn, 3719 N. Oracle Road.
Calendar sales benefit HEART — Happy Equine Acres Rescue and Therapy — of Tucson, a horse rescue facility on the east side that performs miracles on a daily basis.
The original Hunks & Horses calendar was published for 2009 by Swingin' SaddleBabes LLC, a partnership of local women who spend hours riding desert trails together. The idea took shape when they discovered that no one had ever done a calendar of farriers except a group in England who created a calendar featuring nude farriers, a possibility the Swingin' SaddleBabes chose not to explore.
"Other than me and my veterinarian, there is no one who is more important to my horses' well being than my farrier," said Jean Waters, a founding member of Swingin' SaddleBabes.
"Even if your horses go 'barefoot,' you still need a farrier to trim and take care of their hooves."
Recruiting farriers for 2010 was easier, with six farriers volunteering for a second round.
The first year was a learning year for the group, and as planning for the 2010 edition began, they capitalized on the lessons they'd learned. Because printing costs require such a large amount of capital, finding ways to save money in production was vital.
According to member Linda Fernandez, "We wanted to double our contribution to the horse rescue this year, so we really focused on how to be more efficient with our resources."
To that end, the group enlisted the services of a student photographer, Tanya Sova, a senior in the University of Arizona photography program.
For more information visit the Web sites www.hunksandhorses.com and www.heartoftucson.org.